There have been a lot of articles written about job satisfaction, or lack thereof ‒ remember Quiet Quitting and the Great Resignation of 2022? Some people switch jobs like they change underwear, others suffer with a gig because they have to support a family. But loving your job isn’t a guarantee, or perhaps you once loved it, but grew bored or frustrated over time. If you have such issues working on the same thing day in and day out, the same can be true for your horse or pony.
“I only ask my horse to do what I want one hour a day!” is a lament owners often make after a “bad ride” or in reaction to a horse’s “bad behavior.” It’s an unspoken rule that because owners pay an exorbitant amount of money (after toiling at work) to keep their horse safe and healthy, because the animal spends 23 out of 24 hours comfortably grazing, sleeping, etc., it should be grateful and therefore do whatever is asked of it, without displaying any negative behaviour.
It doesn’t work that way.