The Importance of Basic Safety Manners in Horse Training

This is basic ground manners explained. Simply put, your horse should do what you ask. Even the simplest of tasks or movements needs to be performed safely by the horse. He needs to be taught not to push you, step on you or in any way put you in danger of injury whether or not this is intentional. While these may only appear to be slightly annoying habits at times, it is important to break them before somebody gets hurt. Since horses outweigh you by a ton, literally, a misplaced hoof can break your foot. Better not to find out the hard way whether your equine insurance will cover you for this! The best way to avoid this is to establish, and then maintain, a personal space bubble.

A nuzzle into your pocket to search for a tasty treat could leave you with a nasty – if well-meaning – nibble. Love nibbles from teeth the size of horse teeth are not quite nibbles to your tender human skin. Horses in a herd treat each other differently than they must treat us. They may well nip, bite and crowd each other, but this type of behaviour cannot be tolerated towards humans.

The space bubble lesson is one that many horse owners and trainers have learned 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. As I shovelled and filled the manure cart, he would come and put his nose into 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. There were hooves and tails flying about every which way with me right in the middle of it all. 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 incident occurred early on in our relationship together. 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 moment on I taught him how to respect my space when going about my tasks within the paddock and with the other horses. He still had opportunities to be cute and offer interaction during the times we spent training together.

Teaching your horse basic safety manners is made easier when you remember the three Ps of horse training. The three Ps of horse training – patience, persistence and positive reinforcement – are crucial to the developing relationship between you and any horse you ride or are training for someone else.

Patience. It’s important to remember that your horse does not automatically know what you want. Your patience in showing him and letting him try until he gets it will go a long way in building trust between you and your equine. Allow your mind to become clear of stresses and strain before you start a training session. 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. Don’t give up after just a few tries. At first it is hard to communicate. After all, you don’t speak the same language yet! 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. Give your horse the signal when he’s done something correctly. The best reward for a horse may not be those tasty treats. They love to be released when they’ve done their job. 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. This lets him know that he is doing the right thing.

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? These issues may seem like common sense to us, but for a horse they go against what comes naturally to them. 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.