Do you know what one thing that every horseback rider would want to know is? We guess that if you have been around horses or horses interest you, you may already know this. Every horseback rider wants to have a sense of assurance that their horses trust them enough. Suppose you have a horse that trusts you. In that case, he will do everything in his might to keep you from all the dangerous situations and enable you to win some top-shot riding competitions. So, here, we have created a full-proof guide that will help you see through the signs of whether or not your horse trusts you enough. 

So, how can you tell whether your horse trusts you or not? Any horse that trusts you enough will follow your instructions, even when you ask them to do something that they may not have done before. When you reach out to them, they will come to you, and they will also respect your time and you.  

It would be best to look for a few general signs when you try to determine whether your horse trusts you. Let us take a look at some of these signs.  

Your horse trusts you when they hear out your instructions

One of the best ways to tell whether or not your horse trusts you enough is to see how they respond anytime you give them an instruction, says Stan, who offers ‘do my assignment for me’ services and has two horses at his farm. If the horse is confident under your leadership and authority, they are more likely to follow the instructions when they encounter a situation that intimidates them. When the horse trusts you, they will have the required faith that you are not trying to harm them anytime you try to do something new.   

Every horse has its own things and quirks that they might be nervous or afraid to do at first, but they will trust you with time. So, there will not be a problem to correct these behaviors. Desensitization training is one of the best ways to get your horse accustomed to unusual situations. It will enable them to know that you are trustworthy. 

If your horse trusts you, they will come to you

Another telltale sign that your horse trusts you is how the horse reacts to you when you reach out to them. If the horse runs from you, they negatively associate you with a lot of work and little reward. If that is the case, they will prefer to stay in their stall or field where they can wander around in peace instead of taking you through the pace. 

To overcome this, you need to teach your horse that they can trust you and that you will reward them if they put in the requisite hard work. Even though it is easier to have your horse come to you when you shower them with treats, it is more rewarding and healthier to train them instead of coming to you without a treat, suggests a horse owner and an online computer science tutor, George.

If they respect you, they will trust you

In horses, both respect and trust go hand in hand. So, if you are consistent with the training, you will never give explicit instructions. Give the requisite flexibility to your horse to call the shots. Do not only spend your time enjoying yourself on your horse. This will make it difficult for you to develop a relationship of respect. When the horses go out in a field, they will automatically establish a pecking order. So, one horse of the group will be the leader. In an attempt to have an order, the horses will challenge one another, and they will continue to do the same, even after you have found a leader, points out Denise, an educator with TAE. As a horse owner, your aim should be to establish yourself as a leader in your relationship with them. It is also one of the best ways to gain respect for your dorse. You can do this by being assertive and firm. However, it is also recommended to be gentle and kind by always being ready with praise. Be nice to them any time you see progress. Horses tend to challenge you time and again continually. So, you should always be firm when needed, to have your respect in their eyes, and build a relationship of trust.  

If they let you touch them, it is a sign they trust you

When a horse is not familiar with you, they will be cautious about allowing you to touch them, particularly the horses abused by their past owners, says Janet, a tutor who offers the best design thinking courses. You and your horse must have the necessary human interaction.  

Horses, by nature, are fight or flight beings. However, their standard choice is flight. If the horse is not familiar with you, their instinct could nudge them to think of you as a predator. The predators commonly attack the prey on the neck and the head area. So, anytime you try to touch them in these areas and get defensive, they do not trust you enough. Be careful not to respond negatively while handling them, especially when they have a particular medical issue. It can deteriorate your relationship with them permanently.  

So, you can use these tips and tricks to know whether your horse trusts you enough or not.