ken mcnabbHow much confidence do you have in your horse? Will you take him anywhere, or do you avoid some situations because you are afraid you will not be able to control him? This month, we will cover some simple exercises that will increase your trust in your horse and give you the confidence to put him in new situations.

Start with ground work. One situation where I commonly see people get nervous about their horses is when they are at a horse show or in some other environment where there is a lot going on, and they are standing with their horse trying to talk to someone. Their horse may get nervous and start crowding on top of them, or just generally fidgeting around. Practice these simple leading exercises to teach your horse that it is to his benefit to stand quietly with you when you ask him to.

The first mistake I see people make when they are leading a nervous horse or trying to get their horse to stand still is that they will grab the lead rope right at the snap under the horse’s chin and try to physically hang on to him. Your horse weighs a lot more than you do, and there is no way you can physically stop him from moving if he wants to. However, you can create movement and then direct it. Stand with your horse next to you on a loose lead. If he starts to move around, send him off around you in a circle at the trot. Have him go around you a few times, then ask him to whoa and give him the opportunity to stand next to you again. If he fidgets again, send him off. You are not trying to make him sweat and tire him out, you are just building his respect for you and your confidence in him by focusing on what you can do (create movement and direct it) rather than what you can’t do (physically hold your horse still).

A second common mistake is walking along with your horse either dragging behind you as you pull on the lead rope, or your horse constantly getting ahead of your shoulder and dragging you along. If your horse drags along behind you, use the tail of your lead rope and tap him on the hip to drive him forward. If he is getting ahead of you, stop him and back him up every time he passes your shoulder. If he gets crooked and evasive during these exercises, you can walk with the fence on his outside to help him understand that he needs to stay straight and listen to your cues, not evade them.

Once you feel confident on the ground, it is time to start establishing trust in the saddle. As with the ground work, you need just a few simple exercises that you can practice again and again to get you out of trouble if things go wrong. Before I ever get on a new horse, even if it has been ridden for years, I want to be sure I can do two things with the bridle. First, pick up on one rein and make sure your horse will respond by bending his nose in the direction of the pressure. Practice this on both sides. Then, make sure you can move your horse’s hindquarters with either rein. What I mean by that is when you pick up on the rein and have your horse’s nose bent softly, you should be able to ask him to move his hips away from you. He should step the closer hind foot away from you by crossing it under himself in front of the outside hind foot. Once you can do both of these exercises with the bridle on the ground, do them in the saddle. The hip movement exercise that you practiced on the ground is your one rein stop in the saddle. This is your emergency brake when you are having a wreck. Practice it at all speeds, including the lope and run. At faster speeds you will need to circle more slowly so you don’t flip your horse as you bring his speed down. Also, it is important to practice in both directions but at the lope always turn your horse in to the lead he is on to help him keep his balance.

The last thing that I like to see people do to build trust is add some speed. Many people have never let their horse open up under saddle. It is a huge boost to your confidence when you know that you have opened him up, felt what he does, and that you can ride it and slow him back down. Find a big enclosed arena where you will be safe and have room, and ask your horse for some speed some day. Practice speeding him up and slowing him back down. Practice till you feel confident that he will shut down for you from a gallop.

Remember, the most important thing is always your safety first, and your horse’s safety. The exercises I have suggested here work for me, but it is your training philosophy, not the actual exercises you do, that counts. Always keep safety first in your riding and training.

It is very important that you work through all of these exercises calmly and patiently. Your horse needs to view you as a leader, one that he can trust. You need to come across as someone who can protect him if things go wrong. Losing your temper and thumping on your horse does not establish leadership or trust. It just shows your horse that you are not in control of your emotions.

The bottom line in establishing your confidence and trust in your horse is that you need to know exactly how you will react if things go wrong. Visualize situations that might happen and exactly what you will do. Then, you need to practice your plan till you and your horse know it perfectly.

Enjoy your horses and until next time, may God bless the trails you ride.

For more information on Ken McNabb’s programs,
call us at 307-645-3149 or go to www.kenmcnabb.com