Building Trust

Building Trust: The Foundation of Horse Training

I’ve owned and cared for horses on my own properties for 27 years. Keeping horses alive, healthy, and well cared for is one part of that responsibility. Creating a mutually beneficial relationship with them is an entirely different thing.

When you walk into the field to catch your horse, what happens?

Does your horse run away from you? Do they barely acknowledge your presence? Or do they see you coming and start walking toward you, curious about what the plan is for that day?

That difference tells you a lot.

If someone else is responsible for feeding and watering your horses, there can be an even larger gap to overcome. Horses need food, water, shelter, and security. Of all of these, I believe security is the key.

When your horse becomes frightened or feels threatened, do they believe you are going to help them? Do they trust that you will keep them safe? Or have they learned that they are ultimately on their own?

That relationship matters enormously.

And this leads to an important question: Is riding helping you build that sense of security, or is it hindering it?

Are you listening to your horse? Are you creating physical discomfort or pain when you ride? Are you asking your horse to trust you while simultaneously putting them in situations where they don't feel safe?

People often see the incredibly calm, confident horses I have and want that same outcome. Sometimes they even assume those horses are simply lazy or naturally quiet.

What they don't see are the years and years of consistent timing, feel, communication, exposure, and foundational work that went into creating that confidence.

Trust isn't something you gain overnight.

Trust is built through consistency.

It is a long road made up of hundreds, if not thousands, of small foundational building blocks. Every interaction either strengthens those blocks or creates a crack in them.

The foundation starts in the round pen and on the ground.

When you take the time to make those foundational skills solid, you may be amazed at how quickly your horse can progress when you eventually move into more advanced work.

But when you skip the development of timing and feel, skip learning to read horse body language, or skip learning how to communicate clearly, those missing pieces eventually show themselves.

They show up when the environment changes.

They show up when the horse becomes confused.

They show up when something unexpected happens.

And they show up when the horse becomes frightened.

In those moments, your horse is going to fall back on what they believe about you.

If they believe you understand them, that you will listen, and that you will help them through a difficult situation, they have a reason to stay connected to you.

But if they believe you can't—or won't—keep them safe from pain or danger, their instincts may take over.

Fight or flight is not a training failure in that moment. It is a survival response.

The goal of good training isn't simply to make a horse obedient.

The goal is to create a horse that believes, “When I am with this person, I am safe.”

That kind of confidence doesn't come from forcing a horse to tolerate the world.

It comes from teaching them, one experience at a time, that they can trust you to help them navigate it.