<^>How to gain horse's trust >^<

The Professional · <^>How to gain horse's trust >^<

I want to share this e-mail that I’ve send to a “long distant student” I have in Cairo, Egypt. He is a young man eager to learn the trades of a good horse trainer and so he ask me all kind of horse related questions and of course that’s music to my ears. He recently asks me how he can gain the horses trust and this is what I answered him…

...Now my friend, on your question about; how to earn the horse trust?. I’ll say that that is a very important question and an essential key to be a successful trainer. Must people train horses by pain and humiliation, ( I wondering why they don’t try with lions) but the real horse trainer know how horses think and gains their trust. Now, horses unlike people have a different way to trust and to be trustworthy. For example: For a person to be trustworthy it has to be project himself in a credible manner. He also has to talk in a natural and convincing way. Besides that, maybe a little eye contact would help the most exceptisism and speculating people.

So, basically a simple word can be accepted as reason to trust in one person.
With horses is very different, you must show with actions your intentions to be trusted by them. Let’s look at horses in the wild in the open desert perhaps. When a new horse approaches, the alpha stallion or the leader of the pack comes immediately to meet with him. Now, this new comer doesn’t want any trouble, he wants to be trust so he can roam along with the herd. So, the first thing he does in order to be bless with the stallion king affection is… show some submission trough body language.

Instead of flattened his ears backwards in aggression mode, he open his ears to the side vulnerable to the grip of the alpha horse but at the same time lowering his head to protect it. Not completely low for this also is a charging sign, but low enough to let now he means no harm. Also his tail is kept close to his buttocks, if for the contrary he extends his tail then this will be taken as an excitement and ready to charge sign.
No sudden movements, no hysterical sound, only submitment! He may retreat at the first sign of charging from the alpha but after a little while, he may come back in the same low profile kind of body language.

Eventually the leader will check his credentials by come closer and sniffing their nostril together. A couple warning kicks and some verbal vocalizations would be enough to check on him. After that he would be gradually accepted among the other members of the heard and he would only had disputes if he tries to make a pass on the alpha stallion mares, over a water pond or the food supply. All according with their hierarchy.
But then how can people gain the horses trust if the ways are so different? Easily, you have to go 90% and they go the other 10%.

Have you ever heard the 90% theory? The man in the first date when is about to leave his lady at her door steps, he make a pass for a kiss and go with his eyes close and everything just 90% of the way. Then if the lady desires to correspond, she goes the other 10%. Pretty cool isn’t? Well horses are not much different; of course you don’t have to kiss them. Then what in conclusion should I do to gain his trust? You may be asking by now. First independently of the horses’ age, get acquaintance with him by let him approach to you preferable in a round pen or a corral, botalon, any close fenced area will do.

Had a rope attach to his halter and only pull enough towards yourself to keep his attention on you.
Don’t restrain him in any manner. Let him come to you and slowly raise your hand to be sniffing by him, but calmly, and not the open palm of your hand but your knuckles. If you raise your hand abruptly and with your palm open at the level of the horse face, your body language would it say: “I’m ready to strike, I’ll slap you!” Somehow that’s what the horse would understand. Keep that in mind and give chance to him to come closer, don’t rush him. Remember, if you want to gain his trust, give him time to think, to analyze.

Then with your knuckles, open handed, slowly, and adding a soothing voice, pass your hand side to side against his nostril but not hard against it, so he can analyze with his whiskers; for that is the mechanism they use to read and understand new things. Yes, the same whiskers we humans shave for them to look neat at shows.
What you were doing with that is meeting with him. If you have had the chance to watch horses at free, you may notice that they come and head by head start to sniff at each other nostril. That’s to check for intentions; if the intentions are friendly they will keep inspecting other parts of their anatomy. If not, they start to scrape or strike repeatedly the ground with their front hooves. Of course and as I mentioned before, according with their hierarchy you have to show him you’re the alpha.

Another thing you can use is food. Have you ever realize how easily one can conquer a ladies hart with chocolates? If not, then start to practice. The same thing is with the horses. They love food, so a nice treat like a piece of carrot or apple or even grain, pellets would do the trick. As soon as he allows you to touch him, let him have it! That’s a positive reinforcement and a most enjoyable way to be friends.
He would be eager to please you for he will be expecting that treat that he can smell and you may not for his sense of smelling is far more developed than yours and that you most make it work for your advantage.

He is not a wild beast but a domesticated horse that only fears the unknown and reacts accordingly. You have to prove to him that everything is fine and he has no reason to be afraid of.
Another technique you may use is massaging… If you pay close attention at horses when roam freely at paddocks’, they came close by ruing each other with their neck on their companions withers. They go all the way through the back, the loins, and the croup; and then they scratch their docks or push at the base of the hips. Neck by neck, rubbing against each other… Well, that’s how they find pleasure and relive from stress in a trusted companion.

You should do the same. Not by rub your neck with the horses but by lean your left shoulder on your horse’s left side and bringing your left arm around the base of his neck at the same time with the palm of your right hand passing it up and down his wither through his flank. Slowly, using a soothing voice and also you can add some back ground music. Some say even flowers benefits from classic soft music for they are a living organism, how about horses? Is a fact that cows produce more milk when listen to music. So is the same principle for horses, they become more calm and manageable by listening to music.

Once they allowed that kind of treatment, they’re practically in your pocket! But don’t get cocky (over-confident) because if you make a mistake it’s going to be even more difficult to regain his trust. There are a few good techniques to give good massaging to particular body parts of the horse. Y recommend to find some info on the subject in the internet or wait till the next class for you must have read quite some by now and I don’t have the time to include them here. But look for those techniques to add them to your repertory.

Horses are prone to be stressed, by many reasons like when a colts is separated from his mom, when they go into a trailers, long distant traveling, whether (extreme hot or cold), training, showing, diets, feeding schedules, separation from other members of the barn or herd, injuries, humans, post birth, and the list go on and on. So, if you are aware of these signs of stress, and know how to relive them by massaging… you’re way ahead in your training skills and to gain any horses trust.

One more way to obtain any horse trust is by groom him. Did you have the chance of seeing a horse scratch his buttock against a tree? They leave the base of their tail puffy! That’s maybe because of external parasites like mites, egg boot (flies), lice, thick, etc. Or have you ever see a horse pinching with their incisors teeth? Well, if you haven’t seen them in that situation, try to spend some time along with horses. If you want to become a trainer just do what everybody does. But if you want to become one of the best, then you must learn how they behave at all times. You’ll need to watch them at running, eating, sleeping, at the stall, mating, etc. And most important spend time with them at their stall or box only watching or grooming, a lot of grooming.

There is no such thing as whisper into a horse’s ear, don’t be silly they don’t understand a word and the ear is a very sensitive part of the horse. You better use that sense like the scent or smell to your advantage. So don’t be loud when trying to gain his trust but be firm at later stages to keep his attention on you. Hey Khaled, I’ll bet you’re tire of reading all this mambo-jambo by now ha? Jajajajajeje. If not consent with your head… catch you! Sorry I only want to brake and make this class a little more enjoyable keep you awake in the process jajajaajaja! Well, let me wrap this up, ok?

Applying these techniques one by one at the same or different stages of the session and regardless age of horse, you’ll be able to gain any horses trust. Be observant at all times of how the horse react at your touch, don’t force but insist never allow misbehaving, you have a window of three seconds to reprehend, punish him by negative reinforcement like pilling by the lead rope and make him go backwards, shouting, or slapping with a whip. But don’t go to look for a whip after he do something wrong for that won’t be training but cruelty or mistreat since he won’t be able to understand why he have been punish.

You should have a short whip with you if you want and use it as an extension of your arm to reach the horses’ legs and underbelly. Allow him to smell the whip, remember they investigate these things by sniffing at them. Pass it trough all his body and face making sure not to accidentally strike him with it.

Well pal, I don’t know how tire you are but my fingers are getting stiff. I’ve try to guide you step by step in this class, so, go ahead and practice with any horse as much as you can every single day you can and you’ll be more than satisfy with the results once you feel the horses respond. Take your time and let me know when you’re ready for the next class.

See ya! And God bless you!
Your pal,
The Professional

caliber

Thank you Pro! for sharing your techniques! I truly appreciate you taking the time to enrich all of us with your knowledge and enthusiasm!

I can see after all the years you have as trainer and coach! you have not lost YOUR MAGIC!

Abrazos!

The Professional

Thanks Caliber I appreciate your kind words and I assure you that I enjoy a lot by sharing anything I could about horses.