25/05/2026
You ask your horse to move forward, but they plant their feet.
You ask for canter, and they rush, pigroot or pin their ears.
You ask them to stand quietly, but they paw, call out, fidget or pull back.
It can be easy in those moments to say the horse is being naughty, lazy or stubborn. But unwanted behaviour is information. Labelling a horse as naughty, lazy or stubborn can stop us from understanding the cause.
The Pony Club Australia Horse Welfare Policy is clear that using terms like naughty, lazy or stubborn to describe unwanted behaviour demonstrates a lack of understanding.
That does not mean people are trying to do the wrong thing. These words are common in horse communities, and many of us have heard them used for years. But they can lead us down the wrong path.
When we call a horse stubborn, we may stop asking whether the horse is confused, worried, uncomfortable, in pain, tired, overwhelmed, or responding to unclear aids.
The Policy reminds us that horses need clear and consistent aids, and consistent expectations for their behaviour. When aids are unclear, or expectations change from one day to the next, the horse’s world can become confusing and worrying.
Good horsemanship means looking deeper. Before we label the horse, we need to ask:
❓ What is the horse trying to tell us?
❓ What part might our timing, pressure, training, handling or environment be playing?
❓ How can we make the right behaviour easier for the horse to understand?
Understanding the cause helps us support the horse, improve safety, and build better partnerships.
