I mentioned this to Alex, and he seemed to accept it, but it didn’t seem to me to be a complete explanation.  If certain things feel good, and other things feel bad, then why don’t all horses behave the same?  I started to do a mental checklist of what variables might determine a “feels good” feeling versus a “feels bad” feeling.  I realized that different horses may have different concepts of what feels good and bad.  

For example, like people, certain horses thrive on being challenged.  Others don’t.  I saw this at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, as well as a facility in Florida that trains cutting horses.  The horses seemed to come alive when a lot was asked of them.  

There are other horses do their job in order to enjoy their quiet time.  Not to stereotype, but while draft horses such as the Budweiser Clydesdales are fortunate to have good jobs as spokes-horses for a popular beverage, I will wager that they relish their so-called Miller time.  If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I wouldn’t mind returning as a draft horse.  They’re kinda like the good ol’ southern boys of the equine world.  Not much rattles them… although it would be good to have a proper tail for swishing.  

Secondly, confident horses may have a different outlook on “feels good,” than skittish horses.  What one horse might find amusing, another may find quite frightening.  I have seen one horse run away from a dog while another horse ran towards a dog, at the same time.  

Finally, people have a tremendous influence on these horses.  Our feel, timing and intention, whether we are a vet, farrier, floater, trainer, rider, chiropractor, therapist, handler, groom or simply someone on the other side of the fence, has a profound effect on “feels good” and “feels bad” for a horse.  

My daughter and I feel sure that our pony has a Naponyonic complex.  He might be perceived as pushy for a couple of different reasons.  As the smallest of the bunch, he simply needs less grain, which gets consumed quickly.  So of course he is going to seek out more of what the others seem to have in surplus.  And that would be food, which feels good.  

Secondly, in the past, his riders may have sent mixed messages.  Many ponies are unjustly blamed for being naughty, when they are actually “smarter than the average horse.”  Younger, less experienced riders are expected to send mixed messages to their mount.  They may pull when they should soften, offer a cue too early, too late, too long, or inadvertently teach the pony to root the reins forward with his head.  This is stuff that more experienced riders have worked beyond.  But experienced riders are generally bigger riders and they ride bigger animals … like horses.  Little riders ride ponies and the poor pony gets unjustly vilified for being uncooperative.  The poor pony gets blamed for being naughty when actually, he has learned to adapt to what feels good to him.  Can you blame him?  

Let’s put a stop to the naughty pony paradigm.  All of us riding teachers, coaches and trainers need to understand how profoundly the feel, timing, and balance of our young riders helps these ponies understand what “feels good,” and “feels bad.”  Instead of teaching youngsters to overcome resistance and make the pony perform, wouldn’t it be much more rewarding to find those activities that attract and excite both horse and rider?  This means that we have to first decide what this pony wants to be.  Is she a workhorse, or is she a lazy Susan?   What about the rider?  Is it a good match?  

Secondly, are we dealing with a skittish horse, or even a skittish rider, and what can we do to build confidence?  Sometimes we need to let go of time-bound stuff like shows and goals, and find those activities that both rider and mount enjoy.  Once both the horse and rider are involved in fun, the time-bound stuff become easier to accomplish – if that is what is important.  A sage horseman once said, “Slow is fast and fast is slow.”  

Finally, both teachers and students are wise to take responsibility for our own actions.  Horses don’t want to learn bad behavior.  They learn what we teach them.  Sometimes we accidentally teach them behavior that we find un-useful.  Unfortunately, once learned, un-useful behavior forever has the potential to be offered.  It’s rare to be able to erase un-useful behavior.  But what we can do is put so much good stuff on top of this un-useful behavior, that it becomes silly for the horse or pony to be “naughty.”  There are simply other behaviors that feel better.