Almost any horse that I come across is either herd bound or barn sour. Horses by nature are herd animals. Safety for them, comes from traveling together. They really don't have a sense of “I”, rather they have an engrained sense of “we”.

Horses feel they each are an integral part of the collective group. For us as humans to try and get them over seeking the herd for comfort is next to impossible. That would literally go against their natural instincts of safety and survival.

*Photo from a recent colt starting clinic at Buck Brannaman’s Houlihan Ranch where Buck was flagging the colts to get them used to moving freely with each other.*

What we can do is help a horse to feel comfortable with being away from the herd. Allowing the horse to gain confidence in following our lead.

A big part of this is having a horse associate riding solo with enjoyment. Leading the horse to a place that is safe and relaxing will help to encourage a horse to willfully want to go with the human. If, on the other hand, all time away from their herd is stressful or strenuous a horse will not want to go it alone. The home environment will always win out on where they want to be.

We have an arena at our place that is pretty near the other horses. This set up is ideal for being able to work on exercises and educational advancement. The fact that they really have to do a lot of work near their home environment and buddies helps them to associate stress with pals and home.

After spending some time fine tuning various exercises, I like to ride out and away from home to cool down and relax. This being just a mellow ride or occasionally I lead my horse to an area with lush grass to graze. My horses understand that I know all the best grazing spots. They willfully follow my lead to get there.

Often after riding out and away, we come home and begin once again to practice drills. We will work on a couple of things before I decide we are at a good place to quit. This practice helps to keep a horse from feeling like arriving home is returning to the herd and eating hay. Some times I will even leave my horse tied up while I finish some chores. I am always thinking of ways to help associate leaving their pals with peaceful moments. By taking the time to do this, a horse will begin to look forward to heading out alone with their rider.

This approach and more like it, can help to discourage dependence on the herd. I am always feeling of my horse as we head back home. Especially at the gate leading back in to our property. I never ride through the gate if it feels like my horse is ahead of me. I will work small circles near the gate until I can feel equal effort applied at all points along the circle.

If the turning back towards home feels like a tractor beam pulling us in, we won't go home. I always try to assure that the only thing influencing my horse is me. I like to be able to ride past the gate without having to use my reins for guidance.

Taking away the need for horses to want to be with their herd is unrealistic. Teaching a horse that there is comfort to be found elsewhere is an attainable goal. In trying our best to keep solo rides safe and enjoyable we can build a horses confidence in our abilities to lead. If at any point along the ride alone they begin to feel the need to be comforted, do your best to help them and don't go on until they feel right. Remember, we can be the comfort that they need while away. Don't argue on the trail.

We can all be confident leaders.

Happy Trails!

Eric

Easton Horsemanship