Problem Horses and How to Manage Difficult Behavior

We have all seen horses with behavioral problems written off as “too dangerous,” “stubborn,” or “willful” to succeed in their respective discipline. These are the horses that are passed around from trainer to trainer in an attempt to “fix” them, to make them more tractable, willing, and obedient, but are often left in worse shape than they were to begin with. 

Rest assured, there is hope for these horses. With the proper care, handling, and training, many so-called “difficult” horses can go on to lead happy, productive lives as companions or sport horses. However, it requires a specialized skill set and a unique approach to training to overcome these behavioral challenges. 

Below, I will break down what goes wrong to create problem horses and the steps that can be taken to help them better cope with the demands of their lives. 

The Origin of the Problem Horse

Equine ethology can explain why so many horses struggle. Horses are designed to live on a large range, surrounded by a stable herd of equine companions. In the wild, horses spend the majority of their days moving, exploring, and foraging. This lifestyle is ideal for equines who evolved to travel and graze across expansive spaces. 

Modern horsekeeping often leaves horses tense, stressed, and bored

Now, look at how most horses are kept today: many are usually kept alone in stalls or small paddocks. They are fed on a predictable schedule with hours in between with no access to food. They are then forced to comply with a human agenda, often competing in sports where their body is pushed to the limit. 

While some horses are able to adapt to this set of unnatural circumstances, others (because of physical limitations, personality, or past experiences) struggle to comply with the demands of a domestic lifestyle. 

Horses who are struggling in our human-centric world often showcase a wide array of undesirable behaviors, such as…

• Biting

• Bucking

• Rearing

• Bolting

• Pacing

• Cribbing

• Napping

• Excessive spooking

• Gaping their mouth

• Girthiness

• Resisting their human caretakers

• Refusing to walk/ lunge/ be ridden, etc. 

These horses are often difficult or impossible to advance in their training and resist their riders, trainers, and caretakers, and are therefore labeled a “problem horse.’ 

What is Problem Behavior?

Problem behavior could refer to almost anything that gets in the way of a human-centric training plan. In general, the most problematic behaviors happen while the horse is being worked; however, there are certain problem behaviors that can pop up even when the horse isn't interacting with people. 

Problem behavior usually arises when a horse struggle to meet human demands

Pacing fencelines, biting, aggression towards others, banging on the stall door, calling out to other horses, and stereotypies like cribbing are all problem behaviors that occur in the field or stable. These behaviors are often displayed because the horse has an unsatisfactory living environment, stemming from stress, boredom, or excess energy. They can sometimes (but not always, if the behavior has become too ingrained) be eliminated by offering the horse plenty of space, stable companions, and a diet that is in line with their biology. 

However, people are more often inconvenienced by problem behaviors that appear when the horse has to interact with humans for grooming, handling, or exercise. The most common of these are girthiness, biting, bucking, spooking, and refusal to move. However, horses can display an impressive array of behaviors in an attempt to communicate with their human handlers. 

While some people are quick to label a horse as “naughty” or “stubborn” for displaying any of these behaviors, it is important to understand that horses cannot tell us what they feel, and the majority of problematic behaviors are our horses' attempt to tell us something. 

Why Horses Act Out

Horses do not act out to spite us, and there is always a reason behind why they do what they do. Identifying the cause behind a particular behavior is the first step to being able to fix it. 

Problem behavior usually stems from… 

1. Discomfort 

   Pain and physical discomfort are one of the biggest reasons horses act out. Behaviors such as biting, bolting, rearing, napping, and many more can be caused by a number of physical ailments. Even subtle resistance or tension, such as the inability to bend, knocking jumps, and chewing on the bit, can all be caused by pain. The fear of pain from previous experiences can also cause horses to respond in a variety of undesirable ways.

   

   Pain is the root cause of many behavioral challenges

Only a vet will be able to accurately assess if there is a physical reason behind the horse's problem behavior and, depending on the prognosis, help devise a plan to get the horse sound and willing to work again. Therefore, until you have a clean bill of health from a veterinarian, you should always assume problem behaviors stem from a discomfort in the body. 

2. Confusion

Once pain has been ruled out, you should consider whether your horse understands what you are asking. Oftentimes, horses that get labeled as problematic are simply confused and need a little bit of help to find the right answer. Just because you believe you are giving clear cues does not mean your horse will understand you. 

One way to assess yourself is to have a friend film your sessions. You might be surprised at how many conflicting signals you could be giving without realizing it. If your horse still is not getting it and you are sure you are cueing clearly, break the behavior down further by teaching in smaller approximations, or go back to an easier step and train from there. 

3. Fear

Equines are hardwired to be vigilant of their surroundings and have incredible memories for traumatic events. Horses that act out can be scared of something in their environment (often imperceptible to humans) or of a past event repeating itself. Oftentimes, familiar stimuli like saddles or whips will trigger these fears, which are associated with negative experiences. 

Spooking is a natural reaction that can make riding and training difficult if it becomes excessive

Pushing your horse through and forcing them to work when scared is likely to make them more fearful and resistant. Therefore, once you have identified what is scaring your horse, a mix of desensitization and counterconditioning can be used to get them more comfortable in the environment and focused on their training. 

4. Unwillingness 

Rarely, a horse will act out because they simply do not want to do what is being asked. However, before we come to this conclusion, all other options must be thoroughly ruled out. If your horse is acting out because they don’t want to participate, it is your job to make the environment more pleasurable for them so they want to be a part of the experience. 

Using higher value treats, making training fun and engaging, and playing games with your horse can help them get excited about participating. Sometimes, you may just need to take a break and get them out for walks to help them reengage with their work. 

Working With Difficult Horses and Eliminating Problem Behavior

No difficult horse is the same, and each one has their own tangled web of reasons behind their behavior; therefore, each horse will need a specially tailored plan created with a professional to help them overcome their challenges. However, a couple of universal tips can help you when working with difficult horses to help them feel safer, happier, and more willing in their interactions with humans. 

1. Use Gentle Training Methods

Many difficult horses act out because they have a history of equating training with pain, either physical pain from within or emotional distress inflicted by harsh handling. 

Reinforcement-based training methods often work best with difficult horses

Eliminating pressure whenever possible and working towards softness and understanding will go a long way towards helping your horse feel safe and allowing them to heal from past trauma. Positive reinforcement is often a great alternative to traditional training methods when working with difficult horses.

2. Create Positive Associations

Every time you interact with your horse, you are creating associations. Associations can either be positive or negative. Aversive experiences, pain, stress, and confusion will create negative associations with the experience, the people around them, and the place they were in at the time. That is why horses can sometimes act out in certain places (like the arena) or around certain people. 

To rewire the brain, you need to create more positive associations. Every new interaction your horse has should be a pleasant one. A process called counterconditioning can be used to replace negative associations with positive ones. 

Counterconditioning works by pairing something your horse finds unpleasant (like a whip, the arena, or standing on the crossties) with something positive, like food. When working to create positive associations, ensure your horse doesn’t get stressed or scared, move slowly, and let your horse experience lots of wins. 

3. Train a Calm, Relaxed Mindset:

When a horse gets tense, scared, or stressed, they can go into fight or flight. In this state, horses often act unpredictably and can have explosive reactions to their environment. Horses learn best when in a calm, relaxed state of mind, and, luckily, this can be trained and practiced to help prevent your horse from going into fight or flight. 

Prioritize calm in your horse's training

Just like any other behavior, calm will need to be trained and shaped slowly over time. Initially, prevention is key, and you will have to identify your horse’s triggers and avoid them. Find a place where your horse can relax free of triggers and practice simple, non-stressful behaviors (targeting, brushing, leading, etc.) and reward signs of calm (head lower, sigh, relaxed posture). Build up until you are only rewarding responses when your horse is calm, and then eventually work in new skills, places, and triggers. If your horse gets frustrated or over-excited, always go back to rewarding standing calmly. 

4. Allow Choice

Unfortunately, many traditional and popular horse training methods allow the horse very little autonomy and instead emphasize obedience and compliance. No wonder so many horses are tense, frustrated, and shut down. By simply allowing your horse to choose to engage in training and letting them say “no,” you can show your horse that their feelings matter and that it is okay to trust you and enjoy their training fully. 

Give your horse a voice in their training by:

• Listening and backing off when they clearly say “no” or look uncomfortable

• Take them on walks and let them choose speed and direction

• Training and using consent cues

• Training at liberty when possible

5. Train With Empathy 

We can never truly know what our horses are experiencing. Even with medical exams and behavioral analysis, it can be hard to pin down exactly why our horses do what they do and how to best help them. Therefore, training with compassion, patience, and empathy is essential in being able to help the horse. 

Train in a way that always puts the horse first

Difficult horses have good and bad days and will experience setbacks along the way. Be empathetic towards their struggle (most of which we may never understand) and always put their needs over training. Understand that they are not doing it on purpose and are only trying to communicate with you the best they can.  

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Training difficult horses can be a monumental challenge, but it can also be immensely rewarding. Hopefully, this article helped you better understand why horses give us trouble and how you can help them be their best.