Have you ever wondered what your horse was really thinking?

What if we told you your partnership begins the moment your horse sees you. You may think that teaching only occurs when you swing your leg over and you’re in the saddle. Every moment you spend with them is a teaching moment. What if we could give you some tips on how your horse is constantly observing you - reading your energy and emotions? Are you ready to take your horsemanship to the next level? These tips will help you teach your horse to act like a partner and not their instinctive prey animal.

ENERGY

Horses are often a reflection of their owners 😱...

You need to be aware of your energy and how it influences the horse and how they behave.

Your internal energy is the message you are sending to your horse.

Here are 3 Tips to use your energy effectively:-

CREATE THE RIGHT BUBBLE

Creating intention with the right energy are the most powerful tools we have.

Being able to harness the language of energy is crucial to be being a better communicator to your horse.

Controlling your energy will benefit your horse. Horses respond to Calm, Confident and Happy energy. This means it is up to you to create situations for them to act like partners.

Fear or frustration when a horse displays unwanted behaviour will only reinforce these behaviours resulting in an uncontrollable, unbalanced horse - not a partner at all!

We must therefore help the horse to utilise their energy in a productive way:-

• An anxious horse will need you to step in and help calm them down

• An insecure horse will need to build their trust.

• A fearful horse will need you to make them feel safe.

We need to maintain a consistent, calm, confident and happy energy to create that partnership.

Frustration and irritation are negative emotions that will only contribute to your horse’s anxiety- making the situation worse.

Taking note of the horse’s emotional state will give you an idea of how to create habits that build partnership.

PROTECT YOUR BUBBLE

You need to establish your authority early, often and convincingly - for your own safety. A dominant horse will challenge this daily.

By not protecting your personal space and your bubble, the horse could take this and see himself as the dominant leader.

Have you ever had a horse rubbing on you, bumping into you, ignoring you? These are all signs he is the dominant one (in his mind 🙈).

Your horse should only enter your bubble when invited. It should be second nature for you to protect your energy bubble and personal space.

A horse that sees you as the leader knows that you own that space where you stand and will respect your authority.

VARY THE SIZE OF YOUR BUBBLE

You can influence the horse making your energy bubble bigger or smaller.

A Dominant horse you need to claim more space or a horse that’s too submissive you need to give more space.

If a horse has more energy than you - you need to increase your energy bubble to calm them down. A horse with less energy - you need to decrease your bubble to animate them.

You can do this with some simple circling exercises making transitions - move the shoulders out, yield the hindquarters, back up or ask the horse to come in.

You have to master your energy to be an effective leader and partner for your horse!

By being skilled in creating and protecting your bubble you are able to use your energy effectively.

Do you feel empowered to use these tips to create a calm, confident, engaged horse and use your energy more effectively?

Follow these tips to be that leader your horse is looking for.