Make Your Horse Brave

Training your horse to be confident and trust you, should be a vital part of your relationship. Especially if you see your horse as your partner and friend, or if you train them to be someones partner. Working with your horse shouldn't be limited to grooming and riding, you should be able to have a confident horse that will walk actively next you, no matter what „scary horse eating monsters" are in his path. If you choose what to do and where to go, your horse should want to follow you.

• Lunging. Don't just lunge for exercise or getting your horse „working on the bit" with devices. Likely, your lunging will consist of you hanging onto the lunge and your horse bucking and bolting around you, which really, is something he can do in his own leisure time. Your horse should understand that when you asked him to work with you, he has to listen. Choose a lunging cavesson, a sturdy rope halter or a bridle with a fulmer bit and a lunging bridge. Attach the lunge directly to the lunging bridge and don't loop it around the horses head. You want instant pressure and release action. Lunge your horse in a circle that is quite tight, ie you can reach your horse with your lunging whip. Every time he changes gaits without you asking him, pull him towards you quickly and whack the whip in front of the horses nose onto the ground to stop him. Repeat until he calmly walks. Extend this until he slows down and speeds up as your request on either side.
• Choose obstacles, make grids, labyrinths, zig zags and random patterns with poles. Instead of leading your horse over those, ask him to stay in your lunging circle and although you are standing right by his side, make him step over those obstacles by himself. Don't stand in front of his shoulder as he will automatically slow down. Be a driving force at your horses rear end. He can snort and look but eventually will have to step over. Lounge him around you if he doesn't want to step over and slowly decrease the distance towards the scary thing. Make sure he stays in your desired gait and doesn't bolt or run. Running and bolting horses are not controllable.
• Once you have successfully completed stage 2, do that lunging/driving all over the place, go out into the paddock and ask him to lunge over creeks, dips, holes, fallen trees, through narrow gaps and anything else you can think of. Just make sure you increase the difficulty of the exercise slowly, depending on your horses learning speed. Avoid situtations that could end badly until your horse is in control, ie dont ask him to go through narrow gaps if hes scared of that and might get stuck in the wire fence that makes up one side of the gap. Think when you work with your horse.
• Back in the arena or riding paddock, see if you can get other people interested in building obstacle courses like bridges, gates, tarpaulin overhangs, balloon walkways, umbrellas etc. Create a situation quite scary to the normal horse and get four or five people and horses together in the arena to practise. Make sure that one of you knows what they are doing and practised the first steps with their own horse.
• It is a good idea for younger riders to join Pony Club and talk to their Games Instructor, he or she will quickly get your pony used to all sorts of obstacles and scary things.
• Go out and enjoy your new brave horse!

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