I think what some are referring to as “work ethic” I’d call “heart” or “try.” And I think most of this comes from genetics and the rest comes from good training (including figuring out what “job” the horse enjoys doing and letting it do that.)
I believe American Pharoah and Valegro are two horses on the world stage that truly seemed to love their jobs. They were bred to do it, both have phenomenal natural talent that made their jobs super easy for them, and they were placed in capable hands that kept them healthy and trained them properly for their respective sports. Maybe these are the type of gems some here are referring to as horses with good “work ethics”?
But even horses like that can lose that willingness to do their jobs if they are drilled too much, put in harsh or incompetent hands, or suffering from discomfort/pain. That doesn’t mean the horses have “poor work ethics” though.
Anyway, I think agreeing to disagree is the way I’ll go. My own horse seems happy to be ridden. I raised and trained him (along with a few others) and they were always happy to try for me. He’s hardly one that wants to work hard. Put him in a dressage arena and he’ll transform into a depressed slug. Take him out of the arena to hack around the farm or head off into the woods and he’s a happy boy. I don’t think any of that has to do with “work ethic.” I think it has to do with it being a lot harder for him (a flat-moving, western pleasure-bred Appy) to do circles in the sandbox than to head off down the bridle paths and trails.
I’ll bow out with this. A year or so ago I got talked into doing a clinic with some “animal communicator.” Ugh. My horse had been having some hoof issues and had just had some glue-ons put on and was SUPER tender for some reason. He was reluctant to move much at all. I tried to back out, but I was going to have to pay (an outrageous amount) anyway, and it was just leading around the sand arena. Still, he was very reluctant, though he tried his best to oblige. That…woman (the “animal communicator”) called my horse “grumpy” and said she’d “never seen such a stubborn horse.” I tried to explain that his feet hurt and she kept waving it away saying we weren’t asking that much of him and I needed to stop making excuses for his attitude. (He had NO attitude. Ears up, just lagging behind a little because HIS DAMN FEET HURT.)
I got through the stupid clinic (she was an absolute con-woman who knew nothing about horses…hello? Wouldn’t an “animal communicator” pick up on the pain my horse was in?)
Farrier came out a few days later to see why my boy was so sore and some of the glue had gotten under his frog and hardened and was basically sticking into his frog. Poor guy.
Ever since that experience, I bristle at anyone who wrongly assumes a horse is: lazy, grumpy, stubborn, or anything close. Lacking “work ethic” falls in that category for me.
