Horses have been herd animals since time immemorial and their herd instincts have a tendency to shape the behaviour of even domesticated horses when they're in an arena or on the trail. These are times when you actually need your horse to fully subjugate his instincts to yours. When his instincts clash with yours, they lead straight to battles for supremacy whether on the trail or the rail. You can stop this sort of situation by going out of your way rather and having a look at things from your horse's perspective.
Horses don't do things on an impulse, wrong or right, bad or good; they have got a reason for everything they do. As a rider, it's your responsibility to keep track of what motivates your pony at any given time. If something has scared your horse, you must calm him down as fast as your are able to. If he appears to be inclined to wander off the track you need to emphasise extremely gently that what matters is where you wish to go. He would be especially stubborn, and even if you need to get into a mild clash of ego, you need to ensure your domination is not compromised. Your reactions should be dictated by circumstances. If your pony is genuinely scared, you want to bring him out of it with kid gloves.
If you experience a consistent problem then ride your horse with a friend on another horse. You should try and make sure your friend hasn't got an issue with his pony the way you do with yours. Gradually begin nudging your pony to veer off course just a tad. You are being gentle in your cue, perhaps a little rein or leg pressure. Your pony may not react straight away, but as you endure he is going to start considering moving how you need him to. Let go the pressure immediately when he responds. His inclination will be to remain with the other horse, so you will have to keep on egging him. You've got to get him to understand that the pressure shows itself only when he's near the other pony. Once he grasps the fact that there'll be no more pressure when he moves your way, he's going to do so.
The key part of this training is the kind of concord you have with your pony. I know a lot of folks who can't establish the right rapport and therefore aren't able to time their cues right. When you nudge your horse, he'll respond with signs he is considering moving the way you want him to. He could move his ears in the new direction or actually take a small step that way. By way of an illustration: say you are riding on the left of your friend and you make a decision to head your horse off to your left. You apply pressure with the reins and your horse responds by turning his head in the direction you want to go. As soon as you see this, let go the pressure. The quicker you release pressure, the more apt your horse will be to move the way you want him to.
You might find some horses harder to convince than others. You have to keep absolutely alert and not let your horse get away with failing to respond.
Horses don't do things on an impulse, wrong or right, bad or good; they have got a reason for everything they do. As a rider, it's your responsibility to keep track of what motivates your pony at any given time. If something has scared your horse, you must calm him down as fast as your are able to. If he appears to be inclined to wander off the track you need to emphasise extremely gently that what matters is where you wish to go. He would be especially stubborn, and even if you need to get into a mild clash of ego, you need to ensure your domination is not compromised. Your reactions should be dictated by circumstances. If your pony is genuinely scared, you want to bring him out of it with kid gloves.
If you experience a consistent problem then ride your horse with a friend on another horse. You should try and make sure your friend hasn't got an issue with his pony the way you do with yours. Gradually begin nudging your pony to veer off course just a tad. You are being gentle in your cue, perhaps a little rein or leg pressure. Your pony may not react straight away, but as you endure he is going to start considering moving how you need him to. Let go the pressure immediately when he responds. His inclination will be to remain with the other horse, so you will have to keep on egging him. You've got to get him to understand that the pressure shows itself only when he's near the other pony. Once he grasps the fact that there'll be no more pressure when he moves your way, he's going to do so.
The key part of this training is the kind of concord you have with your pony. I know a lot of folks who can't establish the right rapport and therefore aren't able to time their cues right. When you nudge your horse, he'll respond with signs he is considering moving the way you want him to. He could move his ears in the new direction or actually take a small step that way. By way of an illustration: say you are riding on the left of your friend and you make a decision to head your horse off to your left. You apply pressure with the reins and your horse responds by turning his head in the direction you want to go. As soon as you see this, let go the pressure. The quicker you release pressure, the more apt your horse will be to move the way you want him to.
You might find some horses harder to convince than others. You have to keep absolutely alert and not let your horse get away with failing to respond.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers click here
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers click here
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