Horses who struggle with riding
Now that we are seeing hundreds more and more horses started with all R+ or blends of R+ and other techniques, we're seeing more and more horses eagerly accepting riding without the old-school rodeos. Most R+ horses take to riding rather quickly and easily, and usually fairly drama-free. But some horses take to it more easily than others.
Some R+ horses are naturally bold, self-confident, curious, and MOST really love their human. So, when their human climbs on their back they just see this as another silly R+ game, another wonderful way to connect with their human, and a way to keep their favorite person glued to their side. Our Zephyr is very much like this, he just loves having his human wrapped around him where they can't escape his overwhelming loves.
When we have a horse who doesn't take to it as quickly it can feel upsetting, like we messed up or failed somehow. It often makes us question whether we chose the right path with R+, because it's not working according to plan. Sometimes it makes us want to add more forms of control or force to try to patch the problem. But if your horse isn't taking to riding when they've taken to all other things you've done with R+, then there must be a reason why.
First step is always to assess the physical. Often if a horse is great with most things but one thing they're not, there is usually a physical reason for this. So, talk to a body worker, nutritionist, vet, chiro, or whoever might be the right path to check your horse. Sometimes we need to look genetically, some disorders can be hard to see until they're starting under saddle.
Next we need to assess the emotions. Are they emotionally prepared for this skill? Is a Whole ~100lb, upright human, that moves around, makes noises, and is highly stimulating the first full object your horse has ever been asked to carry? Maybe start with some smaller steps. Can they carry a pair of sweatpants that have been stuffed? How about some pool noodles sticking all around them? How about if something is dragging/dangling from their body? How about noise makers? What if it's uncomfortable or unbalanced? What if it falls off the side?
We need to practice all these wild and strange things before putting our own safety at risk. Before we put it all on the line, we need to know how the horse reacts, what triggers them specifically, and if we can learn to see predictor signals so we can dismount before it happens.
We can even TEACH the horse a signal to say "I'm overwhelmed, please get off". A common one is the horse touching your foot or a specific target, then you remove whatever is on their back, eventually yourself. They learn that if they are stressed they can eliminate this issue without using their instinctive programming (bulking/bolting/rearing/etc). Because we are using R+ our horses WANT us to ride them, they want us to climb on and give them lots of treats and do fun things together, just like on the ground. So we can trust that if they ask us to dismount it's a real reason, they wouldn't want to end the fun and food without good reason. If they learn this cue and use it more often than not, it's important to sort out why, go back to checking physical and emotional reasons. This will help you both stay safe while you sort out the issues.