Comments on: What does it take to earn your horses respect and trust?

By: jstahrsgal

jstahrsgal — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:35:59 +0000

Respect and trust comes from working with your horse to form a bond between the two of you…such as…petting, brushing, ground work, massages and other things. One of the biggest things to remember is to not ever hit the horse. Spoiling with treats is just a way of saying here let me spoil you regardless of how you behave. Alot of your trust and respect earning can come from learning how a horse "talks" in a herd, and how it acts. when a horse misbehaves it is pushed about 300 yards away until it asks to come back to the herd and the horse that pushed it away says o.k
This can be accomplished also by free lunging or lunging on a line but always in an enclosed pen so as to keep the horses attention. I could go into detail but it would be really long so if you want you can e-mail me. I have honeslty owned:17 horses and have 35 years of experience.
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By: texasnascarcowgirl

texasnascarcowgirl — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:06:59 +0000

Great question! When I start with a horse I always gain respect by training and bonding. I spend lots of time with my horses, moving them around and having them do what I want and respect my space. Once things are good then I might give them a treat but I only have one that likes them. I do go out to the pasture and walk around them and pet them and lean on them. I love to just be around them and it gets them where I can go out there with a halter and they don’t take off! haha
My grandfather has had horses my whole life and he is who I learned everything from. The Old way, not cowboys way but the old trainer ways. He has forgotten more then I will ever know! I have had 7 horses of my own. I have 2 now, a 10-15 yr old OTTB that I barrel race on and a 2yr old cutting bred mare. my grandfather can’t ride anymore so I also have his 2 that I ride. He has also told me a story of a mule that he had when he was a kid and he loved that mule! He has always told me that he wanted another one. I would love to get one for him before it is too late. Just not possible. Mabye I could get him a breyer mule! LOL he would die! haha
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By: can76chaser

can76chaser — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:30:59 +0000

I think training. But I must say I have never tried the 16yr old way, just goody's!!! LOL
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By: think again

think again — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:14:59 +0000

how will a horse respect you when it thinks its got you wrapped around a hoof? train him, reward when if he is good, punish if bad. sometimes a punishment is as simple as a firm angry, no or bad. show that there can be only one boss, and that one is you. horses are herd animals; if they know you are reliable and the boss, they will naturally follow you. if you think showing them whos boss is cruel,think, if you arent the boss of them all, one of them will bound to be, so why not you? bossing them doesnt mean kicking and shouting and whipping hard. it means being responsible and fair, at the same time gentle but firm.
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By: ponygaloz

ponygaloz — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:39:59 +0000

That is an easy question, regardless of what breed or type of horse you have.

Be a fair but firm and consistent leader. Poor leadership leads to a disrespectful horse.
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Horse owner of 20 years +

By: Eagle Woman

Eagle Woman — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:15:59 +0000

I have been around horses my whole life, though I did not own any until just over a year ago. I have helped train from ground up, and have taken my share of hasty dismounts. I had been following the Pat Parelli method of training mixed with some of my old ways. Several months ago, I was reading some of his material, and as I recall, he was quoting a trainer that he had great respect for. The comment was that horses have not changed in the last several thousand years, but man has changed in leaps and bounds. The horse is a herd animal, and was prey to predators. They were hunted by either large animals, or smaller animals in packs. An untrained horse sees anything on their back as a predator. It did not change my horses, but it changed me. You do need to establish relationship and work at bonding. At some point, you need to achieve the Alpha role. It might go back and forth in the beginning, but it is worth it. I have slowed down the treats, and the kissy face is saved for rewarding good behavior. When I separate one of my horses for work, I turn my hands up and let them know I am not carrying a treat. I always give them a treat after they work, even if it did not go perfectly.There are six in the little herd, and I own two of them. They are progressing faster than one that is being worked twice as much as mine. My helper is an eight year old granddaughter, and I am somewhere in my fifties. That is close enough! Whole lot of wind to say a combination of the two with the emphasis on the training. If you want to just feed them treats, get a dog. They are much cheaper.
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By: Susan M

Susan M — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:33:59 +0000

A herd leader does not feed the underlings or bully them overly. It is confident and acts like a leader. I have five horses currently.
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By: ilovehorses_cowgirlup

ilovehorses_cowgirlup — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:24:59 +0000

I do a bit of both, treats a few times, training, building a bond, petting, and earning the right of trust and respect. A horse is a friend and a partner. I have four. A horse never been handled, a horse I got never had attention, a racehorse, and a horse that was beat.
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By: kerrisonr

kerrisonr — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:18:59 +0000

Personally for me its a bit of both.

With my horse, he was trained already when I joined his life, but he was emotionally neglected. He got fed and ridden, but no one took the time to love on him.

He and I found a ‘bond’ while I spent time grooming him, spent time talking tohim, giving him treats, or just scratches. Its what he NEEDED to form a bond with a person- he needed the love.

But at the same time, had I been an abusive rider, had I not been a good kind rider, he would have lost that trust in me. When we learned new things, he always trusted me and I never broke that trust.

So I think for he and I, we became best of friends over a long period of time because we each gave each other what we needed. He was calm and patient as I learned to ride. And I was his ‘friend’ when no other human would be.

Some horses require ‘discipline and structure’ so ‘training’ might be the way to bond with them.

Other horses, like mine, may know all the rules but not really know how to be loved by a human, so for that horse, maybe the bond needs to be built with a few treats and scratches.

So in my opinion, earning respect takes the ability for you to identify what your horse needs!
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By: Jesse

Jesse — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:42:59 +0000

I have owned no horses of my own, but I spend all of my free time around them and try to learn as much about them and their individual personalities as possible. I find that a mix of both works the best, in varying amounts depending on the horse. You have to get to know the horse before you can begin to build a bond/relationship with it and have it trust you, and the way you build that relationship depends completely on what they respond to.
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