Expose and Expand

Expose and Expand

Confidence is not built by staying in your safe place and doing the same thing over and over. It is built as you expose your horse to new things and expand his horizons. You have to stretch his bubble a little, but not more than you can handle.

EXPOSE your horse to new things, obstacles, and environments

…Little by little, don’t throw your horse in the deep end! The goal is to gradually build confidence and increase it a little more the next time. There are lots of ways to do this, and even some fantastic obstacle courses you can train at, whether or not you want to compete. This kind of exposure is valuable for any horse. It helps them be calmer, braver, more confident, less reactive, and look to you for leadership. It’s not about the obstacle… it’s about how you handle your horse and introduce and expose him to new and challenging elements. Are you teaching him to be confident, to trust you?

Think about your goals and this will help you choose and prepare for the things you want to expose your horse to:

• Sticks and ‘whips’ (Personally, I don’t use the word ‘whip’ because of what it implies. To me, a stick is an extension of me, of my arm, that I can use to pet or encourage or redirect my horse. It is not an article of punishment, fear, or torture.)
• Raincoats and umbrellas
• Tarps on the ground or hanging like a curtain
• Ditches
• Poles and jumps
• Indoor arenas
• Outdoor arenas
• Outdoor areas
• Tracks and trails
• Trailers — different kinds (search Trailerpalooza! on the HHHL site)
• Competition or clinic environments, warm-up arenas, etc.
• Other horses
• Strange feelings — rope around the leg, fly spray, etc.
• Moving objects — get your horse to follow it rather than have it come towards him (bicycle, dragging a tarp, a large ball, tractor, etc.)
• Anything else you can think of!

You want to teach your horse that he can stay calm and respond appropriately, without fear. The KEY is approach and retreat and re-approach… not force and “flooding”, which is basically overstimulating the horse until he stops reacting. This is an age-old technique that is still widely used and often with devastating results. Rather than understanding, the horse finally acquiesces… gives up… or shuts down. Horses are smart. Don’t force them, teach them.

Confidence and understanding are what you want, and what the horse really needs.

This is an expert from the Happy Horse Happy Life Curriculum — How To Talk Horse.

If you would like to know how to help your horse become more confident, you can read the entire article in Module 4 — Confidence at?www.happyhorsehappylife.com