Pets Information


How To Get Your Horse To Obey You and Look To You For Instruction


In the animal kingdom there is a pecking order. Richard Shrake points out that it's a lot like the military. He ranks in the pecking order go from General down to Private. The General will get first pick of the food, decide where to go and when, and so on.

The "second in command" will act just like the General but he won't pick on the General because the General dominates him. This string of command continues all the way down to the bottom of the pecking order. Any time a new animal comes into the group then the pecking order shifts. Knowing this information, you can use it to your advantage. You can make yourself the leader in the horse's eyes. He'll look to you for instruction. He'll obey you.

If you have a dominant horse it will be instinct for him to let a more dominant being make the decisions. In this case the dominant being will be you. You will become leader by using your body language to show you are confident. Being dominant doesn't mean you're being aggressive.

On the other hand, if your horse is the General, you may have to be more assertive. Make sure your horse doesn't think you're a threat. It's easy to come across as threatening when you're being assertive. If your horse feels threatened he'll fight back and you can't win. And if you are doing horse training, you will find it hard to get results.

In the wild, dominant and aggressive horses will make their bodies tight and make sudden moves with fury while getting into the other horse's space. The weaker horse will concede and move out of his space. Think of it as the General screaming an order and the Private is obeying.

Slow movements tend to draw one horse to another. Horses express calmness with relaxed, slow steps. This is how they welcome other horses in their space.

If a horse is trying to show you he's the General you may see a clamped-down tail with pinned ears. To get him to accept you as the General you will move him out of his space. You do this by matching any quick moves he makes with your own quick moves. The trick is to make the first strike before he does.

One way to do this is with a quick arm movement towards him - almost like you're violently shooing away some pesky flies. Also, you can use an aggressive tone of voice towards a horse if he's being aggressive.

How can you tell if he's conceding to you? If he turns his head or drops it, relaxes his tail, begins chewing, or takes a deep breath, then that's how you know. If any of these happen he's saying, "Okay, I'll do what you say because I want to listen to you." Pay attention to these clues that tell you your horse is in the Private mode (the follower) instead of the General mode.

When you go into the round pen to work with your horse first check to see how he responds to you. If he rubs his head on you or swings his rear end toward you then he's challenging your position in the pecking order. If you're with a horse that's not dominant you want to make sure he has confidence. Thus, be very careful not to be threatening.

About The Author

Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at www.horsetrainingandtips.com. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beerya.htm.


MORE RESOURCES:

San Francisco Chronicle

The healing power of pets
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 16 hours ago
Over the years, a plethora of data has been collected on the larger role dogs and other pets play in the health of people all over the world. ...


Holiday feasts are not for pets
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 16 hours ago
You’ll see our warnings about feeding repeatedly because around this time of year, every year, we see pets brought in with very preventable illnesses caused ...


A Happy Pet for the Holidays: Natural Remedies to Treat Animals ...
MarketWatch - 32 minutes ago
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass., Nov 20, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Does your pet misbehave when you leave the house? Whether you're entertaining or traveling for ...


Officials offer amnesty for exotic pets Saturday
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL - 3 hours ago
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will conduct one of its "pet amnesty days" on Saturday at the Jacksonville Zoo. ...
FWC to hold Pet Amnesty Day at Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens Chipley Florida Online Newspaper - Foster Folly News
Jacksonville Journal Florida Times-Union
all 3 news articles


Heartworm Disease Prevention Protects Pets, Wallets
MarketWatch - 18 hours ago
BATAVIA, Ill., Nov 19, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The American Heartworm Society strongly urges pet owners to continue year-round heartworm prevention ...


HOLIDAY SHOPPING GOES TO THE DOGS!
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 9 hours ago
It's all to benefit the Seattle Humane Society and there will be professional holiday-themed photos for pets and their owners, several pets available for ...
Pet Food Bank helps four-legged friends in need Issaquah Press
all 2 news articles


Pets Feeling the Tough Economy
KWCH, KS - 10 hours ago
Caring for pets however, is getting tougher. Many Americans simply can't afford the costs. And area vets say they've noticed a change over the past few ...


The Spokesman Review

Pampurr-ing pets, and owners
The Spokesman Review, WA - 2 hours ago
As an animal lover her entire life, Deeds is like many pet owners who consider their four-legged friends more than just companions – her two dogs and cats ...


Pet Scoop: Christmas Market event is just for the pets
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN - 4 hours ago
By Cindy Wolff (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Even though we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving, there are already holiday events to do with your pets. ...


For the love of pets
The Union of Grass Valley, CA - 2 hours ago
One of the themes that speaks of the holiday season is pets: Santa’s reindeer, especially Rudolph; puppies under the tree; catnip presents for the kitten of ...

Pets - Google News

home | site map
© 2007