For many horse owners, riding is the focus of your visit to the barn. However, playtime is so important for building a trusting and respectful relationship. If you aren’t sure where to start, I’ve put together a list of a few things to try!
Spend Time with Your Horse
Go sit in your horse’s turnout with them. Find a comfortable chair or mounting block and observe for awhile. You might bring a book to read. It may take awhile, but in most cases your horse will come into your space to spend time with you. Value this bonding time. We are often too busy and caught up with rushing off to the next thing to spend this time with our horses.
Liberty with No Agenda
Take your horse out in the arena without a plan. Observe what your horse’s first instincts are.
I like to do this at the beginning of a training session, before tacking up and riding. It helps me to see where the horse is at both physically and mentally that day and allows me to make a more effective plan for my ride.
Start by turning your horse out in the arena and just watching. Observe his energy level, watch him move, and see what catches his attention. Then, start to interact with him. See what happens when you move to his left and right shoulders and flanks. How much does the speed and direction of your movements affect his movements?
If you have never done liberty with your horse, I think this playtime is really important. Many people will advise you to start liberty training with a particular exercise, but I think playing with your horse with no rules is an important step in getting to know your horse at liberty. Whether you realize it or not, it will help build a foundation from which to build. And even if you have no interest in liberty training, it is a great way to build trust and communication.
Desensitizing
Treat desensitizing like a game! Start by gathering an array of objects that are likely to be intriguing or scary to your horse. Three to five objects per session is usually a good number, but you can do less if they are particularly scary – for example, some horses are just terrified of tarps or plastic bags, so those could take extra time and energy. Brightly colored objects, objects that have a strange smell or texture, and objects that make a strange noise are all good options.
Desensitizing is a great exercise to do in a roundpen or small arena, so the horse feels free to move away if they want to, but you don’t have to spend all your time “chasing” them. However, if you only have a larger space to work in, you can have your horse on a lungeline and keep slack in the line at all times. Start at a distance, and let your horse observe you interacting with the object. Move it around, put it on your body, and let it make noise if applicable. Observe your horse’s reaction. Whenever they lessen their reaction, bring yourself and the object just a little closer and repeat. Once the horse accepts the object being quite close to their body, you can see if they will accept it touching them. Start by offering the object for them to sniff. Then do a touch on the shoulder, taking it away again immediately. Work up to holding the object on their shoulder for a longer period of time, until you can see your horse visibly relax. Eventually your horse should accept the object on all parts of their body, but depending on the horse, this can take multiple sessions. Save the legs and head for last, when the horse is thoroughly bored with the object and no longer shows a fear response. Be mindful of your horse’s stress levels and use your instincts to determine when your horse has had enough for one session.
Liberty Games
These are practical exercises whether you are interested in liberty training or not. These are best done in a small arena space. Have a halter and lead on your horse for the first sessions, but focus on using the lead as little as possible. A dressage whip will be helpful as an extension of your arm for moving your horse’s body.
- Follow Me: Start by leading your horse as usual, but try to take as much of the pressure off the halter and lead as possible. Try exaggerating the motion of your head, shoulders and hips as you change speed and direction. Hopefully, your horse will follow your motions, but if he doesn’t, remind with a gentle pressure on the lead. Do short sessions of this, giving praise and a break when your horse gives the desired reaction. Eventually, you won’t need your halter and lead at all.
- Back Up: You shouldn’t have to work hard every time you need your horse to step backwards. Work on backing your horse off of your body alone. Start by turning to face your horse, and exaggerate the motion of your shoulders as you take a step into your horse’s “bubble” and ask them to move backwards. Try to leave the lead rope alone for this one. If there is no reaction from your horse, repeat the motion but also take your dressage whip and tap on their chest. Start with a light tap, and only use as much pressure as you need to be “annoying” enough that your horse wants to move away. Release and reward immediately when your horse takes a step back. Work up to quicker reactions and more backward steps, and work on taking the whip away if you wish.
- Move Shoulders/Hips: Work on getting your horse to move his shoulder or hip by only pointing with your arm or your whip. Using a similar technique as the back up exercise above, start by pointing your whip at your horse’s hip. If they do not react, tap lightly on the hip until they step away. Reward and repeat, working both sides at both the shoulder and the hip.
- Drop Your Head: Start by crouching by your horse’s head. If your horse instinctively drops his head with you, reward him. If not, hold a light pressure on his lead rope until he drops his head. Release and reward immediately with even a slight drop of his head. If he brings his head back up, immediately ask him to drop it again. Eventually, he will drop his head as soon as you crouch down. This is a valuable one for braiding forelocks, examining ears, clipping bridlepaths, and more!
I hope this leads to some fun activities for you and your unicorn! Do you want more ideas, more liberty/trick training exercises, or something else? Don’t be afraid to leave a comment or contact me!
