Now I come to the question that I’ve been pondering for a very long time. Is every horse meant to be a riding horse (or carriage horse or companion horse of any kind)?
When I watch a video of a horse being worked, I watch it twice. The first time is with the sound turned off so the commentary is muted. The second is with the sound on, so I can hear the trainer’s commentary.
When we see a horse come up to us in the paddock to be caught, is it Stockholm syndrome at work? When our horse shows a willing compliance to be ridden, shod, tied up, trailer loaded, etc, is it Stockholm syndrome at work?
For every horse trainer and teacher there is a group of haters who think they can do nothing right, and a group of fans who think they can do nothing wrong. Both groups are wrong.