13/10/2026
Are the horses we breed becoming unrideable, or are we failing to understand the horses we have?
I read a post the other day suggesting that the horses we are breeding are becoming increasingly unrideable, that they are essentially wild, need backing earlier and that we need to go back to traditional ways of doing things.
Honestly, I couldn't disagree more.. get comfy this is a long one ☕️
I'm not saying there aren't serious problems within the breeding industry, because there absolutely are. Horses with known heritable conditions shouldn't be bred without careful consideration of the risks, and genetic factors are something we need to take seriously. Those of you who have followed my journey with Finn and my other horses will know just how strongly I feel about this.
My horses have taught me first-hand about muscle diseases and the importance of understanding what's happening beneath the surface.
But I think we need to stop blaming the horse and start looking at the bigger picture.
We know more now than we did years ago. We should be moving forwards with that knowledge, not backwards.
When we were younger, we had fewer diagnostic tools, less accessible research and, in many cases, less understanding of pain, biomechanics, behaviour and equine physiology. That doesn't necessarily mean horses were healthier or easier to ride. It may simply mean we didn't always recognise what was going on.
So, what has actually changed?
1. Breeding and genetics
Yes, there are horses being bred that shouldn't be. Hereditary conditions, genetic diversity, conformation and the long-term health of our horses all deserve serious consideration.
We need responsible breeding practices, better education and a willingness to put the horse's welfare ahead of producing the next fashionable or commercially desirable horse and the mare that was retired for xyz....
But we cannot attribute every difficult or seemingly unrideable horse to modern breeding.
2. Management and confinement
Just because a horse is a competition horse doesn't mean it needs to live like one every minute of the day.
We buy talented horses because we want to progress through the levels, but are we always prepared to meet their needs outside the arena?
Too many horses have restricted movement, limited turnout and lives built almost entirely around training and competition.
Horses are designed to move, graze, socialise and make choices. Those needs don't disappear because a horse has a competition record.
I know plenty of competition horses who live out, have access to friends and enjoy freedom of movement, with appropriate protection and management where necessary.
They can still be athletes without being confined unnecessarily.
3. Nutrition
Feeding matters, too.
We need to think critically about what we're putting into our horses, rather than assuming every commercial feed is appropriate for every individual.
Some diets may provide more sugar, starch or unnecessary ingredients than a particular horse needs. Others may be entirely suitable.
The answer isn't to demonise all processed feeds, but to understand the individual horse, its workload, forage, metabolic health and nutritional requirements.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
4. Pain, behaviour and the horse that doesn't want to be ridden
This is where I think we have a particularly important conversation to have.
When a horse starts resisting, refusing, bucking, rearing or struggling with its work, why is the first response so often to label it naughty, difficult or unrideable?
What if we asked why?
Pain should be investigated. So should the obvious.. tack fit, dental health, hoof balance, workload and then theres the possibility of underlying medical conditions.
And sometimes, the answer isn't a physical diagnosis at all.
A horse may be frightened, overwhelmed, confused, poorly prepared for the task or struggling to cope with its environment. Stress and arousal can affect how well a horse learns, responds and recovers.
Not every behaviour is a sign of pain, and not every problem has a medical explanation. But we should be investigating before assuming the horse is deliberately being difficult.
Horses don't need to be understood through the lens of human defiance.
Sometimes we need to change the question, simplify the task, give them more time or find a completely different way of teaching them.
Perhaps they don't understand. Perhaps they're anxious. Perhaps the training has become repetitive and unproductive. Perhaps the question we're asking is simply too much for them at that moment.
The answer isn't always to push harder. Sometimes it's to listen better.
5. Who are we taking advice from?
This is another thing I've learned throughout my own journey.
Experience and competition achievements don't automatically make someone right about every horse.
We need to be willing to question, research, seek different opinions and recognise the limits of our own knowledge.
That includes questioning people we admire, professionals we trust and even the methods we've always been taught.
Tradition can have value, of course. But something being traditional doesn't automatically make it correct, and something being modern doesn't automatically make it better.
We should be keeping what genuinely benefits the horse and moving away from what doesn't.
For me, the answer isn't to return blindly to the old ways. It's to combine practical experience with modern science, better diagnostics, improved welfare standards and a willingness to keep learning.
Because the uncomfortable truth is that sometimes the horse isn't the problem.
Sometimes it's the breeding. Sometimes it's the management. Sometimes it's the training. Sometimes it's pain, fear or a lack of understanding.
And sometimes, we simply need to accept that the horse in front of us isn't suited to the job we're asking it to do.
Not every horse needs to be a competition horse. Not every horse needs to progress through the levels. And not every horse needs to be made to fit our ambitions.
Perhaps the question we should be asking isn't whether modern horses are becoming unrideable.
Perhaps it's whether we're doing enough to understand them.
Because ultimately, I don't believe we should be blindly following tradition, chasing achievements or accepting someone's opinion simply because of their reputation.
We should be looking at the individual horse in front of us, listening to what it's telling us, investigating when something doesn't make sense and being prepared to change our approach.
Horse before sport. Understanding before judgement. Welfare before ego.
That's where I believe real progress begins.
📸 Fine Photography By Georgia-Emily
