Whose on Top? You or Your Horse? 

Finally someone with common sense 👏🏻

Lol. Women hate to hear this truth Bret. My wife hates this type of comparison 😅. People have forgotten how close to animal life we are. Studs ,Bulls ,male lions are there to breed and protect. Lead cows ,mares, lionesses , determine daily activities. 😂😂. Thanks for the clarification.

When I was riding a lot of different horses I didn’t worry about who was dominant or not I always knew that I could get it done I had a lot of challenges that were going to happen and that made me a better rider

Great insights as always! You are truly wise in your understanding of how women are the rulers of all!🤣

Yeah!!! That's right!! "If you're having trouble with your dominant horse, it's your fault! It's because you're not a good leader." It's true and good for you for saying it! It's also true for ''buddy sour" or "herd bound" problems - those problems happen when your horse doesn't think you're a good enough leader, so he's looking elsewhere for his leader.

Who's on top lol. Love the headline! I wholeheartedly agree, I'll take a dominant horse to train anyday over the follower. In my experience, dominant horses aren't scared of much and if they are it's for a good reason. They don't need reassurance from the rider that it's ok there pumpkin. The caveat is they also want to drive lol. What they do need is a confident rider with good sense that they can trust to make good decisions like get out of their way and let them do their job. Hhmm aren't those the same qualities competent people look for in bosses and leaders?

right on, if I could add my 2cents, I would add intelligence to the mix. My dominant horses seem to be quicker to learn.

Absolutely true.

Nice job ol' boy! I'd prefer athleticism, but willingness just makes a fella's job easier. My history has also been, athletic, dominant. Which leads me to my next question. Who's more athletic in that picture to your left?

Great talk and examples! I preferred a “dominant “ horse. Or at least that’s the ones I always got pulled toward if I listened to my gut. Hope y’all are liking Texas.

You'd be surprised how many horse people don't know about Road To The Horse. It seems a lot of English riders are unaware. There are plenty of stallions being trained and winning events. You might check on the hippo horse relationship.

You're dead right, Al. In my 70 plus years of colt starting and developing ranch and rodeo horses. I have never heard of the dominant/submissive theory because I never watched the road to the horse I guess. A colt is a colt, period. It doesn't matter if he is a two year old or a six year old. He is green to civilization, does not know the rules, and since I do know the rules and am consistent with my training aids and manners, I have the advantage, always. I need to be respectful to any horse's communication...ears, eye, etc. And, if I can communicate my wishes in a manner that the colt can savvy, the colt and I will get along and be able to be productive. The horse has 5 innate characteristics that insure his survival - speed, he can run away from danger and the one that is exercised most often, kick, strike, bite, and buck. For the horse to resort to these characteristics, the human must do something that will cause the horse to perceive that he needs to resort to those choices. Frankly, in my opinion, if your horse is not performing to your expectations, presuming that he has the athleticism and attributes to do the job, take a deep breath and look into the mirror. You've met the enemy. Thanks, Al, for the thoughtful things you explore.

To your comment:" All horses are dumber than me..", well, of course Horses aren't "dumb", they are appropriately intelligent for what they are designed to be, for their lifestyle and environment. As far as dominance within a "herd" goes, my take is that, Dominance is bestowed upon the "Chosen" horse by the herd, the chosen horse being the "Dominant one" in what the herd believes to be the one they have CONFIDENCE in, has leadership traits and that has shown to be trustworthy...the one which gives the herd confidence and safety..it is organic...and CAN change. Thoughts?

I have a couple of thoughts regarding your talk. 1. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I think that competitive training is a ridiculous idea. I've often wondered if the foundation these competitors put on these young horses lasts. 2. What exactly does it mean to be the "dominant horse" in the group? I watch different groups or bands of feral horses and the dynamics of each band is never exactly the same. Just like in a group of humans. Is the horse that always wins any of the disputes it gets into the dominant horse? I've noticed in my small band, 7 mares, that this one almost always travels in the center of the movement. She doesn't lead and she doesn't follow. She is in the most protected spot of the movement. The mare that is always leading to water or food loses about half the disputes she gets into. So which of these 2 is considered the dominant mare?