# Pros & Cons of having a horse with flaws



## Whisper22 (Jan 2, 2011)

The only thing you can do is to keep playing with them whenever you can. Take the pressure away when he relaxes. 
My mare had a similar issue with her face, ironically she had no problem with her ears. It took only a few days to get her over it when she had an infection and NEEDED to have ointment rubbed on her face. I went into it with no special technique other than to take the pressure away when she relaxed. I ended up holding her head over a fence while I stood on the other side because she liked to smoosh my up against whatever was closest on the side I was working on.


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## Tyler (Feb 10, 2010)

My boy's really lethargic... Which is really frustrating when I'm trying to ride, 'cause it takes an aweful lot of coersion to get him to start moving. However, since he's so lethargic, he rarely, if ever, bucks. So while I'm sitting on his back trying to get him to go, I can rest assured that he won't kick me off! =P
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I often think about the pros and cons of having a mellow horse vs. an energetic horse.

For instance the pros of my Mustang who is mellow:

-anyone can ride him (he's honest and does not try to take advantage)
-when other people's horses are bouncing off the walls or even if someone were to run past us, he just doesn't care. He totally listens to his rider! 
-you can park him for a lunch break out on the trail and he will stand patiently tied or eats grass without leaving you
-in the winter he can sit for weeks and is good as the day you last rode him
-matches up well with the Quarter Horse crowd
-rides well by himself

the cons of my mellow Mustang:

-He can't keep up with the gaited crowd unless he trots, which upsets the gaited crowd 
-he is built like a haflinger and gets tired more than other horses and sweats more on long rides
-In the summer when you ride him a lot he can get almost too laid back, which is not quite as much fun as a horse that likes to go

Pros of my energetic Fox Trotter:
-Matches up well with the gaited horse crowd and generally will slow down for the Quarter Horse crowd as well
-Lots of fun and lots of energy- great for summertime rides!
-it's nice to have a horse that will move out willingly and has plenty of energy for faster rides
-she has all kinds of cool gaits that make me giggle!

Cons of my energetic Fox Trotter:

-Barn sour and hyper in the winter when she sits due to bad weather
-Not as good being ridden alone (hyper, spooky)
-will run off and leave you for dead if you get off to pee and drop your reins :lol:

Really, the mellow horse is perfect for winter riding and the energetic horse is perfect for summer riding.

Heck, I love them both!


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Oh, to dream of finding a horse without some problem )

Ears are not too bad. Have had that before. My current filly for example. Took over two months of daily work, but I can gently run my hands over her ears after I've given her a forehead rub and a light scratching along the base of hte ears. She doesn't shy away from the halter anymore (that took over a month), but a bridle is still out of the question. It takes time and patience but you can win them over.

With every horse there is always something. Might be a very small and insignificant  but there's always something.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Oh I forgot the pro.

Dealing with the flaws of a horse teaches patience......lots and lots of patience )


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## maesseren (Jan 24, 2012)

Hmm a con of a floor - it hurts when you fall off! LOL!

Sorry for the poor joke!


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## chrisnscully (Apr 19, 2010)

maesseren said:


> Hmm a con of a floor - it hurts when you fall off! LOL!
> 
> Sorry for the poor joke!


It's not the falling off, it's the landing that hurts :lol:


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## maesseren (Jan 24, 2012)

chrisnscully said:


> It's not the falling off, it's the landing that hurts :lol:


LOL!

Falling is a pre-req to the landing unfortunately!


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

WesternBella said:


> I don't mean anything crazy but for me, my horse has ear problems (he used to be abused so now, he won't let anyone touch his ears..he does tolerate me a little better though)
> 
> I usually find myself thinking about the pros and cons of his ear problem
> 
> ...


I forget who it was, maybe Clinton Anderson that was working with a horse that hated his ears touched. He actually took a carrot stick and had the horse on a lead and would just stand there and rub the carrot stick right at the horse's poll. The horse threw a hissy fit but as soon as he stopped ducking his head away, he stopped touching him and patted him on the shoulder with his hand. Have you ever tried this with your horse?


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

My horse has a lot of flaws, that make it difficult for him to be ridden by others. He's sensitive, he needs assurance constantly, he doesn't like beginners (though I am one?) he's scared of men and dogs, and he likes to jig around and be big and move his head away.

But we work through, it. He's a champ, and he's getting more 'trusty' with people. He's not the type anyone can jump on, but he's a great ride and a wonderful horse.


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## Whisper22 (Jan 2, 2011)

I guess I didn't add my pros and cons.
The cons of her being face shy were that it was extremely irritating to never be able to pet her face like I've always been able to do with my other horses. I know this isn't true, but I felt like she liked me less.

The pro is that it gave me something to work on with her and bond over. I had a sense of accomplishment when I finally got her over it.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

A perfect horse would be a bore. There would be nothing to fix, nothing to work through, nothing to improve.

Having said that, I'll take a horse with a lot of go over one with a lot of whoa.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

mildot said:


> A perfect horse would be a bore. There would be nothing to fix, nothing to work through, nothing to improve.
> 
> Having said that, I'll take a horse with a lot of go over one with a lot of whoa.


Mine's both!  Makes for interesting days haha

But yes, I agree. Same with people.. flaws make us who we are.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

My horse was considered generally "difficult" and "a jerk" in the barn from which I originally bought him, because of these cons:

- He's extremely dominant and pushy; 
- Takes advantage of any riding or groundwork flaw a human might present; 
- Mouthy and chewy, had a tendency to bite; 
- Hard gaits; 
- Lethargic when uninterested, many weren't even able to get him to walk without stopping;
- Occasional bolting and bucking in order to get what he wants; 
- Because of the mouthiness often destroyed different inventory, opened his stall box, stole objects and foods, etc.; 
- Had no respect at all for most of humans.

Sounds like a total monster, doesn't he?  I somehow still believed in him, worked with him, and this is what turned out of all of his cons - 

The Pros:

+ His dominance made me become more strong-willed and more of a leader. He is almost no more pushy around me (still takes advantage of anybody else, if given the chance, though ) and has become a perfect partner - and it appears that he's a one person horse only, which he lacked in the previous barn and thus learned to be ignorant against what all the different people wanted from him.

+ He takes advantage of any human flaws, because he is intensely intelligent and has to have his time with a human interesting and stimulating, therefore, I adjusted to this and learned how to stimulate his active mind with various exercises and now he willingly works with me at liberty, bitless, sadlleless, sometimes bridleless, and happily engages in every new thing I propose.

+ He is mouthy because he loves exploring and learning new things, so I let him do this in a controlled manner - he now knows a handful of mouthy tricks (for example, carrying and handing my whip to me) and I also value his curiosity. 

+ Hard gaits were transformed into pleasant with hard training.

+ No more lethargic - he seems to enjoy every second he spends with me and goes around wide awake, playful, full of spunk and sparkles.  

+ Discovered, that he bucked when he used to be a lesson horse because of poorly fitted saddle, so this has been resolved. I have experienced a couple of bolting episodes as a sign of dominance, but hey - we're working at it. It just means I have to be just as fast thinking as he is to prevent it.

+ Well, that's just his spunk and sparkles. I don't see it as destruction, rather as exploring and take it as a part of his character that I enjoy.  

+ All in all, we're just a perfect match. I see his cons only as challenges, not as something completely negative, and I can deal with him, so he is no longer difficult or a jerk, he's just my spunky, mischievous and joful partner. I'd be bored if he was perfect!


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## chrisnscully (Apr 19, 2010)

Saranda said:


> My horse was considered generally "difficult" and "a jerk" in the barn from which I originally bought him, because of these cons:
> 
> - He's extremely dominant and pushy;
> - Takes advantage of any riding or groundwork flaw a human might present;
> ...


Apart from the hard gaits he sounds like a spitting image of my girl especially the mouthing and the won't move if she is not minded to!

Here she is wondering why I want her to walk over a pole on a loose rope.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, he doesn't have hard gaits anymore, because he's improved greatly over the last months - used to be with not enough go and on the forehand, but we've corrected that now, so they might be very much alike today. And that video of yours looks sooo familiar!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I can see only cons in having a horse with flaws.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

chrisnscully said:


> Here she is wondering why I want her to walk over a pole on a loose rope.


She is so cute! "Nom nom nom pole, you taste good.. must be okay to step over!" hehehe

Of course I'd never say such things in her presence. 



kitten_Val said:


> I can see only cons in having a horse with flaws.


What do you mean? :-|


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## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

dont mean to sound weird.. but doesent every horse have at least one flaw... I dont think there is a such thing as a perfect horse


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Pros & cons of horses with flaws are the same thing for me. Fixing the flaws. Frustrating sometimes to work through some things but rewarding once you do.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

gingerscout said:


> dont mean to sound weird.. but doesent every horse have at least one flaw... I dont think there is a such thing as a perfect horse


Yep! Just as people do!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Skyseternalangel said:


> What do you mean? :-|


By "flaws" I don't consider rough trot-to-canter transitions and alike (those are just training issues or horse's limitations). :wink: By "flaws" I mean rearing, bucking, running away from you in field, trying to invade the space, hard to bridle, hard to catch, one-person horse, etc. Because if it comes to emergency or the situation when you are forced to sell the horse you'll be in big trouble. So yes, I'd want my horses to be as "flaw-less" as possible for my own sake and the sake of people who have to deal with them.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

You have a valuable point there, Val.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

That makes sense, Kitten_Val


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