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Regardless of what caused him to become anxious, he won’t benefit from your feeling sorry for him. To help an anxious horse make progress, you must become a reliable presence in his life. In other words, you instantly reward even his smallest attempt to get it right. The goal is to get to the point that, after you begin applying pressure, you notice the precise moment the horse starts to comply and you reward him with immediate release. The exact moment he responds, you release pressure-you reward him by softening the aid. When it comes to the release, the age-old adage applies: Expect a little and reward a lot.Įvery time you apply pressure, you are asking the horse for a little something. The release of the aids, at the right time, is actually the most powerful tool you have. Most people focus on the application of the aids but not the release of the aids. The consistent application of these aids is a never-ending challenge for any horseperson, and when you’re working with an anxious horse, it becomes an even more important goal. With the leg, the bit, the crop and with body language on the ground, we apply and release pressure to tell them what we want them to do. We all communicate with our horses the same way.
BACK IN FOCUS HORSE FREE
He is free to express himself, to make mistakes-but the rule is that he must follow the path that I’ve outlined. He can knock the fence down, but he has to follow the rules and go between the cones.
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But he is not allowed to run past it or to avoid it by running away. The horse is allowed to stop and look at the fence if he doesn’t understand. I put the horse in a box by clearly marking the space that he can occupy with the cones on the ground. I put cones or rails on the ground set fairly wide apart to mark the path the horse must follow leading to the jump, and I establish the rule that there is no running away from the fence. I often use a drill based on this concept to get an anxious jumper to stop running out on a fence. This can be accomplished in simple exercises. And as the leader, you need to communicate the rules. The horse isn’t allowed to do certain things inside of that box.
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It’s important that he have complete freedom to think and express himself within the box, but he has to operate inside of the framework you create for him. When I was a young rider, I was taught a great expression: “The horse has to be inside of a box and have complete freedom within that box.” This means that there are established rules and a clear purpose for the horse within a specific space. He will do what you ask of him if you lay down some ground rules and clearly and consistently communicate what it is you expect of him. Horses aren’t wired for that kind of loyalty. Your horse will not calmly do what you ask simply because he likes you. Don’t ever trap your horse into a problem that he doesn’t have the ability to solve. Just as a horse may have trouble with your request physically, his mental ability to perform a task depends on his age, training level and past experiences. Second, recognize his mental limitations. This means that you need to be aware of his physical capabilities and avoid giving him an aid for something he can’t do at that moment. Depending on his level of training or physical conditioning, he may not be able to do as you ask even if he is inclined to try. When working with an anxious horse, it’s critical to avoid adding to his tension by asking too much of him.įirst, recognize his physical limitations. Try the following techniques to reduce his distress. Whatever the source of a horse’s anxiety, there are things you can do to help alleviate it. A rider might think that asking this horse to slow down a little is not a big deal, but for him it’s a huge change. As the former racehorse makes the transition to eventing, it’s not uncommon for him to feel high anxiety about his new job because now he’s being asked to do something different from what he’s known his whole life. Racehorses are asked to give 110 percent most of the time, but in eventing, as in most other disciplines, we actually don’t want our horses to be exerting that much energy too often. In eventing, for instance, we deal with a lot of off-the-track Thoroughbreds. Or he may be struggling to comply with a request he finds difficult. Very often anxiety stems from confusion: The horse doesn’t understand where he is, why he’s there and what he has to do. There are infinite reasons why a horse could be nervous in his job. Others grind their teeth while otherwise performing well. Some horses wheel and spin or bolt to a place of comfort-the barn, a stall or a group of buddies.
![back in focus horse back in focus horse](https://www.josephfiler.com/images/xl/Iceland-Winter-Horses-6995-Edit.jpg)
His state of mind may be plain to see or it could present itself subtly. Very few of us haven’t encountered an anxious horse.