Not picking feet (the horse may pick up a stone and be uncomfortable) might lead to him being sore, but he's not likely to associate it with the handler. (An unshod horse rarely picks up mud/stones; shod horses do it all the time.)
A handler who is not overly skilled at tacking up, on the other hand - who lets the bit hit the teeth when bridling, who puts the collar on badly, who tightens the surcingle too quickly and too strongly, who tightens the crupper too much... those are actions that lead to immediate discomfort, and a lot of horses will remember them and be far less cooperative the next day.
For bridling, raising the head straight into the air is a good trick that will annoy your character no end. Otherwise, a horse that puts its front feet exactly where your character has *his* foot so he has to pay triple attention where he's standing is a good trick that otherwise placid horses might show towards novice-ish handlers.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timeasmymeasure
no subject
A handler who is not overly skilled at tacking up, on the other hand - who lets the bit hit the teeth when bridling, who puts the collar on badly, who tightens the surcingle too quickly and too strongly, who tightens the crupper too much... those are actions that lead to immediate discomfort, and a lot of horses will remember them and be far less cooperative the next day.
For bridling, raising the head straight into the air is a good trick that will annoy your character no end. Otherwise, a horse that puts its front feet exactly where your character has *his* foot so he has to pay triple attention where he's standing is a good trick that otherwise placid horses might show towards novice-ish handlers.