Posts Tagged ‘spatial awareness’

This is basic ground manners explained. These manners require that your horse does as you ask. Even the simplest of tasks or movements needs to be performed safely by the horse. He should not push, step on, crowd, or in any way endanger you either intentionally or unintentionally. What may only seem like a slight annoyance often has the potential for somebody to get hurt. Since horses outweigh you by a ton, literally, a misplaced hoof can break your foot. You could be covered for this type of injury under the terms of your equine insurance – but it’s far less painful to avoid the necessity of that in the first place! The best way to avoid this is to establish, and then maintain, a personal space bubble.

If you allow your horse such liberties as nuzzling his nose into your pockets to look for treats, then don’t be surprised to get a nibble if he finds something. A horse’s love nibbles are painful when applied to mere human skin. Horses in a herd treat each other differently than they must treat us. Horses are somewhat more robust and durable than humans and it’s OK to them if they sometimes nip, bite or crowd each other.

Many have learned this lesson in spatial awareness the hard way. My first, and subsequently the last, experience with the concept of crowding occurred when I bought my first horse years ago. My wonderful new four-legged friend liked to “help” me with the paddock cleaning. He liked to place his nose into the manure cart as I was filling it. Then one day he actually lifted his front hoof and put it into the cart when I put a rake full of manure in. He knocked the cart over, which spooked him, which in turn spooked the other three horses in the paddock. Suddenly I found myself within the midst of hooves and tails every which way. Thankfully I was not hurt, but this could have been a mild or even a serious disaster – and may have even necessitated a claim on my horse insurance.

This was in the basic learning curve time period for both of us. I was so amused at his trying to help me with my chores that I didn’t think about the potential consequences. On that day I learned the importance of manners. From that point forward he was taught to respect my space when I was in and around the paddock and the other horses taking care of business. There was still plenty of time to be cute during our training time.

The three Ps of horse training success can be utilized to teach basic safety manners to your horse. Whether training or riding your own horse or someone else’s it is crucial to the future relationship between you and the horse that you remember the rules of patience, persistence and positive reinforcement.

Patience. Remember, your horse does not know what you want. Patience in showing your horse a task and patience in letting him try until he gets it right, is so important in building a trusting relationship between you and your equine. Enter the training session with a clear and stress free mind. Take a deep breath and relax. It is part of the natural learning process for your horse to test the waters. He needs to check and see if what he thinks you want is correct. This can occur several times before the horse has confirmed his correct assessment of the task.

Persistence. You musn’t be tempted to give up after a few goes. You will find it hard in the beginning to communicate. Over time you will learn to speak the same language! Stay with it and be consistent in your cues. Horses are very perceptive to even the slightest cue. It will not usually take long for a horse to learn what a cue means – then you will have cooperation.

Positive reinforcement. Show your horse a signal to let him know he’s done something right. The best rewards don’t always come in the form of a tasty treat. Horse love to be released when they have done a job correctly. Imagine the “whoa!” or “stop” cue. This is a pull on the bit within his mouth. When the horse exhibits the signs that he understands that you want him to stop, release the bit immediately. That will let him know that he’s doing things correctly.

Horses need to know their limits. How close can he stand to you before you feel crowded? Can he pull on the lead rope if he doesn’t want to go the way you are leading him? If he doesn’t feel inclined to pick up his foot, will you allow him to get away with this? What may to us seem like common sense are not necessarily things which come naturally to a horse. A correctly and carefully trained horse will forever be both a most pleasing companion and could also represent a lower liability when it comes to renewing your horse insurance policy.