This is a picture of a willing, relaxed horse. I recently commented on social media about a dressage horse’s canter pirouette,
“Beautiful, except the tail swishing” . That person blocked me. I could have turned it into something positive and said, “Wow, as irritated as that horse is by watching it’s tail, it is super obedient and submissive.” Some care not how comfortable the horse is. I don’t think they need to be comfortable 100% of the time, in fact, they need to learn that some discomfort does not lead to anything worse and ends quickly. We all learn to tolerate some discomfort, it is normal and healthy. But, if we are so uncomfortable all the time, we get ulcers and other stress related issues. I like to see a horse that is happy and relaxed in it’s work even more so than a horse who demonstrates high level precise movement. Just my values.