Knowing Your Horse: A Guide to Equine Learning, Training and Behaviour

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Groundwork is an excellent way to bond with your horse and reassure them when facing new obstacles. The more time you give your horse to adjust and accept their surroundings the more comfortable and relaxed they will be. Eat and relax together: in their herds horses spent all day together munching away. Take your breakfast, lunch or dinner with you and eat with your horse when they are either grazing or enjoying their feed. Nothing is nicer than a picnic with your pony on a sunny day. It is important to establish a dialog with your horse, get to know their body through massage and grooming and always listen carefully to any advice given to you by your vet or physiotherapist.

Knowing your horse | The British Horse Society

You can achieve the Horse Explorers awards at your local Approved Centre where they will match you to a horse to ensure your lessons are suitable to your experience. Thanks to all of you, I am sort of hoping that we get into a good routine in the winter when he is coming in on a night and out in the day etc and I guess its all about good experiences, and reinforcing what is acceptable and what is not I guess in some ways we have come on, I can catch him LOL Create positive associations; for example always be the person to feed your horse and your horse will associate you with something nice (food!). Be consistent and clear. A confused horse is an anxious horse. Be consistent with the behaviour you reward or ignore. It’s helpful to think of or even note down a set of rules for your horse and how you would like them to behave. An important thing to remember about this type of mental training is that you should always practice with a successful outcome in mind. Do not practice anything with a failure outcome. Ride through the scenario in your brain and visualize a successful outcome. When you practice success, you can experience success. Learning how to control your emotions in the saddle can help you become the confident leader your horse needs you to be. Develop Your Signature DrillOnce you’ve found a likely spot watch their face closely for a reaction. A happy horse looks loose, eyes partially closed, swaying, loose soft lip and relaxed ears. An unhappy horse looks tight or worried. If your horse appears unhappy move to a different area and continue the exercise giving them plenty of treats and positive affirmations. The key is in understanding their body language, which will help you make a connection with them and be able to read what they are feeling. Here are my favourite exercises that can help: Don’t be afraid to recognise they’ve had enough and give them a break. They will appreciate that you have respected them. Know your horse’s weaknesses, strengths and quirks. Time is the best way to build a bond with your horse. It will take time for your horse to trust you but when they do it will have a huge impact on both of your lives.

Knowing Your Horse by Emma Lethbridge | Waterstones

I guess the farrier saying 'you did not tell me he was still wild' sort of said it all although I hasten to add he did not actually say that to me Morse was on his best behaviour and generally interested in all that was going on and was watching everything quite happily over his stable door. There are two more things that I think are critically important for the confident rider. The first is that you should always act with supreme confidence around your horse. I have zero tolerance for arrogance, but your confidence communicates your leadership to your horse. When your horse feels led, he feels safe. Or you’re not sure if they would be suitable, don’t worry. There are BHS Approved Riding Centres throughout the UK that deliver Horse Explorers awards with their facilities and horses. I'm an experienced Animal Behaviourist, Trainer and Enrichment Expert from Ruffle Snuffle®. I'm also a published Author and award-winning business woman.I ride an imaginary horse any time that I’m traveling. If I’m in the car, or on a plane, I spend a great deal of time riding an imaginary horse through various scenarios. When I do that, I’m preparing myself mentally for the next time I’m in the saddle and that scenario occurs. That kind of mental preparation—and immersing your brain in “horse”—is key to building confidence. Watch for when they scratch. Do they always scratch a particular spot. Either on the wall, with other horses or themselves. Be aware that excessive scratching can indicate discomfort. This award focuses on building your skills and knowledge in monitoring horses’ health, preventing health issues, and responding to any health concerns that arise. Would recommend this to experienced and novice owners alike and anyone who may have lost their confidence. Or just wanting to do more with a retired horse.

Knowing Your Horse by Emma Lethbridge | Waterstones Knowing Your Horse by Emma Lethbridge | Waterstones

Mutual/selective grooming: Take a couple of brushes and a handful of treats into the field or school and allow your horse to roam freely. When they come over to you reward them with a treat and give them a groom. In this way they can decide when they are feeling overwhelmed and walk away. This reduces tension as the horse is not struggling to get away from you. This exercise will also encourage your horse to come up to you in the field and be easier to catch. Understanding your horse takes time, and there’s no substitute for that. But just putting in the time is not necessarily enough. People can spend years and years with their horses and never improve their abilities or confidence at all. It’s how we spend that time, rather than how much time we spend, that makes the difference. To save this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you used this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your Dropbox account. Having a horse is a wonderful and magical experience, and makes you a better rider as well as a better person in the long run. There are times when it can be tough but what is important is having a connection with your horse and knowing that whatever happens you will face it together as a team. Or you’re not sure if they would be suitable, don’t worry. There are BHS Approved Riding Centres throughout the UK that deliver challenge awards with their facilities and horses.

Horses, like people, need time to adjust and some horses need more time than others. Especially horses that have been abused or neglected. But once you have gained their trust you will be an unstoppable team. To save this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you used this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your Google Drive account. When they come in from the field which parts of them are dirtiest; that usually means they’ve spent extra time rubbing that spot in the mud!