If you have not studied horse training in any detail you will need to be aware that the topic can be hard to make sense of. Even more perplexing is a horse with behavioural issues.This causes the owner to be frustrated and stressed. Many people don’t understand that the problem usually lies with the trainer not the horse.
Firstly we must try to unscramble the horse’s behaviour. Most riders will have experienced at some point or another a horse becoming spooked. This often means that the horse is nervous and agitated, frightened that something is going to "get him". Consequently whenever, the horse and rider go for a ride it is not an enjoyable or relaxing experience for either of them.
If we presume that the rider is the reason that the horse spooks we need to ascertain how the rider is doing this. The rider may be completely unaware that he is sitting tensely in the saddle. He also may be stiff as a board and has white-knuckles from gripping the reins so tightly. The horse can sense these things and will feel the same tension the rider is feeling. A horse is capable of getting into the manner of feeling this way. This will make the horse’s spookiness also the rider’s spookiness because the rider and the horse are intensifying each other’s fears to the point where their anxieties will grow by leaps and bounds.
The rider is human and has the capability of reasoning, so it is the rider to stop this irrational behavior first in him and then in the horse. You must try and loosen up in the saddle. If you lighten up and have fun, the horse will recognise this and signal that he is aware of the change. Then you are required to speak with him to give him confidence. The horse’s behaviour will quickly change resulting in a more relaxed and enjoyable horse to ride.
Whether or not the rider is aware of it, he or she is infact training the horse. Try to remember that on each occasion you interact with your horse you are effectively training him. The horse will respond in accordance to the praise and encouragement that he is awarded. If the praise is constant, the horse’s response will become a habit. If the stimulus is tense, it causes fear and results in a spooky horse.
This is just an example of how you can be the reason for the horse’s poor and negative behaviour. It is important to note that this is not true a 100% of the time but it is a sound place to start. In most cases it is where the problem began.
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