Q&A for How to Get Your Horse to Trust You

Most often, if a horse moves towards you, it's curious, but if it's moving away from you, it doesn't want to be close to you. So for horses that have their freedom of movement, just their location is a good indication of whether they're feeling comfortable or not.

He might follow you around and will want to be with a lot, welcoming you every time you go to him. He might neigh or make a welcoming noise when he sees you.

If he is pushing you with his head or shoulder, this is a sign that he doesn't think you are a leader. The dominant horse stands in place, while a submissive moves out of the way. Try pushing gently on his head or shoulders to assert your dominance.

If you feed it all the time, it will always want food. You could try to give him an apple from time to time but not so often that the horse doesn't knows what you are rewarding him for. You need to built his trust not only with food but by making him relaxed in your presence. Just spend time with your horse, even at a distance, where the horse can see you, just so he can get used to having you around.

If your horse is scared of you, you should try to get as close as possible without the horse freaking out. Then give him a treat and advance even further the next day. Trust is about respect; you must respect your horse before he can respect you. The key is to do everything gradually, a little bit at a time.

Your horse is afraid of humans and associates them with pain. Did she kick your cousin when she did not have a clear escape route? Horses will generally only use the "fight" option as opposed to "flight" when they have no choice. I would suggest a slow and patient approach. Allow your horse to become accustomed to your presence, without forcing close contact on her, e.g., spending time in the paddock around her. Reward her for approaching you, but do so in quiet, fluid movements and do not be discouraged if she retreats. It is not surprising that she does not trust people, but horses are incredibly forgiving, and with sensitivity and time she will come round.

She might not know what you are asking. Try getting off her but leaving the saddle on, and take a lead rope and let her walk forward. As soon as she takes a step, reward her. After doing that several times, get back on the saddle and try commanding her to walk again.

You can call her by name, she may come to you out of curiosity. Try offering an apple or treat; once she associates you with a delicious treat, she will become trained to approach you.

The mare seems to be more used to your friend being on her. Make sure the tack is adjusted properly on your horse and make sure you're sitting right. Reward your horse for good behavior.

Take advantage of that time. Don't rush things, but every time you see your horse, bring a different treat and see if you can figure out its favorite. After you go a lot, the horse will gradually get comfortable with your presence.

Horses are very emotionally fragile animals - sometimes called gentle giants. Horses are like dogs in that they like companionship. Treat them with respect by not touching them where they don't want to be touched. Ask yourself the question: Would I like to be treated this way? Never go up behind a horse; they can't see behind them, so the natural instinct is to kick.

Like any living being, mares have good days and bad days. Some mares are just moody by nature. You deal with the lot life gives you. A moody mare may be a challenge you need to improve your animal care skills and to become a nuanced and clever horse handler. See it as a positive.

Obviously your horse associates you mounting with unpleasant activity. First, check that all your tack fits correctly and nothing is causing her pain. Then stand on the mounting block and treat for staying still. Apply a tiny amount of pressure. Reward if she doesn't move, and if she does, just try again. Keep increasing the amount of pressure, and she will start to understand that staying still gets treats. When she will stand still with a good amount of pressure, attempt to get on. If she does, go back a step. When you can mount and she stays still, praise her and give her plenty of treats. Do this a few times and only ride for very short periods, and she will realize that mounting is not bad.

It depends on the horse. It can be a bonding experience, but don't go up to the horse depending on how big your horse is. If he begins smelling in front of you, that is a good time to lightly blow out air.

Give it apples, talk to it gently, and pat it.

Start by leading her next to a step stool, stand on the stool and lean over her on your belly. Put about half your body weight on her. If that goes well try again the next day with a little bit more weight. Repeat until you are able to fully drape yourself over your horse. Now practice sitting in the saddle. Don't have her do anything, just sit there. If that goes well you may start walking her around the ring. Don't kick and hit her with a crop if she's not wanting to move, take baby steps. Don't swing your leg over on the first day, that's a great way to break your pelvis bone if she bucks. If she still has problems contact a vet or trainer.

Show him the lead rope and allow him to spend as much time investigating it as he wants. Once he is comfortable with it try hooking it to his halter and showing it to him.

You can gain trust by treating your horse well and not leading her to trip.

Walk toward its side. Do not go too slowly or it will think you're stalking it. Once you're close to the horse, make sure the horse sees you and stay there for a while. Give it treats out of a bucket and try to touch it and pet it. Repeat this approach until it gets comfortable, then you can start training.

If your horse spooks, don't pull back really hard or freak out. Never scold your horse for spooking. Re-organize and sit back up straight. If your horse spooks at an object, carefully walk up to it, let your horse smell it and see it, and talk to your horse.

I would first try approaching with some treats. If he puts his ears back at all, walk away. Grumpy horses don't get food. Once he realizes you have treats and wants them, he'll approach you. Praise this. Go out with the treats concealed, and if he turns around, walk away and pet or treat another horse. Once he realizes you have treats, he will approach. Soon he will want to always come to you to check if you have treats, and you will continue to reward him for being friendly.

Old horses love to have a leader, so you need to make it clear that your boss. Feed him treats and stroke his neck, as that is usually a favorite place for them to be scratched. Spend heaps of time grooming him, plaiting his mane, reading to him, singing to him, just hanging out with him in general.

Get to the nearest fence and get up on it if you can. In any case, you should make sure that you are not in a pasture or field with a dangerous animal that you aren't comfortable around.

Nicely pulling/holding your horse's head up won't make her not like you. It is possible for her to take advantage of you if you let her get away with many things she is not supposed to do, but just letting her eat, she shouldn't. While it is harder for horses to eat with bits in their mouth, your bit should not obstruct the chewing motion of your horse's mouth, so while choking is a possibility, it would be very rare for a horse to choke simply because their bit is in.

You could sit in the field or stand by the stable and watch him. Let your horse look at you and see what you do. Don’t make any sudden moves. Do this regularly and your horse should start to become familiar with you and trust you. Once you are able to get closer to him for a longer time, follow the steps above.

Try getting a salt lick or some sort of boredom toy. Also check all your tack fits. If she is trying to run away, maybe tack up in an open area or near her herd, so she knows its ok. Treat her every time she has the saddle on and she'll associate the saddle with good things.

Reward it with a pet on the shoulder or a treat, speak quietly to it and don't make sudden movements, and the trust should begin quickly.

First off, don't get angry when they don't listen. Just be confident, firm, and gentle. If she is scared because she wants to see you, then you can try standing in front of the eye that she can see out of.

Spend time with your horse - bond, take it on walks, do fun things, and ride it, of course. It takes time.

First try riding her with just a halter, in a small ring, and teach her new commands. Then ride with a bit, and when she goes to bolt when you release turn her in a circle, until she stops. Release the rein, and keep doing it until she learns your new commands. My horse had the same problem and so I got a trainer to help me. And be very gentle with the bit.