How to Gain the Trust of a Recently Abused Horse

Any animal that has been abused by humans learns to fear them. When you adopt a horse that has been abused, you need to overcome his fear of you before you can help him learn to trust you. Horses are prey animals and as such are instinctively used to being on guard to protect themselves. Feelings of safety and peace are very important for a prey animal.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Approach the abused horse calmly. Make sure you are relaxed and not feeling stressful or anxious. Horses can sense our feelings and if you are upset or anxious, the horse is also.
2. Greet the horse for the first time from a safe distance. Do not step into his personal space right away. Show him your profile when greeting him, do not stare him straight in the face. Wait for the horse to invite you into his personal space with a welcoming attitude.
3. Speak in a calm, quiet, confidant voice. Keep your hands down by your side. When you feel that the horse is welcoming you into her personal space, move closer to her and stand near her shoulder, not her head. Only stay in her personal space for a few minutes and then back away from her again. Wait a few minutes and then approach the horse again for just a couple minutes, and again retreat.
4. Watch the horse's body language. Most horses do not like to be touched for an extended period of time. When you are touching the horse and he is not comfortable with it, he leans or pulls away from you. If he does this, retreat and do not approach again until later.
5. Spend time talking with the horse and building a trusting relationship with her before you begin training her or try to ride her.
6. Stay below the horse's fear level with your contact and requests. Do not push an abused horse to do anything that causes him fear. Start with simple, easy requests and reward him when he does them. You can reward him with a treat, but another great reward for a horse is rest. Horses are generally lazy and prefer to stand around and eat most of the time.
7. Get help from a professional, qualified horse trainer if you are having trouble getting your abused horse to trust you.

Tips & Warnings

• When you adopt an abused horse, you should have her looked at by a veterinarian as soon as you can. She might be in pain or suffering from other conditions brought on by the abuse and neglect.