11/16/2025
I love patience poles… but not for horses.
People are the ones who need to slow down, breathe, and stop rushing an animal who’s already trying their best.
And before anyone comes for me — yes, I know horses can "move around" on a patience pole.
That still doesn’t make it good for them.
Here’s why:
Horses are designed for functional movement — forward motion, grazing posture, shifting freely, exploring, regulating their stress through motion. Walking tiny circles around a pole isn’t real movement. It’s restricted, repetitive, and tense.
Even with slack, they end up:
-bracing through the poll
-tightening the neck and topline
-hollowing the back
-loading joints unevenly
-pacing instead of releasing tension
-stressing because they can’t truly move away, look around, or decompress
A horse might look "patient," but what you’re seeing is usually frustration, bracing, or a low-level freeze response — not emotional regulation.
Patience poles don’t teach patience.
They just limit options.
And horses don’t need fewer options… they need more freedom to move, adjust, process, and feel safe.
Meanwhile, humans?
We’re the ones who rush.
We’re the ones who get impatient.
We’re the ones who want stillness from an animal built to move.
So yeah, I stand by it:
Patience poles for people.
Let the horse move.
Let the horse regulate.
And let the human be the one who learns how to slow down.