Beggars on horseback will ride to the devil.

The proverb warns that a dramatic improvement in someone’s circumstances can be followed by reckless behavior rather than restraint.

Its image presents a harsh judgment: a person given a new advantage may misuse it so badly that the gain becomes a path to self-destruction.

Use it to warn against letting a sudden gain in money, status, or freedom lead to excess. Its pointed image makes it unsuitable for a sympathetic account of poverty.