30/04/2026
I hear this a lot… and I understand why people say it.
From the outside, it can look like a horse is being stubborn, resistant, or just not wanting to do the job. But when you spend enough time working hands-on with horses, you start to see the same patterns over and over again.
Horses don’t think in terms of being “difficult” or “stubborn”. They respond to what they’re feeling. If something becomes harder, more uncomfortable, or more difficult for their body to manage, that’s usually when the behaviour starts to change.
It might show up as resistance, tension, lack of performance, inconsistency… but more often than not, there’s a reason underneath it.
That doesn’t mean every situation is physical, but it does mean it’s always worth stepping back and asking what the horse might be trying to communicate, rather than just labelling it.
Once you start looking at it that way, a lot of things begin to make a lot more sense.
