| Due to their strong senses, horses can often | | | | work for you. |
| overreact to things that humans do not find | | | | - If your animal starts bucking or rearing, in most |
| threatening. A nervous or a panicked horse can | | | | cases it is best to dismount. |
| be very dangerous to its handler and may injure | | | | - If a horse is constantly anxious and appears |
| itself, so care should be taken when dealing with | | | | over energetic, you should make sure you are |
| one. Here are some top tips for calming your | | | | not overfeeding it. |
| horse down: | | | | - Speak to the horse with a low and soothing |
| - If your equine starts to act nervously, stay | | | | voice. Horses do not understand what you are |
| calm. Horses can sense your anxiety and will get | | | | saying but they can recognize different tones of |
| even more nervous. Appear relaxed by smiling or | | | | voices and link them to safe situations. |
| yawning. | | | | - Some animals are naturally more nervous than |
| - If possible, move the horse away from the | | | | others. Supplements containing magnesium are |
| source of anxiety. | | | | said to calm nervous equines. Always consult your |
| - Rub the horse's withers to calm it down. | | | | vet before adding any calmers to your horse's |
| - The best way to avoid danger situations is | | | | diet. |
| prevention. Get your horse used to noise and | | | | These top tips are some of the ways to try and |
| possibly scary situation when it is still young. | | | | calm a horse down. While they are very useful, |
| - Never punish a horse for being anxious. Being | | | | the key to calming a horse down is knowledge. |
| frightened is a natural reaction, not a vice. | | | | What works for one horse might not work for |
| - Give a nervous equine some food. Hay is the | | | | another so try the methods listed above to find |
| best option as it resembles their natural safety | | | | the best for your situation. If you are unsure of |
| zone in the field but treats can also be used. | | | | how to deal with a nervous horse, always ask a |
| - If your horse's anxiety is unmanageable, | | | | more experienced friend for advice. |
| consider hiring a trainer or an expert to do the | | | | |