Ep 144: Disengaging the Defensive Nature of Colts
When working with young horses, you will often see their natural defensive, reactive tendencies come out when asking them to respond to pressure. Horses' minds are wired to defend themselves, so when a horse feels direct pressure, its first instinct is to push against it. This instinct comes out in the form of reactive responses like pushing against the bridle, throwing its head up, bucking, rearing, kicking out, or even something as subtle as pushing its body against the pressure of your leg. This is simply because horses do not yet understand that the pressure is a signal to change their speed, direction or body position.
Teaching a colt to respond to pressure instead of react to pressure is a critical step in the training process. When a horse is reactive, their bodies immediately become tense. As their muscles become tense, they lose all softness. Most often, the first part of their body to lose softness is the ribcage. When the ribcage becomes stiff, the horse becomes bilateral. Bilateral body positioning results in the horse becoming front-end loaded and pivoting on its front end. Wherever the head goes, the hind end goes the opposite direction. This is not an ideal body position for a horse in any performance event because it inhibits their ability to change speed or direction fluidly.
So, how do we address these defensive tendencies? The theory is to control the horse’s feet by controlling its mind. We have to switch the horse’s mind to being responsive instead of reactive. Engaging in a few simple, confidence-building exercises can help you disengage the defensive nature of colts to enhance their understanding and responsiveness. When you build trust and confidence, the horse gets out of the habit of being defensive.
To learn more about the exercises mentioned in this episode, enroll in our Foundation to Finish Online Training Programs.
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