Posts Tagged ‘body language’

Your horse runs over you or crowds you. He bites. Or maybe balks, bucks, or tosses his head. He won’t take the bridle, and he rears, runs away and bolts.

If any of these describe your horse, then you’re dealing with bad horse behavior. While each of these problems can have their own specific solutions, it turns out that by applying some very general but effective horse training principles, we can go a long way toward eliminating all of these problems.

When it comes to horse behavior, many problems can be reduced to one of two issues with the horse. If a horse is acting badly he is either:

1. Afraid (acting out of fear)
2. Dominant (acting in a way that disrespects you)

We can get around both problems by being an effective leader for our horse. If we are a strong and effective yet compassionate leader, our horse will not be afraid because he knows he can trust us. And if we are a strong and effective leader, a dominance-minded horse won’t be naughty with us. This can be done with proper ground training.

These days there are a myriad of ground training techniques. But its possible to identify a few key items you should be using on every horse that will help establish leadership. Here are five key methods that produce all around general results regardless of the type or horse you have or his disposition, or what type of “bad horse behavior” he is showing:

1. Lead your horse properly. When leading a horse on the ground, you’re not just walking from place to place-you’re using body language to communicate with your horse on multiple levels. By leading him properly, we can show the horse that we are a confident leader to be trusted-and someone that he must follow. A confident leader is one worthy of being followed-this helps build confidence in the horse that is afraid and shows a dominant horse that he is not the leader-you are.
2. At-Liberty Round-Pen Training. A great way to become a leader for your horse is to utilize at-liberty training in the round pen. By mimicking the behavior of the dominant horse in the herd, we can establish leadership in a way that not only speaks to the horse in a way he naturally understands, but in a way that gets rid of many problems like crowding, balking, being hard to catch, kicking, and biting.
3. Back Your Horse Up. Yes, backing up is a simple exercise, but it can be made challenging as well as basic. Not only that, its a sure fire way to build up trust with your horse, and to also show leadership by asking him to walk backwards where he can’t see.
4. Flexing. By practicing flexing on the ground, you train your horse to respond lightly to the reins and teach him how to respond to an emergency stop.
5. Get and Keep the Attention of Your Horse. If you’re the trusted leader of your horse-he is going to pay attention to you at all times. Simple exercises can be performed with your horse during groundwork training that make this automatic.

Building a solid horse training foundation with groundwork will allow you to eliminate fear, and prevent a horse from dominating you. by putting in some extra effort now, you can have a sfae and fun riding experience later.

David McMahon is a free lance author who owns 3 horses and writes about horse training issues. For more information please visit Mastering Basic Groundwork (Horse Training) [http://nmhorse.com/Basic_Groundwork.html].

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Your horse runs over you or crowds you. He bites. Or maybe balks, bucks, or tosses his head. He won’t take the bridle, and he rears, runs away and bolts.

If any of these describe your horse, then you’re dealing with bad horse behavior. While each of these problems can have their own specific solutions, it turns out that by applying some very general but effective horse training principles, we can go a long way toward eliminating all of these problems.

When it comes to horse behavior, many problems can be reduced to one of two issues with the horse. If a horse is acting badly he is either:

1. Afraid (acting out of fear)
2. Dominant (acting in a way that disrespects you)

We can get around both problems by being an effective leader for our horse. If we are a strong and effective yet compassionate leader, our horse will not be afraid because he knows he can trust us. And if we are a strong and effective leader, a dominance-minded horse won’t be naughty with us. This can be done with proper ground training.

These days there are a myriad of ground training techniques. But its possible to identify a few key items you should be using on every horse that will help establish leadership. Here are five key methods that produce all around general results regardless of the type or horse you have or his disposition, or what type of “bad horse behavior” he is showing:

1. Lead your horse properly. When leading a horse on the ground, you’re not just walking from place to place-you’re using body language to communicate with your horse on multiple levels. By leading him properly, we can show the horse that we are a confident leader to be trusted-and someone that he must follow. A confident leader is one worthy of being followed-this helps build confidence in the horse that is afraid and shows a dominant horse that he is not the leader-you are.
2. At-Liberty Round-Pen Training. A great way to become a leader for your horse is to utilize at-liberty training in the round pen. By mimicking the behavior of the dominant horse in the herd, we can establish leadership in a way that not only speaks to the horse in a way he naturally understands, but in a way that gets rid of many problems like crowding, balking, being hard to catch, kicking, and biting.
3. Back Your Horse Up. Yes, backing up is a simple exercise, but it can be made challenging as well as basic. Not only that, its a sure fire way to build up trust with your horse, and to also show leadership by asking him to walk backwards where he can’t see.
4. Flexing. By practicing flexing on the ground, you train your horse to respond lightly to the reins and teach him how to respond to an emergency stop.
5. Get and Keep the Attention of Your Horse. If you’re the trusted leader of your horse-he is going to pay attention to you at all times. Simple exercises can be performed with your horse during groundwork training that make this automatic.

Building a solid horse training foundation with groundwork will allow you to eliminate fear, and prevent a horse from dominating you. by putting in some extra effort now, you can have a sfae and fun riding experience later.

David McMahon is a free lance author who owns 3 horses and writes about horse training issues. For more information please visit Mastering Basic Groundwork (Horse Training) [http://nmhorse.com/Basic_Groundwork.html].

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Natural horse training involves the training of a horse by using it’s natural body language and movements. Practitioners are using a wide variety of different techniques to yield the result horse owners are after: a bond of trust being present between the horse and it’s rider. The bond of trust which develops between the horse and it’s rider during natural horse training is applicable across all disciplines namely: working, eventing, dressage as well as riding for pleasure.

Natural horse training and working horses

Working horses still plays a huge role in farm operations such as herding cattle and other farm animals. A horse is still the only safe method of transportation to the most remote areas as well as unstable or dangerous terrain. It is very essential that a horse traversing such an area knows how to remain calm throughout the journey. It is also essential for the rider to read subtle signs from the horse as to advert danger because horses have the ability to sense a change in conditions much quicker than humans. Only a rider that is best in-tune with his horse will be able to pick up any cues from his horse.

Natural horse training and eventing

Horses trained for eventing including dressage, show jumping and strenuous cross country races are pushed 100% to their limit and must therefore be sound. Cross country races are very dangerous as the course is composed of miles being traversed at very fast and lots of solid build jumps. Only horses being able to trust their riders fully will be successful in these competitions. This is why natural horse training is so important because it builds the trust between horse and rider so when the rider wants the horse to do something new, frightening or challenging, the horse will trust the rider enough to take the risk.

Dressage

Dressage training are known for building balance and muscle in the horse as well as trainer. Whether riding for pleasure or competition, the communication and balance established with natural horse training techniques, makes the dressage horse and rider achieve a higher level of grace and precision.

Pleasure riding

The biggest goal to for most owners is to have fun with their horses which can only happen when there is no fear present. Natural horse training absolves the fear of humans seeming unpredictable to horses and builds communication. When humans learn to speak the same language as their horse, they will find that they will be able to do almost anything with their horses.

No matter the occupation of your horse, natural horse training takes your horse to the next level by building trust, communication and stamina in horses and riders which translates to every situation.

Click Here [http://www.the-perfect-choice.com/naturalhorsetraining] to learn the easiest natural horse training techniques.

Author: Nathalie K
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many of the following mistakes made with horses were ones I made over the last 40 years, but luckily for me, some of them were tales I’ve heard from other people. Hopefully, readers can learn and avoid some of these problems themselves if they haven’t already made the same mistakes!

Not paying attention to a horse’s body language can be painful. Standing behind an alpha mare brushing her tail was no problem until another horse walked into her space. She gave warning to the other horse by laying her ears back and shaking her head, but the warning was ignored by the groomer as well as the other horse, and the next action was a kick. Unfortunately, it didn’t land on the transgressor but on the groomer’s leg and taught her to pay attention to what was going on in the immediate area and to pay attention to her horse.

Not giving a new horse time to settle in and get used to new people and new facilities can start a new relationship off poorly. A young horse was hauled about 600 miles to a new owner who took it off the trailer, saddled it, and proceeded to try to go for a ride. The next several months were spent trying to sell the horse that bucked the rider off. It pays to be considerate of a new horse and let it get adjusted.

Horses need to learn to move away from pressure instead of leaning into it which they tend to do naturally. If you slip up and let the horse into your space uninvited, a foot underneath a hoof may occur and it sure helps to have a horse that will move away from a touch on its side instead of leaning even harder on your foot!

A scared horse is not going to go willingly up to or by something it’s afraid of. Forcing the issue can lead to a spin and bolt, squirting by the object as fast as possible, or even lead to rearing and other evasion tactics. Spending time letting the horse face the object and doing advance and retreat, moving its feet and letting it gradually drift near the object but not forcing it to get closer will get better results.

A horse that is touchy about its feet and legs can really get upset if it gets tangled up in vines, ropes, or a fence. Many serious injuries to legs could be avoided if the horse had been gently and slowly desensitized to a rope touching and retreating around its legs. Leg injuries take a long time to heal and require a lot of intensive doctoring which means time and money.

Cinches loosen after being tightened initially. Getting on a horse without checking the cinch can land one in a pile on the ground, or if they loosen after getting on, can cause a wreck while riding. Saddles under a horse’s belly are not something most horses have been desensitized to, and that can lead to a real rodeo kind of action.

Horses that don’t readily give to pressure can step on leadlines and jerk their heads up so hard that snaps and hardware might break. Or they might get a leg over the leadline and take off. Holding on to a horse’s lead at that point is fruitless. They can drag you and you have no leverage to turn them. You might as well let go at that point. Teach the horse to give to pressure laterally, and down.

Another problem with horses that don’t know how to give to pressure is that they may learn to set back when tied and fight the lead until they break loose or hurt themselves. Teaching them to give to pressure is crucial and also it helps to “tie” them so that if they do have another pulling back moment, they line will feed out gradually instead of breaking or injuring the horse. This works well on a panel fence with a long line looped around a couple of the panel rails. Loop it enough times that it doesn’t come loose too fast but few enough times that it won’t be completely stationery. A twelve foot or longer line will probably be enough to give the horse the space it feels it needs without it coming completely untied.

Girths can break. They often do so at the most inopportune time, such as when your horse is running away with you after being scared by something. Perhaps it is the extra energy they put into the effort to escape that causes the failure of the tack, but it pays to check your equipment and repair or replace any that is worn. It also pays to have taught your horse that the word WHOA means “Stop, Now!”

Once you’ve had some of these things happen to you, it becomes obvious that you should have done something different and you will take steps to see that they don’t happen again. If you haven’t experienced any of these problems yet, you’ve either had great mentors to teach you or you haven’t had a horse for more than a few days and can learn from others’ mistakes.

Bonnie and her husband own Gemara Farm Foxtrotters located in Barnesville, Georgia. They currently have nine fox trotters of their own and practice natural horsemanship with them, and Bonnie coaches others. There are usually some fox trotters available for sale. http://www.gemara.homestead.com

Author: Bonnie Martin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you have a horse that kicks, either occasionally, periodically, or habitually, it is wise to find out the reasons behind this behavior. Sometimes there are practical reasons a horse will lash out. He may be protecting himself or trying to relieve pain. In other situations kicking is a bad habit that must be addressed before some one gets hurt.

To figure out what your horse is trying to tell you with this potentially dangerous behavior you need to observe his body language and what are the circumstances leading up to a kick. Horses are usually trying to communicate one of six messages when they deliver a kick.

A horse may kick because they feel threatened. Kicking is a weapon horses will use to defend themselves. Being an instinctive response this may be seen in the most pleasant and easygoing horses. This type of kick can be recognized by what precedes it. A horse that is scared will try to move away from the perceived danger. If that does not work he will try pinning his ears or raising his hind leg as a warning. If these fail then he will deliver the kick.

Sometimes a horse will kick in response to pain. A horse with a sore back might “cow kick” when a saddle is placed on his back. If a horse kicks at his belly he may be telling you he has gut pain. Usually a horse that kicks in pain does not threaten or posture before kicking. He just kicks when it hurts. When the pain is relieved the kicking typically stops instantly.

Horses will sometimes kick out because they feel good. They are being playful. This kicking is not intended to be harmful but accidents can happen. If you happen to be turning out a rambunctious horse do so cautiously for your safety and the safety of other horses. This is not something that necessarily needs or can be corrected. Just use common sense.

When a horse kicks when you are riding he is probably reacting to another horse or even another animal that is too close to his hind quarters. Horses can be strict when it comes to their personal space. They can find it offensive if another horse comes too close to their hind end. Mild warning kicks normally precede the “tailgating kick”. This type of kick under saddle should not go uncorrected even if it seems justified. Kicks can be powerful enough to break the bones of who ever might receive the impact of the kick. Instantly correct your horse to let him know this is not acceptable behavior.

Kicks delivered due to frustration of the horse can be pretty easy to discern. If you are found to be slow, in his opinion, at delivering your horse’s grain ration you may recognize this type of kick. These kicks are usually accompanied by body language that you cannot miss. The horse will not seem frightened just impatient. Pinned ears, flipping the head, rearing slightly, and lunging forward are the preceding body language normally associated with this type of kick.

Feeding this horse first may be a workable solution. You may choose to simply ignore this type of kicking providing the horse is not hurting himself or others. Some people have tried hobbles to help eliminate this behavior. Hobbles only work if they are on. A horse may stop when the hobbles are on and start up again when they are removed.

The kick to take most seriously is the horse that kicks to say “I’m in charge”. This horse, somewhere in his life, has learned bullying is an acceptable way to deal with people. There are bigger training issues with the horse that tries to achieve dominance over his human handler. Before they kick they will threaten and posture with pinned ears and show a “mean face”. Usually they turn their rump toward you and raise their hoof before the kick.

These bossy kickers do not try to escape the situation. Often other aggressive behaviors will be displayed by these horses such as showing no respect for the space of others. These horses have gotten away with this behavior in the past. A bossy kicker will act this way because it works for them. Reforming this type of a kicker can be very difficult. It very well could require a professional trainer to reestablish ground rules and the chain of command when it comes to personal space.

When a horse kicks it is a call for an investigation to find out why. A kick can be an effective form of communication. It can be a powerful weapon against predators. Kicking does serve the horse very well. However, kicks can inflict injury. It can be one of the most dangerous behaviors a horse can display.

For additional information about practical horse management please go to http://wcf-ltd.com/horse/ to learn more about how to care for your horse.

Author: Fran Mullens
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I’m level two and I’m not very sure how to ask my horse to lie down. I don’t know how to make my body language clear to him, please tell me how. My horse is extremely sweet and we’ve worked and played on trust. Please tell me how to make my body language clear to him.
Thank You!!!

Horses are very useful and trainable animals. They can me used for a limitless variety of tasks such as farming, sports, recreation, and even warfare. Their tremendous strength and endurance are very valuable attributes. Not only are they gifted with tremendous physical qualities but they are also intelligent and very receptive to human commands. Beginner horse training can be fun for both you and your equine companion. There are many different types of horse training techniques, so make sure you are knowledgeable about whatever you choose to apply.

Horses can even be trained in specialized tasks and they thrive in any work they are assigned to do. They can do police work, and they can also be graceful animals for royalty and equestrian activities. They can also be used on farms and in the wilderness. Horses are incredibly versatile animals. They are functional as well as exquisite. Not to mention the fact that they love to please.

However, training a horse can be a real challenge especially for beginners and new horse owners. First and foremost, to be able to train a horse well, the individual must understand how the horse thinks and always — I mean always — consider the animal’s instincts! As animals, instincts always reign above any training or conditioning. Having said that, a horse can be trained quickly and easily when you understand their innate behavior and work with the animal to achieve the desired success. Here are a few tips to help your beginner horse training to move along more smoothly.

1. Horses are fearful creatures

By instinct of preservation, horses are naturally fearful creatures. Because they are a prey animal, they may exhibit reservation with other animals and people in new situations. If the horse doesn’t know you, it will judge you based on your actions, before finally deciding that you are not someone with bad intentions. It bases its decisions on your body language and believe it or not, your thoughts, and will respond accordingly based on what it perceives. The horse will either flee, embrace your friendship or study you further.

2. Gradual training is essential

One must understand that it takes a while for horses to warm up. Training often needs to be a gradual process. You must learn how to tame the horse correctly and effectively. Like dogs, horses must see its trainer as its leader — gender is rarely an issue. It should be noted that some horses are natural leaders, therefore, dominant. If you own one with such characteristic, training can be a bit tougher. Make sure you are asserting dominance at all times. Tough love can be the best thing for both of you till you structure the pecking order of the “herd”.

3. Horses are herd animals

Horses are herd animals and they naturally function in this manner. They will always want someone to lead them. Remember to speak their language in your training. This will speed up the process immensely. Do your own due diligence on the language of equus and natural horsemanship.

4. Riding the horse is not the first step

Before actually riding the horse, you must do some ground work and training. There is no shortcut especially for beginners. Longing and bending is a must at first. Teach commands while longing before putting your rear on the saddle. A horse must be body-aware and desensitized. If you want to get bucked off, skip your groundwork.

5. Proper manners on lead

Lead training is absolutely necessary. A horse MUST display manners with humans on the ground. Teach the horse to walk beside on a lead while giving it basic commands like to turn or stop. Some horses will test your dominance during lead training. It is vital to let the animal know who’s boss.

6. Warm-up the horse before riding

Even with a horse that is already trained, it is still advisable to warm-up your horse physically and mentally before riding it. Do a bit of longing or some exercises in groundword, so the animal will know what to expect.

7. Cooling the animal off

Training sessions must end with a cool down period. Just as with a primed athlete, the animal must be give a chance to settle his muscles. Let the animal relax and wind down. A tired and frustrated horse is very difficult to train. As a rule of the thumb, make every training session a pleasant experience for the horse, always ending on a good note and before the animal has a chance to loose interest. The animal will be happy to learn and do some training again when it knows that the experience is worthwhile. Remember…. Positive reinforcement is a crucial key to success.

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Author: Annabelle Cabella
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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What causes horses rearing? Like everything else involving horses and their interactions with people, the answer usually boils down to one of two causes. Horses of course will engage in a threatening display like rearing if they are feeling well, threatened. So the first cause to look for is fear. A second cause of horses rearing is defiance. A horse may rear to intimidate you, or while balking about accomplishing some task you want him to do. In this case, the root cause of horses rearing is disrespect.

It turns out that fear and disrespect are two sides of the same coin when it comes to the horse-human relationship. The reason is simple. A horse isn’t going to have fear about a situation or task provided that he’s got a strong leader he can look to. Are you that strong leader, inspiring unwavering confidence in your horse? Or do you lack confidence, as exhibited in your actions or body language?

At the same time, a horse isn’t going to respect a handler that hasn’t shown leadership. Once again it boils down to confidence. Are you confident handling horses? Can the defiant horse sense weakness or wavering in your body language?

So we see that when it comes right down to it, the fearful horse or the disrespectful horse that rears is really doing so for the same fundamental reason: they don’t really have an alpha member of the herd. As the handler of the horse, it’s up to you to become the alpha and demonstrate calm and confident leadership at all times. Once it’s established, leadership will cause a horse to respect and trust you. So all at the same time, by being a leader for your horse, you can win over horses with all kinds of different dispositions. There is no need to study whether a horse is “left brained” or “right brained”, “introverted” or “extroverted”, “fearful” or “dominant”. Horses are naturally wired to follow a leader plain and simple, and by giving the right cues you can easily establish leadership and inspire confidence and get any horse to follow you. Horses that see you as their leader are going to be less fearful, so less likely to turn to rearing when something startling happens. A horse that respects you isn’t going to use rearing, or anything else, in an effort to intimidate you.

That sounds simple enough, but how do you establish leadership?

The first step in a leadership program is a good round pen training program. This means taking your horse in the round pen at liberty (no lead rope) and going through the exercise to have him hook on to you. This exercise really taps into the mind and emotions of the horse and like nothing else, helps a horse see you as the herd leader. You should always go back to round pen training first when encountering some major behavior problem.

The second task at hand is to simply get your horse listening and paying attention to you. This can be done on several levels-basic groundwork for example. Spend more time simply moving your horse around-moving the hindquarter, the forehand, backing up. Do some leading exercises.

One of the most important exercises for a horse with behavior problems in my view is lunging. Done correctly, which means continually asking the horse to pay attention by randomly asking for walk, trot, canter, slow down, speed up, stop, turn-is a great exercise for getting your horse listening for your commands. That helps cement the position of leadership you lay down as a foundation with round pen training.

When faced with horses rearing, like anything else, all it takes to solve the problem is getting back to basics. Punishment in the moment might give a short term fix, but it’s not a long term solution. Go back to a solid training program of round pen training, leading, groundwork yields, and lunging to fix that attitude.

David McMahon is a freelance author and horse owner. He invites you to visit http://horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about horses rearing.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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