Horses in boarding facilities, on average, stare at their stall walls 22 hours of the day waiting for you. You see you horse everyday and spend about two hours a day with your horse (husband willing). You’re the best thing other than feeding time that your horse gets to experience on the daily.
If more horse owners understood this there would be much stronger bonds with horse and their humans. PERIOD.
Think about this next time you visit your horse. You’re his entire world. You are the sole reason they are healthy and alive. You drop the ball, they are at your mercy. Treat them as such. They can’t say thank you or I miss you. They SHOW it. SHOW them you UNDERSTAND. That’s all they want.
Companionship. That’s what makes them “tick”. Like a clock, they are here because of YOU.
Don’t ride and work them so hard they are sweaty. Sometimes just go spend time with them, bring them out to grace, let them be horses in the pasture with you. Be a herd member be their leader. They love you more than you realize. They love you when you look and smell like a foot. They don’t judge they don’t criticize.
Next time you’re at the barn, tell them about your day. Cry on them when the world seemingly is against you. They are always there.
If you can’t catch your horse you need to do more of these things to show your appreciation. Don’t just ride. Visit them. Be the herd leader and herd member they see you for.
If you’re demanding perfection every time they see you and you only catch them so you can ride it’s basically a one sided relationship.
Visit don’t just ride. Find their favorite itchy spot. Sit with them and just watch them be themselves.
Be the person they need you to be and they, in turn, will be the horse you need them to be. It’s a partnership.
J Randol horse training 