The problem I see people having most often with their horses is a lack of respect. This lack of respect stems from a lack of trust the horse has in its handler. More often than not it is the owner or handler who instills this distrust and disrespect into their horse, and they do this unknowingly. Most all of the horse owners I work with in no way want to be doing this to their horse but they lack the knowledge, skill and confidence to do anything about it. I hope you can gain some insight from this series and go forth making things better between you and your horse.
The first thing as a horse owner you need to realize is that your horse wants you to be their leader; they want you to be the alpha. Why? Because then you are the one looking for the mountain lion hiding in the bushes waiting to pounce and eat them and they can go on living an easy life. Horses are herd animals and they need the herd to survive. Their number one goal in life is to stay alive and this happens by not getting eaten by the mountain lion, or the wolf or whatever other animal they can imagine in their mind. They feel safe in their herd because they are less likely to be the one eaten, just like the lottery, the more who play the less likely it is to be chosen the winner…or in the horse’s case dinner.
The way that a horse herd works is there is an alpha horse, usually a mare, who is the boss. Now the boss is in charge of the entire herd. They tell the others where to go, where to eat and how to act around each other. Along with being the alpha come responsibility. The alpha is also responsible for the safety of the herd.
Along with being the alpha come responsibility.
A horse has a great sense of smell and they get this from the large nasal cavity which heightens their olfactory senses. All along their elongated nasal passage are nerves which are picking up on different scents and sending them to the brain where they are cataloged for future reference. A horse can pick up on the scent of a predator before they can ever see it. When the alpha picks up on this they will immediately raise their head and start surveying the area for the threat. The rest of the herd will follow suit and they will move closer together for safety. That old saying of “safety in numbers” holds true. If the alpha decides that the threat is moving away or it ended up just being a fluffy little bunny rabbit it will again relax and the herd will follow suit and go back to grazing. But if the alpha decides that the threat is real, the alpha will start moving away, usually at a quick pace, and the herd will follow suit.
I remember a time I was out riding with my dad in a new area for our horses. We were walking along the edge of a corn field with a pasture on the opposite side. Both our horses stopped dead in their tracks, held their heads high and pricked their ears forward and stood like statues for a few seconds. My dad was eager to get his horse going again and I could tell that horse was not going to move forward if asked. I told my dad to just wait a minute and within a couple of seconds a coyote ran out of the corn field into the pasture up into the timber only about 30 feet in front of us. Once the coyote was gone the horses immediately relaxed and carried on down the trail. It was another step of gaining trust in my horse and my horse relying on me to tell him when it was time to high tail it out of there.
You have probably seen this behavior in your horse and you just didn’t know how to react to it. This is how it usually happens: your horse raises its head, stiffens its body and their eyes will look like they are trying to bulge out of their head all while trying to move closer to you (their only herd) or run over you to safety. So how do you fix this and become the alpha and tell them it’s all a false alarm? The answer is in getting them to move their feet.
If you have control of the feet, you have control of the horse.
The bottom line of ground work and gaining control of their body and their feet is that when you have control of the feet, you will have control of the mind. In asserting yourself as the alpha over your horse you are taking a huge burden off of them. But be assured that if you do not assert yourself as alpha your horse will assume that position and will dictate when and where you move and everything could be a horse eating monster in their world. This is the basis for why most horses spook and quickly become out of control and dangerous. If you don’t want to find yourself in this position then make the commitment to become alpha.
Follow along my blog and I will show you the secrets of establishing yourself as alpha and gaining your horse’s trust and respect.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” Psalm 23:1
Just as when we accept God the creator as Lord of our life, our shepherd or in horse terms the alpha of the herd, we are no longer in want. We don’t have to worry over looking for the bad things in life, the mountain lions, cougars, wolves and such. If you continue reading Psalm 23 you see that the Lord brings you rest and comfort.
This doesn’t mean that life all the sudden becomes easy and stress free because David says in the same passage, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me”. What David is saying is he knows who is keeping watch over him; he knows who has his back. We can go on peacefully in life because the alpha, the Lord will alert us to any danger and take care of us.
In turn we are doing the same for our horse. There will never be a time when your horse can’t be spooked, but in them knowing you are alpha they may jump then look to you to see your reaction and if you are still calm and cool telling them the threat is not real they will relax again. But if you are fearful and afraid they see that as the threat is real and it’s time to leave. Be your horses shepherd, alpha, rock and refuge and in turn allow the Lord who loves you greatly be your alpha leader; the Lord of your life.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. O the joys of those who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Blessings,
Greta