[evenstar7139]

How do I tell if my horse is hot, lazy, or something else? Back in the days when I was insecure and didn't know what I was doing...she was downright neurotic, especially under saddle. Now she's the opposite. I've learned so much and worked with her so much that she's calm as can be. Not much bothers her but if it does I can quickly convince her it's nothing to worry about.

 

[mls]

I'm sorry - I don't follow.

 

[justsambam08]

A "hot" horse is a horse who has energy no matter what....opposite of that is a lazy horse who has no energy.

It sounds to me like your horse feeds off of your emotions, like most horses, and now that you're a confident rider, it trusts you to not be neurotic. Thats a good thing, just go with it.

 

[evenstar7139]

Uhh she has medium energy. What would that be?

 

[MacabreMikolaj]

Ideal? There isn't really a description for every energy level, just like the descriptions don't describe just energy levels. Hot horses are typically regarded as those who have limitless energy AND a tendency to misbehave or act up. I would not consider my Arab mare "hot" - she has limitless energy reserves, typical of being an Arabian, but she'd fine walking slowly on a trail or teaching beginners to ride in an arena. Her energy is controlled - as such as happens with PROPER training. Hot horses, more often then not, have had holes in their training to make them so resistant to rider commands.

Likewise, lazy horses don't just lack energy - they lack energy and work ethic. You will often see these horses trotting and playing happily in a pasture, but it all changes when a rider is on their back. Of course some horses are just naturally laid back and lazy by nature, but it can usually be schooled into them to develop a better work ethic. Often the lazy horse has nothing to do with energy levels at all, just a general distaste for being ridden and not caring.

 

[mom2pride]

Haha...my two late yearlings are definitely "lazy"...I swear they are broken!! The filly can be more energetic, and that makes training relatively easy, because I know what she's 'thinking', or rather, that she IS thinking. The boy is always calm, until he decides to blow up...granted, he doesn't do that often (I think it would take too much energy on his part...LOL), but you can't see it coming, because it just happens. I PREFER a horse like his sister, or my mare, where you can see the thinking process happening, because you're actually getting some kind of response...and when you get a reaction, you know what you need to work on, and you know to step back a bit, so you CAN work on what they are uncomfortable with. With a super lazy horse, they may not like something, but you don't know it, until he becomes so uncomfortable that he blows up. Think "Jekyll and Hyde"...

As far as how to tell what kind of energy your horse has, there is no 'table of horse energy'...either he's energetic, or he's not; and there is alot of in between. I prefer some amount of energy, even the fiery kind, because I know the reaction will come, and I can work through whatever it is they are reacting too; with those horses that have little or no 'energetic' side to them, you may either never have reactions, or they will come and take you totally off guard; which to me, makes those sort of horses much more dangerous than those who are energetic. Er, from a trainers perspective that is.