Many horse owners favour the best leather headcollars over synthetic varieties. As leather should break under pressure, they are considered safer and are advisable if you’re transporting horses. They’re also considered more comfortable for the horse, especially if they’re an ergonomic and padded style.

A good leather headcollar also looks very smart, and should be long-lasting if cared for correctly with one of the best leather cleaner and conditioners. Some leather headcollars also come with nameplates that you can engrave with your horse’s name, which also makes them one of the best personalised gifts for horse lovers.

Best leather headcollars

What is the best headcollar for travelling?

A leather headcollar is considered the best choice for safety reasons. In the event of an emergency, leather will break under extreme pressure or can be easily cut, reducing the risk of injury.

If you don’t wish to use a leather headcollar, you could also consider one of the best field-safe headcollars as they are also designed to break under pressure.

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Using one of the best control headcollars can be highly effective for managing young, strong or lively horses, providing better control during handling. Some handlers opt for leading horses in a bridle or chifney. While rope halters offer a finer aid, control headcollars do what the name suggests – increase your level of control.

Whether you’re hoping to work on specific groundwork, improve general handling or stop your horse being pushy, control headcollars can be useful. Some designs offer varying levels of influence as well as general use, while others should be used for in-hand work only and cannot be used for tying up.

It’s important to know that control headcollars are not suitable for tying your horse up as they are designed to tighten with pressure – they should only be used while training.

Best control headcollars for strong horses

What is a Dually halter?

The Dually halter was designed by Monty Roberts and functions as both a standard and training halter. Colour-coded for sizing, it works on the basis of pressure and release to provide more precise training signals than wrapping a lead rope, thanks to its quick pressure release. 

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The best rope halters are a popular choice for groundwork, training and everyday handling, as they offer lightweight control and clear communication without the bulk of a traditional headcollar. They are favoured by many riders and trainers practising natural horsemanship methods.

In this guide we’ll break down the best rope halters for horses, explaining key features such as material, thickness and fit. Whether you’re working with a young horse, refining groundwork or looking for a durable rope halter for regular use we’ll help you choose a reliable option for your needs.

It’s important to know that rope halters are not recommended for tying your horse up as they don’t have break points – they should only be used while training, rather than as a replacement headcollar.

Best rope halters for horses: H&H’s quick guide

Best rope halter for size options: Hunters Natural Horsemanship

Best rope halter for colour options: Weaver Leather Diamond Braid

Best budget rope halter: Rhinegold Rope Halter

Best decorative rope halter: Majestic Ally Padded Beaded Nose Braided

Best rope halters for training and everyday use

Longer lead ropes for use with a rope halter

When selecting a rope halter for groundwork, consider purchasing a longer lead rope (10-22ft). This added length is beneficial for delivering aids to your horse whether he is close by or further away.

The ropes commonly used in natural horsemanship are often heavier than standard lunge lines, which contributes to more precise communication. Some rope halters are sold with a rope, too, so factor that in when you’re looking at the prices.

How to tie a rope halter

Tying a rope halter correctly ensures that it doesn’t loosen or come undone, but it also allows you to undo it easily if your horse has pulled and tightened the knot. The image below shows how to tie a halter correctly.

The rope should go through the loop towards you (blue arrow). It then follows behind the loop (pink arrow) and back through in front of the loop (yellow arrow) so that the tail points backward.

Rope halter vs traditional headcollar

Rope halters offer greater sensitivity, versatility, and effective pressure release. Traditional web/nylon or leather headcollars are known for comfort, durability, and style variety.

The final choice depends on your specific needs and the horse’s preferences. However, unlike traditional headcollars, rope halters lack break points, so they are not recommended for tying horses up. It is best to reserve them specifically for training and groundwork sessions.

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Knowing how to handle a foal from an untouched state so they become a polite member of equine society is really important for their future. We’ve all handled poorly educated horses at some point, and frankly, it’s not always fun. Unhandled or poorly handled horses can be difficult to manage, and in some cases, even become dangerous.

As breeders and owners of foals, we have a responsibility to make sure our foals receive good quality handling. This early interaction with us establishes trust in humans, and a good foundation for training as young adults. Your vet and farrier will thank you, too!

When to start handling a foal

While this all makes sense, it’s not always clear how to progress. Some people suggest handling foals as soon as possible. I don’t show my mares and foals, however, so at the point of weaning the foals are unhandled. One of my mares can be very foal-proud and if left to it, she won’t let me near her foal for up to two weeks.

To mitigate against this, I feed her in the field every day from about a month before foaling. Even with a new baby, she can’t resist the rattle of a bucket! So my foals are used to hard feed before they are weaned, and personally, I find this so helpful when they are weaned.

Even before I was a mum myself, I hated hearing foals cry for their mums, and I find it even worse now. So I do the weaning slowly and in stages.

After speaking to in-hand showing buff Ian Boylan – handler and producer of Dakiora Royale, the reserve champion in the prestigious 2025 Price Family supreme in-hand championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) – who has seen countless foals and young animals come through his production yard, I was pleased to hear I’m not the only one who wants their foals to remain as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

“We actually have a stable block that I call ‘the nursery’, in which we keep the foals,” says Ian. “They can all see each other and we encourage them to pair up, and make friends with another foal so that they have as little stress as possible. Then they have three meals a day, and it’s important that they have a deep straw bed so that they are encouraged to lie down and relax.”

He adds: “We also allow them plenty of ‘play’ time together in the indoor school. It’s all really about their wellbeing.”

Even with the best of intentions, though, the reality is you’re left with an animal who has no idea how it’s expected to behave. So far this year alone, I have had two broken headcollars and just this morning, my now fairly civilised filly attempted to exit her stable over the door when I led her playmate out. So how do the pros do it?

How to handle a foal

“As well as our own foals, we have a number come into the yard for handling,” says Ian. “Some arrive untouched, and obviously, they are all different and they all move forwards in their own time, but we approach things in the same way.”

Ian stresses that it’s all about routine when approaching foal handling, and that each foal will progress differently.

“We just try to do everyday, normal things,” he says. “We teach them to lead, to stand still, to be groomed and to have their feet picked up. Everyone’s an individual, aren’t they? So, some come round really quick, and others take a little bit longer.”

How to teach a foal to lead

I always find teaching a foal to lead a sticking point. Given that putting pressure on even the most experienced of horses’ headcollars doesn’t necessarily work when leading them, it’s no wonder that it doesn’t work with an inexperienced foal whose instinct is to pull back against the pressure. So how does Ian do it?

“Horses don’t like pressure around their heads. So we use a lunge line with a loop at the wither. The rope goes then goes through the loop and round the foal’s bottom and back through the loop and the headcollar. That way, the pressure is increased around their bottom when you pull the rope, and the foal is encouraged to move forwards.

“We teach everything to move like that,” Ian affirms. “Once they’ve had that experience maybe two or three times, they realise that there’s nothing to be scared of, and they just go forward. It’s pretty straightforward, really.”

To be show ready, you will need your foal to be able to trot up comfortably beside you. Sometimes, foals find a person running beside them unnerving, so make sure you factor in plenty of practice before the big day, and be ready to revert to using the lunge-line around their bottom to encourage them to trot for the first few attempts.

Foal handling tips

I’m often alone in the stable block and have no phone signal, so I’m mindful of safety. Ian agrees it’s important to remain safe at all times – and H&H recommends wearing protective gear, including a riding hat and gloves, when handling foals.

With this in mind, he says: “We just try to keep it really simple and progress sensibly. For example, when it comes to picking up feet, start with the front legs, and once the foal is comfortable, move on to the hindlegs.”

I approach grooming with a similar path; I start with the bottom half of the neck, and progress to the wither and shoulder. Then I move further forwards around the more sensitive ears and head, and then I move over their backs, hind quarters, the belly, and finally, their hindlegs.

Ian says: “The same applies if you want to introduce rugs and so on – take it slowly and sensibly.”

“We don’t push them too much so they’re not stressed, and just do the same thing every day. It’s just a process of creating a routine and then that routine then just becomes the norm. You have to do everything in the same way every day – the unknown or change is something that unnerves them.

“Consistency, is key; I’m a bit regimented in the way I do it, but I think it makes the foal more relaxed because they know what’s coming next and they know what to expect so they become comfortable with it all.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025 and beyond, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Riding instructor and founder of The Power of Walk, Diana Waters, explains the benefits that can be enjoyed by you – and your horse – by slowing down and learning to be fully present in this article on how to introduce mindfulness into your equestrian life

As horse people, we often have two things in common: a deep love for horses and extremely full lives. Whether it’s juggling work, mucking out stables, or preparing for the next outing, slowing down can feel hard, almost impossible. But adding mindfulness techniques when you are with your horses can have a profound effect on both of you.

When time is tight and stress levels are high, it’s understandable that a sense of urgency seeps into our time with our horses. It might show up as a lack of patience during grooming, tension during schooling, or simply a feeling of being mentally elsewhere while tackling yard jobs. We all have those days.

But even a short pause can help us reset. Taking a moment to notice your horse’s movement, the sound of their breath, or the feel of their coat under your hand creates a small window of calm and connection. Mindful moments like these have proven health benefits, reducing stress, improving clarity and focus and helping us feel more grounded and calm.

The benefits can extend to your horse too. Horses are highly sensitive to human energy and the more calm, clear, and grounded you are, the safer and more settled your horse is likely to feel. It’s one of the most powerful training tools you have, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

How to introduce mindfulness with horses

Here are three exercises to help you become more present with your horse in your mind, as well as your body.

Breathe with your horse

Breathing is a simple yet powerful way to calm the nervous system and bring ourselves into the present moment. Horses breathe more slowly and deeply than we do, making them natural guides for regulating our own breath. By tuning into your horse’s breathing, you not only calm your body and mind, but this can also strengthen the sense of connection between you.

What you need:
Your horse, a headcollar and leadrope, and a quiet spot where your horse feels relaxed and is free from distractions or food.

Time:
3 minutes (or longer if you like)

Instructions

1. Begin with stillness.
Stand beside your horse and place a hand gently on your own chest. Take a few moments to let your body settle and your mind slow down.

2. Tune into your horse.
If your horse is comfortable with you doing so, place your hands gently on their ribcage. Pause and feel the gentle rise and fall of their breath beneath your hands. If your horse prefers not to be touched in that area, simply watch the movement of their flank instead.

3. Match your breathing.
Let your own breathing begin to follow the rhythm of your horse’s breath, inhaling as they inhale, exhaling as they exhale. Keep the breath soft and relaxed.

4. Notice the shift.
As your breath begins to align, you may notice a sense of calm spreading through your body. You may also find your horse becoming more settled and still. Allow yourself to stay with the rhythm for a few minutes, simply enjoying the shared quiet.

Mindful grazing

Spending quiet time beside your horse as they graze can be surprisingly calming. Horses naturally move slowly and deliberately when grazing, and this simple rhythm can help settle your nervous system too. Mirroring your horse’s movements is a gentle way to tune in and feel more present.

What you need:
Your horse, a grassy area, and a headcollar and leadrope. Alternatively you can do this with your horse loose in the field if it’s safe to do so.

Time:
3–5 minutes

Instructions

1. Stand beside your horse while they graze. Take a few calm, steady breaths. Let your shoulders drop and soften your focus.

2. Watch their front feet. Try to match your steps with theirs—when they take a step forward, you do too. You might find they step in a rhythm that’s easy to follow.

3. Notice their grazing pattern. Do they eat in an arc? Favour one side? Try gently moving your head as they do. This soft mirroring helps you stay connected to the moment.

4. Stay relaxed. There’s no pressure to “get it right”. If your horse walks away, either follow at their pace or let them be. You can always try again later.

5. Reflect on how you feel. After a few minutes, pause and notice any changes in your own body or state of mind – is your breathing calmer? Are you feeling less tension in your body? Or have you felt a shift in focus? Don’t place judgement on these changes, simply notice and acknowledge them.

Mindful grooming

Grooming can be a valuable opportunity to slow down, connect, and tune in with your horse. Mindful grooming is about shifting your focus from getting the job done to being fully present, observing your horse’s responses, noticing their body, and allowing both of you to settle into a calmer state together.

What you need:
A grooming kit, your horse in a safe space and ideally a quiet environment without too many distractions.

Time:
10 minutes (or longer if you can)

Instructions

1. Take a moment before you start. Stand quietly by your horse for around 20 seconds. Notice your breath, soften your shoulders, and let go of any tendency to rush or tension in your body. This helps you arrive fully in the moment.

2. Begin with intention. As you reach for the brush, remind yourself this isn’t just about getting the job done. It’s a chance to check in with your horse and yourself.

3. Focus on the physical connection. As you groom, pay attention to the feel of the brush in your hand, the texture of the coat, and how your horse responds. Notice areas where they lean in, twitch or flinch. Take your time.

4. Match your breathing to the rhythm of your grooming. Try to breathe slowly and evenly. Let your breathing guide your strokes. If you catch your thoughts drifting, gently return your focus to the present moment.

5. Stay observant. Use this time to scan your horse’s body for any changes—tight muscles, heat, swelling, or signs of soreness. This can help you spot issues early and adapt your training accordingly.

6. Finish softly.
When you’re done, take another slow breath. You might place your hand gently on your horse’s neck or shoulder and just stand with them for a few seconds before moving on.

You can also practise mindfulness with horses when you’re riding, as Diana will explain in a follow-up article.

Photography by Belinda Taylor

Location: by kind permission of C Horses Equine Assisted Therapy

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Teaching a horse to be good to handle means learning how to get a horse to listen. After all, if you have your horse’s attention, he’ll be more likely to follow your instructions.

“If I’m walking my horse along on a lead rope, I’m looking for signs he’s tuned in,” says liberty trainer Emma Massingale. “I should be able to feel his ear and eye on me, and he won’t be looking out over the fields or at his friends.

“When horses pull away from their handlers, you see it in the head position first,” she continues. “The horse will turn his head first and then shove his shoulder into the person holding them. Then, that’s it!

“People generally try and force the shoulder back to regain control, but strength never wins with horses. You actually need to start further back; your horse needs to want to be with you first.”

How to get a horse to listen: play to his strengths

“My favourite technique in getting your horse on side is to make sure the first thing you ask him to do is something he’s really good at,” advises Emma. “It could be literally anything.

“Maybe he’s really good at backing up, waiting to go through a gate, moving his quarters round, standing to have a hoof picked up or doing a baited stretch – it doesn’t matter. Anything you know your horse can do first time, and that you can praise him for, will be really motivating.”

As well is in groundwork, Emma adds that this approach works in a ridden context, too.

“Ask your horse to do something you know he likes off the bat, and he’ll want to listen.”

Use cues

Everyone loves to be told they’ve got it right, including horses.

“It’s really important that working horses understand when they’ve achieved a goal,” says Emma. “If they don’t, then they miss out on the motivation to do the next thing.”

While a treat or a scratch works well as a reward, timing can be tricky. Rewards need to be given quickly to mark desired behaviour.

“If you’re leading, or especially lungeing, it can be tricky to near impossible to deliver a scratch at the right time,” explains Emma.

“Let’s say your horse has just offered a perfect canter transition on the lunge. By the time you’ve called him in and given him praise, he won’t link that praise with the transition.”

Emma’s advice is to establish specific cue words or sounds that tell your horse he’s done something right.

“I use ‘good’ or ‘yes’, but it can be anything. It’s good to have a few options.”

How do you teach your horse the cue? Use it in step above!

“Start using the cue when he successfully completes a task he’s already good at, like backing up or lifting a hoof, and he’ll soon understand it means he’s done something right. He’ll feel motivated, which you can use to help perfect the things he isn’t so great at, or to teach him new things.”

Be the catalyst

Emma says handlers should forget trying to be the leader – they should aim to be the most exciting or interesting person in their horse’s life instead.

“The best-liked herd members are the catalysts for fun; the ones who engage the other members in play,” she explains. “When you open a gate to a new field, it’s not the leader who makes the first move. The horses who engage in play motivate the herd to hoon about and explore the new space.”

With that, Emma’s ultimate advice on how to get a horse to listen is to be the catalyst for fun and novelty for him.

“A client asked me recently how she could stop her horse from dragging her in from the field to patches of grass on the track. Brute force will never win, so I asked her to start doing transitions as she comes out the gate.

“A few strides of trot, then back to walk. As soon as she feels her horse’s concentration break, ask for a faster walk. The horse thinks: ‘I’d better stay with my owner, because I don’t know what’s coming next.’

“This has been working because she’s made herself more interesting to her horse than that patch of grass, and her horse was never left to his own devices to get distracted.”

Like owner, like horse

When asking for your horse’s attention, ensure you return the favour.

“Don’t leave the conversation with your horse to scroll on your phone or focus on something else,” warns Emma. “If you check out, your horse will too!”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Handling horses with confidence doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially if you have a horse who is tricky to manage or you don’t have the necessary experience. Fortunately, building confidence on the ground is usually a case of increasing competence and expertise, which comes from good guidance and preparation as you tackle this area.

There are degrees of the extent to which you may want to handle a horse from the ground, from leading horses in and out of the field to long-lining horses over poles. Regardless of the level, anyone with anything to do with handling horses needs to be competent. This applies to non-riders, too – for example the parent or other half who is roped in as a helping hand at shows, loading horses to competitions or just on the yard.

Horses soon clock if their handler doesn’t know what they’re doing, and while many may adopt a nannying role, there are plenty who will take control of the situation if their handler appears unsure. Confidence and competence are key.

Good groundwork is essential, whatever your level of experience, for the safety of the handler, the horse and everyone else on the yard. If a horse is tricky to handle, the best practice is to go back to basics to establish appropriate, safe behaviour. Do not be afraid to seek help from an experienced coach.

Right from the outset, horses should be taught to lead politely, to stop when asked, to wait and to back up. Horses weigh half a tonne, and so you need to establish trust and communication, and set boundaries of personal space, because if they throw their weight around, you are going to be at risk.

4 areas to boost your confidence in handling horses

1. Remember to trust in yourself

Debbie Hill of performance coaching business Ahead for Life says when we are worried about something the conscious mind can become overloaded and people can revert back to the learning stages, but by trusting that you know how to handle a situation, you can focus on the task at hand.

“When learning to drive a car at first you get in the car and you don’t know what you don’t know, that’s called unconscious incompetence,” explains Debbie. “Then you learn about the clutch and gear stick and what you need to do, and that’s called conscious incompetence and you’re aware of what you don’t know.

“Once you pass your test you have reached conscious competence, where you’re aware of what you’re doing but you still need to think about. Then when you reach expert level in something, it becomes unconscious competence, for example you drive to work and don’t really think about how you got there.”

“To be able to perform anything really well we need to be in that unconscious competence because we need to be able to trust that we can do it. If you start thinking that something bad is going to happen then you can start believing it, and that’s all emotional thinking.

“You need to change that belief set and trust that you know what you’re doing, and in doing so you move towards logical thinking which allows you to move forward clearly.”

2. Take appropriate safety steps

Five-star eventer and BHSI coach Georgie Goss says simply being prepared and properly equipped for a task can instil confidence around handling horses on the ground.

“When you feel safe, you’re naturally more confident,” she says. “If your horse can be difficult to lead you’re going to feel safer using a bridle or a lunge line instead of lead rope, and wearing a hat and gloves, so you’re putting yourself in the safest scenario.

“If your horse is a bit fresh when turning them out for example and you’re not prepared, that’s often where things can go wrong. If you’re ready for these things, then if they spook or do something silly, you’ve got the right kit from a safety point of view, and you’re going to feel more confident in how to handle that situation.”

3. Learn to understand horse body language

Tina Canton of Tinderbox Sport Horses, a BHSI, UKCC level three coach, and Centre 10 advanced coach, recommends learning from others and not being afraid to ask for help.

“If you are struggling with confidence then spend some time with someone experienced in handling horses and get them to explain how they are reading them. A lot of people who have major problems on the ground don’t read the horse’s body language, because they don’t really understand it,” she explains.

“They might anthropomorphise and put human emotions onto the horse, but we’ve got to remember that they are herd animals and they read our body language a lot.”

“Some people try to deal with their horses by feeding them titbits or allowing them to run over the top of them and we have to remember that they are half a tonne of animal that could do us damage, so we need to understand how to handle them safely. By doing some research on what is the natural way of a horse, what is their herd instinct, and the owner can start to understand why the horse is reacting in a certain way and adapt accordingly.”

4. Put your CEO hat on

Tina says taking a step back and assessing things from a different perspective can also help.

“When people are lacking confidence with their horses, I ask them to look at how they perform in other parts of their life,” she explains.

“They might have a job where they have to make really big decisions, but when it comes to their horses they turn themselves inside out making decisions about what rug to put on. If you put your CEO hat on, or team leader hat, or whatever that role might be, then consider how you would make a decision if it was another aspect of your life.”

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Whether it’s due to bad habits, over enthusiasm or tension, being left dangling with one foot in the stirrup as your horse walks off can be a recipe for disaster. Lottie Buttler asked Jason Webb of Your Horsemanship how to train a horse to stand quietly beside the mounting block and to stay still throughout the mounting process

How to teach a horse to stand still for mounting

Teaching your horse to stand still while mounting is 90% groundwork. You need to be able to move your horse forwards, backwards and sideways. You should also be able to move away from him while he stands still for a minimum of 30 seconds — I call this parking. This work sounds easy, but it takes some practice.

What’s the best approach?

Before you attempt to position your horse near a proper mounting block, you need to de-sensitise him to the action of getting on and off the mounting block. Your horse should be comfortable with you jumping up and down alongside him at the very least. Then, to get him used to a mounting block, if you have a light weight one, pick it up, throw it in front of you and then follow, leading your horse.

When the horse is comfortable with that, start throwing it back past the side of him and following it. If you have a fixed or heavy block, use something else to simulate it, like a plastic water bucket. When the horse is fully de-sensitised to the block, he should be comfortable with you pushing it all around him, and even under him.

What’s the next step?

Once your horse is confident with the first two exercises, practice positioning your horse one step at a time beside an imaginary mounting block.

Try to do this while staying in front of them. I use a whip as an extension of my arm to gently encourage them to move forwards, backwards and sideways as required. Once in position, leave him “parked” until he relaxes, then give him a rub to reward him. Repeat until he is doing it easily and without question, before moving onto a real mounting block.

When you have your horse standing by the mounting block, expand on the rubbing by doing it all the way down each side, including from the mounting block. If the horse moves away, go back to the front and move him back into position by asking him to move the opposite way to how he stepped out of position. For example, if he steps forward, get him to step back. If he stepped back, bring him forward.

Once your horse can stand while you give him a rub all over from the mounting block, get down, lead him away and repeat. It’s the repetitions of this that make horses good to mount. Being able to do this three or four times in a row would be a good session.

What if my horse swings his quarters away?

Practice getting a turn on the forehand from the ground. Being able to do this is great for correcting horses that shuffle their hind end away when you’re about to get on.

Start by teaching your horse to do a static flexion. Static flexions are like carrot stretches, but you train them to do it as a response to the bit. Apply a gentle pressure on the bit and release when they stop moving and offer a bend. Eventually your horse will bend without moving.

Next, check your horse can move their hind end over from a simple gesture or cue. He should already be responsive to this from your previous work moving them forwards, backwards and sideways.

Once your horse is comfortable with static flexions and moving the hind end over, it’s time to put the two together. Stand to the left of your horse with the reins over their neck. Put your hands into a riding position from the ground then bend him to the right, rewarding him whenever he offers to bend. Your left hand on the left rein acts as a break if he moves forward. You can adjust your hands up and down the reins as you see fit.

To initiate the turn on the forehand, bend your horse to the right and follow their head round. As you do, you will get to a point that you can see the right side of your horse. From here cue your horse to move their hind end towards you. When he does move, watch his feet — the back legs should pivot around the right foreleg (turn on the forehand). Your horse is unlikely to do this straight away, so you may need to stop with the left rein and start again, or persevere until you see the correct step. Release and reward whenever you see a correct step. As your horse starts to realise what you are asking, he will respond to a light pressure on the right rein. Timing is key!

Then, if he tries to swing his quarters as you mount, you can pick up your right rein and he will step his hind end back towards the block.

Other useful tips to teach a horse to stand still for mounting

When you’re getting on, prepare your reins so you are able to shorten your left rein. This allows you to bring your horse around you should he move off as you’re getting on.

It is important that you and your horse are not in a hurry to move off. A good way to help with this is, after getting on and before you do anything else, work on your static flexions from the saddle. The horse might move off through habit, but work on the flexions until the horse can bend to the left and then to the right without moving.

After a week or two of being consistent with this, mounting issues should be a thing of the past. If you are still having issues while trying to teach a horse to stand still for mounting, this may be because the horse is physically uncomfortable, which could be a saddle-fit problem or a physical issue. In this situation I would organise visits from a professional saddle fitter, equine physio and vet. Remember, a horse in pain is impossible to train.

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Have you ever wondered how to stop your horse being pushy on the ground? Does he barge when you lead him or refuse to stand tied up?

Dr Gemma Pearson, a qualified equine veterinary behaviourist who is director of equine behaviour for The Horse Trust, says improving this sort of problem comes back to training the horse’s basic responses.

“A lot of people will say, ‘I walk and my horse walks and I stop and my horse stops’ but this can lead us into problems,” she says, explaining that the horse’s cue to walk or stop in that situation is the person’s legs moving.

“So then you tie the horse up and walk away. Your legs have moved, but now you don’t want to horse to follow you, so that can be a bit confusing for the horse. Or the horse follows you until you go up the ramp of the trailer and then the horse doesn’t follow you any more, so what’s the next thing people do? They put pressure on the lead rope.

“In the case of the horse stopping when you stop, if a wheelie bin falls over behind your horse and it jumps forward, you’ll probably be knocked to the side anyway, but the next thing you do is put pressure on that lead rope [which the horse doesn’t understand as a cue] and that horse is not looking at your body language. So it’s really useful to teach horses to go and stop from pressure from the lead rope.”

How to stop your horse being pushy: retraining the basis responses

Gemma starts with the horse in halt and without moving her feet, puts gentle forwards pressure on the lead rope.

She says: “As soon as the horse goes to step forwards, I release that pressure back to neutral. Then of course you have to start walking with the horse, but the key thing is that the horse’s cue to move forward is pressure from the lead rope.

“The easiest thing with teaching a horse to stop is to teach it back up because the same muscles are involved in backing up as stopping. Stand still, facing the horse, so you can watch what the hooves are doing. Put light pressure on the lead rope and as soon as a hoof lifts off the ground and starts to go backwards, release the pressure.

“The timing is so crucial to training the correct response here because the horse then starts to think, ‘Oh the way to make pressure go away when the pressure is backward is to step back, the way to make pressure go away when the pressure is forwards is to step forwards.’ And once the horse understands that, you can lead them forwards, you put backwards pressure on the lead rope and the horse will stop.”

Gemma says that once these responses are ingrained, in the scenario where a wheelie bin falls over and the horse shoots forward, they get to the end of the lead rope, feel pressure and stop.

She also gives an example of a situation where a young horse being trained to lead was useful. Her partner at the time was a farmer and rang her at work, at a vet hospital, to say her three-year-old stallion had cut its leg and needed vet attention. She told him to put the horse in the trailer and bring him in to work.

“He said, ‘But he’s never been in a trailer before’ and I said, ‘No, but I’ve taught him to lead correctly.’ So he arrived there and I asked how he was loading, and he said, ‘Yeah, I walked him up to the ramp and he went to stop and I put pressure on the lead rope and he stepped forward and then he was in the trailer.’ Obviously that’s not ideal – we want to practise before we take horses on journeys – but in this scenario, we had to get him up to my work.”

Pushy horses: they’re not naughty

Gemma says people often think bargy or pushy horses don’t respect humans, are naughty or think they’re the boss.

“None of that is true, it’s simply because we haven’t taught them to lead correctly,” she says. “So if you have a bargy horse just teach them to go forwards, to stop, to step back, and when you’re leading them, if they start to accelerate a little bit, just slow them down again.

“You’ll know if this works because horses shouldn’t change their head and neck position when you give them a lead rope cue. With bargy horses, what happens is they start to go faster than the person wants, often into the person, the person puts pressure on the lead rope and they raise their head in the air or they flex their head and neck or they bend their head and neck round to the side and that is their response to lead rope pressure. So just by teaching them to immediately slow off light pressure, these horses stop being bargy.”

Teaching horses to stand still

Gemma reiterates that in terms of teaching horses to stand still unless they are given a cue otherwise, it’s important not to teach the horse to follow your legs, as otherwise if the horse is tied up or in the trailer and you move away, it is receiving confusing signals.

To teach her horses to stand still she faces the horse, looks at it and at their hooves particularly.

She says: “Then I might take half a step back and if the horse tries to follow me, I’ll step them back to where they started and give them a scratch. Then I might take half a step and if they don’t follow me, I’ll go in and give them a scratch. I’ll build that up until I can walk all the way to the end of the lead rope and the horse doesn’t follow me.

“I may then put the lead rope over the end of the neck – if I’m in a safe enclosed space – and walk all the way round the horse and the horse doesn’t follow me. So they learn to stand still unless they’re asked to do otherwise.”

If you’re thinking about how to stop your horse being pushy, this is advantageous.

“A horse that stand still as a habit is calm as a habit, she says. “When we talk about bargy horses, they have a high level of arousal. Whether it’s excitement or stress, their level of arousal is too high and that’s why they start pushing into people.

“So teach them to stand still as a habit, to be calm as a habit, to step forwards and back off lead rope pressure. This means they are really light and then they develop their own self carriage [continuing at the same speed until cued otherwise] for leading correctly.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Horse liberty training is a growing movement in the equestrian community, so how does it work? In essence, it is a method in which horses are handled and ridden with minimal training aids and equipment, such as a neck rope, bareback pad or schooling whip, or perhaps nothing at all. The horse operates free from restraint, with no ropes or tools to keep them engaged. Rather, the relationship between horse and handler is the “glue” that keeps them together.

There are many different interpretations of liberty training – perhaps as many as there are liberty trainers. Additionally, each trainer has their own philosophy. For example, while one trainer might view the roundpen as a setting for liberty work, another might consider a small space a training tool in itself. That said, many trainers are united in underscoring what makes for successful liberty training: communication.

“People talk a lot about connection, but I think it’s a buzzword,” says Ben Atkinson, liberty trainer, performer and pioneer of the Ben Atkinson Method.

“It bypasses what liberty really is for me – the art of communication. If liberty isn’t working or falls apart, it is a clear sign of poor or confusing communication between horse and human.”

Jump to:

• History and evolution
• Purpose and benefits
• Approaches
• – Teaching cues
• – Reading and responding to body language
• – Target work
• Dos and don’ts

Liberty training: history and evolution

The roots of liberty work are as far-reaching and diverse as its practice today. However, one definitive development in the liberty training story is the work of Philip Astley, an English 18th-century cavalry officer, and later Sergeant Major, in the King’s Light Dragoons. His interest in horses progressed into trick riding, and, later, the birth of the modern-day circus.

“His work was designed to showcase discipline and trust, but there’s the slight illusion of freedom there,” says Emma Massingale, liberty trainer, free rider and adventurer. “You have to ask, is the horse co-operating voluntarily, or is it shaped through circumstances? With the confines of a small circus ring, does the horse have options?”

Emma acknowledges another, more everyday source of liberty – the mutual understanding between a working horse and his handler.

“Take a 19th-century milkman,” she says. “He and his horse would make the same round every day. The horse would learn where to stop, where the best hedgerows were to browse from, how to be calm when other horses passed and so on. Pretty soon, the milkman would barely need to drive the cart anymore, much less tie his horse at each house. The horse could take ownership of his own tasks because there’s mutual trust that each will respect and follow the routine with minimal prompts, if any.”

The origins of liberty training aren’t confined to the UK. Branches of modern liberty, especially in the US, find their roots in the California vaquero tradition. The vaqueros were Spanish cowboys who came to California in the 16th century as part of Spain’s colonisation of the Americas. In a nutshell, they trained horses slowly and meticulously, often bitless, prizing subtle communication and training horses to respond to the lightest touch.

Other traditions are rooted in studying equine behaviour and body language in their natural environment and replicating these observations in training. Renowned US natural horsemanship trainer Monty Roberts spent much of his youth watching wild mustangs near his Nevada home and, from his findings, developed his signature Join-up technique. This, in turn, inspired other trainers such as Kelly Marks, who together with Monty founded the Intelligent Horsemanship movement.

Today, liberty is seen as an alternative way to train that champions communication, bond between horse and handler and equine wellbeing. Trainers note that there is a growing appetite for liberty training among a wider audience.

Yvet Blokesch, founder of Feather Light Academy, explains: “When I started, I was the weird girl doing groundwork with horses. People hadn’t really heard of it. Even 10 years ago it was rare to see.

“Now, with social media and courses online, it’s becoming way more popular.

Emma adds: “People seem to be having a look around for alternatives rather than sticking to traditional methods – it’s a good thing.”

Purpose and benefits

There is no one end result when it comes to liberty training. Some trainers can use liberty to teach high-level lateral and collection movements, such as half-pass and piaffe, while others work with entire teams of horses at liberty. For Emma, the mutual understanding and bond between horse and handler is the most important result.

“My passion is going out with my team at liberty into any environment, with many distractions that don’t influence the connection with my horses,” she says. “When I take them up onto the moors, they aren’t tempted to go off with the wild ponies or to graze. Our relationship is the most enticing thing.”

For Ben, one key benefit for the horse is an owner who’s willing to listen.

“Observing, reading and adapting to the horse’s actions and expression gives the horse much more of a voice than traditional styles of equine sport,” he remarks. “Tradition relies on verbal and tactile cues only, and often makes seeing and adapting to body language much more challenging.

“Broadening our equine ‘vocabulary’ in this way means that, once we’re confident and competent, daily life becomes easier,” adds Ben. “From leading to and from the field to standing at the mounting block or entering new environments, liberty arms us with the tools we need to guide our horses like never before.”

Ben warns that liberty shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all.

“It’s not a silver bullet to fix all issues. Nor is it a magical sport that allows out-of-work horses to make a miraculous comeback. I think these false perceptions come from the very ‘Instagrammable’ side of the liberty world that gives hope to people who feel lost. Liberty is just another option when it comes to equine sport.”

Yvet explains that liberty unlocks a high level of trust because a well-practised trainer can show horses that their signals are being read.

“Whenever I’m training a young or new horse, I don’t ask anything of them,” she says. “First, I show that we can communicate in a way that’s familiar, responding to small signals that let them understand that it has meaning to me. It makes them feel good, they are calm and relaxed with you, and that’s where the connection comes from; that’s why he wants to stay connected with you.”

She’s also witnessed horses become more outgoing.

“With a shy horse, you can’t just go ahead and play with them,” she explains. “They don’t know what to do with all that energy.

“But if you listen to their signals very carefully, you see the moments where they open up and become curious or expressive. You can encourage that. Then, they start to feel free to express themselves, and working with you feels good.”

Yvet’s practice sees her teach horses self-carriage and dressage movements from the ground – all bitless.

“Always needing contact through the rein with a bit never made much sense to me,” she says. “So, I don’t teach horses on the bridle then take the bridle away; I teach new things on the neck rope.

“You can prepare horses for everything on the ground,” she continues. “You let them feel what it’s like to keep their own body in balance. And when they get self-carriage, I always give my hands or reins to the horse, even if it’s just for a split second. This helps him feel like ‘oh yes, I can do this myself’.

“It’s so beneficial for whatever you want to do under saddle.”

Approaches

Just as many different liberty training philosophies coexist, so too do trainer methods. That’s not to say they are all mutually exclusive, and trainers will use a combination of tools depending on the horse, the environment or desired result. We discuss some of our experts’ approaches below…

Teaching cues

Much of Emma’s liberty training takes place in open fields and wild spaces. What keeps her liberty team engaged? A vocabulary of cues that not only refer to specific commands, but “yes” and “not quite”, too.

“We think nothing of training our dogs, and really there are so many similarities,” she adds. “We teach dogs verbal cues, hand signals and body language. All of this allows you to communicate mutually, teaches them how to work with you and keeps their attention.”

Emma explains her cue-teaching method in this introduction to liberty training. However, in a nutshell, teaching cues uses a horse’s natural pattern-learning capabilities to learn new skills.

“I don’t like to use ‘no’, it’s so negative,” she explains. “Horses love to be told they’re great, so a ‘no’ can derail their motivation, which is exactly what we don’t want for liberty.

“Instead, I use a brief ‘shh’ to say, that’s not quite right. It encourages them to keep searching for the answer.”

Reading and responding to body language

Ben Atkinson’s method forces the handler to be acutely aware of the horse’s whole body – as well as their own.

“Good liberty is about translating our desire to the horse via tactile, visual, verbal, body language and footwork signals,” he explains. “In return, we employ our powers of observation and perception to analyse the horse’s body language and signals. These signals let us interpret the horse’s confidence, competence and consent, and we can adapt our communication style accordingly.”

Ben’s signals in action take many forms. A slight turn of the body might tell the horse to change direction, or the brush of a whip might ask for a bow. What’s clear is that Ben can produce the full range of equine motion from the ground, totally at liberty.

“Another huge positive for liberty-trained horses is the opportunity to learn movements,” he adds. “They can learn the simplest canter transition all the way to canter pirouettes without the burden of a rider’s weight or variable balance.”

Target work

One aspect of Yvet’s work is to encourage the horse to use targets.

“These aren’t physical targets that I hold,” explains Yvet. “But when I go further into liberty work, I’ll use my belly or my shoulder as a target, or a point for the horse to hook on to and move towards.

“It becomes something that they’re searching for, a focus. I can then ask for them to circle around me at liberty, or learn lateral movements, anything like that. They understand what to aim for, and it makes them eager to work with me.”

Liberty training: dos and don’ts

If you’re looking to start beginner liberty work, our experts share their dos and don’ts to help you make a success of your first sessions.

“A pitfall I often see is people getting so obsessed with learning liberty, that it becomes all about the person and not about the horse,” says Emma. “Turn your obsession to your relationship with your horse and embrace the journey you go on.

“You might get faster results in a roundpen, because a horse doesn’t really have any other option. It’s fine to work in a roundpen, but it’s important to respect the power that space has. Check in with yourself, your practice and aim to work in a variety of spaces – the wilder, the better.”

Ben advises matching the level of intensity to the horse.

“The trainer dictates the intensity of liberty training, like any equine pursuit,” he explains. “A 21-year-old arthritic heavy horse shouldn’t be asked to learn piaffe-passage transitions at liberty.

“Those wishing to practise liberty with horses with injury history or in the horse’s twilight years should consider the same things as a rider,” he continues. “For example, you could make circles larger and turns shallower, while being conscious of challenging terrain. Just because the horse is loose with no tack or rider doesn’t mean its body is under zero strain.”

When done thoughtfully, groundwork and liberty are wonderful options for younger and older horses.

“Personally, I find the benefits of liberty for general handling, loading, riding and carriage driving highly advantageous,” adds Ben. “Do have a go; don’t write it off before you’ve tried it. Do expect it to be confusing and humbling at first, and don’t let one bad session let you lose hope. Don’t rush, but keep going.”

Yvet’s also mindful of the tempting pull of progress.

“Don’t go towards that teaching phase too quickly, because you first want to have that initial connection coming from the horse,” she says. “You want the horse choosing to be with you, not made to stick to you.

“Do be really aware of all the signals that your horse is giving,” she adds. “When you work with your horse, you have to be very aware of what he’s looking at, where his ears are pointing. I always walk in the opposite direction to where the horse is looking. This automatically draws him with you again.”

Working with horses at liberty is a dream for many riders and, while it won’t happen overnight and progress is rarely linear, the fruits of your labour could be sweet indeed.

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You may be familiar with dog agility, where dashing dogs and their enthusiastic owners tackle a range of obstacles. Did you know, though, that horse agility is a thing, too?

What is horse agility?

Horse agility is a form of groundwork that you can do with your horse at home, as well as an international competitive sport that focusses on clear communication and positive horsemanship. It helps you build a stronger relationship with your horse, giving handlers the opportunity to refine their communication, especially when working their horse at liberty. And as it’s in-hand it’s also suitable for horses (and donkeys) who can’t be ridden, young, unbroken horses or for retired or older horses to keep them engaged and interested.

The Horse Agility Club

Founder of The International Horse Agility Club Vanessa Bee is responsible for launching the discipline as a competitive sport and popularising it across the world. She set up the club in 2009, and now there are events and fun taster sessions across the UK as well as monthly online competitions.

“The beauty of it as a sport for me is that it’s so inclusive,” says Vanessa. “From the beginning, I wanted to create a non-elitist equestrian sport with cheap or free obstacles. You don’t need to be turned out to show standard — this is about good horsemanship, not looking good. We want everyone to have a chance to compete whatever their physical or mental abilities. The online competitions allows us to involve people who don’t have their own transport. In fact, all you need to take up horse agility is a headcollar and a long rope.”

Everyone competes over the same course each month and sends in a video entry, but you can choose your own training approach. The aim is to guide your horse gently and kindly, with as little pressure as possible.

Horse agility equipment

The only essentials you need to get started are a headcollar/rope halter and long rope (at least 10ft). Bridles aren’t allowed as the aim is for your horse to respond to body and verbal cues. Whips are also not allowed.

If you’d like to try at some of the obstacles at home, however, you’ll need some basic arena equipment, such as trotting poles and cones. Some of the more specialised equipment, such as the curtain, you can try making at home.

Horse agility obstacles

There are lots of horse agility obstacles to try and they range in difficulty – the harder ones are introduced as you progress through the levels – they include…

• Tunnel
• Seesaw
• Jump
• Passing through a curtain
• Weaving poles/cones
• Hoop
• Water
• Crossing a tarpaulin
• Roll ball
• Passing through a trailer
• Carry a light load
• Pick up feet
• Step onto a podium
• Stand still in circle
• Pass through a narrow gap
• Back up between two poles
• Back up over poles
• Walk through labyrinth/S-bend
• Climb through branches/poles
• Crossing a bridge
• Passing through a gateway
• Crossing over an A-frame

“An easy obstacle to try for a beginner is the S bend,” says Vanessa. “This is a labyrinth made of poles in which the horse has walk through corridor in the shape of an S without stepping out or touching the poles. This really teaches people to slow down and steer each foot of the horse individually. Other beginners’ obstacles include walking through a curtain, through a narrow gap or over a tarpaulin.

As you progress, the obstacles get harder. One of the most difficult is the pole back up. The horse must back up over a pole without touching it. It sounds easy, but it’s not — you have to learn to establish a rhythm and encourage the horse to lift his feet over the pole. The obstacle where the horse steps into a hula hoop can be equally frustrating. People always think the big obstacles like seesaws or hoop jumping are tricky but these are easy once you have the trust of the horse.”

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The originators of natural horsemanship are widely considered to be Tom and Bill Dorrance, raised in the early 1900s on an Oregon cattle ranch. They promoted a kinder, less violent form of horse training than was typical at the time, and influenced later trainers including Monty Roberts.

Many natural horsemanship trainers focus on groundwork to establish a connection with their horse and teaching them to respect space. They tend to challenge the “this is how we’ve always done it” way of thinking.

What is ‘natural horsemanship’?

Tricky to define and deemed a controversial subject by some – particularly when it comes to Parelli – we asked well-known names in the world of ‘natural horsemanship’, as well as riders competing in mainstream disciplines, what the term means to them.

Monty Roberts, an American whose methods were first put before a UK audience by The Queen more than 30 years ago, is perhaps the first name that springs to mind with natural horsemanship. Monty himself, however, dismisses the term.

“There is nothing on this earth that could be considered ‘natural horsemanship’. It’s fine that it becomes a brand name for an individual, however it’s impossible to consider anything that we do with horses as natural, when they are designed to be grazing large tracks of land, able to see for significant distances in all directions.

“I love the fact horses will allow us to be unnatural enough to become willing partners with us. We owe them good horsemanship; that has been my aim.”

Your Horsemanship’s Jason Webb agrees, saying he doesn’t describe himself as a ‘natural horseman’, as he feels the term has moved away from the common sense, practical-based training he uses and promotes.

“I grew up in Australia learning and developing methods handed down through generations that use the horse’s natural instincts to train the horse,” he says.

The idea that many aspects of natural horsemanship are integral to conventional training is something trainer and former eventer Kath Pinington and dressage rider Laura Milner agree on.

“To me, a lot of the techniques are just good, common sense horsemanship. What the most successful natural horsemanship trainers have done is to put those techniques into an orderly fashion so that people can learn them,” says Kath.

Laura Milner has used natural horsemanship trainer Guy Robertson for some of her more challenging youngsters, and says she is comfortable with using aspects of natural horsemanship within her own dressage work.

“Watching Guy work, it has been very much based on teaching the horse about respecting space, starting with groundwork and going from there,” says Laura.

Kelly Marks, founder of Intelligent Horsemanship, says for her it’s about thinking from the horses’ point of view and developing feel and timing, rather than relying on brute force and fear.

“We take the best non-violent aspects of traditional horsemanship and combine that with the latest science available. Our aim is always to do the very best for horses as well as helping the horse/human relationship, which is vital,” she says.

Gary Witheford, whose website describes his system as “sound horsemanship” agrees the people part of the relationship is fundamental.

“Getting people to change their ways, to stop saying ‘this is how we’ve always done it’ is key. Once they understand the use of pressure/release, for example, to reward horses for coming forward, everything becomes easier,” he says.

For former international eventer turned trainer Tracey Dillon, natural horsemanship is just the new name for aspects of basic good horsemanship.

“It brings together different aspects under one banner, but is limited by the concepts involved, as a specific type of natural horsemanship only includes what suits that person’s philosophies. If you only stick to [a certain type of] natural horsemanship the benefits of combining other systems to tailor interactions and therefore communication with each horse individually, are lost,” she warns.

While the term natural horsemanship might bring to mind connotations of horse whisperers in Stetson hats, there’s no doubt the non-violent training philosophy that sits at its heart should be considered a step forward.

“Remember, we broke horses using abject violence for almost 6,000 years. It’s time to take pride in the changes that are being made,” says Monty Roberts.

Natural horsemanship training for beginners

There are a lot of trainers who offer natural horsemanship clinics, but with it being such a wide-reaching term there will be a lot of variation. If you’re interested in natural horsemanship and would like to learn more, it would be worth researching a range of trainers and considering whose methods you find most suited to you. Many horse owners like to ‘pick and mix’ methods and techniques used by different trainers. Read about their courses, watch their videos and read the reviews.

As it’s not a sport, there is no overall regulatory body and so no way of choosing an approved trainer. You can, however, find trainers that are approved by a particular training group, such as Intelligent Horsemanship. These trainers will have completed a number of training courses.

Natural horsemanship equipment

Followers of the training method tend to use similar kit and training tools to communicate with their horse.

Rope halter

A rope halter is made to put pressure on a smaller area so that you can give subtle aids more directly and precisely than you could with a headcollar. Check out this selection of the best rope halters.

Communication rope

Long ropes (like this one) allow you to give aids to your horse when he’s close to you as well as further away. Ropes used in natural horsemanship tend to be a bit heavier than a normal lunge line, which allows you to give more precise aids.

Contact stick

A contact stick (like this one) is used as an extension of your arm to give aids further away from you. They’re not flexible – like a whip would be – which means you can apply pressure or stroke very precisely.

Bitless bridle

Some natural horsemanship trainers prefer to use bitless bridles – we’ve rounded up the best bitless bridles for beginners.

Bareback pad

Riding bareback isn’t always comfortable, but a bareback pad, which is a thick pad with a soft bottom and a stiffer top, can help with this. You can attach a normal short girth to it.

Additional reporting by Georgia Guerin

You might also like:

Parelli Natural Horsemanship: what’s the verdict?

This month marks the 35th anniversary of Pat Parelli’s first seminar. H&H talks to the trainer himself and finds out

Monty Roberts: ‘There’s no such thing as natural horsemanship’

8 rope halters that give more precise aids for training

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What is groundwork?

Groundwork can include any sort of training you might undertake with your horse from the ground rather than under saddle. It includes in-hand work, lungeing and long-reining, as well as techniques like liberty training and horse agility. Almost all young horse trainers will use groundwork exercises as part of their process of starting young horses under saddle, even if they don’t refer to them as such.

When we talk about groundwork, this doesn’t mean simply leading horses in and out of the field, handling them on the yard and all the everyday chores that are part and parcel of managing horses. However, groundwork can certainly help with horses that are tricky to handle day to day, and enable humans to be better at reading and giving signals. It can help re-establish basics by working on the relationship between horse and handler.

But groundwork per se is more about a specific, unmounted training session working with the horse to build the bond between you, fine-tuning your confidence and trust in each other. It enables you not only to watch the horse as he moves physically, to help identify any stiffness or potential problems, but to learn to read body language and how the horse behaves and reacts. Groundwork has often been dubbed as “natural horsemanship”, but most people who practise it regularly would simply call it horsemanship, an integral part of training horses.

There are a wide range of horse training systems that use groundwork as a primary part of their system. Some of the best well-known include those developed by Warwick Schiller (Attuned Horsemanship), Tristan Tucker (TRT) and Pat and Linda Parelli (Parelli Natural Horsemanship), but there are many others.

Each system is different. Some are based on positive reinforcement, some focus primarily on building the relationship. There are those with roots in classical dressage, and those based on liberty, while traditional training from the ground, such as long-lining and lungeing will use elements of some of these systems, too.

What horses can benefit from groundwork?

Groundwork is beneficial in a variety of situations.

1. It’s often the first introduction a young horse has to training and learning to negotiate the human world as it can be introduced before they are mature enough for ridden work. When starting a horse, groundwork is also a great opportunity to teach the young horse basic cues and it provides a good base to start ridden work from.

2. It can be especially useful for horses and riders that struggle to communicate well with each other. Perhaps you feel they don’t understand what you are asking them to do from the saddle, or they are displaying some sort of behavioural issue. Many people start looking into groundwork hoping for a “cure” for horses that nap, won’t load and so on.

Groundwork can help with mutual understanding, as well as the horse’s proprioception and awareness of you.

3. For horses who are returning from injury and need to work through a rehabilitation programme, groundwork is a really useful addition to your routine. It will help focus the fresh horse by stimulating his brain and encouraging his focus on you as the handler – rather than being reactive to things around him.

It also gives variety when you have many weeks of walking ahead of you, as you can create new challenges, such as poles, cones, new commands, even liberty work, as your rehab programme allows. And it allows the horse to work without any weight directly on their back.

4. It adds variety to your training, giving you and your horse different options for a work session. This is great for engaging horses that are perhaps sour of the school, or showing signs that they are finding their regular work monotonous.

5. Almost any horse can do ground work sessions, even those that cannot be ridden (providing they’re not on full box rest) whether due to injury or age, or because they are too small for the available riders.

6. Groundwork can also be useful when the rider is injured – in some cases individuals are able to work their horse from the ground and maintain their horse’s training and some sort of fitness plan if they can’t do so in the saddle.

Benefits of groundwork

Groundwork is a useful way of establishing communication and connection with horses of any age. Working with the horse from the ground gives the rider/trainer the chance to visually assess the horse’s natural movement patterns (how they prefer to move their body) without the influence of the rider on board. This can provide useful information that can then be used to help formulate work in-hand, and under saddle, to improve a horse’s way of going.

The horse and handler can establish trust through groundwork and set useful boundaries around personal space, which can make the horse safer to be around. It can also be used as part of a training or rehabilitation programme to improve physical attributes, such as strength, coordination, flexibility and proprioception.

Horses with problems such as separation anxiety, loading, rearing, food aggression and so on, can benefit from groundwork to help change their pathways of behaviour.

In-hand dressage training is popular in Europe, but knowledge and uptake in the UK is increasing. Specific exercises, such as lateral work, can be worked on from the ground and some riders and trainers use groundwork when teaching new movements, such as turn on the forehand or leg yielding. Piaffe is also often introduced to the horse from the ground, allowing the horse to build the necessary strength for the movement without the weight of a rider on board.

It’s also a handy session for those who don’t have time to do a full ridden session. There is less kit involved, so less time spent tacking up, and there is less essential grooming.

In as little as 10 minutes you can work on a simple exercise that stimulates the brain and enhances the bond between you. In fact, little and often is a great way to build mutual understanding and good habits.

You may also be interested to read…

Interested in working horses at liberty? Here’s what you need to know about its history, approaches and best practice from expert horse trainers

How walk work over poles benefits equine rehab and strength

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Clicker training is popular in the dog training world, but many people use clicker training for horses, too. It’s a method of positive reinforcement training, which means a reward is offered in response to a desired behaviour. The theory is that by rewarding the behaviours you want to see, your horse is more likely to reproduce these behaviours again in the future.

What is a clicker?

A clicker is a small mechanical device that makes a sharp noise when pressed. It’s used as a marker to communicate the exact moment of good behaviour. You could use other distinctive sounds, such as saying “yes” or “good,” a whistle or a cluck of your tongue, but using a clicker is more clear cut and contains no emotion, so it’s more consistent and your horse is more likely to respond.

How does clicker training work?

Using a clicker is a way of marking a moment. There’s nothing special about the noise, except that it’s not something your horse is likely to hear elsewhere. By always following up the click with a reward, your horse will learn that the click indicates a reward is on the way. The clicker communicates the exact moment your horse does what you want, so the timing of the click is essential and every click must be followed by a reward.

Horses learn at different speeds. Some will make the connection quickly, while others will require a number of sessions.

How to introduce clicker training to your horse

You’ll need a clicker with a wrist strap (like this one), some horse treats, and a bag that you can put them in that keeps your hands free – a small bum bag (like this) is ideal.

To begin with, it’s important that you teach your horse how to behave during training. He must learn not to nudge or sniff the bag for treats. Instead, use the following steps to teach your horse to be polite, look straight ahead and wait for the treats to come to him. This process will help your horse understand that the clicker is part of training, rather than just being associated with food.

• Stand to the side of your horse in a position that allows you to easily move out of the way if necessary.
• Take a treat from the bag and hold it in your hand. If your horse tries to take the treat, ignore him and ensure that he does not receive the treat.
• When your horse give up and looks away, click the clicker and instantly give them a treat.
• Repeat this exercise from each side.

Keep the sessions short – no longer than 10 mins at a time – and feed your horse away from the bag so that he can’t steal treats.

How to use teach your horse with clicker training

Once your horse understands the basics, you can introduce the clicker to your normal training routine. Think carefully about what you want to teach your horse and break down the training step by step.

A good action to begin with is teaching your horse to touch an object, such as a cone, with his nose.

To do this, first click and reward your horse when makes a movement towards the target, however small it is. Follow this up by clicking and rewarding every step of the behaviour, so that every movement towards the target earns a click and a treat. Continue in this way until your horse touches his nose on the target and fully understands the command. Once he fully understands what you’re asking of him, you can add a vocal cue.

Once your horse starts to offer the behaviour more frequently, wait until the touch is more dramatic – for example, when your horse come from a few feet away to touch the target instead of a few inches. You can increase the difficulty by looking for “duration”, which is when your horse touches the target and keeps his nose there for a few seconds.

Once a behaviour has been learnt on command and is performed consistently, the clicker and treat can be phased out. You can apply this method to any action or behaviour you’d like to teach your horse to produce on command.

You might also like:

The best treats for your horse – because they’re worth it!

Why a pat on the neck isn’t what your horse would choose and how to use rewards effectively in training

Interested in working horses at liberty? Here’s what you need to know about its history, approaches and best practice from expert horse trainers

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Leading a poorly trained or ill-mannered horse can be one of the most stressful parts of your day. Emily Donoho looks at ways to instil politeness into your horse from the ground

Leading a horse, a simple, daily necessity, can be one of the most fraught moments of your day. Do you find yourself waterskiing behind your horse, or dragging him behind you? Does he dive for grass at any opportunity? Is he crowding into your space and running you over? Do the staff at your livery yard dread handling him?

Even if you’re an experienced handler and don’t mind a slightly pushy horse, you never know who else will have to handle him, so teaching him to lead politely is better for all concerned.

Colorado trainer Amy Feineman says: “Imagine that, for whatever reason, a three-year old needs to lead your horse. Or maybe it’s your elderly dad, or a student accidentally catches your horse instead of the another horse that looks similar. All three are situations I’ve seen, including my poor dad trying to lead a horse to a trailer while evacuating from a fire.”

Groundwork exercises to help with leading a horse

With a bit of time and straightforward groundwork exercises, your horse can learn to walk calmly and quietly at your side and at whatever pace you decide. This makes him safer and more pleasant for anyone who has to handle him.

The first thing the horse needs to learn is how to yield to pressure, one of those basic skills that should have been taught when he was halter-broke, but, as Amy points out: “It is often a bit of a training hole.”

Push on any part of his body; as soon as he yields, stop pushing. With your hand, you put a little pressure on his nose or his poll, and as soon as he drops his head, release him.

Amy explains: “An easy, and important, one is to grab the top of the lead nearest the head with one hand, thumb towards your horse’s chest, and gradually apply pressure towards the chest until the nose drops in.”

Once you’ve trained him to give his head, add a little more pressure until he offers to back up, then release. Now you’ve trained him to back, which is important for the next step.

Once he’s quickly and consistently yielding to pressure, it’s time to take a walk.

“Decide how far behind you your horse should be and walk to that distance ahead of him while he stands. Take a few steps with the horse following behind you, then stop,” says Amy.

If the horse does not follow, put a little pressure on the rope until he does, or if he sneaks up behind you, nearly crashes into you, or tries walking past you, reverse him several steps, then ask him to stand quietly for a minute.

The next few weeks of your life will be spent walking everywhere this way: short bouts of forward, with corrections when the horse gets it wrong. But soon enough he will be following at whatever distance you decide, and you can practice varying the speed, using the same techniques of stopping and backing to reinforce the idea of matching your pace.

The pitfalls to avoid

The biggest pitfalls are timing and lack of consistency. You must release the pressure the instant the horse responds to the aid, or he won’t understand what you want.

Amy adds that consistency is critical. “Even if you don’t really mind if your horse sneaks up a little or occasionally gets ahead, if the horse learns you will give an inch, when it really matters he may take a mile!” she says.

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While there isn’t a fast-track way to make you a better rider, lungeing sessions are the next best thing. Here

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Jason Webb of Australian Horse Training is a renowned UK-based horse trainer with a passion for starting young horses, solving equine problems and teaching riders of all abilities and ambitions develop and strengthen the partnership they have with their horses. Here Jason gives a H&H forum user advice on how to handle her horse that "doesn't know the meaning of personal space"

Q: “My horse doesn’t know the meaning of personal space. I have a Welsh section C yearling colt who is an absolute sweetheart most of the time. He just wants cuddles and treats, but he walks in front of me and practically runs me over trying to get my attention. I try shooing him away with a lead rope but he just keeps coming back, plastic bags don’t work as he thinks there’s food in them. I would love to teach him tricks as I do that with my older horse but I need to get him out of my personal space first. He is not gelded and has not dropped yet. He will be gelded once the flies have disappeared. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?”

A: This is a quite common handling problem for horse owners. Most people love their horses, and the idea of being assertive in order to achieve a movement doesn’t always come naturally, but it is very important that you make sure you are a calm, consistent and decisive handler, particularly with a bold yearling.

You need to remember that if it takes longer than the magic three seconds for your horse to respond to your ‘ask’, it means you have turned your ‘ask’ into a ‘nag’! Your horse may well stop looking for answers and start to look to evade you or just walk over the top of you. We’ve all had a conversation with someone who talks and talks and doesn’t get to the point, leaving us either bored, frustrated or with our minds wandering; don’t be that person when you handle your horse! If he doesn’t respond to a gentle ask, you need to tell him assertively and once he has responded, leave him alone.

Timing is a fine art but be quick to see when your horse does the right thing, don’t keep asking when they give the correct response otherwise this will just make them switch off. The reward to doing the right thing is you leave them alone (you can give them a stroke too of course!).

Continued below…

Related articles:

• H&H forum: find out what H&H readers suggested
• Find out more on horse training
• Essentials for starting a young horse

Being able to control your horse’s movements is the key. If you haven’t already, I would invest in a good quality rope head collar and use this whenever you are handling him, as horses like this know how to lean on a traditional halter, which makes it very difficult to control their movements.

A good starting point is to get your horse to look at you with both eyes when you are working with him, as a horse can’t move past you or into you when they have to keep looking at you. To do this, at first you will have to use a ‘bump’ on the halter, rather than a steady ‘pull’ on the lead rope, which horses learn to lean against. Trying to describe movements in an article can be confusing, so here is a relevant video that I hope will help.

In your letter, you also describe him enjoying treats and lots of affection. I don’t give my horse treats unless I am using them specifically for training purposes, when they are given to the horse when he has performed a particular exercise after a specific cue.

If you’ve ever seen my horse Diesel at demonstrations he picks up a hat and even bows but this was taught with treats. Used in this way, they are particularly useful for trick-training, so I would advise you not to give treats to your yearling as you won’t be able to use this method when training tricks in the future. I am also a great believer in letting youngsters grow up without too much contact with humans as they can get over-familiar and a bit ‘cocky’ like your chap. Whenever you do handle him, treat it as a lesson, so you are more likely to handle him with more authority while still being fair.

To improve yourself and your horse you are going to have to practice and persevere. Give yourself challenges, such as my monthly ‘Your Horsemanship’ challenges from on my online training resource www.yourhorsemanship.com and don’t be afraid to get help at this stage with your yearling; it is best to get on track with him now rather than when he is big and strong! I wish you every bit of success with him in the future.

Jason

For more information on Jason Webb visit his online training base Your Horsemanship, where you can learn a foundation in horse training with online lessons in groundwork, starting, and ridden fundamentals

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Last week was pretty tough as we had to say goodbye to Dodge, our wonderful Collie dog.

Penny and I bought him when we first moved in together back in 2002 and he has been by my side ever since. Dodge’s favourite thing in the world was to run up and down the side of the arena “rounding up” the horses. Not only did all the horses that came on training become very desensitised to dogs, but Dodge kept himself fit, happy and healthy in the process! At the age of thirteen and with a number of ailments, he had a brilliant innings and will be very hard to replace.

A lot is said about animal intuition and over the years Dodge’s instincts about horses became so honed that he was almost like an extra pair of hands on the yard.

As soon as a horse arrived or it got led out of its stable in the morning, Dodge would react in one of two ways. He would either stay lying down or he would get excited and run to his position at the side of the arena. If the latter happened, the horse without fail would either be fresh or tricky, even if to the human eye it looked perfectly calm and relaxed. Dodge’s instincts were so reliable, that if a client came to ride their horse, I would get on first if Dodge showed me the signs!

When working with horses, we have to remember that they also have strong instincts, although they have the instinct of a prey animal, rather than those of dogs, which are predatory.

Horses will see changes in their environment that are overlooked by the human eye, hence they will seemingly spook at nothing. Although most established horses will put up with changes in your actions and mood, sensitive, young or unhandled horses will instantly pick up on your body language, which is why it is so important to leave your worries at the gate and remain calm, consistent and decisive in all your interaction with them.

I used to believe that I could train a horse for anyone to go on with, but I have had horses come to me as remedial cases that have done well but reverted to their difficult behavior as soon as their owners have arrived on the yard, demonstrating that horses do make associations with individuals. In these cases it’s down to me to try and change the owner’s habits and body language in order to develop a better relationship with their horse.

On the yard at the moment, I have the usual mix of young horses in for starting and some remedial cases, including a very spooky mare. Her behavior caused her rider to lose confidence in her, which has led to a downward spiral in their partnership.

I am tackling the problem by going through a programme that I use on similar horses, which teaches the horse to face its fears, think and be rational about situations.

Once I feel that there is a significant improvement, it will then be a case of teaching the owner how to handle the mare and hopefully their partnership will go from strength to strength.

On the polocrosse front, the UK team had their last tournament together before we head out to South Africa on Thursday.

I was thrilled with how my new young horse, Sea Breeze, went; she has the potential to be the best horse I have ever had. She was bred by Alan Kent, a former England polo player, and he realised early on that she was a little too “busy” for polo, so she came to me.

This type of horse does not suit everyone but the balance, athleticism and power that she possesses is very exciting, even though it requires some careful handling while she learns the game.

The team is very positive and we can’t wait to get out there and draw our pool of horses. Our first game is on 3 July against Australia, when I will play against my brother-in-law, Will Weston. Hopefully we’ll still be on good terms afterwards!

Jason

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Lungeing is often seen as a time-saving workout, one that riders can carry out en route to the office – but when undertaken correctly, it can be a really beneficial activity as long as it is not overused. When you can only grab a short respite between downpours, you might decide this time could be better spent lungeing your horse, than hacking him round the block, and choosing the best lunging aids to suit your horse may help.

However, according to Kathryn Nankervis of The Equine Therapy Centre, Hartpury College — who is about to publish a paper on the pros and cons of training aids — and consultant osteopath Liz Launder, this is only true if you are lunging your horse correctly and in an aid that is appropriate to his level of training, his conformation and way of going.

Best lungeing aids

Pessoa (or Pessoa-style training aid)

Manufacturer’s claim: creates a fluid contact. Its sympathetic ropes and pulleys encourage the horse to use the correct muscles and to work in the perfect shape

Liz and Kathryn use it to: limit extension of the hindleg. Lower the head and neck if placed low, or compress the neck if set higher

View now at amazon.co.uk

Kincade Chambon

Manufacturer’s claim: encourages the horse to lower his head by applying poll and bit pressure when he raises his head too high. This pressure is released when he lowers his head

Liz and Kathryn use it to: lower the head and extend the neck

View now at viovet.co.uk or amazon.co.uk

Kincade De Gogue

Manufacturer’s claim: helps build muscles for a rounded outline

Liz and Kathryn use it to: lower head and neck. Can also be used in higher position to raise head and neck

View now at viovet.co.uk or equus.co.uk

EquiAmi

Manufacturer’s claim: helps the horse to step under from behind, using his back and lifting his shoulders, working into a soft, equal contact

Liz and Kathryn use it to: limit extension of hindlimb and lower head and neck.

View now at ebay.co.uk

Bungee reins/side reins

Liz and Kathryn use bungee reins to: lower head and neck and inhibit forward movement of head

And side reins to: depending on placement, encourage lowering of head and neck or simply restrict movement to aid control

View now at amazon.co.uk or viovet.co.uk

You might also be interested in:

How do I lunge a young horse? Useful advice from Jennie Loriston-Clarke

Lungeing over poles: the benefits and how to do it

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

A wild horse lives in a herd environment. He spends 60-70% of his time eating a wide mix of plants, trees and grasses, eats with his head lowered and wears no form of shoes, boots or blankets.

He treks an average of 20 miles per day, mostly in walk and canter, with his neck outstretched, helping him balance over all sorts of rugged terrain.

Few – if any – of these things will be familiar to domesticated equines.

Today’s performance horse is more likely to be stabled for least 16hr a day, receive two or three meals of a high-energy concentrate (probably from a wall manger) and be exercised on a horse-walker or worked in a round outline on an artificial surface for more than an hour a day.

We need to control our horses’ management regimes to produce them as athletes, but in making these lifestyle changes have created a plethora of unnatural illnesses and training issues.

So what can we do to limit the effect of these changes on our horses’ well-being and to reduce their stress levels?

1 Keep to a routine: horses thrive on consistency in all aspects of life, including management, feeding and exercise.

2 Check that his tack, rugs, boots and shoes fit well: any form of unnatural equipment that we impose on horses will cause them stress if not comfortable and well maintained.

3 Ask yourself is his diet right: most horses – unless they are in exceptionally hard work – do not need diets that are high in cereals and starch (the make-up of many competition mixes).

4 React to behavioural changes – don’t just dismiss them.

5 Be aware of your horse’s social needs: decide if he prefers company or his own space and tailor his living arrangements accordingly.

To measure stress, scientists look at:

• Core eyeball temperature: this is measured using infrared thermography cameras. An increase in core eyeball temperature correlates with stress and fear. This is very useful, as it does not require any equipment on the horse, which in itself can cause stress — the measurement can be taken at a distance. Scientists are currently using this technology to monitor stress levels in horses undergoing in-hand training. It is hoped that, in the future, its use will be extended to ridden work.
• Salivary cortisol: cortisol is known as the “stress hormone”. Increased cortisol concentrations are used to quantify stress responses in animal welfare studies. It is most accurately measured in blood, but can also be sampled from saliva, which is less invasive.
• Heart rate: heart rate increases as horses become more stressed.

This infomation was originally published in H&H magazine (4 October 2012 and 4 January 2013)

Read more about equine behaviour

There is much conflicting advice about how best to approach loose horses in a field.

Should you avoid eye contact or look them in the eye? Be bold or saunter slowly towards them? Should you hide the lead rope or show it to the horse?

In a recent research paper published in an equitation science journal, scientists reported on several experiments that addressed these questions.

Six experienced riding school horses were tested using two different approach methods in the field: first, a confident, direct approach with lead rope swinging and with full eye contact, then an indirect, relaxed approach with no rope, no eye contact and a quiet manner.

They found the direction from which the handler approached made no difference, but that the flight distance – ie the distance the horse will allow a handler to be at before reacting and running – was reduced by approaching in an indirect, relaxed manner.

The researchers then dispensed with the rope and tested the two approach styles on feral ponies.

They found that the two styles made most difference to what the ponies did when they started to move off. The direct, confident approach tended to make them trot away rather than walk – and move a greater distance.

Speed of the approach was the most significant factor – a rapid approach caused the most alarm.

Body posture and position to the horses made no difference, but handlers were generally able to move closer when they did not make direct eye contact.

The message? A calm, slow approach avoiding eye contact is the best way to avoid a game of cat and mouse.

To read all the latest veterinary research and developents see the current issue of H&H (27 September 2012)

Read more about equine behaviour

Recent work conducted at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, and published in the journal Hormones and Behaviour, examined the stress suffered by young horses being backed.

Stress levels were measured by examining the horses’ heartbeats and the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva.

In looking at heartbeats, researchers considered not only their frequency but also the short-term fluctuations in intervals between the beats, which have previously been shown to be a good indicator for stress.

Unsurprisingly, it was found that the start of training was a stressful period.

Initial lungework caused only a moderate amount of stress, but this rose markedly when the rider first mounted.

It seems likely that the horse interprets the first mounting of a rider as a potentially lethal attack by a predator, from which it is unable to escape. In addition, the rider is outside the horse’s field of vision.

When the horse and rider walk or trot forwards, the level of stress decreased.

It therefore appears the horse adapts rapidly to the idea of being ridden and that — as is the case for humans — exercise may help relieve stress.

To find out how stress affects competition horses’ performance, don’t miss the Vet Clinic in this week’s Horse & Hound, 16 December ’10

If you fancy doing an Anky van Grunsven and trying your hand at a fringe equestrian sport, here are some courses to get you started

Vaulting and tricks course

Jive-Pony offer vaulting experience days to people of all ages and abilities. These courses can either take place at its Cotswolds base or at your yard.

In trick-training clinics (£40, groups of five to six), your horse can be taught how to catch, answer questions and perform a Spanish Walk.

For more information, see www.jive-pony.co.uk Email: rebecca@jive-pony.co.uk

Polocrosse course

Ashfield Polocrosse Club offers a two-hour taster session for £80, or polocrosse courses that cover rules, riding, hitting, tactics, the horse, plus equipment. The six lessons cost £250.

For more information, visit www.ashfieldspolocrosse.com Email: info@ashfieldpolocrosse.com

Side-saddle course

Harroway House in Andover holds one-day introductory courses. The day covers side-saddle attire, tack, mounting and dismounting, your basic position and progression from walk.

The day costs £80, including use of a horse and lunch. A two-day course costs £180.

For more information, tel: 01794 388157. Email: shelagh.hughes@btinternet.com

Horse agility course

This new sport has horses and handlers negotiating an agility course in a similar manner to dog agility. Prices vary from trainer to trainer.

For more information and details of how to find an accredited trainer near you, go to www.horseagilitygb.com

HOYS show rehearsal course

Major events are stressful when you don’t know how your horse is going to react to the atmosphere. Showing star Katie Jerram is holding a course over two days (28-29 September) that allows you to rehearse for the big event. She will provide guidance with your show and preparation tips.

For more information, www.katiejerram.co.uk Email: jmjerram@live.co.uk

For the full feature on trying fringe equestrian disciplines, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (23 September, ’10)

More articles on travelling with your horse

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Thanks to modern transport links and high-tech horseboxes, shuttling horses around the UK — and abroad — is easier and faster than it’s ever been. Scottish showjumper Scott Brash reveals his tips for stress-free travel

Scott Brash, who is based near Peebles, recently made an eight-hour trek to Peter Charles’s Hampshire yard to pick up his fellow rider and horses en route to the Aachen Meydan FEI Nations Cup in Germany.

Having also driven to shows in France, Switzerland and Spain — a four-day trip, averaging 450 miles a day — this year, Scott has lots of advice for long-distance travellers.

“Ideally, we try to stop every four to five hours to give the horses a drink, although we offer them water throughout the trip,” he says.

“I also give them carrots so that they can get their heads down.”

Scott, who does all the driving in his seven-horse Ford Scania, advises wetting the ramp at each stop, too.

“It gets some moisture into the box and freshens up the air. We’ve never had a sick horse yet,” he adds.

Vet tips for long distance travel

• Keep box windows open

• Don’t box-up horses straight after competition — they need time to recover and relax

• Do regular temperature checks — if they are getting hot, you need to do something about it quickly

• Don’t allow them to get dehydrated

• Drive as smoothly as you can to avoid extra stress

• Get the horses off the lorry every four hours. They shouldn’t travel for more than eight hours without stopping for a graze and a break

• If you can’t get them off the lorry, at least untie them so that they can get their heads down and have a drink

For the full article on travelling horses by land, sea and air, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (29 July, ’10)

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There has always been much interest in horse behaviour and their interaction with humans.

Popular horse-handling experts draw crowds to their demonstrations, but there is disagreement about the value or significance of eye-to-eye contact between horse and handler.

Some horse-charming gurus insist that eye contact is necessary to establish and maintain a dominant herd-mate relationship with the horse; others believe that as a prey species, nervous or untrained horses perceive direct eye contact as a threat.

In the equine behaviour laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, such things are investigated in a rigorous and objective manner.

Two scientists have recently conducted an experiment to test whether direct eye contact is important in the process of catching horses that are loose at pasture.

The researchers used 104 horses and ponies; 74 were semi-feral ponies and 30 were horses and ponies previously used for a variety of equine sports. All ages and sexes were included in the study.

In the case of the semi-feral ponies, the aim was for a stranger to place a lead rope around its neck, whereas with the others a headcollar was used.

On one occasion, direct, hard eye-to-eye contact with the animal was made in the last five metres, and on the second occasion, the approach was repeated with the handler’s eyes averted from the horse’s.

The results showed there was no difference at all between the two methods; eye contact or no, the ponies decided for themselves when they would be caught.

So, the message is? If your pony is a swine to catch in the paddock, don’t think eye-contact psychology will win him over.

Stick to the tried and trusted method and use a carrot.

For more of the latest veterinary research and developments, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (29 January, ’09)

Horses that are difficult to bridle have usually been made that way through discomfort, inconsiderate handling or badly fitting equipment. Removing the cause and eliminating possible physical reasons doesn’t necessarily remove the unpleasant association, but patience and ingenuity can help.

Show jumping enthusiast Jo Williams is 5ft2in while her Grade B gelding is 16.3hh.

“When I bought him, you couldn’t touch his ears — he would throw his head in the air,” she explains. “My vet sedated him and checked for ear mites but found nothing.

“I now use a bridle with bit clips and found I could put the headpiece and browband over his ears without having to pull his ears through the gap, then put the bit in without touching his head.”

Saddler Helen Barnsall’s ingenuity solved a similar problem and satisfied a showing competitor’s need for a traditional appearance. She made a browband with an unobtrusive hook stud fastening at one end, which again allowed the bridle to be put on without touching the horse’s ears.

“It means the bridle can be put on in the conventional way rather than taking it apart,” she says.

Josephine Knowles, FBHS, warns that putting the reins over the horse’s head can also spark a reaction. She says that it is much easier to undo the centre buckle and fasten them round the horse’s neck.

If the problem centres on the horse’s reluctance to take the bit — usually because hurried or inconsiderate handling has resulted in the mouthpiece knocking against his teeth — Josephine suggests halving and hollowing out a carrot and tying the two halves round the mouthpiece. You can then lay the carrot-wrapped bit across your hand and offer it to the horse.

Equine dental technician Rob Fallowes says that some horses either don’t like metal bits or associate them with discomfort.

“Changing to a lightweight ‘plastic’ mouthpiece such as a Nathe or Happy can make a big difference,” he says.

Mike Peace, a specialist trainer of young and problem horses, uses a technique of holding the bit below the horse’s mouth and inviting him to take it. As the horse starts to drop his head and feel the bit, he rewards him by taking the bridle away for a couple of seconds. He then tries again and every time the horse accepts the bit, he takes it away rather than hooking it over his ears. Eventually, the horse will accept that he is not going to be made uncomfortable and should also accept being bridled.

Mike warns that it can take a lot of time and gentle handling to convince a seasoned teeth clencher, but says that with patience, you will succeed.

This “tricks of the trade” feature was first published in Horse & Hound 28 October 04

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Two things are necessary when working out how to unload a horse from a trailer: preparation, and lots of tricks.

There are very few horseboxes in America, so, people are used to unloading from the back, and it doesn’t seem to be quite the trauma that the UK horse trailering public feels it is.

Dave Stuart, chief instructor of Parelli natural horsemanship of the United Kingdom and Australasia, lays out the main issue: “Problems with loading and unloading have the same root cause. The reason the horse doesn’t want to go into the trailer is because he’s not comfortable being in there. For the same reason, he’s likely to come back out quickly, as well.

Stuart continues: “Preparation is more important than anything. The more you can prepare a horse to go into the trailer easily, the more likely he will be to come out calmly as well.

“Preparation is more important than anything. The more you can prepare a horse to go into the trailer easily, the more likely he will be to come out calmly as well. In essence, you need to get the horse to see the trailer as being comfortable.

“If he’s really comfortable about being in there, then he is probably less likely to come barging back out at speed.”

Essential to safe rear unloading is having at least one helper, suggests Jane Fuller BHSAI and amateur show jumper. “Try to use people on either side of the ramp until the horse gets used to it. The horse should be used to following the verbal command ‘back’ – hopefully he’ll have been taught to back straight, and will do the same on the ramp when coming out.

“When you untie the horse, make sure you’re on his side of the bar, so that you can move with him. You’re obviously going to untie first, before opening the ramp. Always make sure helpers are ready before you untie. This is a good time at which to give feed, either more hay or some grain, so that he won’t be in a hurry to get out,” says Clare Leggat BHSAI.

Another useful “trick” comes from eventer Rebecca Harive: “I try to get someone in the back with a lunge whip to tickle the horse with the end of the whip on the pastern, between the fetlock and heel. This encourages the horse to step forward again. You might just need someone to snake the whip on the end of the floor. If you hit the horse, say on his bum, this will be counter-productive as he will take fright.

“But if you touch him below the fetlock he doesn’t know what it is. This is useful when you’re loading your horse and he shoots back out, as well as being effective in slowing your horse down when unloading him from the trailer in reverse.”

• This feature first appeared in H&H (16 September 2004)

Horses who are difficult with their feet can range from being annoying to downright dangerous. Farrier Richard Chard points out that picking up feet and handling legs should be part of a foal’s first experience.

“Once a foal is used to being stroked all over, it is a question of running the hand down the back of the leg and usually the foot will come up naturally,” he says.

“It is important not to expect any more than a lift of the foot, which should immediately be followed by praise and replacing it to the floor. As the foal becomes accustomed to this, the time for which the foot is held can be extended.

“This should be a gradual process achieved by repetition over days or weeks. The principles can be applied to a horse of any age that is not used to having its legs handled. Be careful not to just grab the fetlock and pull, which will make the horse feel as if it is being attacked.”

Susan Attew of the Holme Grove Stud uses much the same methods with her youngsters, but finds that for those who are very difficult, particularly with their hindlegs, a little extra distance is safer.

“For horses that snatch their legs back or kick, I use a soft, thick leading rein. Obviously, ensure you are protected with hat, gloves and boots and that the horse is comfortable with the rope. Then stand with your back to the head; I prefer to hold the horse myself so I can circle it around me easily.

“If you place the leading rein behind and below the fetlock, you can gently pull the leg forward with the rope and the leg will lift. I only expect an inch at a time, then the time off the ground can be increased as I decide when the leg will return to the ground.”

Horse trainer Doug Hicks has encountered horses that lash out and will not even allow their legs to be touched. If all causes of pain have been eliminated, he suggests using a false arm.

“Take half a broomstick, put a sleeve over it, stuff it with straw and put a glove on the end,” he says.

“Make sure that you are suitable clothed and working in a safe area. Hold the horse in one hand and use the false arm to touch his legs while staying out of reach. Try to keep the arm on the leg until he stops kicking out and is comfortable with it. Then remove it and praise him.

“In time the horse will accept that you are not going to harm him or force him into holding his leg up, and will learn to co-operate.

“When horses do accept having their feet picked up, do not try to move a hindleg backwards until he is really comfortable with all previous training. If there is a problem, go back a step or two and re-establish the confidence before trying again.”

If your horse knows what it’s all about but has a tendency to plant himself to the ground, there are other methods you can try. Leaning against his shoulder will almost certainly mean he leans back, so Doug Hicks suggests just gently squeezing the chestnut on the inside of his leg.

“This isn’t as effective with the hindlegs, so try squeezing the hock instead,” he says.

Others swear by a light pinch to the tendon at the back of the leg, or tap to the fetlock area.

• This feature first appeared in H&H (2 September 2004)

Persuading a horse to pee on command is not a standard stable management skill, but can be extremely useful. While vets usually take blood samples, urine is sometimes needed for testing — and “house trained” horses make for huge savings on bedding.

Karen Coumbe MRCVS says that the easiest way for a vet to get a urine sample is to catheterise the horse.

“Horse urine is quite thick, so I like to trot them up first to stir things up; a bit like shaking a carton of apple juice,” she adds. “However, this procedure isn’t something you’d particularly want to do with a stroppy colt unless you had to, because when you put the catheter in, your head’s rather near the kicking zone.”

Instead, you can capitalise on a horse’s natural instinct to mark his territory with the “right” smell.

“The best solution is to put the horse in a stable with a fresh, deep bed, preferably straw,” says Karen. “When you put them on a new bed like that, the first thing they usually do is roll in it and the second is to pee.

“Another technique that sometimes works is to turn on a tap in the hope that running water sparks a reaction.”

Pony breeder Kevin Foreman provides the equivalent of a litter tray. His stables are all floored with rubber matting but have highly absorbent bedding placed over just a quarter of the area.

“I use wood fibre made into pellets, which doesn’t scatter like shavings,” he says. “The ponies use that area as their loo because the urine doesn’t splash back, and they’re happy to lie on the matting.”

Show jumping trainer Carol Mailer goes one step further. All her horses — mares and geldings — will pee into a bucket on request. She teaches them from the start by waiting to catch them at the right moment and then rewarding them with a carrot. Her horses are now happy to perform when she approaches with the bucket and as soon as they have finished, look for their reward.

“It saves an enormous amount on shavings,” says Carol, who reckons that most horses get the idea within a couple of weeks.

Some people are concerned that such training will prevent a horse from going if you’re not around, but Karen Coumbe doesn’t believe that there’s a risk.

“If a horse needs to pee, he will,” she insists.

It is worth putting a layer of bedding in the bucket to prevent noisy or uncomfortable splashback, which may well frighten the horse and put him off.

The old grooms’ method of persuading a horse to pee was to whistle softly while shaking straw underneath him.

“It does work,” says stable lass Jenny Blunt, who was told of the technique by her grandfather, a former farrier.

“You need to whistle and hiss between your teeth at the same time. It takes practice and a bit of patience, but I find it usually does the trick when my horses come back from work.”

This feature was first published in Horse & Hound (19 August 04).

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Some horses become so excited at the prospect of grass, open space or joining the herd that they seem to forget you’re still at the other end of the rope. If you’ve ever been dragged to the gate or watched your horse hurtle off, his partly unbuckled headcollar flapping, you’ll know how frustrating — and potentially dangerous — this can be.

If you have the luxury of some variation, use it to your advantage, says Polly Bursby, instructor and part-owner of an 80-horse livery yard and riding school.

“Avoid turning out at the same time each day or into the same paddock. Alter the routine so the horses aren’t anticipating going out,” she says.

Polly adds that a lot depends on how the horse feels — is he hungry or craving company?

“Find out what the motivation is and adjust your behaviour accordingly,” she says.

Sean Burgess, producer and event rider, believes in bribery!

“With a difficult horse, I often take a titbit so it waits for that before you let go of it,” he says. “A chiffney doesn’t really work because horses take off with them on or in a struggle you can catch them in the teeth.”

Pam Tetley, national hunt trainer and horse transporter, is similarly wary.

“Using a chiffney is the easiest way to break a jaw,” she says. “I always use a lunge rein, wear gloves and turn the horse towards me — they’re the obvious things. Then I’ve found a type of metal cavesson I call a ‘loader’ and it’s saved my bacon lots of times.”

These are also known as studs or stallion rings and, though quite specialist, can be bought from some saddlery shops in the UK.

“It swivels to keep the nose down and the horse can’t get away from it,” explains Pam. “It’s much easier to put on than a chiffney because it’s not going in the mouth — it’s just like a headcollar — and once the horse feels it, he doesn’t give you a problem.”

A cheaper investment would be an extra long leadrope. Most ropes in the UK are just under 6ft, which leaves you right by the horse’s hindlegs if he tries to take off and means that you are probably forced to let go if he rears or shoots backwards. If you tend to get tangled up in a lunge line, buy an 8ft or 12ft rope.

If all else fails, you can attempt to avoid the problem entirely.

“Sometimes, if a horse is difficult to turn out I ride him right into the paddock, dismount and take his tack off there. He might gallop off but you haven’t got the difficulty of getting him there,” says Polly Bursby.

• This feature was first published in Horse & Hound (12 August)

Horses that won’t tie up can be exasperating and dangerous. For safety’s sake, you need a deliberate breaking point between the horse and the tying-up ring — but that becomes the weakest link in more ways than one as the horse learns how easy it is to pull back and escape.

Lucia Carvosso, who worked in several eventing yards before setting up as a freelance groom and clipper, says that an old tail bandage can provide a solution.

“It’s a trick I picked up from someone who used to work for Pippa Funnell,” she says. “Instead of fastening string to the tying-up ring, tie a tail bandage in a big loop and tie your lead rope to that.

“Horses which pull back and break away aren’t usually naughty. They frighten themselves because they meet what they think is an immovable object and when it suddenly breaks, they throw their heads up and get even more worried by the rope flying up.

“A bandage has enough ‘give’ to persuade most horses that they are being asked to stand still rather than forced; after all, most stand with a handler.”

Other popular methods based on the same idea include tying the lead rope to an inner tube, but these will often bear a dangerous amount of pressure. They can also be stretched so taut that if they do snap, the whip-like effect can cause serious injuries.

At Jennie Loriston-Clarke’s Catherston Stud, foals get their first lessons in tying up via a lunge line clipped to the headcollar and passed through a ring in the stable wall and back to the handler.

A careful handler can give and take — rather like playing a fish on a line — to teach the youngster to accept restriction without forcing or frightening him. Early sessions last only a couple of minutes.

Jane Dawson, who specialises in importing and producing Irish sports horses, finds that they often lack basic manners. She went on a groundwork course with trainer and remedial specialist Richard Maxwell and found this helped with horses who would not tie up.

“When they learn that if they step forward into pressure, it releases, they will usually automatically step forward as soon as they pull back on a headcollar,” she says.

“I use a pressure halter for groundwork in-hand, but you should never use this or any other sort of controller headcollar to tie up a horse, either on the yard or when travelling — if he does panic instead of giving, the pressure tightens until the safety string at the ring breaks.

“Also, a lot of people use baler twine as their safety loop. While it will break, it takes a long time and some twine is particularly strong. Personally, I think thick garden twine is safer.”

Q: I have recently purchased a 10-year-old, 16.2hh Thoroughbred gelding who doesn’t like to be left on his own, either in the field or stable.

He shares his field with four other geldings, and as soon as they are brought in he will begin pacing up and down the side of the fence. I am worried he may hurt himself.

He will also work up a sweat pacing around his stable, although when the yard is quiet he settles down. Can you give me any advice?

Emma Kurrels, co-founder of equine behaviour specialists, Company of Horses, replies: A combination of innate disposition and previous experience will dictate how well a horse copes with separation and confinement. You do not mention your horse’s history, but information from previous owners may be useful.

Lacking anything more to go on, you will have to give him the benefit of the doubt and help him learn to cope with what are for him difficult situations.

If your horse rides out on his own, and you can lead him away from his friends without a problem, then you have a good chance of teaching him to cope with his anxiety in other areas.

On the other hand, if you have problem in either of these areas, it is likely that he has never lived or worked out of a group, in which case your horse may have a deep-rooted dependency. It must be considered whether it will do him more harm than good to try to change this. You must also ensure his environments are safe and secure.

If your horse is happy to leave the others in the field, then try to bring him out first, or at least with the last horse. In this way, you will be managing the situation to your horse’s advantage, rather than retraining the behaviour.

There are many reasons for anxiety in the stable, but it helps if your horse is in a stable next to a friend whom he can see and, ideally, touch. It is also good if his stable is not in a main thoroughfare of the yard, where constant activity will keep unsettling him.

New horses have a lot to adjust to – new environments, different hierarchies and routines, and so on. Some horses can take a long time to get used to such dramatic changes.

You can take the following steps to help him adjust and understand the process of being on his own:

• If you notice he is quiet in his stable, go in and give him a good stroke or groom. This should help him learn to remain quiet
• Try not to give him attention when he is anxious, as this could encourage self-fulfilling behaviour
• Gradually introduce very short periods in the field (five minutes or so) when he is alone

Q: I’ve had my 11-year-old gelding for six weeks and he hates being turned out. He’s not being bullied by the other horses and he can’t be cold as I’ve put a new rug on him, but he stands at the fence looking longingly back at the stables. I know his previous owners did turn him out but they told me he is a bit of a loner and likes coming in.Can you help?

Sarah Bland, yard manager at Warwickshire College, replies: This problem is not uncommon, but people with horses that won’t settle in a stable will be jealous! I suspect his behaviour is due to a number of things:

• He may have been bullied in the past, and therefore stays away from other horses
• He may have spent much of his time in a stable, in which case it is a habit that will take time to change
• You’ve put him in strange surroundings and I expect there are similarities between his old stable and yours, which will give him some security over the first few weeks.

All horses will be unsettled by different surroundings. You seem to have understood him well – just give him a bit more time. Bit by bit, lengthen the period he is turned out. If he seems quiet and patient he will be fine.

It doesn’t sound as if he has a problem with the other horses he is turned out with, so there’s no point trying to create bonds as it might backfire on you.

If I were you, I’d appreciate what you have. With time you’ll find him happy to remain out, and you’ve got a horse that isn’t nappy or clingy and is happy to be in his stable!

Q: I own a six-year-old 15.1hh Thoroughbred mare who is good-natured until I try to groom her. She becomes irritable and fidgets when I brush her, often trying to bite me, and has occasionally lifted her back leg and threatened to kick me. How should I deal with this problem and how can I encourage her to relax and enjoy being groomed?

Liz Clemence replies: Maybe rough grooming in the past has caused your horse’s apparent dislike of this activity, or she may have a physical reason causing her discomfort. It might simply be that, like many well-bred or fine-coated horses, she has sensitive skin and finds the brushes irritate her.

Sensitive handling should help to build her trust. Do not groom your horse for any longer than necessary. Remain calm and be sympathetic but firm when you are handling her. She must be made to realise that kicking and biting is not an option.

Avoid sudden movements and talk to her soothingly if she becomes agitated. For best results, groom your horse after exercise when she is warm and her pores are open.

She is also less likely to fidget once she has been worked.Tie her up in a suitable place, away from draughts and on a fairly short lead, so she can’t bite you. Put a rug over her quarters to keep her warm.

Groom her using a natural bristle body brush. Avoid hard or plastic-bristled brushes and take care brushing bony or sensitive areas.

A goat hair body brush is soft and ideal for use around her face and sensitive areas.

Alternatively, wash the worst of the sweat from dirty areas, using a sponge and warm water, then brush when dry.

Giving her a small haynet to eat while you are grooming may help.

Read more horsecare advice:

• Q and A: Getting to grips with grooming
• Q and A: Improving a messy mane
• Q&A: Perfect pulled tails

Q: I should like to long-rein my horse but am worried about what to do if he panics.

A: Always try to prevent a situation where the horse begins to panic. Before long-reining, work the horse on the lunge so that he becomes used to someone walking behind him and to the rein coming from behind or away from him.

Continue this until he is completely happy and accepts the rein rather than kicking at it. The horse should be used to the touch of the rein on his hind legs before you let it drop behind him.

Keep him on a circle and try to keep the outside rein very light but off the ground so he cannot kick his leg over it. Keep circling on the lunge until the horse calmly accepts the feel on the rein.

If he should panic at this stage, accept that he will canter quite fast on the lunge for six or seven circles before you should try and stop him.

If the handler does not panic, the situation is less likely to become dangerous and the horse will calm down by himself.

If the horse does panic because somethingfrightens him while you are behind him, immediately move into his sight. If necessary, turn his head into the hedge or fence.

Pulling him round to face you is always safer, even if you need to drop the outside rein.

When starting to long-rein, try to always be slightly to one side of your horse so that he is aware that you are there.

Never long-rein on roads, as this is very dangerous. Instead, try to find a space in a field where you can turn and circle.

As in anything with horses, it is a question of preventing danger rather than creating situations which may lead to panic.

When starting from scratch, be very insistent and always stop your horse when he is frightened.

When long-reining on tracks or in a field, make sure your horse is wearing a bridle, as attaching the reins to a cavesson noseband gives you little chance of control.

Read more about lunging and long reining:

• All about long reining
• Going round in circles
• Solving lungeing problems

Once you’ve learnt how to lunge a horse, you might want to introduce lungeing over poles to his routine.

Lungeing over poles is a great strengthening exercise for the horse and can add variety to a training programme.

Why should I lunge my horse over poles?

There are benefits to using pole work during a lungeing session, including:

• Gives the horse something different to think about
• A solid introduction to pole work and jumping
• Helps the horse improve his balance and technique over poles without the weight of a rider
• Aids the horse’s muscle development and helps him to work from behind 
• Helps the the horse develop his length of stride
• If a horse rushes to a fence, lungeing over poles teaches him to find his own stride pattern

How do I lunge my horse over poles?

If you would like to introduce trotting poles into your lungeing sessions, but you’re not sure how to start, here are some tips:

Using trotting poles on the lunge is a good exercise, but always warm your horse up on the flat first.

Introduce the poles in trot, but don’t go over them every time. Making the circle smaller or larger to miss or include the poles will make the horse work harder.

Start off with four poles fanned out on a circle with the distance at the centre of the poles correct for your horse or pony (between 4-5ft). Use coloured poles if possible as the horse can see them easier than rustic poles.

The poles will encourage your horse to look down, stretch the muscles in the neck and back. This will improve the activity in his stride, help him keep an even rhythm and increase engagement behind. If working in side reins make sure they allow this stretching to take place.

To encourage more joint flexion, poles can be raised at alternate ends using jump blocks. This encourages the horse to work harder and prevents the poles from rolling out of place. Working over raised poles is strenuous and shouldn’t be over done.

Canter poles can be used if your horse is sufficiently balanced to canter on the lunge. Cantering over a single pole helps the horse negotiate a stride and multiple poles will improve rhythm. Start with a single pole and then add two more poles approx 9ft apart – you may need to adjust the distance to suit your horse.

Your can vary the distance between the poles to encourage the horse to shortern or lengthen his stride in trot and canter. Never use two poles as the horse may jump them.

You might also be interested in:

How do I lunge a young horse? Useful advice from Jennie Loriston-Clarke

Lungeing for a better riding position

Expert advice from HORSE magazine on how to improve your riding position onthe lunge

What is lateral work, and how can it help my horse?

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Q. A couple of months ago I bought a seven-year-old 15hh part-Thoroughbred mare for general work – hacking, schooling, a little jumping and the odd summer show. She is perfect in every way and we’ve had a lot of fun togther in the short time I’ve owned her.

The only problem is, she is virtually impossible to catch. She goes out for about six hours a day with her Shetland companion and then I bring both of them in at night.

I catch my Shetland first and then go back for her. I have tried carrying a bucket of feed and getting friends to help me but it still takes, on average, up to an hour to catch her. It seems like she is laughing at me.

I’m not sure whether she did this with her previous owners. Could it be that I’m doing something wrong?

A. To start with, make sure your horse is in good health and that she’s in no pain or discomfort which may cause her to be difficult to catch.

Partition off the field and turn your two horses out in a smaller area, giving your mare less room to run away. The easiest way to do this is to use electric fencing. This means you can move thesmaller paddock around the field so it doesn’t poach.

Then try one (or all) of the following methods to re-educate your horse into being caught.

Remember that every horse is an individual, so what will work with one horse may not necessarily work with another.

Probably the only time we go into our horse’s field is to fetch him in to ride, groom or do something else with him.

So what we have to do is change the expectation of our horse when he sees us come into the field. Settime aside to re-school your horse. Look on it the same way as riding lessons – they’re important and you need to make time for them.

Walk into the smaller paddock and straight back out again. Do this several times. Do not touch your horseseven if they come up to you. Then, walk in and drop pieces of apple or carrot on the ground and walk out.

If you do this often enough your horses may be inquisitive enough to approach you – but still do not touch them.

This is changing their expectation of seeing you enter their field. Then, when you have time to spare, take a book, a bucket and some carrots and apples. Drop the apples on the ground as usual then turn the bucket upside down, sit on it and start reading your book.

Remember, you are changing habits and you have to change the horse’s perception about what he thinks is going to happen. Keep him guessing!

So, let the horses approach you and totally ignore them. You should find that, before long, curiosity will get the better of them and they will come up to have a look at what you’re doing. The first few times this happens, do not touch the horses.

Then, slowly stroke the horses once before taking your hand away. As time passes you’ll be able to do this more. In time this will build up the relationship and confidence with you and your horses.

Horse behaviour specialist Richard Maxwell believes that traditional methods such as lunge lines behind the horse or even brooms up its backside are not the answer to solving loading problems.

“If you go behind the horse, he’s wondering where the pressure is coming from and thinks backwards.”

Instead, Max uses a pressure halter and body language to show the horse that it is more comfortable to load than to refuse.

There is no pain and no shouting; really difficult horses might throw themselves on the ground, which is why he insists that vehicles must be parked on good footing such as that provided by a manege, but they have to learn to be accountable for their own actions.

“We treat the horse as an intelligent animal and give him the options. You can’t train through negative reinforcement: I’m not going to tell a horse he’s wrong, he knows he’s wrong because he’s uncomfortable.”

Max stresses that pressure halters must be used intelligently and to “make the horse accountable for his actions.”

He starts by schooling the horse in the stable, teaching him that the comfortable place to be is near the handler. The horse learns that to make himself comfortable, he needs to step towards the handler when pressure is applied. “Using the halterlike this gets their minds at your fingertips,” says Max.

A pressure halter should never be used to tie up a horse. If he pulls backwards and meets unrelenting pressure, it may lead to panic and injury.

When he moves on to actual loading, Max uses a long leadrope so that he has enough room to move out of danger. It is important to be aware of the horse’s body language and adjust your own – Max stands on the ramp to encourage the horse on, but does not look him in the eye or take the aggressive posture so often seen when frustrated owners attempt to drag their horses on board.

“When the rope is slack there’s no pressure, and when it’s tight, the horse is accountable. I’m the ‘comfort zone,’ so if I am on the trailer or lorry, that is where the horse should want to be.”

Max’s tips for loading are:

• Make sure the horse has safe, secure footing such as sand. 
• “If the horse becomes angry, let him be angry on his own. If we allow ourselves to get into a fight, the horse is always bigger.” 
• Do not turn the horse away from the ramp. “If you turn away, he’s scored a point against you. He can walk on to the ramp, he doesn’t need a run at it.” 
• However long it takes, see it through – it is an investment for the future. 
• Take partitions out to give more room to move around. 
• If the horse gets “stuck”, back him up a little. “Be careful, because horses can suddenly explode out of it. This is whyyou need a long enough rope to allow you to step out of the way.” 
• Unloading is just as important as loading. Get the horse used to standing for a while when the ramp has been lowered and waiting for you to tell him when to go down it. 
• Make sure that the right moves are easy and comfortable for him and the wrong ones are difficult and/or uncomfortable. 
• When you are schooling a horse to load, don’t stop as soon as you get him on board. Make sure he goes on and off happily several times.

Horses that are difficult to shoe can be a challenge for all concerned. Half a tonne of horse flesh can do real damage to a human, and farriers put themselves at considerable physical risk if the animal they are working with decides not to co-operate.

While farrier Tom Ryan says there are ways around most problems, as long as the farrier has the time and technical ability, it’s important that a horse is confident and comfortable about having its legs and feet handled by different people before trimming or shoeing begins. The owner or handler of the horse should also practise holding the horse’s legs in the normal farrier positions prior to the farrier attending.

“With a youngster, trim him the first couple of times, then shoe him in pairs. Put front horseshoes on one week and hinds the next. Don’t try and do it all at once, because their concentration spans are short.”

Obviously, Tom says, some horses object to the nailing process.

“Some will accept quite a high level of hammering, others are more ticklish. So you might have to change your style – tap, tap rather than bang, bang.”

Tom believes it is often a good idea to let the horse have frequent rests, especially if they tend to struggle to stand still.

“Put three nails in, then let him put his foot down for a while,” he says. “It’s a bit like dentist’s chair syndrome. He’s drilling away until you think you can’t stand any more, then he lets you have a break and you feel much better.”

Owners must also play their part, explains Tom, beginning with providing a safe, level surface on which to stand the horse. The horse should have clean and dry legs. Tom will not shoe without someone present.

If you know your horse is likely to be difficult, then warn the farrier and be prepared to pay an hourly rate if necessary, so that he can take his time.

If your horse finds it particularly difficult to stand on three legs or to hold the farrier positions for long enough, then there may be a health issue present and you should investigate this with your vet.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to sedate the horse for shoeing. But, on the whole, Tom believes that sedation may only be necessary as a last resort for safety’s sake.

Sue Rawding, breeder and show producer on the art to catching.

“Some people are good at it and some people aren’t – you’ve got to be a bit of a psychologist.

“You need to go into the field with a relaxed, confident attitude. It’s important to be calm about it; sometimes, we have students who march in with ropes and headcollars, push the feed scoop out in front of them and wonder why the horses take off as soon as they see them.

“Walk in casually and don’t look the horse in the eye. Stop every now and again, pick a bit of grass, then go a bit farther and pick a bit more. The horse will become curious, and once he’s interested, you’re halfway there.”

Sue and her husband, John, run Church Farm Stud at Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Two of their show horses, the former Cob of the Year, Kilkenny Marble, and the hunter Reassurance can test unwary catchers.

“One wet September, Marble was in a field that had flooded,” she recalls. “A lad working here at the time went to catch him, but every time he got near him, Marble went into deeper water and splashed him. John was watching this and when he’d stopped laughing, called Marble, who trotted straight up to him – he has a sense of humour and knows when he can get away with things.

“Reassurance will play games and walk away, but if I don’t look at him and pick up and drop the nuts in the scoop, he always decides to have a look.”

Difficult horses are turned out in headcollars with 4ins loops on the back so that the rope can be quietly clipped on. “Never get hold of the headcollar quickly,” advises Sue, “because some horses will go up and take you with them.”

Horses are always rewarded with food so that they associate being caught with something pleasant. If a horse is difficult, Sue says it is worth spending time catching it, rewarding it and then walking away so that being caught does not automatically mean work.

“If a horse is really difficult, you might have to catch everything else in the field so that it doesn’t want to be left alone. If we get a difficult mare who has a special friend, we often find that if we catch the friend, we can catch her.”

Catching your horse can sometimes solve only part of the problem.

“There are some horses you can’t safely bring in on a headcollar,” says Sue. “You need to lead them in a bridle to have control and I always wear gloves. And if a horse is likely to try to charge off as soon as you reach the field, it’s safer to slip the rope through the headcollar rather than clip it on.”

If your horse is afraid of what is ahead, his first reaction as a flight animal will be to run away from it. It’s your job, through your riding, to convince him that there is nothing to be afraid of and it’s safe to walk past.

If you see a potential hazard ahead, you should therefore:

• Halt your horse a sufficient distance away
• Reassure your horse with your voice if necessary.
• If you have to ride past a drill, compressor or hedge cutters etc, try to catch the operator’s attention.
• If the operator then switches off any machinery in order to allow you past, always acknowledge them.
• Do not continue if traffic is approaching. When the way is clear, calmly walk forward, all the time reassuring your horse with your voice. Try to stay relaxed yourself, and keep your leg on – if you tense up, your horse will think that there is something to be worried about after all.
• If your horse won’tgo forward and you are in company, ask for a lead from another horse. If you are by yourself and your horse is really objecting to moving towards the hazard, it is probably safer to take an alternative route if possible.
• Treat roadworks as a stationary vehicle. Keep to the left, look behind in good time and check for oncoming traffic.
• Be prepared to hold back for approaching traffic.
• If safe, signal right and retake the reins before passing the hazard. Give a ‘life-saver’ look behind before moving out around the obstacle – allowing sufficient clearance.
• Check on the inside for sudden movement or noise from the hazard.
• If the road is not clear, wait behind the hazard at a sufficient distance, to avoid a sharp turn when able to proceed. However, be aware that if you halt too far away, you may encourage other vehicles to squeeze between you and the hazard, which may upset your horse further.

Q: I keep my 15.1hh 11-year-old British Warmblood gelding at a riding school on part livery.

He is very aggressive towards anyone who enters his stable or goes near him and he objects to being groomed, especially with a dandy brush. He has to wear a muzzle to stop him biting me when I groom him and there are bars on the stable door to stop him biting passers-by.

At feeding times he is even more aggressive.He goes out at night with other horses, is stabled during the day and exercised for an hour by the riding school and up to an hour-and-a-half by me each day.

His exercise includes schooling, jumping or hacking. I know he came from a quiet yard and was turned out 24 hours a day. I don’t want him to live out as he loses weight easily and needs to get plenty of bulk food.

I don’t think he bites out of spite. If I smack him he gets more aggressive – I think he does it because he’s afraid and defending himself or being territorial.

I compete him on a regular basis and he is very good natured to other horses and humans at shows.

We do well at shows and I don’t want to sell him. I don’t want to change yards either, because he’s very well cared for where he is. Please help.

A: It sounds as though your gelding is very stressed, which could be one of the main reasons he finds it hard to keep weight on. If you can help him to relax, hopefully he will be able to maintain his weight.

It would also appear that this stress has been going on for a while, so to change your horse will take time, patience and perseverance.

Horses tend to be claustrophobic and being in a stable is unnatural for them. It seems people in your horse’s space makehim anxious, so groom him outside to help break his habitual response.

Muzzling only helps to protect you and does not help cure the problem.

Your horse is not remonstrating for the sake of it when you groom him but is trying to tell you that he dislikes being groomed. You must start listening to him, learn his language and read the signs he gives you.

This dislike could be for one of two reasons:

• He is thin-skinned and grooming hurts. If this is the case don’t use a dandy brush. Invest in a soft-hair body brush or a soft mitt.
• He has so much stress locked up in his body that he cannot cope with the added pressure of grooming.

Horses don’t bite out of spite and I don’t believe it is aggression. Most horses bite people as a last resort, because we have not listened.

Watch out for the swish of the tail, the odd foot lifted or the anxiety lines above the eyes or under the nostrils.

There are relaxation solutions you could try.

First, take your horse into the yard in a headcollar and attach a leadrope to the near-side ring. Ask a friend to clip another leadrope to the off-side ring. Keeping your horse’s head in the middle (don’t keep the tension on) ask him to walk up and down the yard in between you both.

You should both position yourselves to the side and a little in front of your horse. While standing in this double lead position, take a schooling stick and wipe it all over his body imagining you are painting your horse a different colour.

This will stimulate latent neurological endings, giving him a different feeling, and helping to shift tension. It will also help to “ground” and calm him, as you go down the legs and gently tap on the hooves.

Then, I would suggest you “work” your horse’s ears. The ears house hundreds of acupuncture points and by massaging them we can use these energy channels to release tension, alleviate stress and help the body heal itself. Massage the base and work up the flute ending by rubbing the tip of the ear – an anti-stress point – with your thumb and forefinger.

Next work your horse’s mouth. This really does help biters and although it seems daunting for the owner, it is not too bad. Start by rubbing your index finger on the bars of the mouth (where there are no teeth!), then put your middle three middle fingers on top of the tongue and “play piano” on the tongue.

Insert your moistened index finger in between the gums and the top lip and rub from side to side. This has an incredible effect on the limbic system and is the emotional link to the brain.

At first your horse may object to this but if you persevere he will accept it and find relief.He may close his eyes, yawn and let out big sighs – signs the stress is shifting and your techniques are working.

It will take time but if you are patient you can change his behaviour.