The First Step In Horse Training -
Starting The Bonding Process
The best way to build a bond between you and your horse is by starting on the ground.
Doing ground work from day one allows you to get to know (and trust) your horse and
allows your horse to get to know (and trust) you.
Your goal is to establish leadership by expecting (not demanding) his attention. Do
simple things at first (like leading, stopping and backing). Allow him to make mistakes,
but patiently show him what you are asking him to do. You may have to show him several
times before he figures out what you want.
If he doesn't get it in a few minutes, don't get frustrated. Have him do something that
he knows how to do so that the lesson ends on a success. You can try again tomorrow.
The lessons I like to work on while bonding with a new horse are:
I may spend a week doing nothing more with my horse. I may move on to more advanced
things the second day. It's your choice, but always remember that the stronger foundation
you can build to allow your horse to trust you, the stronger the bond will be as it
grows.
By spending several days with the easy stuff, my horse learns how I react to his
mistakes. He learns that I won't shout or hit him. He learns that I will ask again and
again until he gets it right - and once he gets it right, I will pet him and praise him.
And, occasionally, he will get a treat. He learns to trust me.
More importantly, he learns my body language. Later I will teach him the words that go
with my body language, but in the beginning it is faster to let them learn your body
language. Horses are hypersensitive to body language so if you are consistent, they will
pick it up very fast. Practice your body language so it is consistent for the fastest
results.
Build this strong bond and you will be rewarded with a horse who pays attention to you
and wants to please you.
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