Munchausen by proxy (MBPS) was named after Baron von Munchausen (1720–1797). He was an 18th-century German dignitary known for making up stories about his travels and war experiences in order to get attention. Today the term is used to describe a mental disorder whereby a parent or caretaker either exaggerates or fabricates a child’s disorder or disease. The caregiver (proxy) gains sympathy and support and often assumes the “hero” role for their caring devotion to the supposed sick child.

While MBPS is a medical term used to describe a condition involving a child, I suspect a similar (albeit undiagnosed) syndrome exists among some horse owners by substituting the child with a horse.

I have come across many instances where people insist that their horse suffers from a physical ailment, despite any lack of veterinary or otherwise evidence. Conditions such as brain tumours, cryptorchids, polycystic ovaries, ulcers, back pain, and a multitude of leg and hoof conditions, etc are sometimes blamed for a horse's poor behaviour and training. It is further complicated when you add in factors like saddle fit problems and bits.

I don’t want anyone to think I don’t believe that any of these (and other) factors don’t play a role in how a horse behaves or problems in training. However, so often people cling to explanations that involve physical issues rather than training issues despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Some people blindly adhere to the belief that all the problems they have with a horse are rooted in some physical cause even though circumstantial evidence suggests it is not.

Possibly the most common example of this is bridle lameness. This is where a horse’s gait or movement is flawed when ridden. In a recent clinic, I saw the most-clear cut example of bridle lameness I have seen in years. The horse would canter on the front legs and trot on the hind legs. The lady at the clinic allowed me to ride her horse and work through it in a few minutes. Once I was able to relax the horse, the bridle lameness disappeared.

However, many times I have known people to pursue explanations associated with veterinary problems, equipment problems, conformational problems, rider balance problems, etc, and in complete denial that the cause stemmed more from mental resistance, emotional worry, and a lack of clarity than from a physical base.

Another common scenario is when mares become difficult to handle during the spring. Often owners claim it is due to spring grass or from changing hormone status. Without a doubt the extra level of nutrition can give a horse more energy and a mare's reproductive cycle can make them more distracted. Yet, in my experience these times only reveal holes in the training that were already there in other times of the year, but small enough as to be very manageable for many people. When spring comes along, those small holes in the training suddenly become bigger and less manageable. There is nothing about spring that makes the mare ill or turns them into Jekyll and Hyde; it is just the same mare as it was in the winter, just more so.

In the equine world, MBPS is exhibited by owners who spend enormous energy trying to find physical causes for training issues. Every minor issue with straightness requires a visit from the chiropractor. Every hint of a horse playing excessively with the bit requires a visit from the dentist or a new bit. Every unevenness of gait or change in the sweat pattern of a saddle pad calls for re-fitting of the saddle or perhaps a new saddle. Every change in behaviour needs to be answered by introducing a new diet.

You might ask why I refer to some horse owners suffering from the syndrome Munchausen by proxy, rather than just trying to exclude all the possible physical causes of problems.

The people who suffer MBPS are the ones who can’t accept that there are not always physical explanations for the problems they have with their horses.

I have known people who won’t ride their horses because they can’t find or are waiting to buy the perfect saddle. They believe that if they just had the right saddle, their horse would be brilliant. Yet, when I trained horses they were all started and re-educated in the same saddle irrespective of whether it was a good fit or a bad fit. One saddle for all those horses! Heavens above, how did all those horses survive without trying to toss me out of the saddle every day?

I don’t want anyone to think that I am suggesting that we should not consider the role of a horse’s physical well-being or equipment or diet, etc in any behaviourial and training problems we have with our horses. However, I do believe that some people only consider those issues even when the evidence does not support the idea.

In the experience we gain, as we become better horse people, one of the skills we develop is to become deductive in our thinking – like a detective. We learn to deduce the cause of problems by rationally eliminating the unlikely candidates and experimenting with the remainder. If we can do that the true culprit that creates our training problems can be identified and resolved much quicker.