Instructions
Use consistent cues and corrections when handling the horse. Good ground manners are learned, not instinctive, and horses learn by repetition. Use the same body language and spoken cues at all times to help the horse learn acceptable behavior. Consistent corrections such pressure against the shoulder to push the horse out of your personal space each time it comes too close will be easy for the animal to understand.
Remain calm and patient with the animal at all times. Do not get upset or raise your voice at the horse because it will upset the animal, and possibly trigger the animal's flight response which will make it less likely to learn. Be patient with the horse even if it doesn't learn the lesson immediately. Some horses learn faster than others and it may take multiple corrections before the horse comprehends what it has done wrong and how to correct it.
Suit the correction or punishment to the infraction. A bite or kick warrants a stronger correction than a horse who moves in too close to its handler or who chews on its rope when tied. Punishing a horse excessively for a minor infraction can cause the animal to lose trust in the handler and become less receptive to training.
Reward the horse when it behaves appropriately. Praise the animal with a stroke or pat and use your voice to tell it what a good job it did. Provided you are not trying to correct a biting habit, give the horse a treat such as a carrot. If the horse is a known biter, a food reward may prompt the horse to begin using its mouth again, the opposite of what you are trying to teach it. Make the correct behavior more inviting and rewarding to the animal than the poor behavior. Ignore unwanted behavior and withhold the attention the horse is seeking until it corrects the behavior, at which time praise or a food reward is appropriate.
How to Improve a Horse's Ground Manners
A horse with poor ground manners can be dangerous to the people working with it. Poor ground manners may include approaching too close to a person, kicking, biting, using the body to push its handler around, snatching its feet away when being worked on or even head butting. A full-grown horse can weigh anywhere from 800 to 2,000 pounds and can move quickly, so it is imperative that it respects its handler's personal space and understands what constitutes appropriate behavior.