How often does it happen that a horse doesn't really want to be mounted on a certain day and he decides to unhorse his rider by a sudden stop, or running under low branches, or injuring his rider by accidentally on purpose slamming him against a wall?

RickJ

That can't really be answered quantitively. I think all animals have bad days. Heck, my own 15 year old cat will occasionally not appreciate being petted...

As for horses, I think it logical to assume that the more it gets ridden, the less likely it will be to be uncooperative with a rider...especially a rider he is familiar with.

ScottGem

As a teen I used to work at a "dude" ranch and have sporadically ridden over the years. I've never encountered a horse so badly trained that he would act like that. The closest I came was once having a horse roll under me, but that was due to a branch getting caught under the saddle. When I got it out and remounted the horse was fine.

Starman

Thanx for the responses.
The reason I asked was that I have heard of people suffering terrible accidents while riding a horse. For example the late actor Ricardo Montalban suffered crippling back injury when thrown from his horse and landing flat on his back on an upwardly-curved boulder.

Also, I personally witnessed a very highly-trained horse slam its rider's leg against an exit abutment during a victory ride. Perhaps the horse was tired and didn't feel like giving a breakneck speed victory run after the grueling competition. When the rider demanded it, maybe the horse lost its patience. It looked very intentional to me since only the rider's leg took the impact.

Then you have Christopher Reeve's horse stopping short and sending Reeves flying through the air and landing on his head.

I have also read about horses not liking to be ridden by inexperienced riders and trying to dismount them by passing under low tree limbs. So I was just wondering how frequently such things happen. Glad to here that it doesn't happen that often since I won't be that nervous about riding a horse if the opportunity presents itself.

BTW

I figure that since a horse can't tell us when he doesn't feel like running because he just doesn't feel well, he might find himself being forced into doing so anyway. Since animals under such circumstances will become frustrated then the things I described I assumed were caused by that.

ScottGem

The Reeves and Montalban accidents are different issues. There are many reasons why a horse might stop short causing their rider to tumble. Its not an issue of being disgruntled. But note that show riders and jockeys do wear helmets, albeit not ones that give a lot of protection. Setting up a horse for a jump is a skill. If the horse is not setup right, it may balk. Also english saddles do not provide the stability on top of the horse that a western saddle does.

Most such accidents occur due to rider error or something spooking the horse. Not any conscious decision on the part of the horse.

orange

I agree with Scott. I've done a lot of horseback riding (western) in my life, and it's rare for a horse to act that way, unless it's very badly trained. It also depends on the temperament of the horse, and the experience of the rider. Horses will take advantage of an inexperienced rider, by not following commands, stopping to eat grass, etc. And like dogs, they can sense fear or uneasiness, and will take advantage of that, too.

And yeah the accidents were just that, accidents. I don't believe the horses meant to hurt their owners in those cases. Horses can get spooked.

Starman

Both your responses have been helpful. Thank you. Perrhaps I have been paying too much attention to accusations that the horse that stopped short in Reeves case did so on purpose to rid himself of its rider. Your explanation is a better one.


BTW
About horses not wanting to hurt owners, I recently watched a show on tv where a woman and a horse fell into a narrow ditch. The horse was wedged in the narow ditch directly above the woman. The woman said that the horse struggled for hours to prevent himself from crushing her under his weight. So that does show a certain awareness of its ability to cause damage to the rider if it wanted to. On the other hand you are right. Why assume malice and not give the animal the benefit of the doubt.

brutus

I believe that 95 percent of the time its the riders fault. my aunt was right after Christopher Reeve in that show and she said he was a little bit nervous and you could tell the horse was getting nervous too. but also you are the boss so you should take control

David Taylor

sounds like you have an ornery horse my friend. I have spent a large portion of my life with horses. Somehow the good lord saw fit to bless me with a unique ability with them. There are many factors involved in diagnosing your particular horse. Breed, age, gender, time under saddle, etc. For example if you have a mare, you can expect her to get a little testy when she comes in season. If you have a stud, a mare in season can make him act up. The mind set of a stud is the desire to be in charge. period. The only thing that will keep that desire at bay is more dominant leader. You must be that lead stud, studette, whichever. That animal must follow you because of trust of your leadership. Not fear. So be careful not to cross that line. But a horse without discipline will eventually get someone hurt. So, with all of that said. I'll tell you what I would do if I was sitting your saddle. I have trained countless horses in my days. Many of which were sent to me after numerous other trainers gave up and could do nothing with them. And I never failed to send them back a trained, disciplined, eager to please, and willing to work horse. Trust and disipline are the main ingredients. And the ability to be either fearless in the saddle or able to hide that fear and uncertainty from your horse. Because make no mistake, he can smell it and he can feel it right through the saddle. Back to me sitting on your horse. I would first as always, make sure I have put the saddle on correctly, making good and sure that the girth strap is niether pinching him or running across his "heart of girth" (because that will make one act up real quick and the rider not know why) Once mounted I would have it my mind on what his issues were and sit the saddle to compensate for the sudden movements. Once he did the first thing other than walk on like I want him to, using a deep, strong, LOUD voice, I would say HEYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! Followed by an immediate, hard, wake-up slap to the side of the head for the purpose of getting his immediate, undivided attention. Immediately I would take both reins and be prepared for his response. 90 percent of the time a horse will be so shocked he will cock his head back and stick his ears straight up as if to say WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED!!!!!!!! After a few times the issue he had would be over and from that point forward my voice is all that I would need.(which then would transfer and correct any other issues he might have) Now for all of those people out there that might read this with their jaws dropped in horror of me slapping one upside the head let me say this. Watch two horse just playing. I challenge you to be able to make physical contact barehanded with a horse with even a fraction of the power force or energy as the two playing horses kicking, pawing, and biting each other. Short of picking up a two by four there is nothing you can do to hurt him. The loudnes and sting of the slap is the attention getter. Always use your firm voice before popping him. He will learn that once he hears that tone come from you, the next thing is the attention getter if he doesnt knock it off and start waltzing with matilda. I can stand across the field from a horse that I have trained with someone else on their back. If he acts up with them I can give him the HEYYYYYYY!!! and those ears will pop up and they quit whatever it is they are doing wrong.I hope this in some small way helps. If you have any particular questions feel free to ask me. p.s. your horses trust in your leadership will be the difference between whether or not he'll cross large creeks, steep hills, thick brush, go around fire, etc etc. Happy trails