Horse Trainer

Learn To Be
The Horse's Leader

Let's talk about horse trainer leadership, why it's necessary in horse training, and how it pertains to horses.

Let me ask you a question

What if you knew something about someone where that piece of knowledge allowed you to be their boss, leader, or mentor - could you get them to do something you ask?

The answer is - probably.

For instance, most kids grow up respecting adults.

When an adult says something to them, it's sort of instinct that what the adult says is what the kid does.

As an adult, I know that about kids. That being so, most of the time I will receive respect from kids. (At least, that's my experience)

I find most kids don't know they don't have to do what the grown up says...they just kind of do it.

Sure, there are exceptions. But mostly, it kind of works that way.

I have a friend who's son has lately become defiant to some degree.

He used to just do what his Mom and Dad said. If they yelled at him for a wrong behavior, it would hurt him.

They learned how to get him to do things he was supposed to do (or not do) without yelling at him because yelling seem to make it worse.

You see, the kid already had it built in his nervous system that when the grownup says to do something then, by golly, you better do it.

The exceptions, of course, are sexual predators and other idiot adults who prey on kids knowing a kid typically does what the adult asks.

Now, back to my question.

The question was...

"if you knew something about someone where that piece of knowledge allowed you to be their boss, leader,
or mentor - could you get them to do something you ask?"

The answer is yes.

You know a child has this built-in respect for adults and you can use that to garner requests, correct behaviors, get obedience, and so on.

Likewise, in horses, they have something built in them that allows you to get obedience.

Do you know what it is?

The secret, my friend, is in the feet.

And here it is: Horses become submissive when you get them to move their feet.

So, a few examples are these- respect of space.

If you have a horse bumping into you, follows too close while leading, bites at you...try making them move.

The trick is they need to know the reason they're being made to move. You can't make them move a minute or two after the behavior. It needs to be associated with the wrong behavior.

Just like the alpha horse does in the herd, she makes that horse move. In the moving horse's mind, he sees she's the boss because she made him move.

Think of it like the bully on the bus. The bully walks up to the kid sitting in a seat and says "Get up...that's my seat."

If the kid being picked on doesn't challenge the bully, in his mind the bully is boss, leader, and the one to be respected.

So, if you want submission, which is necessary in training a horse, get them to move their feet.

I have a horse that used to rear occasionally because she wanted to do things her way.

The first thing to do is check for pain. If I don't see there's a physical reason for it I'm going to assume she's being defiant.

So...make her feet move.

Just as her feet touched the ground from the rearing I booted her forward and made her work. Made her move her feet...a lot.

Did that cure it?

Nope.

She tried it two other times.

Did that cure it?

So far. It's been 4 years since she's done it.

There are some things to know when you're moving a horse's feet.

Be careful of the horse that's extra skittish. Only use as much pressure as you need. Then back off. After all, you got himm to move, that's all you need.

On the other hand, some horse's need a lot of motivation to move their feet.

One way to do that is to move toward them with energy. You may have to be very animated.

Being animated may entail moving your arms far more than normal, much more body language than usual, etc.

Again, when you get movement...back off.

There you have it...secret #2.