How to teach a horse not to be distracted from work

Photo from yourhorse.com

Have you encountered the problem of inattention of the horse during work? “She can’t hear me,” is how riders often describe the situation. Canadian Tick ​​Maynard, a participant in the 2007 Pan American Games and author of In the middle are the Horsemen, spoke about how to deal with the problem.

Horse behavior is the animal’s way of explaining what it likes and what scares it. And the reason for inattention to the actions of the rider usually lies precisely in the behavioral problem.

First you need to determine what exactly distracts the horse. First, she may lose attention and concentration due to fright. A barking dog nearby, a waving flag or a tractor – a horse can be afraid of any object or creature. As a rule, horses are afraid of things approaching them, which move quickly and sharply, making noise. They may be wary of new or previously frightening items.

Secondly, the horse get distracted by what she likes – grass, steamed porridge nearby, sugar lying on the side, other horses. Even natural curiosity can play a role – the horse’s attention will be riveted to an interesting subject.

So how do you solve this problem?

Before you try to fix the situation, make sure you know how to do it. Otherwise, contact a professional. But remember that someone who is an experienced dressage rider does not necessarily understand all the intricacies of show jumping and eventing.

There are a huge number of good athletes in the world who are not experts in studying and solving horse behavioral problems. Even if you want to deal with the situation yourself, think again – can you manage on your own?

“No source of fear – no problems” is the easiest way out of the situation. But if you really want to “overcome” the fear of the horse, then you always need to remember about “traffic light rulea”.

The traffic light shows three signals. Think of these colors as indicators of the horse’s mood and feelings. A green light means your horse is in his comfort zone and is not scared or nervous. The yellow light signals a new thing that the horse has not yet seen, but so far it does not pose a threat to the animal. Red is a sign that the object frightened the horse: it tries to run away from it at a trot or gallop, sometimes standing on a candle, beating and biting. Never bring it to “red” – if the horse is in a panic, then it is almost impossible to return his attention.

It is important to remember that don’t rushaccustoming the horse to new subjects. Move the stimulus slowly at a great distance from the horse. Remember that chaotic and abrupt movements can frighten your four-legged partner. Increase the sound of the frightening object and its approaching speed gradually.

If the horse is distracted by what he likes, then switch attention to yourself – make friends with a horseplease her. Think about it, maybe you don’t praise your partner often enough? Or is your riding job too harsh and rough? Attract the attention of the horse – treat it, scratch it.

Remember that most problems are related to the rider in one way or another. Train to control your own emotions – the horse perfectly feels the slightest changes in the mood of the athlete. If you are upset, angry or afraid, just stop and end your workout. Take a break, and tomorrow start all over again. And if your problem is not solved, be sure to resort to the help of professionals.