Building from the Ground Up-Safe Ground Handling of Horses
Safety is first and foremost and should always be considered when working with horses. To safely work with your horse you first need to understand several key points of equine behavior. Horses are equipped with survival traits that shape their responses from stimuli and their environment. Animals react to new situations by either fearing it and fleeing or by ignoring it and later exploring if they feel there is nothing to fear. Falling under the category of prey horses would rather flee meaning they have a very quick response time to situations.
That spookiness is commonly referred to as bad behavior when in fact its just your horses instinct. Now that you understand some of the why behind your horses behavior lets begin with more of the basics.
Approaching the Horse
Move confidently and slowly when approaching a horse walk never run. Approach the horse from the front toward their shoulder. Speak to the horse when approaching and extend your hand. When approaching from the rear place your hand on their hip and keep a hand on the horse rubbing or patting until you reach the head area. If the horse begins to move away stop wait until the horse stops then attempt to approach again. You should always pay attention to the head ears neck and body position because these are good indicators of what your horse is thinking and feeling.
When attempting to lead your horse there are a few key points to always remember. Always use a lead rope do not hold onto the halter and never wrap the lead rope around your hand. Stand to the left side or the near side of the horses throat latch area. Hold the lead about six inches from the halter. When leading extend your right elbow
toward the horse and keep your knuckles on top of the lead. Horses should not pull or push you when leading but walk quietly and obediently beside you. If the horse makes contact with you it should hit your elbow first and move away from you. Never stand lead or back up from directly in front of the horse.
Tying
The 4 key items to remember are level length location and knot. Use a halter and lead never tie a horse by the bridle and reins. Never attach a lead rope to the bit to tie. Tie a horse at wither height or higher
