Slightly off topic but this thread has got me thinking.... When I was at HOYS watching a showjumping class a rider on a youngish mare was jumping beautifully until fence 7or 8 then refused. The rider circled the horse away and gave her 4 or 5 smacks on the quarters with a jumping bat before re-presenting the horse to the fence. Commentator said ''well she (the mare) won't do that again" and the crowd chuckled and the horse jumped the rest of the course without incident. My initial reaction was to find watching that pretty unpleasant but it occurs to me that people (including me) often say punishment has to be immediate or the horse will have no idea why it is being punished. But it also seems likely to me that the horse knew exactly why it was being hit: horses are not stupid. She knew her job is to jump all the funny coloured obstacles, she did not jump one of the funny coloured obstacles and her rider was unimpressed and letting her know she better not refuse any more of them OR ELSE! I don't for a second think the horse was left thinking 'I am being hit for circling' or 'I am being hit for no reason' even though the moment of hitting was not directly connected to the refusal but was while circling away. Thoughts?