Horse Behavior
Find Out How Horse Learn..
Before You Try To Teach..

There are many different horse training techniques used to teach the same thing. If one method does not work for your horse, find one that will. Never be afraid to try something different. All horses are not the same, so you will have to adjust your training methods to allow your horse to progress at his own pace.

Horses learn mostly by trial and error. If they try one thing and it doesn’t work, they will try something else. When they get it right, they remember. The next time their in that same situation they will do whatever worked for them the last time.

Horses have an excellent memory. They will forgive if you make a mistake, but they will never forget. They have also developed a great visual memory.

Have you ever noticed your horse walking through the field and seeing a limb that maybe blew out of the tree the night before. They will walk past it and snort, blow and basically freak out before walking up to it and checking it out. They know that limb hasn’t been there, so their not sure if it’s going to eat them or not.

Look at this example: I put my lawn chair out in the field so I could sit down and watch my horses. They freaked out! They ran around it for about 15 minutes snorting and carrying on, until they figured out its wasn’t going to eat them. That's just typical horse behavior. Then, of course, they had to thoroughly check it out. That's a funny thing about horse behavior, they freak out first, and ask questions later!

Horses also have a remarkable sensory system that allows them to detect sights, sounds, smells or movements. They are constantly on the look out for predators. In the wild, they had to be, or somebody was going to be lunch. Living in herds, they have more eyes and ears to be on the lookout.

Horses basically learn by association. If a horse hears a rustling bush and then sees a predator step out, he immediately associates a rustling bush with a predator. So the next time he hears the rustling bush, it triggers his flight response to get away from the predator before he steps out.

In a herd situation, the lower horses will look to the lead horse for guidance in these situations. If the lead horse runs, they no they better get moving. If the lead horse stands to fight, the will all stand behind him. This is instinctual horse behavior, the survival instinct.

This is why it is so important that you establish yourself as leader of the pack. Your horse will look to you for guidance in a scary situation. The main thing is to stay calm in any situation. If your horse feels, and he can feel it, that you are nervous or upset, he will get more nervous and upset. This doesn’t lead to anything good.

One of the basics in learning equine behavior is to never try and rush your horse to learn something that he isn’t ready for. Take the time it takes to teach it correctly. If you try and rush the process you will only end up frustrating the horse and yourself.

Not all horses learn at the same pace. Your horse may learn something new in a matter of minutes, whereas my horse may take a couple of days.

Always remember, if your trying to teach your horse something new, and he’s just not getting it, try a different approach. All horse trainers would like for you to believe that their way is the best way, but that may not be the case for all horses.

Most of the time, if a horse will not do what your asking, it’s not because he’s being defiant or hard headed, it’s because you’re not asking in the right way. He could be acting out of fear or confusion. It is important to know your horse and know when he’s be defiant or just plain scared or confused.

Also remember this, never forget to praise your horse when he does get it right. Even the slightest try should be rewarded. This lets your horse know that he has done something right. He will associate it with your praise, and the next time you ask, he will remember. With most horses, after they have done something 3 times in a row, it usually becomes a learned horse behavior.