Horses are amazing creatures. They are big, powerful animals that inspire awe in the hearts of many. A herd of horses running wild and free is a sight like no other. I find myself stopping to stare no matter how many times that I have seen it. A horse can exude a sense of majesty or magnificence simply in the way that they carry themselves. All of this coupled with the fact that they allow us to ride them makes them a true wonder.

***A young horse feeling spunky at a recent colt starting clinic.***

With so much power and spirit a horse can often be an intimidating creature as well. Just the shear size of some horses demands that we show respect. I think that this is why so many humans through the ages have approached training horses by inflicting pain and using fear tactics.

In recent decades there has been a welcome shift in the approach of schooling horses. Intimidation tactics are being replaced with a gentler approach. There is a new thought focused more on allowing horses to learn through the application and release of pressure.

This method is much more quiet and kind. It relies upon a timely release to encourage a horse to try. This newer method allows horses to retain their magnificence or essence. It focuses on encouraging horses rather than bringing them down to a submissive mindset.

This new school approach works on establishing a certain trust between horse and rider. In recent years my own thoughts on this have changed. I used to think that if I worked at gaining my horse's trust that they would exude more try for me. I had heard it said that I had the responsibility of not letting my horse down.

My riding needed to support my horse and be sure to not get him in trouble. I had taken this statement as an allowance to micromanage my horses. From then on I worked really hard at keeping my horses out of trouble. To the point of showing them the way out of every difficult situation.

I kept to this method and waited in vain for the day to have my horse fully trust me. I think I can say that most of us want our horses to trust us. We try our best to not upset them and work at constantly being nice. We brush them. Feed them regularly. Provide a nice home. Even give them treats. All while hoping for the day when we gain our horse's ultimate trust.

***This filly is settling down nicely now as trust and confidence is gained.***

The piece that I realized was missing was that I never fully trusted my horses. I wanted their trust more than anything but never thought about me trusting them. Upon this realization I began finding areas where I could allow myself to trust them. I started small and began branching out. I certainly could not trust them with everything but I could trust them in certain situations.

I began shifting just the way I acted around them. I had always heard to be careful when I was behind a horse. I could scare them and get kicked. I was told to be cautious around their hind feet. That they might strike out. All well advised and warranted advice.

With a young, uneducated horse (a.k.a. green horse) I still hold this as a fact. I realized though that there came a point when I needed to trust that my horse would not resort to this sort of behavior. We both learn to trust each other. When I show my horse that I can trust him he allows himself to trust me more.

In continuing to allow myself to trust him our relationship really began to change. I no longer micromanaged every little detail. I began to trust that my horse had the ability to get himself out of certain situations. I allowed him to get into a certain amount of trouble and let him find his own way out. Not life threatening situations but areas where I could allow him to learn. Maybe he would get his lead rope wrapped around his head.

I now let him sort that out. Sometimes he gets cornered. Now he finds his own way out. Occasionally when I ride a pattern I set up tires as obstacles. Sometimes he will get off course and have to jump a tire to maintain course. Let it happen. They won't keep that up long.

**Eric and Smoke completely in tune with each other. Guidance is a super subtle suggestion.**

I strive now to find more areas where I can show my horses that I trust them. In return I find my horses more and more willing to trust me.

How can we expect them to trust us if we have difficulty trusting them? Sometimes it is even hard for us to trust ourselves or our own abilities. Maybe we even have difficulty trusting our fellow humans. How then can we expect others to trust us?

This new approach has helped me and my horses to work together as a team. I now know that there are certain tasks that they know to do. This helps me to focus more on my own task at hand. In turn our relationship has changed. I enjoy now seeing small victories my horse performs without me. I am constantly enthralled with their ability to work out situations.

Are there areas where you can begin to further trust your own horse?

Happy Trails!

Eric

Easton Horsemanship