Earning The Trust Of A Race Horse

One of the first steps in finding success in a horse trainer is learning how to earn the trust of any horse that comes into the stable. A horse’s overall temperament can make this either extremely easy or incredibly difficult to achieve, but it’s something that has to be done if the trainer hopes to ever see the horse out on the track one day.

Many breeds, such as the Thoroughbred, are known for being difficult to train, especially if they do not fully trust the person that is training them. Let’s take a look at some easy methods that can be employed to slowly earn the trust of a nervous horse.

Patience

There are a million tricks that a trainer can use on a horse to make it trust him more, but there’s no substitute in the world for patience. Much like a human being, a horse needs to understand that the trainer can be trusted, and it will take time to prove to the animal that the trainer has no ill will toward them.

Slow, deliberate actions can help at first, and when the horse is more comfortable, it will become used to having other people with it, and will stop fearing their movements. It takes years to properly train a race horse before it’s ready to participate on the track, meaning that there is plenty of time to earn its trust.

Treats

Like with any living thing, one of the best ways to earn the favour of a horse is by offering it treats every now and again. This can be at random or after the horse has done something successfully, but by offering it various treats that it likes, it will come to associated with trainer with something that it enjoys. Over time, the trust will strengthen and it will be that much easier to make the horse perform certain tasks.

Discipline

The training of a race horse is something of an act of dedication, and it’s up to the trainer that the horse is properly disciplined from an early age. This means removing unwanted behaviour as much as possible and focusing on using positive reinforcement when the horse does something that it was expected to do.

A firm hand can do wonders, as long as no kind of abuse take places that can weaken the trust that the animal has for the trainer. Discipline should always be remedied with time to play, so while the horse is out enjoying themselves on the paddock, the trainer can sit back with their favourite book or spend their time checking out the best Australian online pokies site.

Keep The Horse Stimulated

A bored horse tends to be that much more difficult to train, which is why it’s important that the horse is kept stimulated both physically and mentally. This can be regular training out on the fields, as well as other exercises to ensure that the horse remains active and compliant throughout its training.

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