Horses aren’t lazy

There have been a bunch of posts lately about “lazy” horses. In every one of them, the OP goes on to describe a horse that is either in pain, not understanding what is being asked, or poorly trained.

I’ve worked with horses for 50+ years. I’ve met maybe 3 truly lazy horses. Horses aren’t lazy. They do have a natural instinct to conserve energy because it protects them from predators, but that’s not lazy, and when they understand their job, they are overwhelmingly willing to do it. (Stubborn is another word that grates on me)

99% of the time, if someone is having a problem with their horse’s behavior or performance, it’s because the handler is missing something. Working with horses is a dance of communication back and forth with a completely different species. Too often, people treat it as one way, human to horse. I tell the horse what to do and he has to do it.

That’s only half the conversation. In order to be an effective and productive horse handler, you have to listen to your horse, toss your own ego out the window, and be willing to admit you made mistakes.

That’s the best part of working with horses - the constant and ongoing conversation you have with them.