Can you overcome a horse's natural inclinations?

Question

We own a GORGEOUS flea-bitten grey Hanoverian. My daughter had been training/showing him in hunter classes but was always marked down because of his head carriage being high and curved, etc. Natural Hanoverian carriage that she was only occasionally able to move to a more hunter position. She has now switched to dressage training which seems much more "natural" to him. He looks fantastic at it, as a matter of fact. So, that begs the question, do certain breeds lend themselves better to certain disciplines and should we even try to overcome nature training them sort of against their predispositions??

Answer 1

My first thought when I read the question is that there is nothing at all natural in anything we are doing when we train and ride horses.  So, that said, I think it's more a matter of degrees....to what degree do we ask a horse to overcome his/her nature?  Collection is anything but natural.  I don't think too many horses would choose to complete a jumping course because it comes natural.  Unless we're all gonna hop on bareback , grab mane and go along for whatever ride they take us on, I think the way they carry themselves will be all a matter of training anyway.  I'm not so blind that I don't see your point, but I just wonder at what point do we call it fighting nature?

Answer 2

You can overcome a horse's natural inclinations but if he shows such talent in another area why would you?  Horses are like people and have individual talents.  Body shape and size have a lot to do with whether a horse, dog or person would be good at a certain job or not.  You wouldn't use a Greyhound as an "earth dog" to dig out rats any more than you would use a dachshund to chase down a rabbit.  They could both probably do the job but wouldn't be as good at it as a dog that was designed for it.  Or you wouldn't take a weight lifter and expect him to excel at track and field...

Answer 3

All animal breeds have been bred for certain jobs.  What I can say about a Hanoverian is that in dressage or other training, he should be taught to lower his head and neck to stretch his back.  This is important for him to learn so he doesn't get muscle tightness in the future.  It is generally called "reaching for the bit".  Look into this and try it.  It will help in everything he does.  Naturally high carriage of the head does not automatically translate into being truly collected.  It can appear that way, but it will cause physical problems and resistance in the future.  He needs to learn to stretch and lower before gathering and collecting.  These are essential steps in conditioning/training.

Answer 4

I do believe that certain breeds lend themselves better to certain disciplines.  For example, a Quarter Horse is more suited for barrel racing, cutting and reining than for dressage.  Thoroughbreds make good jumpers because of their height, speed, and physical shape.  Tennessee Walking horses are great trail horses because they conserve energy by the way they walk and the rider doesn't bounce all over the place because these horses do not trot.

I do not believe people should try to overcome nature except in cases where the adjustment is very minor and can be achieved easily through the use of bitting or equipment.  For example, if you have a gaited horse (which is what I have) who tends to pace, but who can gait, you can try a different bit that may allow you to more effectively communicate to the horse the preferred gait.

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Yes, some breeds are just better at certain discliplines. Hanoverians are very well known in the dressage world (and the show jumping world too, but are not as common). All horses are different. Many people belive that Thoroughbreds are only for racing or eventing, but my Thoroughbred is best in the hunters. You can train a horse to do a discipline that is "unatural" to them, but that does not mean they will suceed (or fail). If you worked with your horses headset more, you may be able to overcome this problem in a matter of time. :)

Answer 6

This is a very good question, thanks for asking it... I believe that yes certain breed are def better suited to different disciplines, take the thoroughbred for show jumping or the warmblood for dressage, and then you start getting into the designer horses, where people are breeding the horses they want, i recently saw a 16.3 paint horse used as an ODE horse because it had the presence for the dressage and the height and power for the jumps. However I am a big believer in versitility. Any horse can with in its power try and be good at everything. Not every horse is going to rock every disapline, but a good horse that is subtle to their rider can do pretty much anything, but again, a judge will make descretions and judgements before they even see your horse work just because of its breeding etc. I have a tb gelding who is fantastic dressage horse, (elem) and over the weekend i took him to a pony club show as a bit of a fun day out for him, and the judge wouldnt even place him for hack or rider (and i've qualified for royal) so just shows that its not always the horse that stops it being successful in the ring. On the other point, yes to an extend you can train out a horse of its natural presdispositions, i mean look at all the ex pacing horses that get around as pony club mounts these days, and i've seen some very high carriaged arabs carry their heads in perfect dressage head set, but it did only during tests when asked and as soon as she let go of his contact his head was straigh up and relaxed back into his natural position. So i dunno, i really guess its up to each horse, but yep i think to an extent u can rain the horses to perform outside their natural predispositions... best wishes for your daughter and her dressage training :)

Answer 7

I think there are two reasons why some horses work better in certain disciplines.  One is their personality and natural drive, which is what I think you're talking about.  A forward moving, energetic horse is going to find it difficult and miserable to try and slow down and be a Western Pleasure horse, and vice versa.

The second part if the situation is - certain conformation traits make certain ways of moving possible or not possible.  For example, the horse you're discussing probably had his neck tie into his shoulders a certain way that made it impossible for him to move lower and leveler and remain coordinated and balanced.  Obviously his dressage training is allowing him to move in a way that works for his body type.  The same thing is true for the Paint breed shows that I ride in.  To be competitive APHA show horses must move with their neck and pole even with their withers.  My show horse finds that easy and comfortable to do, and just needs reminding to leave it there when she is a bit more excited and pressured.  But many horses with higher neck sets would be miserable moving around with their necks levels.

One of the top Western Pleasure trainers is a man named Cleve Wells who states repeatedly "Find out what your horse wants to do, and then help him become good at it."  In other words, don't try to fit your horse into a certain mold because that's what YOU want to do.  Instead find out what your horse's temperment and build allow him to do, and then work with that.

Good question, and I think you've answered it well yourself!