Betterway Equestrian Services provided by Bravenet.com

One of the exercises that we use to assist our horses in dealing with stressful situations. As you can see Spirit is really relaxed with the whole situation. Please do not try this, this horse has been prepared for this exercise.

Once the horse is relaxed and happy with the pressure of the tarp it is now increased and a plastic bag is added. You will notice that the horse is not restrained. It is his choice to be there and he now views the tarp as a place that means no work, therefore a reward point. Again notice he is relaxed with this exercise, and again do not try this as this horse has been prepared for this exercise.

The pressure is then again taken to the next level and the bag is introduced to the horses head. This horse has always had issues around his face so this is a big ask and for the safety of the horse he is held at the end of the lead, but still has room to move if he wishes. Again you will notice that he is relaxed with this exercise and remains on the tarp. Again this is part of our advanced ground work level and this horse has been prepared. Do not try this at home.

Quietly Confident

The most common enquiries that I get are regarding a loss in confidence and it is far more of a common problem than most would realise.

There are many reasons why we loose our confidence and the lack of confidence can range from minor to severe, but what ever the cause or level, this is a very real problem and not one that should be dismissed easily.

First thing is first. You need to identify what started the loss of confidence and be very honest about what is holding you back from overcoming your fears.

Secondly you need to give yourself permission to only do what you are comfortable doing. We seem to think that we have to push ourselves through our insecurities but this can be disasterous if you are not ready to take the next step. Saying this you will need the help and guidance from a professional Instructor/Trainer to help you through this process.

Thirdly it is time to start safe proofing your horse and for you to have a clear and concise understanding of how you are communicating with your horse, why your horse does the things that it does and how you can prevent unwanted behaviour.

When your horse was born it's mother did a great job of raising her baby. She taught the horse to move from and move to pressure, to run from danger, to feed and most importantly she taught your horse discipline and respect. By using the same language that your horses mother used you are able to communicate with your horse and establish yourself as the alpha horse and this is imperative to creating the foundation of your training.

The first exercise that we use is on the ground using your rope halter and 12 ft lead and we start to teach the horse to move it's shoulder out onto a circle, we then control the speed of the feet and learn to disengage the hindquarters. By doing this you can prevent a buck, rear and bolt. We teach the horse be bend it's ribcage and to bend it's nose around to it's side. This is your shut down and emergency stop and these are the most important tools that you can have to start the road to being a confident rider on a safe horse.

Communication and consistency with result in confidence and my role is to teach you to talk Equus and help your horse understand a bit of human. Once you understand why your horse is doing what he is doing and how you can eliminate the behaviour you will be surprised how quickly you confidence will return. I will not tell you that this is any easy road, it isn't, and requires hard work and dedication but the results are outstanding.