Prairie Rose Training Center Dressage

11/19/2025

Saving the best until last from our recent Amy Miller clinic! Here is Ella & mother Cathrine. Mother & daughter share a passion for horses. Vader's tail TLC courtesy of Amanda!

11/16/2025

Muscles working in harmony

Chronic tension reduces your ability to follow your horse's motion. Learn how to eliminate stiffness and encourage your muscles to work in harmony for confidence, calmness and balance in the saddle.

11/11/2025

There is nothing average about these PRTC/ Amy Miller students. Their focus is 2026!

11/10/2025

More favorite photos from the recent Amy Miller clinic!

11/10/2025

We are thankful that Amy Miller made the trip from southern CA to ND for the last clinic of the season. Now for the winter homework!

11/05/2025

Familiarize yourself with The Dressage Foundation & Lendon Gray and Dressage4kids! Both are wonderful programs with people that want your dressage journey to be successful!

11/03/2025

And the jumping position.

11/03/2025

Stretching before rides!

11/01/2025

Education this weekend! PRTC is again hosting USDF Gold Medal trainer/ rider Amy Miller from southern CA for our end of season Winter Homework clinic. Students will be growing their skills for the next season. Contact us for auditing opportunities!

10/30/2025

The trainer asked what does the horse need from us.

The myth of the “naughty horse”

Let’s start by clearing the air: I don’t truly believe in “naughty” horses. Not in the same way we use the term for humans, anyway. Labeling a horse as naughty, in my opinion, misses the point entirely. It shuts down our ability to think critically and approach horse training holistically.

Rochelle King Andrews captures this beautifully:
“Horses are the sum of their heritage, inherited traits, lineage, personality, age, past handling and training, environment, health, and even general management.”

In other words, a horse’s behavior is the product of a complex web of factors. It’s all too common to see horses enter training with behavioral challenges or deficits that stem from mismanagement in one or more of these areas. But are they “naughty”? Hardly.

When a horse shows resistance or acts out, it’s not because they’re plotting mischief like a villain in a children’s book. It’s often a response to confusion, discomfort, fear, or simply not understanding what’s being asked of them. Every reaction is a clue to something deeper—whether it’s a miscommunication between horse and rider, a health issue, or a gap in previous training.

As riders and trainers, the challenge is to stop fixating on what we want from the horse and start asking what the horse needs from us. What can we do to help them perform what we’re asking in a way that feels harmonious for both horse and human?

This shift in perspective changes everything. Instead of frustration or punishment, we become problem-solvers. We look at the whole picture—health, training, environment—and work with the horse’s natural tendencies rather than against them. We aim for symbiosis, not dominance.

At the end of the day, horses are honest creatures. They don’t scheme or act out for the sake of it. If we can learn to listen to their needs, their behavior often tells us everything we need to know.

So next time you’re tempted to call a horse “naughty,” pause. Reflect. What is this horse really telling you?

The answers may surprise you.

Pictured is my own horse that I own with a close friend. In this moment most people would see a naughty horse but the truth is as an athletic young horse she was feeling fresh and overwhelmed by some children holding balloons and in an attempt to “keep a lid on it” I over rode giving her not many choices. In that moment letting her down. After the moment she went forward and I gave her a pat and gave her a little more support. I deliberated on using this using this photo because as an industry we like the rough edges in the dark which in turn keeps riders and future trainers in the dark about the reality of horses.