A friend that I ride with often has a young horse that she's working on training now. That horse is so stubborn and ornery... I swear, he's like a teenager! I mean, it's like he openly defies her and then gets excited when she's frustrated with him. Any idea how long this stage lasts in a horse? I think he's three and a half, if I remember correctly. He does fine with basic stuff most the time, like grooming, and putting on his halter and saddles, he's fine for the vet. He just seems to like to test my friend's limits. Silly bloke!

I would say that this is exactly what the problem is. Though horses reach adult size by about two, it doesn't mean that they are fully matured yet. Perseverance should see her through.

Not only is her horse still young, he is also "green" or untrained on the finer points of riding and obviously not reliable in doing as he is asked. Some horses will grow out of this as they progress through their training, but some will always be defiant which is useful in some disciplines such as cross country or endurance.

I never thought of it as teenage years but I guess that's exactly what it is. They are an adult horse in a baby horse's body. Once the brain catches up with the body, the horse should settle down.

I think its just like when you have any other animal there are certain stages one goes through before everything catches up to the rest. Give it time and have patience, the latter goes a long way with animals and kids!