Gymkhana events should be as much fun for your horse as they are for you. If you get a sense that your horse isn't enjoying them as much as he once did, start investigating why.

With timed-event horses, we're always watching for little red flags—and not just those that the flagger waves at the timer line!

Timed-event horses, especially those who compete often, are susceptible to developing problems or issues associated with competition. Learning to recognize the early signs allows you to take action before little problems develop into something more serious. Keeping your horse happy, healthy, and eager to perform will make both competition and at-home riding much more enjoyable.

Even with our best efforts, horses can develop problems. By recognizing the little red flags that signal us that something is going amiss, we can often keep small mistakes or misbehaviors from developing into large problems. We need to stay in tune with our horses and pay attention to every aspect of their day-to-day lives. In fact, the horse’s behavior and attitude at home can warn you of problems that could loom large elsewhere.

Out of the Saddle
So why should you be concerned about your horse’s behavior when you’re not riding? Think about yourself. If you are having a hard time at work, do your feelings of fatigue or stress go away simply because you leave the office? Chances are, they probably don’t. It’s the same way with your horse.

Become a Keen Observer
• Pay attention to changes in everyday behaviors. • Monitor your horse’s eating and drinking habits. • Observe differences in your horse’s energy level. • Watch for personality changes toward you or your horse’s herd mates. • Note whether your horse seems happy to travel and go to work. • Look at all possible stressors, including how you ride, train, and compete.

A quick give-away that something is going wrong is when you notice that your horse is no longer eating with his normal enthusiasm. Obviously, decreased appetite can be caused by many things, so we’ll need to rule out a change in weather, a change in the horse’s surroundings, or a change in feed as suspect causes. However, if none of those things factor in and his herd mates aren’t going off feed, you need to investigate further.

Has the horse been behaving any differently in practice or competition? Is he slower or faster? Does he seem more or less ready to go? Maybe he’s been more nervous than usual. Has he been making mistakes when he is usually the kind of horse that doesn’t?

If a horse is stressed enough to go off feed, there’s something going on and you need to work to find the cause of the problem.

It could be physical. He might have just enough of an injury or strain to take the fun—and the run—right out of him. Some horses are so brave, they’ll just keep trying to do their best job, but then they just don’t feel like eating. And often those little aches and pains don’t show up in any obvious way, other than you feel your horse is not quite himself.

If we see something like that, we usually give the horse a few days of rest and relaxation. Sometimes a little bit of R&R is all it takes for him to get over his fatigue and freshen up. But the opposite could also happen. If he’s not quite right and you keep pushing him, and his body begins to hurt even more, he’s going to finally quit trying.

The point is: when your horse’s eating, drinking, and everyday habits change, try to find the reason why.

If your normally easy-to-load horse begins to balk, consider whether the trailer ride is as pleasant as it should be.

Notice Differences
Behavior changes can be subtle or dramatic. If your normally friendly horse usually comes to the gate to meet you, but begins instead to walk away when he sees you, that’s a red flag. So is biting and kicking at other horses, especially if your horse normally gets along well with his buddies. Personality changes happen for a reason. If a stand-offish horse becomes friendly, we will be grateful but wonder why. A gregarious horse who turns sullen or reclusive is cause for concern.

When we see any of these non-specific behaviors, we’ll make an extra effort to take the horse on more trail rides, lighten his workload, and give him less stressful tasks. We’ll also continue to watch him carefully.

Another signal is how the horse reacts when you’re brushing or grooming him. If he flinches away from your brush, investigate further. Often this sensitivity develops over the horse’s back. There are a variety of things that can cause back pain, and most of them will affect performance.

Flagging Back Pain
First, check your saddle to make sure the tree has not broken. Do this by setting the saddle on its horn end and pushing as hard as you can straight down on the cantle. If the tree is broken, you’ll see movement in the framework of the seat when you push down. A broken tree can cause severe pain during a ride and your horse will associate that pain with competition.

Not enough padding or an ill-fitting saddle will also sore a horse. Horses’ backs can even get sore from pads stiff with dried sweat, so be sure to keep your pads and tack clean.

Pain in the back can also be a telltale sign of how you’re riding. If you’re not working to hold yourself steady, you may be bouncing and make your horse sore. Again, even the best horse will eventually stop trying if it hurts to do so. It’s important to really work on having a good seat and leg strength.

Is Your Trailer Horse-Friendly?
When a horse who is normally good to load begins to balk at the trailer, that’s another classic avoidance signal. It’s much the same as what we witness in the alleyway of the arena at rodeo grounds. Don’t chalk it up to stubbornness. Your horse is trying to tell you something.

Have you been making the trailer ride as enjoyable or pleasant as it should be? Are you keeping the trailer clean, smelling nice, and fly-free? Do you keep feed or hay in front of the horse? If your horse is young, are you hauling him with a seasoned buddy to reassure him? Are you hauling with enough care—slowing down gradually, taking turns slowly, and maintaining a comfortable speed?

As soon as any trailer issues begin, take inventory and then work to fix problems immediately. Once they’re well established, they can be difficult to remedy. A horse who makes himself sore kicking the trailer wall, or one who stresses so much he’s a sweaty mess when he arrives at the destination, will be less ready to compete.

Hook up the trailer (so it doesn’t roll when he gets on), then load and unload the horse many times. Reassure him and help him relax each time.

We like to give a horse hay on the trailer—and anything else that will allow him to get through his transportation more easily. Also we try to keep the trailer at a comfortable temperature. It’s important to open vents for good air circulation in the hot summer months. We arrange our travel times so we’re not on the road during the heat of the day.

These horses might simply be demonstrating their competitive spirit, but if you start to see abnormally aggressive behavior toward herd mates, look for the root of the problem.

At the Reins
While working or running your horse, you need to be even more diligent in looking for little clues. Red flags, such as little refusals, hesitations, insecurities, and temper tantrums are cause for concern.

Does your horse become insecure when leaving the barn for a ride? As humans, if we are going to do something stressful, we generally feel better with other people around us. Your horse is the same. If he is normally confident, this show of insecurity will alert you to a problem.

Have you ever been trotting your horse near the arena entrance or where you’ll start a run and feel him begin to slow down—maybe he even comes to a complete stop—before going on? Although this doesn’t seem like a big deal, it actually gives you a fair warning that he’s feeling unsure or worried.

He may need more slow work. He may be a little confused, a little sore. Start watching closely for clues as to why he wants to put off making a run. And remember, this is not a perfect science. We have to figure out what’s going on the best we can.

But there’s always a chance that, instead of having a horse who is hurting or anticipating, it may be that his work ethic is simply beginning to lag. We’ve been fooled before. We had a young horse who began slowing down or stopping on the fence before we would turn to make a run. We thought he must be in pain, so we didn’t push him. He continued to get worse. When we asked for a lead departure, he’d swish his tail and refuse. So we had him vet-checked.

The vet was thorough and could find no soundness issues. The next time this horse acted cranky and reluctant to work, we popped him on the rear with the end of the split reins. He hasn’t done it again since, and he’s been working great. Fortunately, this young horse hadn’t gotten to the point of no return. Once we ruled out the possibility of injury or pain, we could recognize his reluctant behavior for what it was—kind of like a teenage boy who’s decided he doesn’t want to take out the trash! He just needed a clear reminder that we had certain expectations of him.

Still, be aware that true pain might be the cause of hesitation, and be sure to check it out before you just try to push a horse past it.

Think soreness when a horse who never makes mistakes runs past a turn, o r when a horse who has always been competitive is a good bit off on his time with a mistake-free run. Ask your vet to check him out. Ulcers are not uncommon in horses and will make them not want to work. You’ll usually see that type of horse look more drawn up in his belly, even though he’s getting sufficient feed.

In the stirrups, as on the ground, continue to watch for attitude and performance changes. Does your normally happy horse go through his workout with his ears back? Does he work up a sweat that doesn’t match the conditions under which he is working? Is he feeling less and less under control? Those are all signs that he might need some R&R, or further investigation to see if he has pain or needs a mental rehab—more slow work, less pressure.

Overall, being great partners to our timed-event horses is a big responsibility. But by paying attention and working to really know our horses, we can become true advocates for them. And the better we are to our horses, the better they will be for us.