How to Cultivate Horse Sense

Working with horses can be a fun and rewarding experience. These intelligent animals make great work animals, show animals or just family pets and companions. Understanding horses, however, requires a basic working relationship with them known, commonly as "horse sense." Here are some tips for having horse sense.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Let the horse get to know you. Horses can tell a lot about a person by the way a person smells and reacts to them. Before you try to ride or command the horse, allow it to smell your hands and clothing to help it become familiar with you. Begin with small hand motions, like slowly and gently stroking the horse's muzzle and flanks, so they become accustomed to the feel of your touch.
2. Act confident. Horses can sense fear and will not respect you if they detect that you are intimidated by their size or behavior. Use a strong tone of voice and firm hands when commanding and directing the horse. If the horse senses that you are in charge, it responds to that leadership and listens to you better.
3. Fill your pockets. Horses respond to positive reinforcement as well as any other animal, and treats are always a good way to let them know you love them and that they've done a good job. Keep a carrot broken up in pieces or other treats in your pockets at all times to reward your horse and to encourage them during work or training.
4. Walk next to the horse. Walking behind a horse instead of alongside the animal may result in you getting kicked in the shin or being in the way of a horse that needs to relieve itself. Watch out for high-tempered horses that try to kick you even if you are walking beside it and stand off to the side, out of the direct path of the horse's hooves, even when cleaning its shoes.
5. Respond with kindness. A horse that is not behaving the way you want it to or is not picking up on the training you are attempting to enforce will not be encouraged or motivated by cruelty. Do not strike your horse or yell at it. If the horse resists, be firm and make sure the horse still knows that you are in charge but don't use force against the animal. Your horse may respond to this by biting, kicking or even trying to throw you.
6. Be patient. Even the most ornery or hot-tempered horse can be trained and broken in with an understanding hand and a little time. Training a horse does not happen overnight, but if you are patient and learn to listen to your horse's body language and reactions to your movements, you will be rewarded with a companion for life.