The relationship between rider and horse
When handling and riding horses, it requires that the rider constantly put himself in the horse's situation and reactions. Thus, he can try to judge from the horse's perspective whether his behaviour is appropriate or whether the assistance is "understandable" for the horse.
In training - especially with younger horses - the herd instinct can also be used positively by using older, experienced horses as lead horses, e.g. when riding into the countryside or during the first jumps. Because riding in a group is not always possible and not always wanted, a horse has to get used to situations in which it is without other horses. This is especially true for transport, for individual riding and for competition.
Because horses are basically good-natured, trusting and also curious, contact by a human is usually unproblematic and can be made without prejudice. However, he must always move calmly in everything he does.
Fast movements can lead to fright and also to defensive reactions.
How can the relationship between horse and rider be classified from the horse's point of view?
It is rather unlikely that a horse really accepts a human as a "leading animal". However, the need for security and the building of trust through positive experiences can put the respective people in a similar position towards the horse. Conveying security and trust to the horse is therefore one of the most important duties of a rider.
A good relationship also requires that both have respect for each other. This also includes the question of hierarchy. The role of the rider who ranks higher, which the rider has to take, is not achieved by an argument, but determined by self-confident, confident appearance and action. Some horses, often caused by unsafe, inconsistent or inappropriate behaviour of the rider, try to clarify their ranking within the human/horse relationship. Only a person who is calm, determined and consistent in his actions will be accepted by the horse as a higher ranking creature.
Fair action towards the horse
However, the rider should, with all consistency, engage with the horse in a positive way and make every effort to motivate the horse for the desired performance by making it as comfortable as possible. Toughness or violence make the rider an "aggressor" from which the horse tries to flee or against which it tries to defend itself. Insecure and half-hearted behaviour of the rider also leads to insecurity in the horse. If the horse trustfully accepts the rider as the higher ranking rider, then this constellation ensure receptiveness of the horse. It thus acts as a positive amplifier for the rider's influence on his horse. Praise with the voice, stroking, crawling or tapping the neck gives the horse confirmation that everything is fine at the right moment. Constant praise without reference to a certain behaviour of the horse misses its effect.
The same is true for correction in problem situations. Any reaction in the sense of a "punishment" according to human understanding is clearly to be rejected, because one cannot assume that a horse can think abstractly like a human being. For example, it cannot be assumed, that a violent reaction of the rider, due to a mistake that was made in the jumping course, will cause the horse to remember to avoid such a mistake next time. It will instead, keep this experience in even worse memory. Only if a certain behaviour of a horse has immediate and comprehensible consequences for the horse, it will change its behaviour The rider must have the claim to support his horse in such a positive way that no "misbehaviour" of the horse occurs.
That is why it is so important that riders remain calm in the event of a disagreement with the horse. Emotional outbursts of the rider can only unsettle a horse.
The horse learns best through positive experiences and positive reinforcement.
To act with feeling on the one hand and to be consistent in handling on the other the human being "predictable" for the horse. This gives the horse security and confidence. Acting in a horse-friendly manner therefore requires a high degree of attention and concentration when handling and working with horses.
Communication between rider and horse
For communication with the horse, the rider can use the various aids and
the interaction in a supportive capacity. The voice, especially the pitch of it, will help the horse determine the "mood", which can be reassuring or encouraging. An important means of communication between human and horse also includes body language. Just as the horse reacts to the finest signals in the behaviour of conspecifics, it also perceives the movements and posture of humans. A rider should be aware of this when handling his horse. In order to be able to use body language in a positive way, e.g. already in the horse stall, while leading or lunging, it is important to learn from experienced "horse people".
The tendency of horses to stick to habits can be used by the rider in daily handling, but also in riding training, by carrying out certain procedures always the same way, i.e. standardized to a certain extent. If the rider is not sufficiently consistent in the training of the horse, however, unwanted, unpleasant habits also become entrenched in horses.
Horse as a flight animal
The natural flight behaviour of horses must first be accepted, it has not fundamentally changed to this day. Horses have different Stimulus thresholds, which in turn are also dependent on the current state of mind.
Optical stimuli usually influence the horse's behaviour more than acoustic perceptions. If horses panic after a frightening situation, they can seemingly switch off any sensory perception and become a source of danger for themselves and their environment. This also applies to handling in the stable and in the stable alley. For the rider, he should avoid situations where the horse will try to escape or shy away.
Often the rider can feel and recognize the inner tension even before the actual reaction of the horse. Thereby it is useless and inappropriate to "punish" the horse for shyness, because this increases the insecurity of the horse. Rather, proper framing with the riding aids and calm, patient acquaintance with as many new situations as possible, increasingly give the horse security and confidence. Superfluous, loud noises in the stable and during training should be avoided on the one hand, but on the other hand horses can to a certain extent also suffer from becoming constantly accustomed to changing environmental conditions.
The horses field of vision
The difference between man and horse in the field of vision is also particularly noteworthy. That which the rider has not yet registered, e.g. an animal in the bushes diagonally behind him, can already trigger a fright and escape behaviour in the horse. Therefore it comes as a complete surprise for some riders. If a horse sees something in the distance that it cannot assess, it will suddenly raise its neck and head high up in order to have a better overview. With this natural reaction, the rider must first give the horse the opportunity to grasp the situation before continuing the work.
The sensitivity of the horse requires calm handling and sensitive riding. At the same time, however, it allows the rider to have the desired fine influence on the training of the horse.
Observation of the eye, ear, tail, snorting and sweat formation can give riders essential information for assessing the psychological condition of the horse.
- The eye is the mirror of the horse's inner qualities and state of mind. It can express attention, trust, distrust or fear.
- Likewise the play of the ears of the horse gives important clues about his state of mind. Covered, close-fitting ears always express discomfort and defensiveness. A lively play of the ears or pricked, forward-pointing ears indicate attention and the will to participate.
- The snorting off, combined with pendulous tail posture, indicates relaxed muscles and relaxation. A pinched tail, on the other hand, indicates fear or a defensive attitude. A raised tail, sometimes combined with a powerful snorting sound, is an expression of tension and excitement.
- Sweating can also be caused by particular excitement in addition to exertion. As a rule, increased heart, (pulse) and breathing rates can be observed.
The rider must have enough time, patience, powers of observation and interest to learn to recognise and interpret the behaviour of the horse correctly.
This is the only way he can gain the trust of a horse, knowing how to distinguish between fear and insubordination and therefore will behave correctly in education and training both on the ground and from the saddle.
The development of the horse (evolution) has natural sensory perceptions and behaviour patterns that form an important basis for the (classic) present training principles of the horse.
However, horses differ in interior and temperament, in preferences, dislikes and dispositions. Concerning the execution and the time planning, the willingness to flexibly combine the various training steps must be present in order to do justice to the individual horse with its special features. It is the wish of every rider to have a satisfied horse that is ready to perform. The necessary stable, harmonious partnership between man and animal are being trained by expertise, patience and the consideration of the psyche of each horse is supported and strengthened. If the rider is able to feel himself into the horse and his behaviour, he can understand how he is perceived by the horse and what kind of action is appropriate in the particular situation. The rider must orientate his behaviour to the nature of the horse - not the nature of man.
