HORSE HANDLING INSTRUCTION

 ASK YOUR HORSE - no horse likes being forced to do something............. Do we........

Do we like being TOLD what to do and FORCED to act to please another.......? I don't think so!

We are ALWAYS teaching our horse something   Whenever we are handling our horses they are listening and watching and picking EVERYTHING up that we do, whether we realise it or not. Let's hope they are learning the correct and positive things from us and not the negative........

Instead of being our horses' BOSS, why not allow our horses to accept our LEADERSHIP position at their own individual rate of learning and compliance, in a relaxed and caring manner. Think about that one........... 

I have learned that SLOWER is usually QUICKER when handling and educating horses.

Confident and consistent LEADERSHIP from us to our horses is vital. Apart from food and water and reproduction, the horses main concern is safety and security. When away from the herd they look to us for security.

We need to have our horses TRUST US completely. They are a compliant species and will do just about anything for us if they trust us.

Horses are not born with a mis-trust and fear of humans,...... humans TEACH them that .........

 LIKE, LOVE, or RESPECT   Yes, our horses are very capable of liking us, or not ,....... and even loving us.........

BUT, if they first do not RESPECT us, the liking and loving may not necessarily follow.

If we have a horse that is DIFFICULT TO HANDLE some human has trained them that way.........

When a human and a horse are together in a paddock, arena, yard or in the bush alone, the horse understands that there are two horses together in a HERD OF TWO. That is the way they have been programmed to think. Therefore from the horses' point of view, only one is the leader. Some horses are not strong enough emotionally to be a leader, and if we are not positive leaders when we are with them they get confused and can be uncertain of their safety. So, we need to be the leader and have our horses accept our leadership position in a happy and relaxed manner.

NOTE - As for the strong horses in the herd, I have found that once they have accepted my leadership, they usually make the best and easiest horses to train. They, more than the others, understand the LEADERSHIP rules very well.

HORSE TIME v. PEOPLE TIME - Horses are not clock watchers, nor do they care that we are in a hurry because we are running late, or want to get a job done quickly. When we work with horses, we should get the heck out of people time and into horse time. Slow down our requirements, and let the horse move along in his time. EXAMPLE - Horses don't care about our agenda, they only care about theirs. So, if we are running late and trying to load our horse onto a float quickly, and they don't load straight away, and then we get tense, andthen impatient and then cross, that of course then the situation worse. When working with horses, get out of the poeple world of thought and inito the horse world of thought, when wew do, majical things WILL happen.

AND, horses  do not want to be burdened with our problems. If we are having a bad day, the horse will pick it us straight away, and not perform at his best for us. SO, what is the answer if we are having a bad day and want to work with our horse -  ...........DON'T, come back later or the next day when we have cooled down and are in control of our emotions.............

"I won't have a Mare on the place", - I have heard some guys say, "they are nothing but problems, they come in to season etc., etc., etc., and on they waffle.....................I say what a load of rubbish. Some of the best horses I have worked with have been Mares. We own (4 now with Tehya) at our place and they are all absolutely georgeous girls to work with. EXAMPLE - I recently assisted in the sale of "Bonney" the Appy mare, shown in the Horses For Sale section of this site. She came into season the morning that the new owners came to evaluate and ride her. Her "in season" state, made absolutely no difference to her demeanour or performance at all.

CHOOSING A HORSE - I  don't look at a horses gender or outer body when I am evaluating them for myself or a customer, I first get a feel of their spirit vibes, and look into their eye to get a handle on their temperament and psychological profile. I don't care whether they are Mares, Geldings or Stallions when I do this, and I do the same things every time. When I am satisfied they have the correct temperament,  I then check them out physically, their conformation,  for my requirements along the lines of the old saying - "horses for courses". 

NOTE - an adendum to this is, that the only times I have found a horse not to be sound in spririt, is when they have been abused or incorrectly handled by a human. BUT  - There can be, of course, some exceptions to this due to geneology trates.

REMEMBER - there is a horse for every rider and a rider for every horse BUT, every horse DOES NOT suit every rider, and every rider DOES NOT suit every horse. Just as humans cannot be compatible with every other human, so it is between horse and rider.  So, choose your horse very carefully, by letting the horse choose you......

I have heard in the past, from older, experienced and very successful horseman, that the horse world is made up of these approximate percentages -

25% are absolute dreams to start and educate, and take only very short period of time

25% are a little more difficult and take a little more time but are very trainable.

25% are extremely difficult and require great expertise and more time and patience and can be trained.

25% are so difficult and unwilling that they should not be attempted.

............My personal experiences actually mirror those statements..........

SO, there are horses who, by their very nature, should be left alone..............................