This Is What Tricky Horses Are Really Trying to Tell Us

Something I rarely say out loud is this:

“You can’t experience and process something at the same time.”

And when it comes to working with horses—especially those described as tricky, unpredictable, or unsolvable—this truth becomes even more important.

This week, I worked with a gelding in Australia. A lovely mover. Talented. But labelled by many as inconsistent, shut down, or too much. The kind of horse that tends to get passed around.

But here’s what I’ve come to realise: Even tricky horses have patterns. Even mystery behaviours have a root. And even the most guarded bodies are speaking—if we’re willing to slow down and listen.

To the owner, it’s often an expensive frustration. To me? It’s an exciting opportunity.

Not because I know the answer. But because I know how to look beneath the surface.

What this gelding taught me was the power of not doing. Of resisting the urge to fix. Of stepping back and letting the horse process.

It’s something no university ever taught me. No course or certification. This knowing only comes through experience—and more often than not, through the failures.

Because here’s the thing: when we rush to treat, correct, adjust, or analyse, we interrupt the natural rhythm of recalibration.

The nervous system doesn’t work on demand. It needs space. Safety. Stillness.

And so many times, the magic happens after the session. In the paddock. On the lunge. The next morning, when the horse yawns for the first time in days.

I’ve seen it too many times to doubt it now.

Sometimes, the most profound shift comes from doing less. From creating the conditions—not the command.

So if you’ve got a tricky horse. Or you’re a practitioner feeling stuck. Or a rider wondering if you’re getting it all wrong...

Just know this: You’re not failing. You’re learning. And more importantly, so is your horse.

Let it land. Let it settle. Give it time.

The body always remembers. The truth always comes forward—when we’re quiet enough to hear it.

I’d love to hear from you: What has a ‘tricky’ horse taught you?

Let’s keep learning from the ones who challenge us most.