Horse Training Problems And Solving Them

When attempting to solve any horse training problem start by asking the right questions. Ask yourself "Why is this problem occurring?" Understanding the problem better will help you know how to solve it.

For example, if your horse bites, ask why is he biting? Is it because the girth is too tight and sharp? Maybe, you usually hand-feed treats and your horse thinks that every hand has a treat for him!

Or if you horse bucks after being saddled up, is it because the saddle is hurting him? Perhaps it's because the saddle is pinching? Are you heavy and unbalanced in the saddle? Maybe your horse learned that he can unload you and go back to the stable where he doesn't have to work? Ask why won't your horse pick up the correct lead? Could it be that you are not giving clear cues?

Most horse problems are caused by people and are really people problems. It's up to you, the horse owner, to think of any logical steps why your horse might have any behavior problems. Ask yourself honestly how you are are causing or contributing to the problem. Have an open mind and understand why a problem is occurring, this will allow you to change your behavior or approach that could be beneficial to both you and your horse.

Horse Training Techniques That Never Really Work

Anger and frustration have no place in horse training or handling. It is not a shortcut for your horse to learn, it will only contribute to your problems. Never lose your temper and get angry with your horse. If you start to yell or hit your horse, you will lose your horse's trust and your horse will fear you and will become too scared to learn.

Horses can feel the mood their owners are in as they are extremely sensitive to a person's body language.

If you feel that you are getting frustrated or angry, take a break and your horse will thank you for it.

Animals are sensitive to people's mood and body language. Sometimes the horse will sense its master's fear and the horse will "feed" off of this fear. It's important to let the horse know that you are in control.

Walk A Thousand Miles In Their Horseshoes

Next time the problem arises, try to put yourselves in your horse's shoes and think what the problem could be for your horse. When training your horse, remember that they also differ from each other in terms of intelligence and personality. Some can learn a skill quickly while others might need to go over it many times before they grasp it.

When training your horse be flexible with yourself and your horse. If you have only 15 minutes for training on day, teach your horse something simple. If you have an hour to train your horse, teach him an hour's worth of training. This way your horse won't feel pressured and will stay happy and calm, and so will you. It's important to establish a harmonious working relationship with your horse and you'll be surprised at the results.

Develop Your Action Plan

Before you begin your training, plan how you will go about it. Plan your time and make sure that you have all the equipment you'll need. Keep your focus on the training and on your horse. Your horse will get distracted if you are teaching him something and you are talking to another person. Research and get familiar with the horse training equipment you're going to use before you try to use it on your horse. You don't want to be mucking up your training sessions because of your own learning curve with the equipment. Practice using any specialized training tools, like a clicker, with another already trained horse, before you put it into actual practice.

Recognize Small Success

Because horse training follows the rules of behavior modification be sure and reward your horse for its "baby steps" If your horse can't stand to be saddled, praise him or give him a treat if he will stay calm even if you only hold the saddle next to him. Then slowly progress to touching him with the saddle and when he stays calm as the saddle touches him, then reward that behavior. Let every training session ends with a success no matter how small they are. Remember that you are slowly shaping the behavior you want your horse to do, and taking one small step at a time will lay down a foundation of good behavior that will last your horse's lifetime. Learning is a process and you can't expect your horse to learn everything overnight.