Horse training requires dedicated effort. Teaching a horse to respond calmly and reliably under saddle will take time and dedication.
Beginners can set themselves up for success by creating a training schedule tailored specifically to the pace and learning rate of their horse. Beginners should also learn to recognize a horse’s communication cues – such as postures, facial expressions, use of tail, energy levels or posture changes – by taking notice of postures, facial expressions, tail use or energy changes that indicate these things.
1. Practice makes perfect
Horse training is an ongoing journey of understanding and relationship building between rider and animal. For beginners, establishing a consistent routine and following an appropriate training schedule are crucial in order to establish quality relationships and relationships that last a lifetime.
If you are training a horse to avoid people who invade its space, regular practice of this behavior will ensure it does not become associated with stress and anxiety for the animal.
Beginners should begin with groundwork (in-hand training), progressing to lunging and riding. When their foundation is secure, they can expand into more advanced skills like dressage. All training should occur in an environment which provides ample padding and protection from potential injuries.
2. Be patient
Dependent upon your horse and training goals, there will be times when patience must be shown. This could be because your equine partner is having an off day or needs time to adapt to something new; so understanding why patience may be required helps determine when it’s time to move on.
Integrating patience into your training allows you to teach the horse that a cue is incompatible with dangerous or annoying behavior such as biting, bucking or stepping on your feet. Furthermore, patience builds trust and respect between horse and trainer, encouraging the latter to engage with him mentally while learning from their experience for greater performance on trails or arena.
3. Listen to your horse
A great horse trainer knows how to listen to her horse and interpret its body language, as well as recognize when he’s trying to tell her something. From there she can either ignore his message or continue training the animal towards doing what’s right.
In such instances, trainers may ask their horse to move forward rather than continue banging at his door in anticipation of being fed; thus enabling it to learn that pressure must be responded to effectively in order to progress forward.
Step two in training horses to obey riders is critical in developing trust between rider and horse. Beginners may find this difficult, but this practice will build lasting bonds between you both.
4. Be consistent
Consistency is your greatest ally when it comes to horse training, while inconsistency should be treated as your greatest enemy. By consistently training your horse with clear communication and clear goals in mind, you will see greater progress being made.
Similarly, if you want your horse to respect your personal space and move away, teaching them this behavior consistently may help them learn it better and less likely intrude on it as often. Otherwise they could get confused and start invading more frequently.
As in riding, if you only have 20 minutes available for riding, don’t try and cram in an entire training session; that will only scare and undermine trust between horse and rider. Instead, use it to practice groundwork exercises such as the C-Pattern or Backing (Fundamentals Series). This way you will still help your horse learn without creating unnecessary frustration and stress for either party involved.
5. Practice makes perfect
Horse training can be an intimidating challenge for beginners, requiring patience, kindness, and consistency from you as the trainer. Yet this experience also presents an incredible opportunity to discover more about yourself and build stronger bonds between horse and rider.
An untrained or distressed horse may be aggressive and even dangerous, which is why desensitization to new environments and stimuli such as clippers, blankets and saddles should be practiced regularly.
Understanding when it is appropriate to stop training a horse can also be challenging, since horses resemble children in that they can only handle so much force before rebelling against it. Once your horse has provided you with an answer that meets your criteria, reward him and take some time off before reinstating training again.
