Ground Manners in Horsemanship

Equine training involves plenty of things especially teaching the horse proper ground manners.



Appropriate ground manners is something that your horse needs to develop. The way that the horse behaves around you reflects a great deal of your competence as a horseman. It cannot be stressed enough that determination and positive mindset is necessary in teaching ground manners.



This also goes to your equine. A calm horse will be much easier to train so you would always want the equine to be comfortable when working with it. Instantly start training your horse when you notice that its head is lowered and eyes are hooded as these are signs of submissiveness. Have your training at another time if your equine is showing otherwise. It would also be a good idea to determine why your equine is behaving or feeling fearful or anxious.



One has to respect the other’s dominance



If the equine respects you on the ground, it will respect you on the saddle. Most domesticated animals love to know who's boss and they love to be a follower if you know how to assert yourself without scaring them. The horse and human relationship should be symbiotic and beneficial for both. Keep this always in mind when you are with your equine.



Young horses are a playful bunch. They’re easily distracted and will surely test you on the ground. They will play games with you seeing you as their mate which is rather a good thing but despite all that, you need to claim your leadership and make the equine realize that you command respect.



Never allow the animal to boss you around. At first, the animal will consider it "play" but allowing it to do it all the time will make the equine have the impression that you are weak. An equine that’s pushy is never going to respect you and respect is one of the most important things in horsemanship.



Show the horse that you are the Alpha. The minute the equine realizes that it can be aggressive with you, it can be a huge problem in your training program. If the horse will not respect your space, you cannot make your horse move the way you want it to.



The horse must be Docile and Submissive



Giving the right body signals and knowing the animal’s body language is an important part of communication. Before training your equine new things, you should look for body language that indicates docility and submissiveness.



Common signs of a horse at ease



Head is lowered

Ears are back and does not look alert

Taking deep breaths

Licking of the lips

A cocked leg



If your equine is displaying signs of release, it is the best time to train and interact further with the equine. These are all positive signs that the equine is respecting your space and you are having great rapport with the equine.



You need to know what pleasures your equine because you can use them as reward every time the equine has done a great job. If it finds pleasure when you scratch its neck, do it after the horse follows your cues. Positive reinforcement is always recommended in natural horsemanship.



If you want to learn more about horse manners and how to teach them like a true horseman, visit EasyHorseTraining.com. The website provides the best resources and horse training videos that you and your horse will love!