Over Coming Your Ponies Herd Instinct On Trail
Horses have been herd animals since ancient times and their herd instincts have a tendency to shape the behaviour of even domesticated horses when they’re in an arena or on the trail. These are times when you really need your horse to fully subjugate his instincts to yours. When his instincts clash with yours, they lead directly to battles for supremacy whether on the trail or the rail. You can stop this type of situation by going out of your way somewhat and having a look at things from your horse’s perspective.
Horses don’t do things on an impulse, wrong or right, good or bad; they have a reason for everything they do. As a rider, it’s your responsibility to keep track of what motivates your horse at any given time. If something has frightened your horse, you have to calm him down as soon as your are able to. If he appears to be inclined to wander off the track you need to emphasize very gently that what matters is where you would like to go. He might be especially stubborn, and even if you have to get into a mild clash of ego, you must ensure your domination isn’t compromised. Your reactions should be dictated by circumstances. If your pony is really frightened, you need to bring him out of it with kid gloves.
If you experience a consistent problem then ride your horse with a friend on another horse. You should try and make sure your mate hasn’t got an issue with his horse how you do with yours. Gradually begin nudging your pony to veer off course just a tad. You’re being gentle in your cue, maybe just a little rein or leg pressure. Your horse may not react straight away, but as you persist he is going to start considering moving the way that you need him to. Let go the pressure immediately when he responds. His wish will be to stay with the other horse, so you will have to keep on egging him. You have to make him understand that the pressure shows itself only when he is near the other pony. After he grasps the undeniable fact that there’ll be no more pressure when he moves your way, he’s going to do so.
The key part of this coaching is the sort of connection you have with your horse. I know a lot of people who are not able to establish the right accord and so are unable to time their cues right. When you nudge your pony, he will respond with signs he is considering moving the way that you want him to. He may move his ears in the new direction or actually take a tiny step that way. By way of an illustration: say you are riding on the left of your pal and you choose to head your pony off to your left. You apply pressure with the reins and your pony responds by turning his head in the direction you wish to go. As quickly as you see this, let go the pressure. The quicker you release pressure, the more apt your horse will be to move the way that you need him to.
You may find some horses tougher to convince than others. You have to keep absolutely alert and not let your pony get away with failure to respond.
Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers click here
