So you can’t catch your horse. Why do horses run away from their owners? 1. Wild or untrained horses are intimidated or afraid. They need an owner who understands how they view the person approaching through an instinctive prism of fight or flight and they need de-sensitizing training. 2. Horses in a group take cues… Read More Horse Problems: The Difficult to Catch Horse
There are a couple of situations where a stallion is a better performer than a gelding. I think particularly of Spanish “dancing” horses, Lippizaners, etc. They perform many maneuvers that take tremendous back-muscles. Generally only a stallion can perform them to perfection. However, in almost all other activities, testosterone is a liability. Many people want… Read More Horse Problems: Controlling a Stallion Around Mares
Horses are natural herd animals and very insecure, uncomfortable, even unhappy, when not in the presence of other horses. There are many communication signals used by horses to understand each other’s intentions. Understanding horse communication is important for horse training, as most techniques try to closely simulate a horse’s natural communication skills. Lead (dominant) Mare:… Read More Horse Basics: Pasture Etiquette
Horses are a big, beautiful bundle of nerves. They have the fastest reaction time of any domesticated species, and they are constantly on the alert. They can see nearly 360 degrees around their body at all times, and they are always ready to react to a threat. Threatened mammals (including horses) have built in instincts… Read More Training Theory: Fight or Flight