Released March 21, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Training your horse takes plenty of patience - for the trainer and the horse, says Steve Jones, extension associate professor/equine specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.
Jones uses four horses, 3 to 10 years of age, in clinics to teach horse owners how to train their animals.
"Each has been trained with the same philosophy I teach in my clinics. Yet, each responded in a different manner in training because of how quickly they picked up on some maneuvers, how difficult some maneuvers were for them and their reactions to certain cues," he says.
To understand why horses respond differently, Jones says, is in understanding that all horses are individuals. No matter how good your training program is, how consistent your cues are or what you think the correct reaction should be, each horse will respond in a slightly different manner.
"Horses develop their personality from their dams, herd interaction and human interaction," Jones says. "You add in life experiences - good or bad - genetic predisposition and athletic ability and you have a unique individual."
To be successful in training your horse, Jones says, owners have to see life from the horse's perspective. Their main goal in life is to be safe and comfortable. They don't care about such human goals as success, praise, recognition or money.
Horses and owners must form a partnership based on communication and trust, not fear or intimidation.
"We must trust our horse to the degree we want our horse to trust us," Jones said.
Start with communication. Communicating with the horse is getting them to respond to a cue correctly that takes into account the horse's comfort and safety, at least from the horse's point of view.
It's important for the human to establish himself or herself as the leader. Quality leadership demands emotional, mental and physical stability and consistency in communication. The horse will try harder for you if you demonstrate this leadership style.
"The horse's role becomes to follow the leader. The horse also has a vested interest because it's the one expending the energy," Jones says.
Your horse is capable of many things athletically, but you must include them in the mental part of training, according to Jones. The horse must be rewarded for any success. The reward is comfort and safety.
Jones offered these additional tips for including the horse in the training process:
- Listen to your horse. It will tell you what he or she is thinking by communicating emotions through body language.
- Build a basis for communication. Reward the smallest change and the slightest try.
- Be consistent in your cues.
- Expect and accept failure. Each cue isn't going to be understood and executed. Re-evaluate your communication.
- Build a foundation for success. Everything we ask a horse to do, he already knows how to do, but you want the horse to do those things on cue. Everything you ask is a combination of basic maneuvers. Start slow and build momentum.
- Wait on the horse. Sometimes the horse knows what you're asking him to do, but isn't confident or instincts say there is potential danger. If you wait, let the horse try and have success. That will build its confidence.
- Challenge yourself and your horse. How do you know your horse is ready for a new challenge? Ask for it, and see what happens. Add challenges to your routine that causes the horse to think. Horses become bored from monotony.
For more information about horse issues, contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then Horses. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/march2008/0321horsetraining.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207, ljames@uaex.edu
