| Horses have been domesticated, but retain their | | | | difficult horse to handle. |
| wild instincts of survival. No matter your level of | | | | A few months passed and as fate would have it |
| skill or experience with horses, it is always | | | | both the stallion and I were moved to a new stud |
| advisable to be alert and cautious around horses. | | | | and I was the designated handler. Now I could |
| Looking at their size and characteristics (teeth, | | | | have simply approached the stallion in the same |
| hooves and swatting tail) you always want to | | | | manner as I had seen, but I had been working |
| have respect for the animal. Any horse has the | | | | hard to develop his trust. Instead I managed to |
| potential to react unpredictably, any careless | | | | pull his mane in his stable and with only a halter to |
| horse person can attest to this. | | | | simply tie him up. |
| To avoid unnecessary harm you should learn the | | | | What this should teach any person who |
| appropriate ways to approach and handle a horse. | | | | approaches horses is to know your limits as well |
| A horses vision is limited, so if you approach him | | | | as the horse's natural responses. If the very first |
| from his blind side and he reacts by kicking out at | | | | task I did with the stallion was to pull his mane, I |
| you, you really only have yourself to blame. Your | | | | could have been seriously harmed in his stable. He |
| horse is simply following age old survival tactics of | | | | was known to bite and bully grooms - hence the |
| protecting himself from a predator. It is not his | | | | twitch. However I worked with him on a daily |
| fault he could not see you, so do not respond | | | | basis respecting his space and developing trust. |
| with your own natural instinct to react back. | | | | It is not advisable to harm a horse, whether in |
| Horses develop a sense of trust with handlers. As | | | | anger, punishment or instinctive reaction on your |
| a groom, whether you are a groom by profession | | | | behalf. Mostly likely you will come off second best |
| or a horse owner who actually grooms your own | | | | and you are teaching a horse to fear humans and |
| horse, you have the advantage of getting close | | | | to naturally fight for survival. |
| to your horse. Developing a close bond and | | | | If you find yourself in the company of an |
| relationship with your horse will help you to be in | | | | aggressive horse, or even a horse that has a |
| closer physical contact. | | | | pesky habit of biting, if you do not know how to |
| For example when I started working in a yard I | | | | respond, then do some research. There are |
| watched a groom pulling a stallion's mane. He was | | | | numerous books that deal specifically on how to |
| restricted in a crush and he also had a twitch on | | | | work and re-train horses that have less than |
| his nose (control method). At the time I was | | | | favorable habits. You could also call in a horse |
| happy she was the one working with the stallion | | | | professional who could advise you and help |
| as from the looks of things he seemed to be a | | | | re-train the horse. |