Training Tips: Creating a calmer horse

TRAINING TIPS

Creating a calmer horse

If you’re preparing your horse for its first competition, or have a horse that spooks easily, you’ll love these tips from FELICITY DAVIES.

The sound of the loudspeaker, the touch of a flapping ribbon, or a looming carnival Ferris wheel can all be pretty scary for the unseasoned competition horse. But you don’t have to leave the success of your horse’s first outing to chance. Likewise, if you have a horse that can’t stand loud noises, or is seemingly afraid of its own shadow, there are straightforward techniques you can use to help reduce your horse’s fears and foster a more confident individual. Horsemanship and Mindset Mentor Felicity Davies knew there had to be a better way of doing things when, after competing in Show Horse events at State level for over ten years, she could tell her current horse wasn’t achieving the success he was capable of. He was doing his best to perform well, but wasn’t completely happy or relaxed.

That led Felicity down a rabbit hole of investigation, trying to find a way to better prepare him for the typical, bustling show horse environment. “No one that I reached out to, whether it was a show rider, horsemanship person, or dressage rider could help me address the root cause of his anxiety while at shows,” Felicity recalls. She was just told ‘kick them forward’, ‘pick up the reins’, ‘close the contact’ and ‘do your best’.

The challenges were also apparent at home, where her horse would be hard to catch and ran away when he saw the float come out. “He would do all the things I asked of him once I’d caught him, but clearly he was not really loving it,” she says.

A better way

Watching videos of renowned EU-based horsemanship and dressage trainer Will Rogers (which showcased beautiful dressage horses calmly executing their movements over, between and even completely under large, flapping tarpaulins) got Felicity’s brain ticking. She was eager to uncover the secrets behind producing these calm performance horses and, when Will’s ‘Groom/Working Student wanted’ advert popped up, Felicity was chomping at the bit to make the most of the opportunity!

She applied, got the job and spent the next ten months overseas learning the ins and outs of preparing young performance horses for their first outing, when they’d attend events with crowds of 10,000 or more people yet remain totally calm and unfazed.

Felicity returned to Australia with newfound knowledge around the principles of horse desensitisation. She believes there is much you can do with any horse at any level, and the results are not just limited to the show ring. So here’s how you can start the journey towards creating your own calmer horse.

Setting up for success

Before you begin desensitisation training there are a couple of other boxes you need to check off. "First, make sure your environment is good,” says Felicity. For productive training of

any kind, a horse's basic needs must be met, including access to 24/7 forage; social contact with other horses, or at least being positioned where they can see them; and housed so that they are able to move properly.

Felicity then likes to check that the horse-human relationship has a good foundation. “To really build up a positive association with you, make sure you spend time doing things with them that they like,” she suggests. Hang out hand-grazing, take them for walks, have grooming sessions – basically spend time together where the handler is not asking the horse to work. With a positive foundational relationship in place, the desensitising work can begin.

First you need to teach them how to lower their head, which encourages them to find a posture and state they can return to in order to feel calm and secure. Ask your horse to lower their head by gently pulsing on the lead rope while at the same time applying downward pressure. The key is to stop pulsing and release the pressure at the exact moment your horse brings their head down. Even if it's just a tiny bit to begin with, let go of the lead rope and give them a pat to reward them. “When teaching this, you really need to take your time. Don’t just expect them to drop their head all at once,” Felicity explains. Repeat this process one little bit at a time, until the horse’s head is quite low, they become really soft, and they’re happy to remain in this position.

Your body language needs to be soft too, as this will also eventually become a cue for the horse to relax. “I can slump my shoulders and make a downward gesture with my hand, and without actually touching the lead rope my horses will lower their heads in response,” Felicity says. From this calm, tension-free posture, you can begin presenting new stimuli to the horse and start the desensitisation process.

LEFT: Before you start desensitising, make sure they’re happy in their environment and that you have a positive relationship with them so they trust you through the process. FACING PAGE: So they’re not overwhelmed, it’s important to ensure your horse feels comfortable approaching the objects you want to desensitise them to. All images by M & T Photography

Reframing scary sounds

Felicity likes to start by presenting the horse with something it’s not totally terrified of, as this helps to build confidence. For example, for noise desensitisation she suggests using a small water bottle with stones in it. Stand with your horse in the soft, headlowered position and gently shake the bottle just a little. If your horse shows signs of concern or stress, then maintain that level of rattling. If your horse’s response is especially big, decrease it a little but do not stop. Then, the very moment your horse softens, and timing is absolutely critical here, stop rattling the bottle. If your horse can't find that head-down, soft posture on their own,

To desensitise your horse to noise, start by gently shaking stones in an empty water bottle. Reward them by stopping when they show signs of relaxation or curiosity.

use your other hand to ask the head down, then stop the rattling. “Over time, you'll be able to shake the bottle louder and louder, but it’s a systematic process,” Felicity explains. Continue the process by gradually increasing the bottle rattling, stopping each time your horse softens and aiming for small wins as you go. After they’ve displayed subtle signs of stress, like throwing their head up or not being able to look at you, your goal is to take the pressure away as soon as they soften again. But don’t, says Felicity, turn up the pressure too quickly: "You're rinsing, repeating and doing that process in different positions all around your horse while standing, then again while leading.”

If you’ve discovered your horse has an aversion to one noise in particular, Felicity has a way to address that too. The process is the same as rattling stones in a bottle, but this time the tools are a Bluetooth speaker and a YouTube playlist. “One client of mine had a horse who had issues with the sound of chickens,” she says. So Felicity found a chicken noise playlist on YouTube. “You just use your phone to control it,” she explains. Press play and the moment they soften, hit pause. Then repeat by slowly building up the volume, one moment of softness at a time. Remember to offer praise and tell the horse how amazing they are. Felicity recommends keeping sessions short and sweet: "It’s a slow

process, five to ten minutes is usually enough, definitely don't do more than twenty minutes in one go.”

Another key point is to make sure your horse is actually processing during sessions by letting them lick and chew, yawn and stand still. Felicity stresses the importance of allowing them the time to process, because that's when they learn how to go from stressed to relaxed. She explains it like this: “If your horse still looks a bit out of sorts or concerned before you start rattling the bottle or playing the sound again, then you're not teaching them how to let go of that worry.” Fundamentally, the aim is to teach the horse how to go from stress to relaxed as their level of tolerance is gradually increased.

Ongoing payoffs

Interestingly, the benefits of this type of training have a ripple effect, giving the horse the tools to cope better when they encounter other stressful things in day-to-day life. One horse Felicity worked with would get particularly worried and anxious. However, the desensitisation work taught him how to find a soft posture, lower his head, relax and then draw towards the thing that was bothering him. “One day his owner took him on a trail ride and there was a scary bridge ahead. He stopped, then on his own he lowered his head and just decided to draw towards it and walk across. And they’re the tools we taught him.”

Now you no longer have to leave first outings up to teeth-clenching luck or chance. If done correctly, working to desensitise your horse is well worth the effort. The reward lies in an improved horse-human relationship and growth in your horse’s confidence – a winning combination all round.

Want more? Head to Equestrian Hub to hear Felicity discuss the difference between flooding and desensitisation. She also shares amazing success stories of horses whose challenges were resolved with desensitisation.