Category: Training Guides and Ideas

1. Whips and Spurs—Are They Refining the Aid or Replacing It?

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 24th Sep 2026

   Whips and Spurs—Are They Refining the Aid or Replacing It?

    

   

   Whips and spurs are firmly on the hit list in many modern discussions about horse welfare—pardon the pun.

   Some people see them as perfectly ordinary pieces of riding equipment. Others see their presence as evidence of force, punishment or poor horsemanship.

   But, as with most things involving horses, the answer is not as simple as saying they are always right or always wrong.

   A whip can be used appropriately.

   It can also be used badly.

   Spurs can refine communication in skilled hands.

   They can also become a substitute for an ineffective leg, an outlet for frustration or a source of constant irritation.

   The equipment alone does not tell us the whole story.

   We need to look at why it is being used, how it is being used, whether the horse understands it—and what effect it has.

   Is the equipment itself the problem?

   We now live in a world where riding with less or even no tack is often presented as the ultimate evidence of kindness, trust and good horsemanship.

   In skilled hands, tack-free riding can demonstrate excellent training and communication.

   But removing equipment does not automatically make riding kinder, safer or easier for the horse to understand.

   A rider can be unfair with no whip, no spurs and no bit.

   Another rider may use appropriate equipment with excellent timing, control and consideration for the horse.

   The presence of a whip or pair of spurs does not, by itself, tell us whether the horse is being ridden well.

   Their absence does not tell us that either.

   Equipment is not a substitute for skill—but removing equipment is not a substitute for skill either.

   The questions we should ask are:

   • Why is the equipment being used?

   • Does the horse understand the original aid?

   • Is the rider capable of using the equipment accurately?

   • Is it refining communication or replacing it?

   • Does it create understanding—or simply a stronger reaction?

   • What effect is it having on the horse physically and mentally?

   This is not an argument for using artificial aids on every horse.

   Nor is it an argument for banning them from every rider.

   It is an argument for understanding what they are for—and accepting responsibility for how they are used.

   What are artificial aids supposed to do?

   The rider’s natural aids include the leg, seat, weight, hands and voice.

   Whips and spurs are described as artificial aids because they are additional pieces of equipment used to reinforce or refine that communication.

   The important words are reinforce and refine.

   An artificial aid should not become the only aid the horse listens to.

   A whip should not replace a leg aid the horse has never properly understood.

   A spur should not become the engine that keeps an unresponsive horse moving.

   Before adding an artificial aid, the rider should know:

   • what they are asking;

   • which natural aid the equipment is supporting;

   • when it should be used;

   • where it should be used;

   • what response they are looking for;

   • and when the pressure must stop.

   If those questions cannot be answered, adding equipment is unlikely to make the conversation clearer.

   It may simply make it louder.

   When the whip replaces the leg

   One of the most revealing situations is the supposedly “lazy” horse that barely responds to the rider’s leg—but becomes instantly animated when the rider reaches for a whip.

   The whip has not even touched the horse.

   Its presence alone changes the behaviour.

   Put the whip down and the horse “dies a death” again.

   This tells us something important.

   The horse is perfectly capable of noticing what is happening and producing more energy. It has simply learned that the whip matters and the leg does not.

   The rider may believe the whip has made the horse more responsive.

   But has the horse become responsive to the rider’s leg—or to the sight, movement or anticipated threat of the whip?

   If the horse only performs while the whip is being carried, the original aid has not necessarily improved at all.

   The equipment has replaced it.

   A correctly used whip should help the horse understand that it must respond to the original leg aid. The long-term aim should be a clearer response to a quieter natural aid—not permanent dependence on the whip.

   Using the whip everywhere except where it makes sense

   If the rider asks the horse to go forwards with the leg, any reinforcement must be applied in a way the horse can connect to that original question.

   Yet we regularly see riders tapping the shoulder, waving the whip around, flicking it across the horse or using it on different parts of the body without any obvious relationship to the aid they just gave.

   The horse may react to that movement or sensation.

   But reaction is not the same as understanding.

   If the whip is intended to reinforce the forward leg aid, its use needs to make that connection clear—commonly behind the rider’s leg, with appropriate instruction and consideration for the individual horse.

   Random use creates random meaning.

   The rider may produce movement, but the horse may have no idea which question it was supposed to answer.

   Using the whip on only one side

   Always carrying or using the whip on the same side may create another problem.

   The horse can begin to anticipate it on that side. It may move its quarters, alter its bend, drift through a shoulder or become uneven in its response.

   If the rider already has one weaker or less effective leg, relying on a whip on that side may disguise the asymmetry rather than address it.

   That does not mean the whip must be swapped constantly without reason.

   It means the rider needs to understand how its placement affects the whole horse.

   Ask:

   • Why am I carrying it on this side?

   • Which part of the horse am I trying to influence?

   • Is the horse moving forwards, moving sideways or simply moving away from the whip?

   • Am I improving straightness—or creating another imbalance?

   • Am I correcting the horse, or compensating for something in my own position?

   The side on which an aid is used should be a decision, not a habit.

   Are you using the right whip for the job?

   Not all whips are designed for the same purpose.

   A short jumping crop and a longer schooling whip are different tools. They are held and used differently, and they suit different types of work.

   A rider should not simply grab whichever whip happens to be nearest and assume it will do the job.

   The chosen whip should be appropriate for the session, the horse and the rider’s ability.

   The rider must also be capable of carrying it without:

   • losing control of the reins;

   • altering the contact;

   • tipping or twisting;

   • disturbing their balance;

   • accidentally touching the horse;

   • or allowing it to wave around unpredictably.

   The same applies to carrying two whips.

   There are legitimate training situations in which two whips may be used by an appropriately skilled person for a specific purpose.

   But two whips should not simply mean twice the threat or twice the opportunity to create a reaction.

   The rider must be able to explain why each one is present and what precise response it is intended to influence.

   Timing changes the meaning

   Timing may be the most important part of using any aid.

   An artificial aid can only reinforce the rider’s original question if the horse can connect the two.

   A clear sequence might be:

   1. The rider asks with the natural aid.

   2. The horse is given an opportunity to respond.

   3. If there is no response, the aid is reinforced promptly and appropriately.

   4. The moment the horse answers, the additional pressure stops.

   The release is as important as the aid.

   If the rider continues using the whip or spur after the horse has responded, there is no clear reward for finding the correct answer.

   Equally, if the rider kicks repeatedly for half the arena, becomes frustrated and then uses the whip, the horse is unlikely to understand:

   “That was the consequence of ignoring your first light leg aid.”

   It may simply learn:

   “Occasionally, and without warning, the rider hits me.”

   That can create tension, fear or a stronger reaction.

   It does not necessarily create understanding.

   The horse can only learn from an aid if the timing makes its meaning clear.

   Too late, too long or after the correct response—and the lesson changes completely.

   The horse that stops at a fence

   A very clear example of poor timing can be seen when a horse stops at a fence.

   The rider turns away, gathers everything back together and then uses the whip several strides later.

   But what is that use of the whip now connected to?

   The refusal has already happened. The horse is no longer being asked to jump the fence and may already be travelling in a different direction.

   Using the whip at that point does not clearly explain:

   “You should have responded to my forward aid and jumped.”

   It may simply tell the horse that after a mistake, the rider becomes angry and unpredictable.

   The stop itself also needs investigating.

   Was the approach balanced and straight?

   Did the horse understand the question?

   Was the stride appropriate?

   Did the rider remain committed?

   Was the horse frightened, confused, uncomfortable or physically capable of jumping what was asked?

   Simply turning away and hitting the horse answers none of those questions.

   If the moment has passed, it has passed.

   The rider cannot correct poor timing by delivering a stronger aid several strides later.

   The correct response is to regain balance and composure, understand what contributed to the stop and represent the horse appropriately—provided it is safe and fair to do so.

   Artificial aids cannot travel backwards in time and clarify a question the rider has already stopped asking.

   If you missed the moment, you missed the moment

   Using the whip several strides after the unwanted response, using it harder because the rider is angry or continuing after the horse has answered changes its purpose completely.

   At that point, it is no longer clarifying an aid.

   It is punishing the horse.

   Artificial aids should never become an outlet for frustration.

   Riders make mistakes. They miss moments, lose balance and sometimes react too slowly.

   But the horse should not be punished later because the rider’s timing was late.

   If you missed the moment, you missed the moment.

   Regroup, improve the preparation and ask the question again more clearly.

   Spurs should refine—not become the engine

   Spurs are often misunderstood as a way to make a slow horse go faster.

   That is not their primary purpose.

   Spurs should refine an aid the horse already understands. They allow a skilled rider to give a more precise signal without increasing the general amount of leg pressure.

   For that to happen, the rider needs a stable, independent lower leg.

   If the rider grips, swings the leg, turns their toes out or loses control of their position, the spur may touch the horse repeatedly and unintentionally.

   It is no longer precise.

   It has become constant pressure.

   Just as a horse can become numb to a constantly nagging leg, it may become less responsive to a spur that never leaves its side.

   Other horses may become tense, irritated or defensive.

   The important question is not:

   “Can this rider wear spurs?”

   It is:

   “Can this rider control exactly when the spur touches the horse—and remove it the moment the horse answers?”

   If not, the equipment cannot be used with the accuracy it requires.

   When the spurs keep getting stronger

   A common pattern begins with a small spur.

   The horse becomes less responsive, so the rider chooses a longer or stronger one. When that stops producing the desired reaction, the equipment escalates again.

   But stronger equipment does not automatically create clearer communication.

   If the rider’s leg is permanently against the horse, the timing is inconsistent or the natural aid was never properly established, a larger spur may simply increase discomfort without solving the training problem.

   Before changing the spur, ask:

   • Why has the horse become less responsive?

   • Is the rider using the spur constantly?

   • Is the lower leg stable?

   • Does the horse understand the natural aid?

   • Is the rider releasing the pressure after the response?

   • Could pain, weakness, fatigue or confusion be involved?

   • Is the horse reacting defensively rather than responding willingly?

   The answer may not be a stronger spur.

   It may be a quieter, better-controlled leg and a return to the original conversation.

   From riding aid to battle equipment

   When a horse becomes less responsive, some riders keep adding more.

   More leg.

   Then a whip.

   Sometimes two whips.

   Spurs.

   Then larger or stronger spurs.

   Eventually, the horse is being ridden like a battle horse when the original problem may have been that it could no longer hear the rider’s natural aids through all the noise.

   More equipment can create more reaction without creating more understanding.

   That distinction matters.

   A horse rushing forwards because it is anxious about what may happen next is not necessarily in front of the leg.

   A horse that becomes animated whenever the whip moves is not necessarily attentive to the rider.

   A horse that reacts sharply to the spur is not necessarily working with greater willingness or engagement.

   Reaction can look impressive.

   But reaction and understanding are not the same thing.

   Before adding an artificial aid

   Ask:

   • Have pain and discomfort been considered?

   • Does the horse physically understand and cope with the work?

   • Is the natural aid clear?

   • Does the rider remove the pressure when the horse responds?

   • Is the rider balanced and stable enough to use the equipment accurately?

   • Is the chosen equipment appropriate for the session?

   • Is it being used in the correct place?

   • Is the timing clear?

   • Is it reinforcing the original aid or creating a separate one?

   • What happens when the equipment is removed?

   • Is the rider acting through training—or frustration?

   If the horse needs increasingly louder equipment to produce a basic response, stop escalating and investigate why.

   The aim should be quieter communication

   Used appropriately, an artificial aid should help make the rider’s natural aids clearer and eventually quieter.

   It should not create permanent dependence.

   The goal is not a horse that only goes forwards when the whip appears.

   It is not a horse that needs a spur in every stride.

   It is not a horse that obeys because it is worried about what may happen if it does not.

   The goal is a horse that understands the rider’s question and responds confidently to the lightest appropriate aid.

   Whips and spurs are tools.

   They are not automatically evidence of abuse, and riding without them is not automatically evidence of better horsemanship.

   The tool is not the whole welfare story.

   The hands—and legs—using it matter.

   If you need increasingly louder equipment to make yourself heard, first ask whether the horse ever understood the original conversation.

   Related training guides

   • The “Lazy” Horse—I’ve Yet to Meet One

   • The “Hot” Horse—Energy, Tension or Confusion?

2. The “Lazy” Horse—I’ve Yet to Meet One

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 24th Sep 2026

   The “Lazy” Horse—I’ve Yet to Meet One

   

    

   What is really behind the lack of response?

   “He’s just lazy.”

   I hear this regularly about horses that feel slow, difficult to motivate or permanently behind the rider’s leg.

   But I have yet to meet a genuinely lazy horse.

   Whenever I meet a horse that has been labelled “lazy,” the first thing I look at is cause and effect.

   What happens when the rider applies the leg?

   Does the horse understand the aid?

   Does the rider remove the pressure when the horse responds—or continue squeezing and kicking regardless?

   Is the rider asking the horse to go forwards while their hand, seat or body blocks the movement?

   Does the response deteriorate as the horse becomes tired?

   Could pain or discomfort be involved?

   Has the horse mentally switched off because every session follows the same predictable routine?

   The lack of response is the effect.

   Our job is to find the cause.

   The horse may have learned to ignore a constantly nagging leg. It may be confused, weak, unfit, uncomfortable, bored or simply unable to maintain what the rider is asking for.

   Sometimes several of these things are happening at once.

   “Lazy” is a label. It does not tell us why the horse is behaving that way—and until we understand why, simply adding more leg, more effort or more pressure may make the problem worse.

   What does being in front of the leg actually mean?

   A horse that is in front of the leg responds promptly when the rider asks it to go forwards—and then keeps going until it is asked to do something different.

   It does not mean rushing around the arena as quickly as possible.

   Speed and responsiveness are not the same thing.

   A horse can be travelling very quickly while still being behind the leg if the rider has to kick through every stride. Equally, a horse can work in a slower rhythm while remaining active, attentive and ready to respond.

   The question is not:

   “How fast are we going?”

   It is:

   “Did the horse respond when I asked—and can it maintain that response without me carrying it?”

   Have you accidentally taught your horse to ignore you?

   Nagging is one of the most common causes of an unresponsive horse that I see—but it should never be assumed until we have considered the whole picture.

   The rider squeezes. Nothing happens.

   So they squeeze again.

   Then they kick. Then kick again. Before long, their legs seem to have developed a life of their own and are moving with every stride—while the horse becomes less and less responsive underneath them.

   If the rider’s leg is always moving, it is no longer giving the horse useful information.

   It has become background noise.

   The horse learns that the first light aid can be ignored because another squeeze will follow. Then another. Eventually, the rider has to work harder and harder to create any response at all.

   A miserable cycle develops:

   • the horse becomes less responsive;

   • the rider uses more leg;

   • the horse switches off further;

   • the rider decides the horse is lazy;

   • and both finish the session exhausted.

   The answer is not to nag more effectively.

   It is to make the aid mean something again.

   The “lazy” horse often needs less leg

   This sounds completely backwards, but an unresponsive horse often needs the rider to use less leg—not more.

   That does not mean asking half-heartedly or accepting no response.

   It means removing the constant leg that has made the horse numb to the aid.

   If the rider’s leg is permanently squeezing, gripping or kicking, its arrival means nothing because it never really arrives—it was already there.

   The horse has no reason to notice it.

   When the rider removes the leg and allows it to become quiet, the next touch becomes a noticeable event.

   The horse can hear the difference between:

   No instruction

   and:

   I am asking you to go forwards.

   Think of someone talking to you continuously. Eventually, much of what they say becomes background noise.

   But if the room is quiet and that person says your name, you notice immediately.

   The rider’s leg works in much the same way.

   Its power does not come from being used constantly. It comes from being quiet enough between aids for the horse to recognise when it has been applied.

   This creates an interesting contrast with the “hot” horse.

   The leg-numb horse often needs less leg, so the aid becomes noticeable again.

   The hot, reactive horse may need more quiet leg—not to drive it faster, but to provide a calm, consistent presence and help channel its energy rather than block it.

   In both cases, the rider is trying to create a horse that understands the aid without fearing it, ignoring it or becoming overwhelmed by it.

   Princess on a Cushion

   One of the hardest things I ask riders to do is absolutely nothing.

   They are so used to squeezing, kicking, fiddling and trying to help that being quiet feels completely unnatural.

   But if the rider asks the horse to go forwards and the horse responds, the pressure must disappear immediately.

   That release tells the horse:

   “Yes—that was the correct answer.”

   If the rider keeps kicking after the horse has moved forwards, there is no reward for responding. The horse cannot escape the pressure by doing the right thing, so it gradually learns to ignore it.

   This is where my Princess on a Cushion principle comes in.

   The horse does the work while the rider sits quietly and looks gorgeous on top.

   The rider asks. The horse responds. Then the rider leaves the horse the hell alone until it is required to do something else.

   That does not mean the rider becomes a passenger. It means they stop interfering when no further instruction is needed.

   Begin with a light, clear forward aid and give the horse an opportunity to answer.

   If there is no response, reinforce the aid clearly and appropriately. The moment the horse moves forwards, soften the leg and allow it to go.

   Do not keep kicking because you are worried the horse might slow down.

   Give it the responsibility of maintaining the pace.

   If it does slow down without being asked, calmly repeat the process:

   Ask. Get the response. Remove the pressure.

   A good rider does not use an aid constantly. A good rider uses the aid clearly, receives the response and becomes quiet again.

   When you change the rules, expect questions

   If you have spent months—or perhaps years—pushing water uphill and using your leg constantly to keep the horse moving, you cannot suddenly stop nagging and expect the horse to understand the new arrangement immediately.

   From the horse’s point of view, the constant leg has always meant:

   “Keep going.”

   When that pressure disappears, the horse may reasonably assume:

   “Oh, I must be allowed to stop now because you’ve stopped pushing me.”

   The rider removes the leg, the horse slows down and the rider concludes that becoming quieter has not worked.

   So the nagging begins again.

   But the horse is not necessarily being lazy or difficult. It is questioning a change in a system it thought it understood.

   You are now teaching a new rule:

   “Respond when I ask, then maintain the pace by yourself until I ask you to do something different.”

   The horse will need time and repetition to understand that.

   It may take several attempts. It may take several sessions.

   That does not mean it is failing.

   It means the horse is learning.

   When the old pattern tries to return

   Changing the system can create some wonderful early changes.

   When a rider stops constantly kicking and squeezing, the horse may begin to soften through its body. It no longer needs to brace its ribcage against a leg that is always present, and the rider may feel more relaxation, swing and general suppleness.

   For a while, everything can feel as though it is improving quickly.

   Then the horse begins to question the change.

   It may slow down, ignore an aid or return to an old response that appeared to have disappeared.

   The rider becomes frustrated and thinks:

   “It was working—why has it suddenly gone backwards?”

   But learning is not always a straight line.

   A horse that has spent years being pushed through every stride has become deeply familiar with that routine. It does not miss being kicked, but it may miss the predictability of the old system because it knew exactly how to behave within it.

   The new system requires the horse to take more responsibility.

   It must notice a quieter aid, respond to it and then maintain the pace without the rider continually carrying it.

   That can feel unfamiliar.

   The horse may repeat its old behaviour to see whether it still produces the old response from the rider:

   “If I slow down, will you start pushing me again?”

   If the rider immediately returns to kicking every stride, the familiar pattern is restored—and the horse learns that questioning the new system successfully brought the old one back.

   This is why consistency is so important.

   When the old response reappears, do not panic and do not assume the training has failed.

   Return calmly to the same clear sequence:

   Ask. Receive the response. Remove the pressure.

   The horse is not necessarily challenging the rider in a battle for control.

   It may simply be checking which set of rules now applies.

   Give it the same clear answer every time, and the new pattern will gradually become as familiar as the old one once was.

   Repetition must be exact

   Horses do not automatically understand what we mean when we change the way we ride.

   If the rider asks differently every time, sometimes removes the pressure and sometimes continues kicking, the horse cannot identify the new rule.

   The sequence needs to remain clear:

   1. Ask with a light aid.

   2. Give the horse an opportunity to respond.

   3. Reinforce the aid appropriately if necessary.

   4. Remove the pressure immediately when the horse answers.

   5. Allow the horse to maintain the pace.

   6. Repeat the same process if the horse slows down without being asked.

   The timing matters.

   The release must happen when the horse gives the correct response—not several strides later—otherwise the horse may not connect the release with what it has done.

   Consistency matters too.

   If the rider returns to nagging whenever the horse questions the new system, the horse will return to the familiar response it has practised for much longer.

   Changing an established pattern takes patience. The old answer is familiar and easy to fall back on; the new answer must become just as clear and reliable through correct repetition.

   You are not simply asking the horse to go forwards.

   You are teaching it to take responsibility for staying forwards.

   What happens when riders keep adding more?

   When the horse becomes less responsive, the temptation is often to escalate.

   More leg. A whip. Spurs. Then perhaps larger or stronger spurs.

   Artificial aids are not automatically wrong, but they cannot replace clear timing and training.

   If the horse only responds when it sees the whip being lifted or feels the spur, we need to ask whether the rider’s natural aid has genuinely become clearer—or whether the equipment has become a completely separate instruction or threat.

   If a whip is intended to reinforce the leg but is used without any clear connection to the original aid, the horse may simply learn to react to the whip itself while continuing to ignore the leg.

   Before adding something stronger, we need to understand why the original response is missing.

   We will explore this fully in:

   Whips and Spurs—Are They Refining the Aid or Replacing It?

   Is the rider blocking the horse?

   Nagging is not the only reason a horse may appear lazy.

   Sometimes the rider asks the horse to go forwards with the leg while simultaneously preventing it with the rest of their body.

   They may:

   • grip with the knee or thigh;

   • brace through the hips or back;

   • tip forwards;

   • pull or fix with the hand;

   • clamp the leg around the horse;

   • try to control every single stride.

   The rider’s leg says “go”, while everything else says “stop.”

   The horse is not necessarily refusing to answer. It may be trying to make sense of two conflicting instructions.

   Before blaming the horse, check that the rider is actually allowing the requested movement to happen.

   Does the horse understand the aid?

   Horses are not born knowing that a particular squeeze from the rider’s leg means “go forwards.”

   They have to learn.

   Young horses, inexperienced horses and horses being retrained may not understand conventional aids in the way the rider expects.

   Ex-racehorses, for example, may have learned very different meanings for the rider’s leg, weight and rein contact.

   If the horse is confused, repeating the same unclear question more forcefully will not make it clearer.

   Simplify the request, reward the smallest correct response and build the horse’s understanding from there.

   Is the horse strong and fit enough?

   A horse may understand exactly what is being asked but lack the strength, balance or fitness to maintain it.

   Several good strides do not automatically mean the horse can continue producing the same quality for another twenty minutes.

   As the horse tires, the rhythm may deteriorate, the transitions may become delayed and the rider may feel the need to push harder.

   That does not necessarily mean the horse has suddenly become lazy.

   It may simply need a break.

   Short periods of good-quality work, with sensible recovery breaks, are far more useful than continuing until everything falls apart.

   Has the horse gone onto autopilot?

   Some horses are not physically tired or incapable of responding. They are simply bored of doing the same thing in the same order during every session.

   If every ride follows the same routine—walk around the outside, trot several laps, canter in the same places and repeat the same familiar exercises—the horse soon knows the drill.

   It may begin to offer only 50% because experience has taught it that 50% is enough to get through the session.

   The horse is physically present but mentally somewhere else.

   This does not mean every session needs to become a circus or that the rider must constantly entertain the horse. Horses benefit from consistency, and repetition is essential for learning.

   But repetition and mindless drilling are not the same thing.

   The work should have a purpose.

   Transitions, poles, changes of rein, different school movements, hacking, varied surfaces and changes within the pace can all encourage the horse to become attentive again.

   Even familiar exercises can feel different when the rider changes where they are ridden, how they are linked together or what quality they are looking for.

   Ask yourself:

   • Is my horse genuinely listening?

   • Am I giving clear instructions worth responding to?

   • Does every session look exactly the same?

   • Have I accepted 50% for so long that it has become our normal?

   • Does the horse understand the purpose of the exercise—or are we simply doing another lap?

   Sometimes the answer is not more pressure.

   Sometimes the horse needs a clearer purpose, more thoughtful variety and a reason to rejoin the conversation.

   Could the horse be uncomfortable?

   A horse that suddenly becomes reluctant to move forwards, loses enthusiasm or shows a noticeable change in behaviour should not simply be labelled lazy.

   Pain or discomfort may affect willingness and performance.

   Consider changes in the horse’s movement, back, teeth, feet, saddle fit and general health. Where necessary, involve the appropriate qualified professional or vet.

   A coach cannot diagnose the problem—but should recognise when a change needs further investigation.

   Practical ways to rebuild the response

   Transitions

   Transitions help establish whether the horse is genuinely listening to the rider’s aid.

   Prepare the transition, ask clearly and ride forwards away from it. Do not spend half the arena gradually nagging the horse into trot.

   The response should become sharper without the horse becoming rushed.

   Changes within the pace

   Ask for a few more active strides and then return to the original tempo.

   This teaches the horse to respond without confusing “more forwards” with “go as fast as possible.”

   Poles and school movements

   Poles, circles, serpentines and changes of rein can encourage the horse to become more attentive and purposeful.

   The movement must still be ridden accurately and for a reason. Wandering around a collection of poles will not automatically make the horse responsive.

   Short bursts of quality

   Ask for a few genuinely responsive strides, reward them and allow the horse a break.

   As the horse becomes stronger and the response becomes more established, those periods can gradually become longer.

   Look beyond the label

   The next time somebody describes a horse as lazy, look at cause and effect before accepting the label.

   The horse may be:

   • switched off through constant nagging;

   • numb to a leg that never becomes quiet;

   • confused by unclear or changing aids;

   • unsure because the rider has changed the rules;

   • returning to a familiar, established pattern;

   • blocked by the rider;

   • lacking fitness, balance or strength;

   • mentally on autopilot;

   • bored by repetitive, purposeless work;

   • uncomfortable or in pain;

   • or being asked for more than it can currently sustain.

   The horse’s lack of response is information.

   Our job is to understand what that information is telling us.

   Make the question clear. Expect an answer. Reward it immediately. Repeat it consistently—and once the horse is doing what you asked, leave it alone.

   Return to Princess on a Cushion:

   You ask.

   The horse responds.

   You remove the pressure.

   The horse continues doing its job while you sit quietly and look fabulous.

   If it stops doing the job, you ask again.

   I have yet to meet a genuinely lazy horse—but I have met many horses that were confused, uncomfortable, unfit, switched off or taught that the rider’s aids could safely be ignored.

   Related training guides

   • The “Hot” Horse—Energy, Tension or Confusion?

   • Whips and Spurs—Are They Refining the Aid or Replacing It?