Think about it.
“Laziness” is a human construct. Horses don’t operate that way.

Instead, the real question is: why doesn’t my horse feel motivated to move or respond to my cues?

If we’ve ruled out pain or other physical reasons why movement shouldn’t happen, then we should wonder why an animal designed to move almost all day suddenly seems unmotivated.

I’ve met so many horses labeled as “lazy,” and when we dig deeper, the reasons are there:

Balance. If you’re asked to move in ways your body isn’t ready for, it’s uncomfortable. Nobody enjoys losing balance.

Associations. If hesitation earns a smack, or if moving means leaving your friends behind, movement with a human can quickly become linked with “bad stuff.”

Our perspective. Many of us carry our own bad associations from school PE lessons—being made to move, often in environments where we didn’t feel safe or supported. Even though exercise is “good for us,” most of us didn’t build motivation from that. And unlike horses, we at least understand the concept of long-term benefits.

So what happens when we describe a horse as “lazy”? We shift responsibility onto them, when really the responsibility lies with us. Horses haven’t asked for training.

The better question is: what’s in it for the horse?
If we want them motivated to leave the herd and join us, then at the very least it should mean good company—and ideally much more than that.