I have seen a lot of pony owners get into a crisis because they did not take the trouble of finding out just what type of relationship they ought to have established with their horses. You want to approach your relationship to your horse the same way you approach your relationship to your own child: the wrong approach could lead to a spoilt brat. You have to be careful about laying the right foundation for a relationship that will endure all thru.
Want to know how you approach the entire thing? You start by facing up to the basics: you belong to the human species and your pony belongs to the equine one.
The largest blunder I see folks committing is that they treat their horses as they would a human being. That immediately starts causing issues. You can try and treat your pony as an equivalent to a very limited extent, because you are the more equal of the 2 equals. To put it bluntly, horses are herd animals, they want a 'herd leader' to follow and be protected by, and for your pony, you start by being the boss. When you behave otherwise, you are giving him ideas you should definitely not give him. You can either assert your position as the boss, or permit it to be eroded.
What you definitely don't need to be doing is give your pony the assumption that he is your equal, or even 'heaven forbid' your better!
Right from the beginning, you need to set clear boundaries, extremely clearly defined lines that your pony can't cross beyond. These lines should cover every aspect of the relationship, physical and mental. Certainly, you have already seen horses, which can weigh something like 1200 pounds to your less than 200 pounds, pushing folk around with no respect? They do that because they weren't taught by their owners to respect the boundaries of decorum. They were permitted to get the idea that they were as good or better than their human owners.
If you happen to feel any misunderstanding about the best way to approach your horse, take some time out to study a herd of horses. Watch the behaviour patterns that prevail: the way in which the other horses are well aware of and stick to their positions vis a vis the herd leader. Then get this straight in your head: you are the herd leader's leader. You're the top figure on the totem pole.
I also submit that you acquire some books and videos about pony behavior and get thoroughly conversant with their teachings!
You have got to be able to think like a horse to know how best to address him.
Want to know how you approach the entire thing? You start by facing up to the basics: you belong to the human species and your pony belongs to the equine one.
The largest blunder I see folks committing is that they treat their horses as they would a human being. That immediately starts causing issues. You can try and treat your pony as an equivalent to a very limited extent, because you are the more equal of the 2 equals. To put it bluntly, horses are herd animals, they want a 'herd leader' to follow and be protected by, and for your pony, you start by being the boss. When you behave otherwise, you are giving him ideas you should definitely not give him. You can either assert your position as the boss, or permit it to be eroded.
What you definitely don't need to be doing is give your pony the assumption that he is your equal, or even 'heaven forbid' your better!
Right from the beginning, you need to set clear boundaries, extremely clearly defined lines that your pony can't cross beyond. These lines should cover every aspect of the relationship, physical and mental. Certainly, you have already seen horses, which can weigh something like 1200 pounds to your less than 200 pounds, pushing folk around with no respect? They do that because they weren't taught by their owners to respect the boundaries of decorum. They were permitted to get the idea that they were as good or better than their human owners.
If you happen to feel any misunderstanding about the best way to approach your horse, take some time out to study a herd of horses. Watch the behaviour patterns that prevail: the way in which the other horses are well aware of and stick to their positions vis a vis the herd leader. Then get this straight in your head: you are the herd leader's leader. You're the top figure on the totem pole.
I also submit that you acquire some books and videos about pony behavior and get thoroughly conversant with their teachings!
You have got to be able to think like a horse to know how best to address him.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers go here
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers go here
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