Helping Horses Settle into a New Place

Brandy is not as calm as she looks

This is the companion blog post to my chat with Jec Aristotle Ballou on 7/25/23 Helping Horses Settle Into New Places This article addresses how to build horses' confidence when traveling to new settings like clinics, shows, or group rides. For additional help settling a horse in a new home, see New Horse Success
Any trip can cause stress. There’s a trailer ride, plus new sights, sounds, smells, people, animals, surroundings, and expectations. Even though Brandy appears calm and polite in the trailer, quiet signs show she is stressed. When anxiety does show up, it is often as behavior that rightfully makes people anxious: higher-than-a-kite, prancing, dancing, pulling, and crashing into people. That makes it hard to project the calm energy the horse needs most from us. There are many things we can do to prepare a horse ahead of time for a new situation, but I’ll start with what we can do with an out of control horse in that moment.

On alert: head up, weight back, body rigid, eyes locked on

In the moment A horse who is so far out of his comfort zone that he is out of control is not in an emotional state to learn anything. The first step is to get him to a place at the edge of his comfort zone, where he is concerned enough to watch, but feels safe enough to learn from what he is observing. Then let him observe with no pressure or distractions. You are just moral support while his curiosity takes over. He will tell you when he feels safe enough to step forward and observe more closely. Investigative Behavior is explained in this article Curiosity and Investigative Behavior: Antidote to Fear In the photo above, Bronzz has alerted on something strange. Notice my quiet posture. We can maintain a loose lead because he knows I will not pressure him to approach something scary. Instead, I will let him check it out. At Bronzz’s first show he came off the trailer higher than a kite, dancing and screaming. I led him to the far side of the show grounds, next to a pasture of horses quietly grazing, and just let him watch. I let him tell me when he was ready to edge closer. By mid-afternoon we had strolled all around, observing and inspecting, and Bronzz was standing by the main ring, calmly observing all the horses competing, and coming and going. I saddled up and sat on him, watched some more, strolled around again. At his next show a month later, he needed just an hour of observation before he was ready to march through the in-gate, focused on following my instructions precisely. Jec observed that some people resort to lunging a frightened horse to tire him out so he is more compliant. The problem with this is that the horse does not learn anything from this that reduces his anxiety, so the process must be repeated at subsequent shows, to the detriment of his performance.

My body language cues Brandy to turn right without leadline pressure

Advance Preparation The most important factor in managing a frightened horse is your relationship with him. No amount of repetition reliably overcomes a horse’s fears. But, as Antoine de Pluvinel’s famous quote says, when a horse trusts you he will ask you what to do when he is frightened. Trust is earned by being a horse’s Protector, meeting his need to feel safe. This is the focus of my book, What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Confidence, and Reliability. Here I will share a few highlights in the form of steps you as a Protector Leader can take to prepare your horse for new places and events, with some additional information in the linked articles. My book contains illustrated step by step instructions.
1. Establish safe ground manners and clear communication. Safe ground manners means your horse does not bump into you or pull on his lead. Clear communication means using your body language in ways that make intuitive sense to him as you lead him so he does not need to rely on leadline pressure for cues. This comes easily to horses because they read body language well. It’s people who need to learn how to be clear. In the photo above I am asking Brandy to turn right by turning my arm and my body in the direction I want her to go. Since she is in the habit of watching my body language, she readily steps away from me into the turn. Body Language: Copying I do not look for perfect obedience when a horse is anxious. An anxious horse needs to move his feet, and that’s okay as long as he doesn’t bump me or yank the lead.

In less than 5 minutes Brandy determined the ditch was not scary

2. Confidence Building Exercises Horses’ comfort zones expand as they learn that things they thought might be treacherous are actually safe, or even fun. Over time their default assumption shifts from, “Strange new thing, better leave,” to “Strange new thing, let’s check it out.” It also shows your horse that he can count on you for moral support instead of pressure. This is Investigative Behavior, a powerful form of learning that overcomes fear by engaging horses’ innate curiosity and intelligence. Hand walks are great opportunities for exploring and learning about the world, something that many horses have too little opportunity to do. In the photo above, Brandy and I encountered a ditch that she found scary. I just waited while she inspected it. When she was ready (about 4 minutes), she hopped across with confidence. Next time, she strolled casually across as if it wasn’t there.

Brandy trots through the Horse Agility ribbon curtain

At home any obstacle training can be a confidence booster, provided there is no pressure involved. Horse Agility models all the elements that build communication, confidence, and trusting bonds. Obstacles are chosen to represent classes of things horses might be naturally leery of: Over, Under, Around, and Through. The photo above shows Brandy’s confidence as she trots off-lead through something that is both over and around her.

A simple bottle drag engages Opie's curiosity

3. Short Trips that are Fun Ideally, a horse’s first trips to someplace new should be short and fun because the first experience with anything leaves a lasting impression that overshadows subsequent events. Opie’s first trip away from home was to come to my place (20 minute ride), play with agility equipment, run and roll in my arena, and go home. As a horse’s experience grows, more expectations can be added. The goal should always be to make each expedition a positive experience for the horse. Any time a horse looks like his anxiety is getting too high, find a way to relieve it for him, like taking him to a place where he feels safer. That is the best way to prepare a horse to cope with the unexpected challenges that inevitably happen.