Horses can become nervous for a lot of reasons. Abuse, neglect and lack of human interaction and sometimes it's due to their emotional make up and they are naturally a little more skittish than other horses. Fortunately, working with your horse on a steady basis will help him become desensitized and learn not to react to people, places and things he would have previously feared. Another name for this type of training is called "bombproofing".

Basically, the training entails exposing your horse to things that make him nervous (one thing at a time) to the point he accepts it as part of his daily routine and no longer fears nor even pays attention to the object or place.

The process is simple, first allow your horse to approach a suspicious item from a distance and work him slowly closer and closer to the object. He will stop as soon as he isn't comfortable any longer. This is the distance you need to bring him in from. If you're riding, dismount and lead your horse slowly forward and talk to him and reassure him he's okay. He may not make it to the item the first or even fourth time you try this and that's okay. Repetition is the key to getting your horse comfortable. It must be the same every time or the process won't work. Meaning, when he approaches the object that makes him skittish such as a car, he needs to know it won't do anything different every time he sees it.

Once he will be get near enough to touch the object, allow him to sniff, taste and bump the object with his head, in this way he'll learn it will not hurt him and soon he'll get bored with it. You can use this method with almost everything your horse is exposed to, just remember repetition and constant, patient training is the key.

Labels: horse, horse-training

Now that we've covered bad training techniques, let's cover some good ones.

When you're training a horse - you need to hold on the training until you establish trust. It doesn't take a lot of time, you just need to be consistent. Even the most profoundly abused and neglected horses will come around quickly when you show them through patience and frequent visits that you mean them no harm and you are to be regarded as a friend.

Once you have the trust of your horse, your training boundaries are limitless. You will have an equine friend that will enjoy working with you and will look forward to your training sessions.
Soft but firm is a good rule when working with a horse. When he challenges your authority (and it's not a question of "if" it's a matter of "when"); gently tell him, "No" to whatever he's doing and talk to him while you distract him by leading him in a circle. Usually one to two walks around in a circle will distract most horses from trying to see if you're still "top horse".

Distraction is another good technique to learn. When your horse is acting out like a naughty toddler and won't listen and won't follow commands. A simple distraction like walking around the pen is a good way to let him get rid of some nervous energy and also calm down.

Biting or kicking are the only times you should really raise your voice in training. Your horse needs to understand both are unacceptable behaviors and if you tell him in a strong voice,"No!". Nearly all horses will back down and discontinue the bad behavior.

Treats are a good way to get your horse to enjoy his training. Most horses will work for treats and praise and you can dwindle the treats and reward him with praise only as your training sessions progress.

Keep working with your horse on a frequent basis. The more you work with him, the more he will trust you and that's a win-win situation for you both!

Labels: exercise, horse-training

Training a horse isn't easy, no matter how good the relationship is between your horse and yourself, he will still have his days he will test you and push your patience to the limit - simply because he can.

A horse can be a wonderful companion and they can also be a one-thousand pound or better bag of mischief. Never let your horse get away with being disrespectful or downright rude to you. How you handle training and discipline of your horse will draw the line on whether you use good or bad training techniques.

First understand how your horse's brain works. Simply put, a horse is wired in his brain at the most primal level as a prey animal. He will consider almost any object or person a potential threat until he has a chance to taste, smell, and touch it and ascertain for himself that the object or person will do him no harm.

Yelling is a bad training technique. It spooks your horse and makes him unsure of you. Unless he is in immediate danger and need to move quickly; avoid yelling at your horse.

Hitting and slapping are another bad training technique that unfortunately many horse owners resort to get their horse's attention. You get his attention and you also teach him to be wary of human hands - they hurt!

Never starve your horse to get him to submit to your will. This is cruel punishment and although many owners equate it with sending a naughty child to bed without dinner - it often turns into days without adequate food and that can be life threatening to a horse.

Use positive training techniques when you work with your horse. You may force him to do something through yelling or slapping - but he'll never respect you and you'll completely miss out on having a horse/human companion relationship that can be fostered strongly through good training methods.

Labels: exercise, horse-training