Well, my friend, I really don t care to be the bearer of bad news however, these are cases not of a stupid horse, but simply a horse that is not understanding what you are asking of him. A horse is a horse is a horse. He is not a dumb rock. They understand their own language. Better yet we expect these animals to carry us on their backs while running around, jumping over weird looking poles, walking through the thick of the forest and more.
Horses are animals of prey.
This means that they are gentle animals and not prone to attacking another living being except when cornered and fearing for their very lives. They don t like the feel of squishy things under their hooves, live or otherwise. Every foreign sight in their eyes is a potential enemy just waiting for horse stew. This is known as their flee or fight instinct. Horses would much prefer lazing around, munching on their grass with the sun warming their backs.