07/21/2023
✨️"how do I calm down my anxious horse??"✨️.
1) GO LOOK IN THE MIRROR.
Are you anxious? Are you nervous? When you get up on that horse, is your body stiff and are your hands tight?
At least 50% of what makes a horse anxious, is you. Start off by hopping up in that saddle and relaxing. Loosen up the reins, take a deep breath, and quiet your mind. Correct things if need be but don't keep correcting after the behavior has been fixed. People aren't kidding when they say "leave your problems on the ground." I don't care if you ride one horse, or 17. You are not riding A horse, you're riding THE horse. Be in the moment. Whatever you have going on personally, don't let it affect the training session. That horse deserves your full attention. He deserves consistent and clear cues, and you can't do that if you're focusing on a million other things that have nothing to do with that horse and that moment. 9 times out of 10 I see the rider being the problem. Horses feel every single emotion that you have so if your energy is nervous, even subconscious, that is GOING to feed into the horse's energy and make them hot. Take a good long look at yourself before you try fixing something you might be causing 😊.
(I'll make a post soon about addressing the horse's nervous behavior once you've addressed yours).
