Shaman is a very nice horse, but he never really learned the basic safety rules, and sometimes did not pay attention to her owner. So, before he could become dangerous for her, she asked me to come and help teaching him respect and good behaviour.
- Name: Shaman
- Breed: Irish Cob
- Age: 7 years old
- Genre: gelding
This video is not dealing with a problem horse, nothing spectacular here. But A LOT of horses in livery stables and riding schools are plagued by that bad behavioural reactions: pushing people away, walking through them, being dull to the leg, not paying attention to people around them…
Safety First
The first part of this video is dedicated to safety. Basically, your safety is more important than anything else. Why, would you say? Because you can’t take care of your horse if you’re at the hospital! And because you have a duty to your horse, to take care of him whatever comes next, it is also your duty to make sure he will not break your leg in the first place.
Groundwork Fundamentals are the very bases I use to make sure a horse will pay attention to my “bubble of protection”. Backing Up and Lunging are the two key exercises you should master before attempting to achieve anything else with your horse.
A respectful conversation
Once your horse has learned the safety rules, the notion of respect is not far away. You do not want your horse to avoid your space because he is afraid of you, but because he cares for you. That is a two-way street: show him respect when you spend time with him, whether it is simply hanging around or working in the arena.
There is no due respect… respect shall be earned!