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I've struggled for a long time trying to help people cure their horse's "wiggles" (what I mean by wiggling is when the horse just won't stand still and pay attention to his job.) "Wiggling" is common behavior when a horse feels anxious or irritated and is unable to get comfortable. He keeps moving in order to find somewhere else to be. This behavior is always annoying for the rider and can often be frightening, too. The reason I have struggled with helping people to cure this problem is because in many cases the horse just doesn't wiggle when I ride it.
Why does a horse exhibit bad behavior when one person is in the saddle but doesn't when another person is riding him, even though both riders appear to be taking the same steps to control it? Part of the answer to that question lies in how (or if) the rider responded to the first signs of his horse's anxiety before it developed into the bad behavior. The key is to recognize that your horse is getting upset and deal with it before it escalates into real trouble.
For example, I recently rode a horse in a new environment with a lot of commotion and he was nervous. As soon as I could tell he was getting upset I stopped him and bent his neck to the right then to the left a few times. It wasn't any major training magic, but it was enough to get his attention back on me. After repeating this a few times he just relaxed and got comfortable. However, if I hadn't recognized that he was getting upset or if I hadn't had a good way to de-escalate his anxiety he would have gotten increasingly upset until his behavior got out of hand.
How can you recognize when the horse needs a little help or support? The most basic yet critical thing is for the rider to pay close attention to the horse's energy. My meaning of energy is what the life or energy in the horse is channeled into. Ideally his energy should be quiet, attentive and secure but it can take on any nuance of feeling. When problems arise the horse changes from still and attentive to the rider, to distracted and anxious and finally becomes bad behavior. Before the bad behavior ever arose it was just a change in the horse's energy. It is at the point when the energy gets moving in the wrong direction that the rider can act to nip the problem in the bud before it becomes behavior.
Often it is difficult for people to recognize when their horse begins to have trouble because their horse always seems troubled. In order for the rider to recognize the first signs of trouble the horse must begin in a calm, open frame of mind. Achieving this quiet state is the point of warming your horse up. It is not simply to exercise their muscles or help them blow off excess energy (this is important too). Warm up done right should leave your horse quiet, submissive and accepting your leadership. After acknowledging you as the leader the horse can simply submit to you and your direction.
So what do you do at the point when your horse starts to get upset? Ideally, what you do should bring the horse's attention back to you, keep them under control and make them try to understand. Doing so stops them from merely reacting and causes them to think instead. Use something that does not create additional excitement. It can be virtually anything as long as it is done in the right manner. Some methods I use a lot are bending the neck back and forth, moving the hindquarter left and right and backing circles. However anything that keeps them relaxed and thinking will work. So, as you ride, pay attention to the subtle changes in your horse and do a little something when your horse's demeanor begins to change and see if you can't prevent behavior problems before they manifest. Good luck and happy trails.