23/09/2025
THE UNTALENTED HORSE | Why do we keep going?
I want to do dressage. My dream is to be able to do all the fancy moves on my horse that likes me, isn’t in pain, and can do these moves in relaxation, using its body correctly.
HOWEVER...
My current horse is a downhill Paint gelding that I rescued from a property where he was abandoned for god-only-knows how long. He windsucks like a m**o, has a hole in his soft palate, has teeth that confuse the dentist, his feet are awful, he’s a headshaker and has movement like pinocchio (before he came to life). He sometimes pulls up lame after a big canter in the paddock and is terrified of the girth, saddle, whips and flags. He is, however, a very nice colour so I’m told! His one major talent is that he can eat and windsuck at the same time (see pic below).
I’m not really sure why I keep going with him. Part of it is because I’m really stubborn and I won’t quit until I can ride a balanced and relaxed trot circle on that horse. Part of it is because if I can’t get him going okay, who the hell is going to want him and what the hell am I going to do with him? Part of it is because, despite being broken AF he really is a very nice person, easy to handle, gets along with every other horse ever, and is very smoochy. He always wants to be caught and he always tries his heart out. Part of it is because I want to prove all the nay-sayers wrong and do something resembling dressage on that bloody horse!
He came to me sort of handled (you could catch and halter him), but with zero education, terrified, and not broken in. His feet hadn't been done, he was wormy and full of ulcers. He went around with his head jammed in the air and his back as still as a board.
After 18 months of owning him and doing A LOT of in-hand work, he can now walk really nicely, despite having zero overtrack and no swing. He can trot a pretty decent circle on one rein on the lunge, the other rein comes and goes, but isn’t too bad. The canter is a total sh*tshow, but at least he can now actually canter, he couldn’t even canter in the paddock when I got him. He can do in-hand shoulder in, travers and a couple of steps of half pass in both directions and I can trail ride him. That’s literally it, for 18 months of pretty consistent work, numerous clinics and several vet visits.
It seems like very little now that I’ve written it all down. But it is progress. And in some ways it’s actually more rewarding than a talented horse, one who’s sound(er), been bred to perform and hasn’t had previous trauma. Just getting him to the stage where I can leave the farrier to trim him by himself is a big thing.
So back to my dream of doing fancy moves - why spend so much time on a horse that has zero talent and is totally unsuitable for what I want to do? Well, when I look at my dream, there is actually no reason I can’t achieve it. The dream isn’t for the fancy horse, it’s for the fancy moves. My horse likes me, I like my horse and I like working with him, so I’m well on my way.
So, for all those people out there who keep on with their untalented horses, keep going!
I do realise that this post isn't completely aligned with equine nutrition, but it's worth noting that I tried ALL the supplements and vet prescribed medications that are recommended for horses with headshakers and none even touched the sides.
The only thing that has improved it is in hand work. Shout out to the brilliant Tori Jeffress- Equine Functional Movement and Rehabilitation for her constant support and guidance. He headshakes less when being worked than at other times. It is somewhat seasonal as it gets better and worse throughout the year, but I'll know more as we go on and he keeps unravelling like an onion. He is definitely teaching me a lot about a lot!
Note also that this post isn't about tips for dealing with headshakers or rescue horses or anything other than it has been on my mind and I wrote a post about it.
If you have an untalented horses, particularly one that does some cool stuff DESPITE this, I'd love to hear it!
