A Beginners Guide to Horse Training Methods
Horse Training Methods
There are certain stages that you need to follow (this assumes you are starting with a young foal). Of course, if you are training a more mature horse then some of the stages may have already been completed, although even with veteran horses it doesn't hurt to go back to basics.
The most important step is to build a relationship or bond with your horse. Horses are naturally pack animals and therefore do not like being on their own. Just by being around your horse, grooming, and talking to it, your horse will respond to your voice and will want to join your pack and be around you. A happy horse means that they are more willing to do what you ask. This is especially true with young foals, you can "imprint" on your foal. This simply means getting your foal used to being handled by humans and human interaction before the natural fight-or-flight instincts kick in.
The next stage is groundwork, even at a young age, you can practice putting on a head collar and leading your foal around, getting them used to being led. Once they are old enough you can start to lunge your horse in a circle building their muscles and getting them used to walk, trot and canter paces. This also helps with their flexibility.
Getting your horse used to tack. Wearing a bridle and saddle for the first time can be a frightening experience for a horse, so you need to do your utmost to make it as easy and unproblematic as possible and spend as much time as possible getting them used to wearing horse riding gear.
Once your horse is old enough it is time to "back your horse". As the name suggests this is where you get your horse used to someone sitting on it's back. Some horses take to it like a duck to water, some take a bit longer. whatever the situation, it is best not to force the training, but keep repeating the steps until the horse is comfortable.
Once you are safely seated on the horse, you should get someone on the ground to lunge the horse whilst you are seated. The horse is still listening to the person lunging on the ground but also dealing with the weight of someone sitting astride them.
Once the horse is comfortable, then you can introduce control with the reins, enabling you to steer your horse and apply the brakes!
This is only a very basic overview of how to train a horse and below we have answered some of the questions that are often asked about horse training methods. In our articles, we delve into horse training methods in more detail, as there are many different ways and styles of training your horse.