What makes our horses “acceptable” to us, even when they might not be “acceptable” to another owner? As someone who has taken her share of bucks, falls, bounces, and near-misses, at this stage in my life I’m not looking for a new “challenge” or a “project” horse. There are others like me out there. We want a horse that is easy to catch, doesn’t destroy a stall, stands tied, has impeccable ground manners, doesn’t walk off when we’re mounting and dismounting, and is a pleasant ride. One of my friends fox hunts; we merely want to enjoy the gaits we choose, and occasionally take a jump just to remind ourselves how much fun that is. We’re not interested in shows and ribbons at this phase of our lives. Basically, we want a horse to do what we want, when we want, with as little fuss and muss as possible.

However, there are those folks who like a good challenge–friends who are competing in various disciplines here and across the country. Others who make their living working with horses, from the stallion manager at one of the top Thoroughbred nurseries in Kentucky to agents who make a living buying and selling horses. So in the midst of all this, how do we decide what behavior is acceptable in our own horses, in horses for clients, or horses for specific disciplines? How do we know when there is a behavioral vs. a physical problem? Are our horses ever “right” in disobeying?

Let’s take that last question first. I think we’d all admit that horses have a keener sense of sight and smell than we do. However, their instincts can sometimes be in conflict with our wishes. We try to train that fight or flight instinct out, or at least tone it down enough that we can enjoy our walk through the winter woods without every little crack and rustle causing panic.

Our cover story (page 32) looks at the “Seven Deadly Sins” of horses–hard to catch, cribbing, cinchiness, head and ear shyness, overly fearful or shy, kicking, and biting. There are some interesting insights from experts on the behavioral and physical aspects of what causes these problems, and how to solve them. We must remember that some of what we describe as vices are man-made characteristics. Thus, changing our interaction with the horse can change his actions or reactions