Picture this:
Your horse has been going pretty well for the past several weeks. There is stuff to work on, but the progress is going well. You are happy and your horse seems happy.
Today you bring your horse out the paddock and something is different. It doesn’t matter what it is. Maybe it is pulling more of a ‘cranky-face’ than usual. Maybe it is less responsive to being asked to go forward. Maybe it is calling out more to friends. Maybe it is stiffer on the right rein than normal. Maybe it is more reactive to your leg or maybe it is more shut down. Maybe it took a couple of minutes longer to catch. It doesn’t matter what it is, but it is different and not in a good way. Something seems to be wrong. Not a lot wrong, but a little wrong.
It appears both horse and owner felt like sleeping in was a better option than working.
Let’s assume there is nothing physically wrong with your horse. It doesn’t need a vet or farrier or dentist or chiropractor or saddle adjustment or new supplements. There is no physical reason why it he/she different today. Maybe it just wanted to stay in bed longer this morning.
My questions are:
What do you decide to do? Ignore the issue or work to fix it or put the horse away?
What determinants do you look for to decide what to do, ie what factors sway your decision of what to do?
How do you know if you made the right decision(s).