Protector Leaders Trust Horses to Be True to Their Instincts

I let Brandy assess a strange situation

“Trusting an animal means trusting him to be true to the instincts of his species.” My Grandpa told me this when I was a child. It has saved me from much frustration, and probably from injuries. Horse training often works against a horse’s instincts. For instance, asking a horse to stand still when he is anxious is contrary to his instinct to flee a scary situation. Asking him to walk straight up to something strange is contrary to his instinct to observe and investigate new things first. In theory, a “well-trained” horse should obey a rider or handler’s instructions to stand still. He should respond to the pressure of a lead or rider’s legs to approach a strange thing. Yet each such request asks him to ignore his own best judgement. When fear is great enough, survival instincts take over. The solution is not absolute obedience. This forces a horse to choose between disobedience and his own survival instincts. The solution is to work with horses’ instincts instead of against them. What instinct stops a horse from fleeing when he’s scared? The instinct to look to a trusted companion for protection and guidance. If you are a Protector Leader, that is you. What instinct prompts a horse to willingly approach something new or scary? Curiosity. Investigative Behavior is how they learn about the world so they can be less afraid. Protector Leaders allow horses to investigate at their own pace. What is the best way to promote reliable ground manners and your relationship at the same time? Enlist your horse’s instinct to copy you as they would another horse. This is amazingly simple provided you use “Friendly Body Language” that makes intuitive sense to him and invites him to stay with you. Protector Leaders avoid body language that chases horses away from them. When he senses danger, his instinct is to protect those he cares about. If you are his Protector Leader, that includes you. When we allow a horse to be true to his instincts instead of fighting them, we earn his trust. Then those instincts work in our favor. They help the horse develop his intelligence, build confidence, learn faster, retain what he learns, work reliably, and perform with pride.
More articles describing Protector Leadership:
10 Famous Protector Leaders
10 Reasons Horses and People Love Protector Leadership
Protector Leadership: The Path to Trust, Confidence, and Reliability
This article explains Friendly Body Language
Body Language: Copying

Bears in our Front Yard!

When my horse is worried, I trust him! My husband got these photos in our front yard one afternoon. A few days later as I rode in the woods, Bronzz froze, head up, heart pounding. He often pauses to track something thru the underbrush, but this was real alarm. I didn’t see anything, but I trust my horse. I let Bronzz tell me when it was ok to move on.