How to stimulate the horse? - Gustavo Mirabal Castro

The horse like any other animal close to the man requires special care… likewise it is not only necessary to take care of it but to stimulate the horse to get the best of itself. To stimulate the horse we must motivate him. In this way, we can see how happy the horse develops. We will see the horse develop its full potential by giving us the best of himself.

Like people, horses need that emotional strengthening. For this reason we will dedicate this article to give you multiple tips to stimulate the horse you love and to tell you about the benefits of stimulating the horse.

Horse Play and Behavior

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Stimulate your horse …

The horse is an animal with emotions on the skin. He can be very nervous or self-confident. The reactions of the horse will depend to a great extent on the way it is treated.

Horses are wonderful animals, noble, friendly, charismatic, but if they mistreat them, they will probably react negatively. That is why early and permanent stimulation is a key factor in the equine breeding process.

Taming them is not an easy process because by nature they want to be free that nobody controls them … It is essential that, instead of breaking their will as traditional dressage does, we create a bond of trust. Once their domestication is achieved it is amazing what the horses achieve.

The link of the horse and the rider can be powerful and is able to draw the potential of the horse, either from the emotional and physical point of view. That is why investing our emotions with horses gives good profits.

Stimulate the horse to create a bond

Creating a horse-rider bond is building affection, trust, and mutual respect so that they can grow and build a true relationship.

These are the bases so that a horse can feel totally comfortable with the human beings that surround it: riders, trainers, caretakers, etc.

The lack of confidence in the horse can generate adverse reactions because it will try to protect itself from what it considers to be threats to its integrity.

In case of an aggressive response to the horse you can not be held responsible for such response. We have conditioned such response through our stimuli and behaviors. That is why the encouragement to the horse must be early to prevent bad habits from being established in it

That is why one of the advantages of stimulating the horse correctly is to prevent unwanted and even violent behavior. In this way we will avoid negative feelings such as anger or fear and begin to suffer from lack of confidence. Lack of confidence will affect your performance either in the races or in the riding competitions.

How does an unstimulated horse behave?

Horses and humans have many things in common. Among them is that when they are not stimulated they react in a wild way. This does not mean that it is always a negative reaction, but it is an untrained reaction.

Humans and horses require education to manage their emotions so that they can handle them and not let them dominate them.

Emotions in their brute form can cause a horse in a state of tranquility to become disobedient because he has no one to lead him. It can also go through a diversity of emotions ranging from rebellion, bitterness, sadness or even can lead to depression.

These emotional problems in horses, just like in humans, can turn into physical problems. The horses, like human beings, somatize their emotional problems.

We conclude that the correct stimulation of the horse is not only a matter of effectiveness in its performance. Stimulating the horse also helps us ensure your physical as well as your mental wellbeing.

Equine Behaviour - Stimulate the horse — Equine Behaviour – Stimulate the horse

How to stimulate the horse correctly?

If someone knows your horse well, it is you. No expert advice can replace your intuition at the level of communication. It does not matter how much we know about horse breeds or equine psychology. Each horse has its own personality and this is the first key.

He must become an observer of his horse. He must discover the things that he likes, the ones that annoy him and the ones that baffle his horse. In this way you will know with what stimuli you can reward him and with what punish him if it is extremely necessary.

The key is that you should know everything about your horse. You should know that you like to eat, what you like to do, how long you train and how long you rest. You must know in depth the things you enjoy and the things you do not and in what proportion.

Horses love apples, sugar cubes and carrots. But it is clear that your horse will prefer one of them in particular and you must know the difference.

If you know what he likes most, you will be able to give him something that he likes when he behaves well and a “dessert” when his behavior is especially good. It is at that moment that we are training your emotions.

3 puzzles to mentally stimulate your horse

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Additional information to stimulate the horse

The care of horses has evolved significantly. In ancient times the emotional problems of humans were treated by a counselor and little by little it evolved to have psychologists who study the way humans behave and which may be the source of their problems.

It may surprise us to know that there are now psychologists for horses, but this is the natural evolution of things.

Obviously psychologists for horses can not hear the problems of horses. Thanks to the study of his natural behavior and the corporal codes of his behavior, the horse psychologist will be able to “read” it

These horse psychologists are called equine ethologists and help horses overcome their traumas. Through the body language of the equine, this will indicate what your ailments are. In this way the ethologist will seek in his knowledge to help him, always with the help of “its humans”

Together, the doctors, the psychologists and their “family” (the horses and humans that surround them), the horses can overcome any emotional obstacle. With patience, love and respect we can build a bond of trust that helps the horse grow and become the animal it is meant to be.

Give it prizes to stimulate the horse

Stimulating the horse as we said at the beginning is an observation exercise to know what equines love the most. In this way we are able to know how to reward them when they have a desired behavior.

You are right. Prizes are one of the most widespread and effective ways to positively stimulate horses. We must reward their good disposition to train every day, to do it well, in each of the improvements of the times or of the jumps.

In the same way we should reward him when the day ends and do everything we ask him to do. Because one of the keys is to reward their obedience at the beginning to train their emotions and their good behavior so that it is then automatic.

Likewise, caresses can be a way to stimulate their good behavior.

In a next opportunity we will be able to deepen in these aspects. Stimulate your horse to take care of him, his physical and mental health and to become the best version of himself.