| This does not only apply to training your horse. It also | | | | sniffed me out again. |
| applies to everything you do with your horse. And it | | | | Everybody told me to jump - but I slowly turned |
| truly is a double edged sword. If you do not trust your | | | | around and very slowly stepped down the rail and set |
| horse, your horse will not trust you - and you better be | | | | down. The stud was done sniffing - but did not leave. I |
| real careful. | | | | slowly got up and he stayed and did not show any |
| To better understand that you might want to look at a | | | | sign of aggression. |
| herd of horses turned out - or even better a band of | | | | So talking to him I walked along the rails - and he |
| wild horses. Usually the stallion will be the main lookout. | | | | followed. Do I have to mention that I like show, too? |
| If something happens the lead mare will make the | | | | I have used that many times with "problem horses" - |
| decision - usually to take off. Every horse in the herd | | | | the ones you cannot even catch. They are used to |
| will follow her decision - for a good reason. The herd is | | | | being chased, roped and even squeezed - that will not |
| the main protection. A horse that gets away from the | | | | work. I will spend hours and hours squatting down at |
| herd is easy prey. That is the reason why usually the | | | | the rail. They eventually will come - the very first step. |
| stallion will bring up the rear and keep them together. | | | | And when they finally will follow me without a halter - I |
| The herd totally trusts the lead mare. | | | | got it made. |
| How do you gain a horse's trust? | | | | And the very important part is that once I have gained |
| Let me give you a very extreme example. Many | | | | the horses trust, I can trust the horse. Very few |
| years ago a band of wild Colonial Spanish horses | | | | horses will attack you, because they are "killers" - they |
| were rounded up in Arizona. I was just visiting at that | | | | fight you because they are afraid. |
| time and decided to tame one of the stallions - I like | | | | How to you keep a horse's trust. |
| challenges. I do not remember how many times I | | | | That is kind of simple. First, never ask or even force a |
| jumped the six foot rails. I could get within maybe 10 | | | | horse to do something the horse does not know how |
| feet - and then it was time to RUN. | | | | to do - or just cannot do. |
| This obviously did not work. So I decided, just to sit | | | | Second, never ever get "mad" at a horse because it |
| there - for many days. And finally this stud came up to | | | | does not do what you want. There is a reason. You |
| me sniffed me out - and left. Do I have to mention, that | | | | have to find the reason and work around it. If you start |
| it was not the Arizona heat that made me sweat? | | | | screaming bloody murder or even whip the horse - |
| The next week end a few people were working with | | | | you just lost the most powerful tool you have - the |
| the mares. I was watching, sitting on the rails where | | | | horse's trust. |
| the stud was - when I felt, he had come up and | | | | |