Working with horses can often be difficult and even scary, as horses engage in bad horse behaviors that not only make them annoying but make them unsafe.
These behaviors can include biting, kicking, being pushy on the ground, or worse bucking and rearing.
The best way to minimize the chance your horse will be pushy like this is to lay a solid foundation that puts you in a leadership position with the horse.
Here are five horse training tips to help you achieve this.
1.
Have a good lead A horse that respects you leads well.
This means that the horse follows you at a short distance just off your shoulder.
Most people lead from the left side of the horse, so he should be just to the right of you with the tip of his nose just at your shoulder.
He shouldn't pull on the rope or drag, and he shouldn't blast out ahead of you.
If a horse drags on the rope, stop every now and then and ask for a backup.
This puts a cost into his bad horse behavior.
On the other hand, if he tends to walk faster and pass you, change directions when he does this so that you can put yourself back in front of the horse.
2.
Teach your horse to relax Remember that horses are prey animals, so they're always on the lookout for the next threat.
A horse with his head up high is one that is tense and looking for something about to eat him.
A horse that is relaxed has his head low and is probably more interested in finding some nice greens to graze on.
Teach your horse to relax on cue by lowering his head.
3.
Use round-pen training Here is an important horse training tip-one of the best ways to establish leadership is to use the round pen.
This is best done "at liberty" without the lead line or halter on the horse, so you control his movements without using tools-just body language and presence of leadership.
Few techniques work as well to get a horse to trust and respect you.
This is often called "hook-on" in the roundpen or as Monty Roberts calls it, "join up".
4.
Keep him paying attention Another important tool to use when training is to keep your horse paying attention.
If he is looking off in the distance when you're working with him, bump the rope to bring his nose toward you so that both eyes are focused on you.
Look at the ears.
Is one ear acting like a radar dish probing the distance to check for threats? Or are both ears forward on you? If they aren't on you your horse isn't devoting his full attention and this needs to be corrected.
5.
Don't just ride off into the sunset While riding, take the time to run through exercises that keep your horse listening to you, such as flexing and having him move the hindquarter and front.
By keeping him listening to you, he is less likely to look off in the distance checking for the newest threat.
By applying these horse training tips, you can start to build a sold foundation with your horse that is gentle, yet teaches respect and leadership.
A horse that respects you and sees you as a leader is far less likely to engage in bad behaviors.
These behaviors can include biting, kicking, being pushy on the ground, or worse bucking and rearing.
The best way to minimize the chance your horse will be pushy like this is to lay a solid foundation that puts you in a leadership position with the horse.
Here are five horse training tips to help you achieve this.
1.
Have a good lead A horse that respects you leads well.
This means that the horse follows you at a short distance just off your shoulder.
Most people lead from the left side of the horse, so he should be just to the right of you with the tip of his nose just at your shoulder.
He shouldn't pull on the rope or drag, and he shouldn't blast out ahead of you.
If a horse drags on the rope, stop every now and then and ask for a backup.
This puts a cost into his bad horse behavior.
On the other hand, if he tends to walk faster and pass you, change directions when he does this so that you can put yourself back in front of the horse.
2.
Teach your horse to relax Remember that horses are prey animals, so they're always on the lookout for the next threat.
A horse with his head up high is one that is tense and looking for something about to eat him.
A horse that is relaxed has his head low and is probably more interested in finding some nice greens to graze on.
Teach your horse to relax on cue by lowering his head.
3.
Use round-pen training Here is an important horse training tip-one of the best ways to establish leadership is to use the round pen.
This is best done "at liberty" without the lead line or halter on the horse, so you control his movements without using tools-just body language and presence of leadership.
Few techniques work as well to get a horse to trust and respect you.
This is often called "hook-on" in the roundpen or as Monty Roberts calls it, "join up".
4.
Keep him paying attention Another important tool to use when training is to keep your horse paying attention.
If he is looking off in the distance when you're working with him, bump the rope to bring his nose toward you so that both eyes are focused on you.
Look at the ears.
Is one ear acting like a radar dish probing the distance to check for threats? Or are both ears forward on you? If they aren't on you your horse isn't devoting his full attention and this needs to be corrected.
5.
Don't just ride off into the sunset While riding, take the time to run through exercises that keep your horse listening to you, such as flexing and having him move the hindquarter and front.
By keeping him listening to you, he is less likely to look off in the distance checking for the newest threat.
By applying these horse training tips, you can start to build a sold foundation with your horse that is gentle, yet teaches respect and leadership.
A horse that respects you and sees you as a leader is far less likely to engage in bad behaviors.