# How to gain your horses trust



## furbabymum (Dec 28, 2011)

Well, I can only tell you what worked for me. I have a mare that really wasn't my biggest fan when I got her. I stand between her and the food. She has to come up to me, let me touch her and wait for me to move before she can eat. I don't know if that's trust but at least it's some sort of respect/tolerance. I don't have huge issues catching her now. 

My gelding is the pushy one on the ground. HE was trying to herd me back to the barn. I whacked him on his shoulder with the rope and that stopped that.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

For horses that are hard to catch or don't like people walking up to them, I put them in a pen by themselves and sit out there with them. Take pics, read a book, draw, listen to your iPod - anything that doesn't involve the horse. 
They are social animals, and when his needs becomes strong enough, he will come up to you. This way, it's HIS idea, and he doesn't feel like he's being cornered.
From there, I move up to buddy scratching. Once you hook them in that way, two days and it's a completely different horse.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Be the boss! Be the worthy LEADER.

You have to establish respect. You have to be the herd-of -2 leader 100% of the time. Once you are established by this horse as the leader/ boss, the trust comes by itself.

You cannot 'buy' trust. You can hand-feed and treat and pet until your horse turns into a monster that hates you or you can be the total leader and he will learn to depend completely on and you as his herd leader. 

That is just how they are.


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## whispering willow (Nov 9, 2011)

I'd have to agree with Cherie. Being the boss is a very huge thing to do. You can't let him get in your way.


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## fkonidaris (Jan 26, 2012)

When I first got my mare, she was really pushy and had no ground manners or respect. She had trust issues from abuse from a previous owner. I spent time working on ground manners with her and showing her a gentle hand and praise when she did something correctly. I talked to her constantly and spent time grooming her and touching her. She was very spooky and would flinch a lot at first. It took days of just talking to her and touching her and grooming until she started to calm down. It's been a little over a month and now, when she's out in the pasture, I can call her and she'll come or if she sees me, she comes right up to me. Have patience...your guy will get there. Good luck!!!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Dealing with a track horse is similar to dealing with the race horse, altho this boy doesn't have to run his heart out. His routine has been turned upside down. Before you take him out of the paddock, place a feed pail/pan with a few carrots, pellets, etc. at about the distance he seems to get nervous. Now, when you bring him out, take him to the pail, let him eat and put him back. Add more feed to the pan and go get him again and repeat. By the third time his focus will be on the pail. Each day move the pail another 50' farther away and repeat the exercise. He is now realizing good things can happen away from the pen.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I agree with Cherie. Horses trust a leader. Respect has to come first.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

Cherie said:


> Be the boss! Be the worthy LEADER.
> 
> You have to establish respect. You have to be the herd-of -2 leader 100% of the time. Once you are established by this horse as the leader/ boss, the trust comes by itself.
> 
> ...


If you're working with a pushy, obtuese horse, this method works. I've used it on my six year old stallion when I first got him, and a four year old mare with no manners.
But if you're working with a scared horse, coming on too aggressive as a leader can backfire. I have a coming two year old colt that I'm working with and we've made leaps and bounds, but slowly. He's timid and if I constantly push my leadership on him he mentally shuts down as he does when he is getting picked on in the herd. 
While he repects my leadership, we're starting on a more level playing field. But different mothods work for different horses. Finding yours can be the tricky one.


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## Honeyrlr (Mar 21, 2011)

What if none of those things work? My horse knows I'm the leader, and he will follow me around in the arena, and the round pen. He respects my space when we are working together, but when I get to the gate when he is in his pen, he starts walking the other way. It's frustrating to say the least. He isn't necessarily difficult to catch, because the other horses in the pen come over to me, but even still, he would rather sit in the far corner looking away from me.


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

Honeyrlr said:


> What if none of those things work? My horse knows I'm the leader, and he will follow me around in the arena, and the round pen. He respects my space when we are working together, but when I get to the gate when he is in his pen, he starts walking the other way. It's frustrating to say the least. He isn't necessarily difficult to catch, because the other horses in the pen come over to me, but even still, he would rather sit in the far corner looking away from me.



Being a leader does not mean he will follow you around. Horses can follow you when they feel like it, but it doesn't mean they see you as leader. A calm horse will follow a 4 year old human, it doesn't take much. No, the REAL test is stress/fear/anger/agitation. If your horse listens when he is under stress, THEN you know you are his leader. To be a leader for a horse means they follow you through hell and back (at least what they believe to be hell :wink without so much as a blink of an eye. If he doesn't come when you ask, or walks away without you asking, he does not see you as alpha yet. 

Don't be too discouraged, as this horse is fairly new to you. It takes time, but being his "buddy" won't really help. Sure, you can be his buddy sometimes, but personally I am hard on them for the first few months, until they are respectful and listening well. After I establish that, then I will "spoil" them with kindness, all the while always watching for signs of disrespect, so I can correct them.


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## Honeyrlr (Mar 21, 2011)

Interesting thought. I guess I just expected that since he had come so far in the last year, he saw me as leader, but you're right. Any suggestions?


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

Well its hard to help over the internet. But I would suggest just being conscious of what he is telling you. A big chunk of horsemanship is being able to read the animal at any given time. It's tough, but if you can read his body language and understands how that translates, then you can respond.

Example: Turning hind end to you = no - no.
Why? It sets you up for getting kicked.
Watch a horse in a herd setting. Who gets a butt turned to them? The same horse who gets chased away from feed. When the horses are agitated, who leads the herd in either a run away or a "let's go investigate?" The same horse who gets the feed first. And I can guarantee that horse won't ever have a butt turned to him. BUT if he did, what would he do? He would kick the other horse's ever loving butt. 

So if a horse turns their hind end to you, they are telling you that you are not leader, and that they will not follow you through the hard times. It's actually a process, but a place to start would be not accepting their hind end. 

So let's put this into a real life situation. I will use my filly as an example, as she had some serious respect issues for a while. She was a yearling, and I had her for about a year. All the sudden she turns her hind end to me, and just stands there, her butt facing me. I had a crop. I swung that sucker hard over her *** end (from a safe distance so as to not get kicked) and boom she took off. I followed her, and she eventually turned and faced. At that point, she submitted, and I rewarded her by leaving her alone.

You always want to be proactive though. To do this, ask them to yield their hind to you on a lead line. Once they understand they can not turn their butt to you, they will get a better basis for you being the alpha, and are much less likely to turn their butt on you when you enter their pen.

There is a lot to learn from the herd situation. But basically it is pressure and release. This, coupled with a knowledge of what they can NEVER get away with makes a good solid horse in the long run.


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## AnnaB264 (Jan 2, 2011)

Lakotababii, that was an excellent concrete example! Can you give any others of signs a horse doesn't respect you, and how to respond to get their respect?


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## tbubak (Sep 25, 2011)

Cherie is spot on. You gain a horses trust by moving his feet. Leaders decide when the other horses move and how fast. Food will not do it!


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

AnnaB264 said:


> Lakotababii, that was an excellent concrete example! Can you give any others of signs a horse doesn't respect you, and how to respond to get their respect?



Sure, what would you like to know? Just basic respect issues?

Some of the most basic are hind end position (which is blatant), personal space, and the like. But the ones that a lot of people come across are rushing at food time, pinning ears, kicking, biting, and running away in pasture. So I guess you could pick one.. :wink:

There are many issues of respect with horses, it is a good horseman that can distinguish disrespect from other issues. 

So for another example: paying attention. (This one drives me nuts!) I have seen so many horse people who do not actually make their horse pay attention to them when they are doing something, and it results in so many issues. The horse goes on autopilot, and the mind is not engaged. The person will then blame the other issue, and seek to fix that issue, when in reality the person never taught the horse to pay attention and focus in the first place. 

Now I am not talking about the occasional loss of attention. Horses do, in fact, have a fairly short attention span at times. But bringing them back is key. About 90% of the time, a horse never means to hurt the human, but they aren't paying attention when they get freaked out or upset and thus the person gets hurt due to sheer mass of the animal. 

So what am I talking about here? Many things. Examples include letting a horse eat while you're working them, or not paying attention to their ears when lunging/round penning, riding, and leading, or not lunging/working with a purpose. Another clear sign of a horse not paying attention is the horse rushing the lead line and walking ahead of the handler. One of the key (and easiest to read signs) is their ear position. 

Why is it important? When a horse is in the herd, they pay attention to that main animal, maybe not at all times (as mentioned earlier) but when the boss horse asks them to do something, they sure as heck pay attention. 

So when you are leading, for example, pay attention to the horse's body language. A horse that is paying attention to the handler will have a relaxed posture, and relaxed ears. They will walk at the shoulder or slightly behind. When, and if, this horse gets excited, they will not rush the handler, but instead will turn into the handler for guidance and continue to follow. They may perk their ears and look at the object in question, but they will continue to be responsive to the handler. (This comes with training of course).

So one of the first things I say to people who are leading their horses is to pay attention to their body language. If they get too close to your personal space, if they move too far ahead, or lack too far behind, then they need to be corrected. I usually use circles or backing for this, as a horse is usually forced to at least acknowledge they are doing something wrong at this point. 

This may seem like a very small thing, and it is, but honestly these things get more compounded in intense situations. For example, if you have a pushy horse that doesn't respect space when they aren't paying attention and a scary situation occurs, guess who gets stepped on or knocked on their butt. Yep, the handler. All because the handler never taught the horse to respect space and pay attention to them when they are working around them


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

I got my horse about a year ago. When I first got him he was about 11months old. He was very untrustworthy! I couldnt even get him up to the arena, if anyone remembers me posting about that.....what worked for me was literally TIME!

I went out there everyday, doing simple things like just sitting with him, talking with him, grooming him. Simple things. It took a few months before he really came around. Now all I have to do is drive to the barn, and he sees my car and runs up to the gate, I really dont have any major issues with him, and I feel that he trusts me just about completely!

Good Luck!


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## Cintillate (Jan 8, 2012)

Try anything you like. Talking, grooming and the other things OP mentioned were nice. Working with your horse can gain respect and trust too like other have mentioned about getting him to move a bit and listen to you. But spending quality time pays off well.  I had on horse it took me a good few month before she completely trusted me the other horse a day and we just got on. It is between you and your horse and your relationship and you guys will get to know each other in time. Be safe.


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## farley (May 23, 2010)

I believe in moving his feet! lung him and when he drops his head or licks stop him make him wait then call him in how you would in the field. then give him lots of "loves". then send him out again. if you have a small pen it is best to keep him in there while your doing this it may take a week or two, and every time you go in call him, if he doesnt come then push him till he licks his lips or drops his head then stop him make him wait then call him in, if after about 5 secs if he hasnt taken steps toward you or has lost eye contact send him back out . Also If your horse is scared of something get him past his fear.
I like to personally feed the horse that has trust issues too. The lead mare will demand respect, provide food and safety. It will work just give it time!!


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## BarrelRacer95 (Jan 9, 2012)

Just like Stacy Westfall says...Alotta people think that giving the horse treats all the time and letting the horse do whatever will grow its trust when in reality a horse wants guidance. He wants a leader. So be firm. Im not saying go out and make him scared at you. Dont want that at all. But be a leader. I just got a barrel horse a few months ago and he is still gaining to trust me. But the more i am the leader the closer we get. My gelding i have i trained so i have been firm on him. I have shown him guidance and we have the closest bond.


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