Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Bomb Proof Your Horse Today

Horses that spook easily are dangerous to ride,
they are a danger not only to themselves, but to
others as well. Horses, being prey animals, have
a strong fight or flight response, and when faced
with a threatening situation, they deal with it
by shying or even worse, bolting. When this
happens the horse is usually classified as a
problem horse and is considered dangerous. A
seemingly harmless object such as a plastic bag
or chicken coop can send the biggest of horses
into a bolting frenzy.

There are some things you can do to desensitize
your horse. This problem horse training is
ideally started when the horse is young and in
training as it will ensure a spook proof horse.
Begin by lunging the horse for a few minutes to
allow him to work off any excessive energy. Leave
a halter and lead rope on the horse and approach
him slowly with an old saddle pad or blanket
allowing him to sniff it. With with the horse at
his own pace, and if he shies from the blanket,
introduce it again slowly until he begins to
accept its presence in his vicinity.

Once he's more at ease around the blanket, you
can start moving it around and swinging it
slowly. This will help desensitize the horse
against flapping objects. The horse will most
probably feel uncomfortable and may even shy, so
be patient and work with him until he is
accustomed to having the blanket swung around him.

The next step is to touch the horse with the
swinging blanket, gently swing it onto his back
and all over his body. Once the horse accepts the
blanket on his head you're halfway there! Place
the blanket by his feet to help desensitize him
to objects under his feet, this is an essential
part of the desensitization exercise. That's it;
reward him profusely for a job well done!

The next desensitizing exercise you should try is
to use a soft rope and work with it in much the
same way as you did with the saddle pad or
blanket. This teaches the horse to tolerate
having a rope moving around his legs and body.
Teaching your horse to tolerate this type of
sensation can prove to be lifesaving if tack
fails and the horse finds himself with bits of
tack flying around him. This makes the horse much
safer in dangerous situations when tack breaks.
Throw the rope on the ground and in-between the
horses' legs and belly until he is no longer
afraid of it. If the horse allows you to move the
rope around his face and head, you've
successfully completed this exercise.

Last but certainly not least is the plastic bag.
The majority of horses shy from plastic bags and
by doing this exercise you will help your horse
overcome his fear of fluttering objects. Show the
bag to your horse and allow him to smell it, then
tie it to a long lunge whip and wave it around
while holding your horse on long lead rope. The
horse will inevitably shy and try to get away
from the terrifying object. Shake the bag around
the horse until he becomes comfortable to having
it around him, once this happens, touch him with
bag all over his body. Move it around his body
and under his belly, when he allows you to touch
his head with it, you're done.

Work at your horse's pace and always end your
training session on a positive note and with a
lot of pace. Never pressure your horse in a
difficult situation as you may cause him
irreparable psychological damage. Make sure you
do these exercises regularly even after the horse
has become desensitized to ensure the horse
doesn't fall back into his old familiar patterns.

----------------------------------------------------
Stal Amani offers professional training services
at competitive prices to help address any
problems your horse has. Whether your horse is
untrained or needs retraining, Stal Amani can
help your horse reach his full potential through
expert assessment and handling. Transport can be
arranged for your horse and you will even receive
fortnightly video footage of your horse's
progress. Please visit http://www.stalamani.com

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=115539

>