Why ponies are stubborn understanding pony behavior

The “stubborn pony” is one of the most persistent stereotypes in the equestrian world.

The pony stops at the arena gate, refuses to move forward, slows down as soon as the rider asks for more activity, leaves the track, heads toward the grass or suddenly seems to have forgotten an exercise it performed perfectly well the day before.

The conclusion often comes quickly:

“He knows exactly what I'm asking, but he just doesn't want to do it.”

This interpretation can be appealing. It gives the pony a strong personality and seems to provide an immediate explanation for its behavior.

Scientifically, however, it tells us very little.

“Stubborn” describes a human interpretation of a situation, not the mechanism producing the behavior.

A pony that does not respond to a request may not have understood it, may have learned that another response works, may be more strongly motivated by something else, may be experiencing fear or discomfort, may be receiving conflicting signals, or may simply need more progressive training.

Understanding the behavior therefore means replacing the label with a more precise question:

what is actually happening when this pony appears to refuse to cooperate?

A pony does not need to be “stubborn” to refuse to move forward

Imagine a pony that regularly stops when leaving the yard.

The rider applies leg pressure.

The pony remains still.

The rider increases the pressure.

The pony backs up.

After several minutes, the rider gives up and returns to the stable.

This scene could be described as a confrontation between a rider and a particularly stubborn pony.

From a learning perspective, however, there is another possible interpretation.

The pony's behavior — stopping and then backing up — was eventually followed by a return to the stable.

If this sequence is repeated, the pony may learn that certain behaviors allow it to obtain or avoid particular consequences.

Horses continually modify their behavior according to their experiences. The effect of a human action depends on how the horse perceives it, not simply on what the person intended.

This is one of the fundamental principles involved in applying learning theory to horses.

Horses learn from the consequences of their behavior

A large part of equestrian training relies on associative learning.

The horse gradually learns that a particular signal is associated with a response and with the consequences that follow that response.

In horse training, negative reinforcement is particularly common.

The term does not mean “punishment.”

It involves removing or reducing a stimulus when the animal produces the desired response.

For example, light leg pressure may be applied to ask the pony to move forward and then reduced as soon as it responds correctly.

The reduction in pressure helps reinforce the response.

A review of equine learning explains the central role of reinforcement strategies, including the extensive use of negative reinforcement in horse training. (Murphy & Arkins — Equine learning behaviour)

The timing of both the application and removal of a signal is therefore particularly important.

Unclear aids can produce an apparently “disobedient” pony

A signal only has meaning for a pony if it has had the opportunity to learn what that signal predicts.

If a rider continuously squeezes with the legs while the pony is already moving forward, the pressure no longer clearly disappears when the correct response occurs.

If the reins simultaneously ask the pony to slow down while the legs ask it to accelerate, the information may also become difficult to interpret.

If the same signal sometimes means “move forward,” sometimes “go faster” and sometimes appears to mean nothing at all, its meaning can become less precise.

The problem may then be described as:

“My pony has stopped listening to my legs.”

But simply increasing the intensity of the signal does not necessarily address the mechanism that created the problem.

Equitation science aims precisely to apply knowledge from ethology and learning theory to make signals more understandable and responses more predictable. (McGreevy — The advent of equitation science)

Responding slowly is not necessarily refusing

Another common mistake is to interpret every imperfect response as deliberate opposition.

A pony may need more time to process a new situation.

It may also have learned an exercise in one context without fully generalizing it to others.

Knowing how to load into one particular trailer does not necessarily mean that every trailer will immediately be perceived in the same way.

Walking over a tarpaulin in a familiar arena does not guarantee an identical response to a different object encountered on a trail.

Learning depends on context, the stimuli present and previous experiences.

Hesitation may therefore sometimes mean:

“This situation is not exactly the one I learned about”

rather than:

“I know perfectly well what you want and I have decided not to do it.”

Motivation matters

Behavior is also influenced by what the animal is trying to obtain or avoid at a particular moment.

A pony may be strongly motivated to:

rejoin other horses;
reach grass;
return to the stable;
move away from something worrying;
stop a tiring activity;
seek a familiar area;
obtain a reward.

This motivation is not a moral failing.

It is part of normal animal behavior.

One aim of training is to establish sufficiently clear learned signals and sufficiently consistent consequences so that the requested response remains understandable despite other competing motivations.

Grass provides a perfect example

A pony that suddenly pulls toward a patch of grass is easily described as greedy and stubborn.

Yet if pulling regularly allows it to eat, the behavior produces a particularly valuable consequence.

Every successful attempt may help maintain that strategy.

This does not mean that the handler needs to enter into a permanent physical battle with the pony.

It means that management and training should avoid repeatedly reinforcing the very behavior that is later being discouraged.

A behavior can become extremely persistent simply because it has worked many times before.

Do ponies really have a particular temperament?

Horses show individual differences in behavior.

Some are more reactive, more exploratory, more sensitive to particular stimuli or quicker to habituate than others.

Age, genetics, early experiences, environment, training and interactions with humans can all contribute to these differences.

A review of horse-human interactions highlights the complex relationships between cognition, emotional state, personality, perception and previous experiences with people. (Merkies & Franzin — Enhanced Understanding of Horse–Human Interactions to Optimize Welfare)

It is therefore entirely reasonable to recognize that an individual pony has its own temperament.

The problem begins when temperament becomes a universal explanation:

“He does that because he's stubborn.”

That statement prevents us from investigating what actually triggers and maintains the behavior.

A reputation can change how humans interact with a pony

Labels can also influence people.

If someone approaches a pony already convinced that it will try to disobey, they may anticipate conflict by:

immediately applying more pressure;
shortening the reins;
repeating cues rapidly;
allowing less time for a response;
or interpreting hesitation as the beginning of a confrontation.

The interaction can then become more difficult.

Experiences with humans can have lasting effects on horse-human relationships, and the quality of these interactions can influence both behavior and welfare. (Kelly et al. — The Effect of Human–Horse Interactions on Equine Behaviour, Physiology, and Welfare)

The label “stubborn” is therefore not always harmless: it can influence the way humans respond to the behavior.

Fear can look like stubbornness

A classic example is the pony that refuses to approach an object.

It stops.

The rider asks it to move forward.

The pony backs away or tries to move sideways.

The more pressure is applied, the stronger the apparent resistance becomes.

The situation may be interpreted as a struggle for authority.

Yet avoidance behavior may simply reflect a negative or threatening perception of the situation.

In that case, forcing the pony abruptly toward the object may increase fear rather than calmly teaching it that the object is safe.

Fear, learning and individual differences can strongly influence the behaviors observed during interactions with humans.

A recent systematic review of behavioral indicators associated with affective states also highlights that approach and avoidance behaviors toward humans can be influenced by previous experiences and training. (PubMed — Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse. Part 2: Horse-human interactions)

Pain can also be mistaken for bad behavior

A behavioral change should never automatically be attributed to temperament.

A pony that suddenly begins to:

refuse to move forward;
avoid particular movements;
become difficult during girthing;
refuse a particular gait;
show defensive behavior during certain procedures;
or behave very differently under saddle

may be experiencing a physical problem.

This does not mean that every refusal is necessarily caused by disease or injury.

But a new, marked behavior or one closely associated with a particular movement or procedure deserves consideration of possible discomfort.

A review of equine behavioral problems emphasizes that unwanted behaviors can have physiological causes but may also be associated with management or inappropriate training methods. Addressing them therefore requires consideration of these different possibilities. (PubMed — Understanding and treating equine behavioural problems)

Defensive behavior is not a diagnosis of pain

It is equally important to avoid the opposite extreme.

Seeing a pony stop, pin its ears or refuse a request does not, by itself, diagnose pain.

Behavior needs to be interpreted within its context, and several indicators may be required.

An ethogram of equine discomfort has been developed to improve recognition of behaviors potentially associated with physical discomfort. (Torcivia & McDonnell — Equine Discomfort Ethogram)

Behavioral observation should therefore be considered a reason to investigate, not an independent medical diagnosis.

“He knows how to do it” does not mean the conditions are identical

A pony may have performed an exercise dozens of times and still encounter difficulty today.

The footing may be different.

The saddle may have changed.

Its physical condition may have changed.

The environment may be more stimulating.

The rider may be giving the cue slightly differently.

The task may be more difficult.

Previously learned behavior may also have gradually changed through new experiences.

Horses are constantly learning, including at times when humans do not consider themselves to be actively training them.

Human influence on equine behavior therefore extends well beyond deliberate training sessions.

Asking more forcefully is not always better training

When a pony fails to respond, the temptation is often to immediately increase intensity:

more leg, more rein pressure, a louder voice or stronger equipment.

A progressive and correctly applied increase in a signal can form part of some training methods.

But if the original problem is:

an unclear request;
conflicting signals;
fear;
a physical difficulty;
or a previously reinforced behavior,

simply increasing force does not necessarily address the cause.

Research in equitation science emphasizes the value of understanding learning principles and the horse's physical and cognitive abilities in order to reduce conflict and risks to both humans and horses. (McGreevy et al. — The Contribution of Equitation Science to Minimising Horse-Related Risks to Humans)

Punishment can also make learning less clear

Punishing a behavior after it occurs does not necessarily mean that the pony understands what it should have done instead.

For learning to be effective, consequences need to occur with sufficient timing and precision to become associated with the relevant behavior.

Late, inconsistent or unpredictable punishment may therefore add discomfort without providing clear information.

It may also change the way the pony perceives the person or situation.

Learning theory allows these mechanisms to be analyzed without attributing human intentions such as revenge, provocation or a desire to “win” to the horse. (Goodwin et al. — How equitation science can elucidate and refine horsemanship techniques)

Breaking a task into smaller steps can reveal the real difficulty

When a pony becomes stuck on an exercise, immediately asking for the complete task can hide the source of the difficulty.

It may be more informative to look for a much simpler response.

For a pony reluctant to leave its companions, for example, training can be divided into progressive stages rather than immediately expecting a long separation.

With a frightening object, work can begin at a distance where the pony remains capable of observing and learning.

If responses to the aids have become unclear, it may be useful to return to a simple cue with an easily identifiable success criterion.

The aim is to make the correct response easy to identify and repeat.

Rewarding the correct response does not make a pony spoiled

Another persistent belief is that rewarding a pony will make it demanding or cause it to refuse to work without treats.

The reality depends on how reinforcement is used.

Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable consequence after a behavior in order to increase the probability that the behavior will occur again.

Food can be used as a reward when appropriate and properly structured.

As with any learning method, the timing of the reward and the chosen criterion are essential.

Precisely rewarding the desired response is not “giving in” to the pony.

It is using a consequence to make that response more likely in the future.

Consistency does not mean creating a power struggle

Consistency is essential in horse training, but it is sometimes confused with firmness or dominance.

Being consistent primarily means that:

a signal has a relatively stable meaning;
the correct response is identifiable;
pressure is removed at the appropriate moment when it is used;
rewards actually follow the desired behavior;
different handlers do not constantly provide contradictory information.

Learning theory describes how associations between stimuli, responses and consequences gradually shape behavior. (Cooper — Comparative learning theory and its application in the training of horses)

Consistency therefore makes the situation easier to understand.

It does not require “winning” against the pony.

Precise observation is more useful than labeling temperament

When a behavior repeatedly occurs, describing exactly what happens can be extremely useful.

Instead of:

“He's stubborn on trail rides,”

we might observe:

“He stops when we leave the yard alone but continues walking when another horse accompanies us.”

Instead of:

“She hates working,”

we might note:

“She walks forward normally but slows down and pins her ears when I ask for trot under saddle.”

Instead of:

“He tests me during grooming,”

we might record:

“He moves away when the brush passes over this particular area of his back.”

These descriptions do not automatically reveal the cause.

But they provide much more useful information than the word “stubborn.”

Some behavioral changes warrant investigation of physical health

Veterinary assessment becomes particularly relevant when a behavioral change:

appears suddenly;
rapidly becomes more pronounced;
is associated with a particular area of the body;
occurs during a specific gait or movement;
involves girthing, saddling or ridden exercise;
accompanies a change in locomotion or performance;
or represents a clear departure from the pony's usual behavior.

Equipment, including saddle fit, may also need to be examined depending on the situation.

The first response to an unusual behavioral change should therefore not automatically be:

“I need to be firmer.”

Dangerous behavior still requires safety measures

Understanding the causes of a behavior does not mean accepting a dangerous situation.

A pony that rears, charges, bites, bolts or regularly puts its rider or handler at risk requires appropriate management.

The immediate priority may be to reduce exposure to the problematic situation while its causes are investigated.

Depending on the circumstances, assistance from a veterinarian and/or a professional with appropriate expertise in equine behavior and learning may be necessary.

Understanding is not the same as excusing: understanding helps us choose a more appropriate response.

The “stubborn pony” is often a poorly defined problem

Individual differences in temperament certainly exist among ponies.

Some individuals may be particularly motivated, persistent or less responsive to certain signals.

But “stubborn” covers so many different situations that it becomes of little value when trying to explain behavior.

Behind the same label may be:

unintended learning;
strong motivation for another activity;
an unclear request;
conflicting signals;
an insufficiently learned response;
fear;
previous experience;
fatigue;
discomfort;
pain;
or several factors acting simultaneously.

Individual temperament is real.

But temperament does not remove the need to analyze behavior.

Rather than trying to work out how to be “more stubborn than the pony,” it is generally much more useful to determine the circumstances in which the behavior occurs, what precedes it, what follows it and what the pony has learned from those situations.

A pony that refuses something is not necessarily trying to win a confrontation.

It is producing a behavior within a particular context.

Understanding that context, its physical condition, its motivations and its learning history is what allows us to begin changing the situation effectively.