It is widely agreed that every time we interact with our horses we are teaching them something. Sometimes we are teaching them what we want them to learn and sometimes it is the opposite. But what do we mean when we say a horse has “learned” something?

What if we train our horse to pick up his feet on cue. We are pleased how relaxed and comfortable he is to pick up his feet. He has learned this job well. Then the farrier arrives and the horse leaps around to avoid picking up his feet. Has he learned well to pick up his feet and feel okay about it?

I own a mare called Chops. She is wonderful to ride. I find riding her is like driving a Ferrari with total control. A few years ago I thought it would be a good exercise at a clinic for people to ride Chops to help them get a feel of what they should be looking for with their own horses. All but a couple of people took turns riding Chops. I was very surprised at the result.

To my shock, as hard as they drove her with their legs some people could not get Chops to go forward. Yet other riders could not get her to slow down from rushing all over the arena. Had Chops not learned the go and stop buttons, despite all the years of riding her and working horses from her?

Can we say a horse has “learned it” when they do it 100% of the time? What if they respond correctly 90% of the time or 80%? Have they “learned it”? What if they work well at home, but not so well when in an unfamiliar environment. Has a horse truly learned to be caught if a stranger can’t catch them? Or we can load them into the trailer at home, but can’t load them to get home from the show? Have they learned to load into trailers?

When can we say confidently that a horse has learned something? I find it an interesting question to ponder.

My view is that a horse can know a job very well. But the job he knows may not be the same job we think we taught him. For example, Chops knows how to go forward freely and how to slow down without worry. I thought I had taught her to be easy, relaxed and responsive to ride. But she only knows these things under certain conditions, such as the feel I present when I ride her.

Likewise, a horse may have learned how to feel okay about loading into a trailer when the birds are singing and the sun is shining at home. But in a stress-filled environment, like a horse show, a horse’s survival instincts are competing with his trailer-loading training. He didn’t learn to trailer-load under those near-death circumstances.

It only confirms to me that no lesson is completed and everything a horse learns has its limits. As Da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”