Ross
I’m here today with legendary Australian horseman, Ted Clueless. Welcome Ted, and thank you for your time.
Ted
No worries, mate. Always glad to have a chin wag.
Ross
Now Ted, you come from a long line of expert horsemen. Is that right?
Ted
Yeah, sure mate. There have been generations of Clueless horsemen. My father, his father, and his father before him were all great Clueless horsemen. We’ve even had several Clueless women as professional horse trainers. A lot of people in the horse world claim to be Clueless, but our family are the real McCoy. No question.
Ross
Well, as a little background why don’t you tell our readers what sort of horses you prefer?
Ted
Sure mate. Well, I like horses that don’t buck. I also like horses that don’t bite. And I’m really fond of the ones that don’t bolt. I sure wish I owned one.
Ross
No, no. I mean what breed of horse do you prefer?
Ted
Oh. Sorry mate. Well, I prefer the breeds that don’t buck and the ones that don’t bite. I’ve also got a soft spot for the ones that don’t bolt.
Ross
So you’re okay with horses that rear.
Ted
Oh no mate. I forget about the breeds that rear. Yeah, I don’t like them much either.
There is no question that Ted is clueless. But he makes a point.
In the many years I have been a professional horseman, I have come across so many people who have horses that are beyond their ability to get along with. In more than a few cases, I have feared for the safety of owners who live in hope they might be able to get along with their horse with just a little help from a good trainer. Often, they love their horse so much that they steadfastly remain in denial that they have the wrong horse for them. It’s one of the most stressful aspects of being in this business. Every professional trainer experiences having a client and a horse that are a total mismatch.
When I have asked some people why they bought a horse that was clearly a challenge, the answers are varied.
“Well, I always wanted an Arab.” “He was cheap and the right size.” “She comes from good bloodlines.” “He is so good-looking. I love the colour and he moves so well.” “I wanted a mare that I could eventually breed to.” “His grand dad was a great showjumper.”
You get the idea.
My biggest pet hate excuse for buying a horse is, “I wanted a baby that was untrained, so I didn’t inherit problems somebody else put in him.” In my opinion, if you don’t have the skill to fix training problems, you don’t have the skill to ensure you don’t create them.
Every horse and every horse person has issues that need work. But rarely have I encountered a client who was experiencing a lot of trouble with their horse, who told me they bought it because the horse had such a nice trainable mind.
Let’s be clear. I can adapt my training approach to influence and help a horse’s mental and emotional state. These are highly changeable. Through our training, we have the ability to build confidence, mental connection, trust, and all the other mental and emotional parameters that are important. However, our training methods can’t alter a horse’s breed, its colour, height, conformation, etc. We have very little influence on the physical nature of a horse, but we have a huge influence on its emotional and mental nature.
My point is that people should look to buy a horse whose mental and emotional makeup fits within their ability to help. This is my top priority when I help clients shop for a horse. Where their skill level sits has to be at a place that fulfils the horse’s emotional needs. A novice horse person has no business buying a mental and emotional wreck, irrespective of how many other boxes the horse ticks. Only then is it a good idea to be picky about breed, conformation, experience, gender, colour, etc.
I understand that many people have ambitions to be successful competitors. Other people want a physically robust workhorse. Still others have reason to shop for a large horse or a very small horse. Some need a fast horse, and some want balletic movement. I get all that, and there is nothing wrong with including those requirements on your shopping list. But, like any close relationship, we need to get along with our partner on a mental and emotional level first.
My ideal horse is one that has some projects to work on, but that is safe even when things go wrong. A total mental and emotional meltdown is always far from the surface, no matter how badly I screw up. A horse like that will not only teach me to be better, but we are not in trouble and safety is not compromised even on a bad day. I wish more people gave that some thought.
No horse is problem-free. No horse is perfect. If you are looking for the perfect horse, you are going to be disappointed because the perfect horse is looking for the perfect owner and “you ain’t it”. But to have a horse in your paddock with a mind that is available, curious, forgiving, and unbreakable is a gift.
China as a yearling. He was no looker but he was the most amazing horse I have ever worked with because of the power of his mind. He was one of the most precious gifts life has given me.