Trying to school a nervous horse with the same techniques as a confident horse will usually produce poor results, particularly if the horse is scared of the trainer. When training the timid horse, it is far more effective to shape the training regiment around his personality than trying to force him to succumb to a single method.
A timid horse is, by nature, fearful. He might shy from unfamiliar objects or unexpected sounds; he probably tosses his head when something is waved near it. In some cases, a nervous horse will be unsettled by something relatively innocuous, such as riding from sand to grass.
So how does a trainer convince the nervous horse that he can handle the situations with which he is confronted? And how can he instill confidence in a severely timid horse?
New Experiences
The first step in training the timid horse is to commit to introducing him to new and different things every day. Present a new or unfamiliar situation during every training session. Some examples include:
- Clippers
- Water (e.g. stream, river)
- Colorful fences
- Plastic bags
- Spray bottles
- New tack
- Plants in the field
As the timid horse starts to realize that he survives each new addition to his environment, he will slowly grow more comfortable with experiencing new things. This might take only a couple of days, though most nervous horses will need significantly more time to build confidence.
Quiet Movements
Every rider should know how to quiet his or her movements when working around horses as a general principle, but this is even more important when training the timid horse. Riders and trainers should work on giving subtle hand, leg and seat cues to avoid startling a nervous horse.
Additionally, it is essential to focus on movements made on the ground. Running up to the horse or waiving a piece of paper in close proximity might be enough to set him off. Do not give him a reason to react with fear until the timid horse has gained more confidence.
Equine Examples
Most people discover that they are more bold when hanging out with confident friends. The same goes for timid horses. When training nervous horses, work with another horse and rider to help instill some of that confidence.
For example, if a timid horse is having trouble crossing a bridge, ask another rider to walk her horse over the bridge so the nervous horse can watch it happen. After a few laps over the bridge, the rider on the nervous horse can follow the confident horse over.
This exercise works with all types of obstacles, such as jumps, rivers, streams, tarps and more. If a timid horse can watch a more confident horse complete a task, he will be more inclined to try it himself.
Taking Bites
If a timid horse can bite the object he fears, he will no longer fear it. This is an old adage, but it works regardless of the type of horse in training. Give a timid horse time to observe an object he fears, then wait until he bites it or touches it with his nose. This usually indicates he has transitioned from fear to curiosity.
The important thing about training timid horses is that any training exercise will take more time than it would with a confident horse. This animal needs time, compassion and understanding to gain more confidence, so trainers should respect that and work within its boundaries.
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