What is a Performance Horse?

What is a performance horse? Just about anything you ask your horse to do, from executing a dressage test, nailing a reining pattern, traversing a cross-country course, or negotiating uneven terrain on trail is a request to perform. Working at liberty in a round pen, arena, or on a lunge line is another request to perform. Performance is the act of influencing your horse’s gaits and movements.

A non-performing animal does what he wants, when he wants to. Horses aren’t generally enthusiastic about working, so most aren’t running around in their pastures trying to be the most athletic member of the herd. Asking your horse to perform requires more of him than he would naturally do on his own. Asking him to work correctly means that he will develop the condition, strength, balance, and flexibility to be physically capable of doing his job well.

When your horse is using his body correctly, he will benefit from:

• Increased physical comfort
• Being less prone to injuries
• A confident and relaxed attitude
• A balanced, strong, and well-conditioned body
• Less stress, strain, and wear on muscles and joints
• Achieving a higher level of performance success with less effort

There are benefits for you as well. You’ll enjoy riding a horse that has:

• Increased versatility
• Better stops and transitions
• A smoother ride and high-quality gaits
• Improved willingness and responsiveness
• Greater success and longevity as a performer

Being aware of when and how you influence your horse’s way of going takes knowledge and an understanding of the nature of equine movement. Becoming educated about your horse and seeing him as an equine athlete takes time, but it’s well worth the effort! You will see how much untapped potential your horse has, and your horse will show his appreciation by being a better performer and a willing partner. Besides, isn’t your job as a handler and rider to help your horse succeed? This is a team effort. If one of you succeeds, then you both succeed!

So, how do you know when your performer isn’t performing correctly?
Take the time to educate yourself about proper balance, movement, and carriage. Learn how to evaluate your horse’s way of going so that you know if he’s working properly. Here are some signs that there is room for improvement:

• Loud hard-hitting footfalls – a balanced horse makes soft contact with the ground
• An upside down neck (high head carriage) – this is a sign of tension, a heavy forehand, resistance to the rider’s hands, and produces rough gaits
• A hollow back (concave instead of rounded) – this creates soreness, rough gaits, and a tense topline
• Uneven or shortened strides - this may be due to soreness of the limbs or hooves, restricted and unnatural gaits, or an unbalanced rider

If your horse isn’t being asked to move correctly, isn’t properly conditioned, or isn’t receiving adequate physical care and maintenance, his performance, his body, and his state-of-mind can suffer.

Excessive physical stress and/or the discomfort that will develop from traveling in an unbalanced frame, at unnatural gaits, or with ill-fitting tack will take a toll on him. The connection between your horse’s physical condition and his state of mind is powerful. Horses react emotionally to bodily distress the same way that you and I do…by not liking it!

Your horse needs you to take responsibility for his actions. He doesn’t have any sense of what it means to move correctly. He needs you to learn how to ask him to move properly, know how to recognize with he’s not working correctly, and how to be a compassionate, confident, and connected leader who he’s willing to follow.

Performance is about so much more than getting your horse to do his job. It’s about helping him do it well by providing him with training and physical tools he needs so that he can be a strong, resilient, and capable performer. Whenever you interact with your horse, you are influencing his body and his mind. You will get the most out of his performance and enhance your equine experience by giving him what he needs to be the best partner and performer he can be!

Return to "Performance Through Partnership" Page
Return to Home Page