Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Horses, Humans, & Pressure

Horses, Pressure, & Tight Spaces I see many people trying to teach the horse new things and feeling like it becomes a chaotic, overwhelming, and potentially fearful experience for both the horse and the human. 

Here are a few tips to help break things down so that the learning becomes quality and clear so the horse can retain the new experience. 

I view training as establishing a common language between human and horse, that has value to the equine. 

Then when expanding the animal's exposure and experience by using clear "language," it becomes confidence-building Opportunities rather than ones leading to defensiveness and fear in the equine. 

When this BLM mustang was adopted after the round-up, she found herself in a home where they attempted to "break her." The elderly gentleman who had her then passed away, and at that point, she was uncatchable and untouchable. When I first met her, from a 100' away if I slightly lifted a finger she would bolt off. It took a lot of time, patience, and helping her reawaken her curiosity, to diminish her fear so that she could start to become mentally available to learn how to learn.