A Better Horse Every Day
It's true what they say; it's the little things.
Your relationship with your horse is built upon the simple day-to-day activities you do together.
How you and your horse interact while performing the mundane tasks of leading, grooming, mounting, etc.
set the tone for the day.
They build the foundation upon which you learn to rely on and respect each other.
You are always training your horse when you are interacting with her.
As soon as you walk into her pasture or stall your horse is aware of your body language, voice, your energy, and mood.
By making every experience a positive one for your horse, one that promotes relaxation and respect, the bond between you will grow stronger.
By being aware of how your horse is responding to you and proactively helping her make constructive decisions, the two of you will reach a higher level of partnership.
Put your nose in the halter.
We are often in a hurry and push on the halter onto our horse's head without thinking.
Our horse may pull away or elevate her head, a sign of anxiety or distrust that shouldn't be ignored.
Instead, put your right arm over the top of your horse's neck and hold the open nosepiece of the halter a couple of inches below his nose and an inch or two toward you.
Use the weight of your arm to encourage your horse to lower her head.
Slight pressure from the halter strap that's touching your horse's neck will encourage her to bend her neck slightly toward you.
Don't "make" your horse respond.
Wait for her figure out what to do on her own.
That way you're allowing her the time to make the decision to relax and place her nose into the halter on her own.
I lead, you follow.
Your horse always leads a little bit ahead of you.
She starts walking faster, and now you're pulling back on the lead...
against a 1,000 pound animal that knows she's bigger than you.
You lost her attention, and respect, the moment her shoulder passed yours.
Never EVER let your horse lead you.
That puts her in a dominant position, and when she's thinks she's in charge, anything goes.
If your horse starts to get ahead of you, choke up on your lead.
Put rearward pressure on the lead rope that's angled toward the lowest part of the center of your horse's chest.
Keep the pressure steady, but don't try to muscle your horse back.
She needs to respond to light pressure, no more than a pound or two, and back off on her own.
If she doesn't swing the tail end of the leadrope (with your left hand) across her chest until she slows down and releases the pressure you're applying with your leading hand.
Your goal is not to cause your horse any discomfort at all, but to mimic the "back off" cue another dominant horse would give if your horse was caught taking the lead inappropriately.
Stand still for grooming and bathing.
When your horse stands calmly and quietly, she feels confident in and comfortable with what's happening.
Certainly if you're power spraying your horse with cold water on a chilly day, she won't be very patient.
Whatever you're doing should be respectful to your horse as well.
Teach your horse to stand still while holding the leadrope first.
That way you can correct her safely without her feeling trapped or confused.
Face your horse when you're working around her.
If she moves away, back her up a few steps to reinforce your authority.
Then ask her to lower her head and relax with downward pressure on the leadrope.
Then, bring her forward again (make sure you turn away to invite her to follow you and then face her again when you want her to stay put) and resume what you were doing.
Be repetitive and calm.
Don't move when I step in the saddle.
It's very disrespectful for your horse to walk off when you climb aboard.
It can also be a sign of anxiety.
Either way, it's a problem that needs to be fixed.
If she takes a step, when you put your foot in the stirrup, step down and back her up.
Lower her head and bring her forward to try again.
Repeat this until she's standing solid.
If you tend pull on your horse to get on, she'll lose her balance and have to take a step.
Use a mounting step or hone your mounting skills to make it easier for your horse to do her job right.
Every moment you spend with your horse is an opportunity to build a foundation of partnership.
You and your horse are a team that will always work best when you're working together.
Your relationship with your horse is built upon the simple day-to-day activities you do together.
How you and your horse interact while performing the mundane tasks of leading, grooming, mounting, etc.
set the tone for the day.
They build the foundation upon which you learn to rely on and respect each other.
You are always training your horse when you are interacting with her.
As soon as you walk into her pasture or stall your horse is aware of your body language, voice, your energy, and mood.
By making every experience a positive one for your horse, one that promotes relaxation and respect, the bond between you will grow stronger.
By being aware of how your horse is responding to you and proactively helping her make constructive decisions, the two of you will reach a higher level of partnership.
Put your nose in the halter.
We are often in a hurry and push on the halter onto our horse's head without thinking.
Our horse may pull away or elevate her head, a sign of anxiety or distrust that shouldn't be ignored.
Instead, put your right arm over the top of your horse's neck and hold the open nosepiece of the halter a couple of inches below his nose and an inch or two toward you.
Use the weight of your arm to encourage your horse to lower her head.
Slight pressure from the halter strap that's touching your horse's neck will encourage her to bend her neck slightly toward you.
Don't "make" your horse respond.
Wait for her figure out what to do on her own.
That way you're allowing her the time to make the decision to relax and place her nose into the halter on her own.
I lead, you follow.
Your horse always leads a little bit ahead of you.
She starts walking faster, and now you're pulling back on the lead...
against a 1,000 pound animal that knows she's bigger than you.
You lost her attention, and respect, the moment her shoulder passed yours.
Never EVER let your horse lead you.
That puts her in a dominant position, and when she's thinks she's in charge, anything goes.
If your horse starts to get ahead of you, choke up on your lead.
Put rearward pressure on the lead rope that's angled toward the lowest part of the center of your horse's chest.
Keep the pressure steady, but don't try to muscle your horse back.
She needs to respond to light pressure, no more than a pound or two, and back off on her own.
If she doesn't swing the tail end of the leadrope (with your left hand) across her chest until she slows down and releases the pressure you're applying with your leading hand.
Your goal is not to cause your horse any discomfort at all, but to mimic the "back off" cue another dominant horse would give if your horse was caught taking the lead inappropriately.
Stand still for grooming and bathing.
When your horse stands calmly and quietly, she feels confident in and comfortable with what's happening.
Certainly if you're power spraying your horse with cold water on a chilly day, she won't be very patient.
Whatever you're doing should be respectful to your horse as well.
Teach your horse to stand still while holding the leadrope first.
That way you can correct her safely without her feeling trapped or confused.
Face your horse when you're working around her.
If she moves away, back her up a few steps to reinforce your authority.
Then ask her to lower her head and relax with downward pressure on the leadrope.
Then, bring her forward again (make sure you turn away to invite her to follow you and then face her again when you want her to stay put) and resume what you were doing.
Be repetitive and calm.
Don't move when I step in the saddle.
It's very disrespectful for your horse to walk off when you climb aboard.
It can also be a sign of anxiety.
Either way, it's a problem that needs to be fixed.
If she takes a step, when you put your foot in the stirrup, step down and back her up.
Lower her head and bring her forward to try again.
Repeat this until she's standing solid.
If you tend pull on your horse to get on, she'll lose her balance and have to take a step.
Use a mounting step or hone your mounting skills to make it easier for your horse to do her job right.
Every moment you spend with your horse is an opportunity to build a foundation of partnership.
You and your horse are a team that will always work best when you're working together.
