How to Develop a Connection With Your Horse

 

Developing a connection or bond with your horse is the most important thing to do when it comes to horse ownership. 

For a horse to trust you, you need to develop a connection with it; by first off, understanding it. Not just that, but you need to also listen to the horse. You need to listen to what they are trying to tell you- we don't just teach and train horses and tell them what to do- they actually teach us too. They reveal who we really are inside our hearts and either change us, or they just bring out the best in us. Horses mirror our souls. They are also true heart healers. 

Therapy horses are used on either children or adults who have been abused or neglected or have suffered from extreme heart-break. These incredible horses really do heal peoples' hearts and change their lives forever. 

Horses sense what we feel, they know our emotions and our moods- and they can help us if we just listen to them and be kind to them and understand them properly. 

Owning horses isn't, and shouldn't be, just about making the horse do what only you want it to do. Horses are not machines, they are majestic, loyal, patient, forgiving creatures that God put on this earth for us to enjoy- but that doesn't mean we treat them with unkindness and only ever get them to work really really hard and do just what we want them to do for us-only. I definitely do not believe that's the way it should be. Horses deserve to be treated with kindness, and love- as does every animal.  

Creating a connection also requires for horse and owner to just simply be together, not working. Experiencing situations together. Hanging out and getting to know each other. That's how you build trust. And from trust, you build a deep relationship and connection. Here are the main ways to develop a strong bond and connection with your horse:

1. Okay so let's start off with how you greet your horse. 

The way you greet your horse every time will either deepen your connection, or weaken it- whether from the stall, pasture or paddock. Approach your horse passively. When you are passive towards your horse, you don't put up any resistance towards it. Allow your horse to meet you, rather than you going up in his face. Avoid rushing up to the barn and dragging him behind you with the lead. Breathe together and walk together, experiencing the moment together. 

2. Go for a walk. 

Most horses enjoy a change of scenery. Take your horse for a walk like you would with a dog. Even just in the pasture- but together. Walking with your horse, and not working it is showing the horse that you don't just approach him every time so that you can work him- but you approach him as a partner and to have fun together. That builds trust. 

3. Use your hands to create a bond and connection. 

Find where your horse loves to be scratched and spend time just either standing or sitting down with him either in his stable or out in the pasture and just treat him to lots of loving scratches. And be gentle, stroking his neck and mane now and then. This will show the horse that your touch is good- unharmful- and kind. 

4. Riding bareback. 

Riding your horse bareback actually helps to build a connection too. Because you actually learn to understand your horse more- when it's moving and your on it. When your on your horse's back, you feel their muscles moving underneath you with each movement they make. And your actually really connecting with your horse as you use your body to cue the horse to make different movements. Your feeling your horse and can feel when he responds to you. As your feeling the horse's back underneath you, and with each step your horse makes, your body also moves with the horse's movement. Together, as one, you are moving and working together as you understand each other, and communicate with one another. Riding your horse bareback also improves the rider's balance and seat a lot more than in a saddle. 

5. Brushing your horse. 

This is basically the same as gently stroking your horse- your showing your horse that your touch is good and that you would never hurt him. But something else about brushing is that in a herd, horse's will groom each other to show love and affection. You brushing your horse in a way mimics that exact behavior in the wild. Therefore, your horse will learn that you are his friend, not his enemy. And your bond will get stronger and deeper because of it. 

I really do hope this post helped you all and inspired you to work on building a deeper and stronger bond and connection with your horse. And I hope all these ways work effectively and that your horse will learn to trust their owner and just really feel that connection. And so that one day, in a difficult or scary situation, the horse will come to their owner because he trusts that person and will not flee from them- knowing that they love him and won't ever let anything bad happen to him. That connection between a rider/owner and his/her horse is the most important thing to build up in order to understand and enjoy the horse more and him, understand and enjoy that person more too. 💗

If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away.