How to Train Horses

by Anonymous

What are the 10 steps to train a full breed horse or any horses?


Answer:

1.) Always remember to put your ego aside and consider the horse’s perspective first.

2.) This requires US to learn what the natural instincts of horses are and how they reflect on what we wish to do with them.

3.) Put all old traditions aside and look at horses with a fresh open mind while asking questions like, ”What do horses want from us?”, “Do they really want us to ride them?”, What is their role in today’s society?”

4.) Spend most of your time together interacting from the ground and observing horses in a natural environment. Spend less time trying to learn about horses from the saddle.(the answers are rarely there)

5.) Remove all (painful & obsolete) gadgets like bits, treed saddles, tie downs, shoes etc. and offer horses 24/7 freedom with their own kind to enable constant movement and mimic a natural herd environment.

6.) Learn all you can about nutrition and review your practices yearly.

7.) Never blame the horse for not understanding your request, instead adjust and take responsibility for the information supplied. The only correction needed is the one we need to give to our self.(Rather a humbling experience!)

8.) Be very predictable, dependable and consistent. Horses learn well when patterns and schedules are constant and exercises flow from one learned skill to the next. Set every learning situation up for the horse to be successful in accomplishing the task.

9.) All the tools you need to communicate effectively with horses are in the understanding of Negative Reinforcement and Positive Reinforcement methods. Study and practice them.

10.) We will never stop learning new ways, this is an evolutionary process. So become a leading edge thinker.

Elaine Polny