By Will Clinging

We all inevitably face situations where a horse refuses to perform a task we've asked of them—whether it’s a refusal to move forward, to pick up a certain gait, or to execute a specific manoeuvre. How should we respond when this happens? Refusals come in different types, and how we handle each one matters. For the purposes of this article, let’s focus on the confused horse.

We often overlook or fail to acknowledge confusion in our horses. However, this emotion is important to consider. When training your horse, it's useful to approach the situation with the mindset that the horse is always right. After all, most horses have an innate desire to please their handlers. When they respond to a cue, they do so based on what they believe you are asking of them.

A horse that doesn't respond the way you intended is likely responding to the - or rather your - incorrect cue. If horse training was like the game Jeopardy!: the correct answer lies in your horse. If the horse isn’t doing what you expect, it’s a sign that your "question" (or cue) may not be clear enough.

When the right question isn’t clear, frustration can quickly set in for both horse and handler. This frustration may lead us to give a stronger cue, thinking that more pressure will yield the desired result. However, if the cue isn’t clear, no amount of force will make the horse perform. In fact, the more pressure we apply, the more resistance the horse may develop. If we persist in this way, we risk either forcing the horse into compliance with tools or gadgets, or overpowering them entirely.

Sometimes a confused horse will respond with aggression and that must be dealt with before finding a new question. There are some horses that have never had to make a decision. They are often horses low in the pecking order and ones that have never had any responsibility. There are horses that have had little or no handling and horses that have learned how to evade. Some of these horses, when faced with the stress of training, refuse to think their way through a situation. There is the potential for these horses to lash out aggressively at the source of the stress. Changing the way you ask for a response will not always change the way a horse reacts when in this frame of mind. The aggressive behaviour cannot be overlooked; if it is not dealt with effectively and the horse is put away, we could be confirming that the aggressive behaviour was acceptable. When we resume the training on another occasion, the horse will continue to be aggressive and the behaviour will be more difficult to deal with each time it does not have a satisfactory ending. Although this is a rare reaction it is something to be aware of as aggressive tendencies require different solutions.

Related: Trigger Points in Horses

Sometimes a confused horse will respond with aggression; this behaviour cannot be overlooked and must be dealt with effectively. Photo: Canstock/Michael Jung

Horses have the ability to think and make simple informed decisions. Horses need to be encouraged to think because they rely mainly on their instincts to get through life. When they are thinking they need to be positively reinforced or they will stop thinking and continue to rely on instinct. This is another reason why a horse needs a strong herd leader: The leader is the one that thinks and the rest just rely on her ability to do so. If we allow our horses to feel confused and encourage them to think their way through confusion, we will develop a horse that feels good about trying to do what we want.

Encouraging a horse to work through confusion is not difficult. There are a few things that we need to be prepared to do in order to help our horse. We need to be aware of his emotional state and I like to do this by watching and acknowledging his expressions, including the look in his eye and his posture. Does he look confused, or angry, or scared? If we trust our own instinct about how the horse feels, we can adjust the way we are asking so that we help the horse to be right. The confused horse will be indecisive about what to do; the mad horse will intentionally resist; the scared horse will instinctively react in a way that will ensure his escape. A horse will not stay confused for long before he turns his brain off and quits trying to be correct. If you see indecisive behaviour, that is when you need to change the question you are asking and lower your expectations with regard to what you are asking for. Back off and give your horse some time to stop and think. He will either be correct, incorrect or he will do nothing; it could be that in doing nothing he is processing the cue you gave him. Allow him to make the commitment to be right or wrong. The more indecisive he is, the more you may need to change what you are doing. If you do not change you will not get a better answer from him. If confusion is not noticed and allowed to work itself out, we will create increased resistance in the horse. If we have increased resistance, it will be only a matter of time until we have complete refusal. If you are in doubt, don’t get stronger, wait longer.

Related: The Benefit of the Doubt - Problem Behaviours with Horses

Related: The Anxious Horse: Working Through Tension

More by Will Clinging.

Main photo: Canstock/Michael Jung