The best thing you can give a horse is CONFIDENCE

Photo Shoot: nupafeed.co.uk

Source: eventingconnect.today

What can you give your horse? Apples? Carrot? Sugar? Not really. The best thing you can give a horse – this is CONFIDENCE.

No matter what kind of work a horse does, it will do it best if it is properly prepared, understands what is required of it, is confident in itself and in its rider. Not all horses are naturally brave, calm in unfamiliar situations, and perform well at the international level. But any horse can improve if he starts to trust the rider and himself. Some horses are born very confident and calm, making great partners for timid, inexperienced riders. Other horses are timid and shy and need a daily dose of support and encouragement from their rider.

At the sight of cows, fences, tractors, sand, flowers, etc. most shy horses have heart attacks in the first couple of days, and it takes a lot of effort to get them past all these scary things. After a few weeks of such training, they usually become bolder. But there is a category of horses for whom it is very difficult to overcome their fears, for them invisible monsters lurk in every shadow. But even they can become calmer if you can convince them that you will never endanger them.

How to achieve this trust? First of all, start with yourself. You must prove to the horse that you are not afraid of YOURSELF, and accordingly, he does not need to either. However, everything is not so simple here either – if you just roll your eyes at the next fright of your horse and pull it forward with glory: “How much can you already?! I don’t have time for this,” then you will not win the trust of a frightened animal. You need to use your legs, body and soft hands to communicate that you will protect the horse, and it’s okay to just go forward.

What works with horses? Relief from pressure. Fear is also a form of pressure: a mental pressure that tells the horse, “Don’t go there, you will definitely die there.” It is pointless to fight instincts, you can try to teach the horse to focus on something else, such as the rider. Pcoal horse reacts incorrectly to the foot, is distracted and does not respect his rider. You must become more important to the horse than that terrible thing. It is very important that the horse has a clear understanding that if he does everything right, then the pressure from the rider is gone. You need to let the horse move forward freely, and not pull on the reins, trying to hold the horse with your hands.

The participation of a young horse in competition is almost the same. It is important to fill the horse with confidence and calmness – this is the key to developing healthy and trusting relationships.