Blogpost: Cueing with Clarity- Misbehaving or Misunderstanding?

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of clarity in rider cues when training horses and challenges the tendency to blame the horse for miscommunication.

When a horse does not respond to a cue the way the rider hoped, there is a natural tendency to put the blame on the horse. “My horse won’t canter.”“My horse refuses to turn.”“My horse isn’t listening.”“My horse is being difficult.” But in reality, the horse is simply responding to the stimulus given, in the only way he knows how. If the response is not what we wanted, the first place to look is not at the horse’s attitude, but at the clarity and consistency of the rider’s cues.

People in this episode

Host: Julie Goodnight

Topics covered

• horse training
• cueing
• communication
• rider behavior
• horse behavior

Keywords

• horse cues
• training
• misunderstanding
• rider cues
• horse behavior

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• Why Horses Say No: Reading the Signs Before You React · December 18, 2025 · 41 min
• The Need For Speed · October 17, 2025 · 35 min
• Should I Let Someone Else Ride My Horse · August 29, 2025 · 43 min