Deliberate Partnership

In our big group herd, a slight crash noise to our east occurs, a few horses whip their heads up and look in that general location. The herd leaders advance to the front lines, watching intently, as the rest of the herd is now looking in the same direction. I walk out closer to the horses, near the front and also engage in looking in the same direction intently. My personal riding horse, Levi, walks up behind me to put his nose on my shoulder. We see a tractor emerge from behind the shop. I relax my stance and turn around to praise Levi. The herd leaders go back to munching on grass and a few turn around to head back to their original spots.

If you haven't owned horses for a long time this may seem useless or not important. But it is actually key in building trust and confidence with your horses. They need to know they can trust you to observe the present moment and to put yourself in a position to defend the team.

Building trust can be easy, if you can be still and quiet while you acknowledge a fear they have.