Curosity Creates Confidence

Horses are naturally curious.  It starts off when they are young and discovering the world and continues with them the rest of their life.  When any of their senses are stimulated, whether it is the sound of a ruffle in the bush or the sight of an object running towards them, it creates curiosity.  Along with this comes fear.  They are also naturally fearful of anything that stimulates them.  These qualities given by Mother Nature are what preserve the horse’s life.  When the horse is stimulated by something their fear instinct tells them to flee.  As soon as they begin to realize the stimulus might not be harmful they become curious.  There is a balance between fear and curiosity.  Fear is what drives the horse away from something and curiosity draws them towards it. 

A secret recipe to horsemanship is to create curiosity.  Rather than you approaching the horse try drawing it towards you.  This may take time depending on the horses’ conditioning.  Horses that have not been exposed to human interaction or have had negative encounters with humans may let the fear drive them away more than a horse that has been handled humanely by humans.      

   

 

    

 

A good way to create curiosity is to sit in the stall, pen or pasture where the horse is being kept and do nothing.  Your presence alone will stimulate the horse with fear and/or curiosity.  Eventually the curiosity will overcome the fear and the horse will be drawn towards you.  When the horse is able to walk up and check you out either by smell or touch, it shows that the horse has some confidence that you are not going to harm it.  By allowing the horse to come to you, you are letting the horse decide when it feels safe and confident.      

 

 

This is a good way to make a friend out of your horse.  Your horse will perceive you as friendly and wont feel threatened by you.  This is important when it comes to riding because if the horse feels threatened by you it might try to buck you off. 

It also builds confidence in the horse.  The horse learns that not everything in the world is out to hurt it.  It allows the horse to be more curious than fearful which will create a braver and more confident horse. 

You can even use this technique to halter your horse.  Instead of catching the horse, you allow it to catch you.  This allows the horse decide when it is ready to be caught.    

Keep in mind that building curiosity may take time.  It depends on the horse and how fearful or curious it is.   No matter how long the time takes to build curiosity, it is worth it!  Taking the extra time now to allow your horse to become confident will have greater results in the long run. 

Comments

[Kimberly]

This is an excellent post! We have used exactly this same method with all of our horses. You're right--it is a secret recipe of horsemanship! It's a method that worked especially well with a very fear-filled appaloosa mare we adopted last spring. And it is an excellent way to make friends with your horse. I have several old plastic chairs down in my barn that we like to pull out during the good weather to just sit with our herd of five. I love your use of graphics. Your photos tell your stories so well! Regards--

[Monica Bauer]

I was wondering what it means if your horse just carries on like you're not even in it's pasture area. I sat for a half hour and they looked at me, and my mare walked near me and then walked five feet past me with her hind quarters towards me and fell asleep! I was hoping for more of a connection. Is this behavior normal or is she bored with me?

[Mary Risavi]

Hi Monica!
Actually, I think it is great that your horse feel asleep only five feet away from you. She could have choosen anywhere in the pasture to sleep and she chose a place close to you. I believe this is an indication that she finds comfort near you and feels you are part of her 'herd'. There are some horses that won't even acknowledge that you are in the pasture.

[Zoran]

I have bought a 4-year old colt, type of small Lippizaner, but with unknown origins - I guess it lived somewhere on mountains with little contact with humans
untill it was cought to be sold for slaughtery. Second day after I got him, I managed to sit on him, and it was ok. He didn't know
leading or anything else, so I left riding for time to come and started from the beggining - teaching the horse to
be groomed, to accept a bridle etc. It was fine for first 2 weeks.
Then I called the vet to castrate him. The problem was to put the needle in his neck blood vessel - he kicked, reared,
he did everything he could to give resistance. We had to use twich, muscle injection, max dosage of sedative, but he still
resisted with kicking, jumping, etc. We managed to cut his testicles off, but the fight went on for 2 hours. Regarding removing testicles, I belive he wasn't aware of it, the problem was just to put the needle into the neck.
Third day after that I couldn't even touch him - he panics at every try to touching him. After three days I got him to eat some sugar lamps and carrots from my hand,
five days after he even search for sugar lamps in my pockets, but he doesn't allow me to touch him. He panics (jumps, rears, kicks)
at the moment I reach with my hand in his direction.
Please help with an advaice how to regain his confidence in me and let me touch him and to caught him for headcollar.
An additional problem is that he's tied up in the stable, where he lives for a month with a cow as a company. I'm planning to move him in month or two to my property where he would spend 5 days per week in a coral with shelter (3x3m), in total 18 m2 (~3x6 m), with special constructin for hay feeding ('slow feeding' – to simulate grazing), automatic machine for dropping oats, automatic watering (with human observation). At weekends I plan to ride him and give him his time on a pasture (whole day if he wants). At this temporary location there is no fence around the property, so there is a risk that he could escape. I would make an small padock with electric guarding, but till he's that wild (untouchable), I can not help him to improve his quality of life. I can see him only at weekends, my aunt is taking care of his watering needs and food. In the stable he behaves nicely (secure and quiet), if nobody is trying to touch him.
At least in a month or two he must be ready for transportation - at least to be touched and lead.
My tactics so far is to aproach him, to offer him a carrot or sugar lamp, than move away from him and wait for him to beg me for more by his lips and tongue action, than I aproach him and give him another one, etc. At some times I toch him breafly, more as unintended – I did it twice last time I saw him. First time he kicked, the second he shaked himself. Later he positioned himself that it was harder for me to do it again.
Next is my last work with him...

My tactics described at the end of my first e-mail to you didn't work. He became nervous and demanding by stomping his front feet, so I stopped with that and tried something else. First, from a secure distance I dropped an rope over his back. His reaction was mild and soon he was ok with it. Than I put lunging whip on his back – the same reaction. Then I put at the end of the whip a nylon bag, and it was also fine very soon. Then I switched to long dressage whip with nylon bag attached, and it was also ok. Then I switched to a glove at the end of a stick, it was little bit more disturbing to him, but he setteld down, and when I was rubbing him with that 'invention' (actualy I picked it up from Monty Roberts book), I decreased the distance between my hand holding the stick and him – he's sometimes little bit scared of that (possibility I might touch him with my hand), than I move my hand to his comfort zone. I achived to put the glove stand still on his back and with my right hand to pass from the middle of his neck to his hindquartes several times – he was ok with that. I put something in front of him to eat (carrots) and left for a coffe. When I came back, he was still reluctant to be touched by my hand, but I touched him breafly few time. He allowed me to rub him everywhere (every spot on his body), and particulary enjoyed rubbing his belly (~5-10 cm in fron of his penis) – he lowered his head and start working his mouth.

I have read an excellent article of yours on 'special' spots on horses body they like to be touched. I forgot that with the whip I could rub below his tail. Except belly button and below root of tail, could you suggest others spots as well where he could enjoy to be rubbed?

At the end of the session I put in front of him a lot of carrots and left. I offered him a sugar lump from my hand, but he wasn't brave enough to take it.

He started to understand a word „NO“, when he starts playing up and i say „NO“ most of the time he settles down. I had once to tap him with the whip (just a tap, not strike, it's enough for him since he's sensitive) when he turned his back end toward me to kick in my direction. When he or I get out of the good mood, I went for a coffe, and returned back when I was calm. Whole work with him yesterday last for 4 hours in total (with a lot of breaks).

[generic cialis]

I don't know if they are curious or not but horses breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work and it's be nice if you can add some videos about their behaviors. 23jj