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Trust is an easy concept to understand. It relates to humans just as it does to horses. Everybody probably has an acquaintance (not a friend) you couldn't trust with your valuable possessions. You probably also have a friend that you would trust with your life. Your horse falls into this category. Trust with a horse goes two ways; your trust in them and their trust in you.

Your trust in the horse relates to the foundation, ground manners, training, and quality time spent with the horse. You know how they are going to react to situations. With the proper foundation you know that you can rely (trust) on them to make the right decision in a situation where you may not be paying attention.

The horse's trust in you is a little more fragile. Horses don't instantly trust humans, we have to earn it. If you violate that trust, you don't get another "free" chance.  Horses are better animals than humans, they don't hold a grudge. They just lose their ability to trust you in certain situations. It will take you much more time regain your horses trust than if you had tried an alternative method.

A good example of a situation where trust is important is with ground manners. I have seen a person punch a horse in the mouth with their fist because the horse was eating grass with a bridle on. This person should have worked on the ground manners first with this horse, but that's another issue. They now have a horse that is fearful of a closed hand coming near it's mouth. This is kind of necessary when you are putting a bridle or halter on the horse. They didn't know it, but they made a problem horse. Now they have a horse that doesn't trust them in a fairly common situation.

If you put the proper foundation on your horse, you will have all of the respect and trust that any animal can give you. We can't say this enough times.

Next Concept: Expectations

There is some risk involved in horse training for both you and the horse. Horses can cause serious injury. Be sensible and don’t attempt anything that is outside your comfort level. This information is intended to illustrate how we apply our training techniques, you are responsible for using this information wisely. If you don’t feel comfortable with your abilities or an exercise, don’t do it! Seek advice or assistance from a professional horse trainer. Stay on the "high side of trouble".

Natural Horse Supply Training Information, (c) 1999 Natural Horse Supply. All rights reserved. Duplication of any material  prohibited without express written permission. This prohibition is not intended to extend to personal non-commercial use, including sharing with others for safety and learning purposes, provided this copyright notice is attached and you have written permission. E-mail to submit comments or request reproduction permission.

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Last updated: July 17, 2003