Techniques to Calm Horses

As horse owners, we have the responsibility to care for our charges with confidence and skill. We rely on them to carry us safely, and they rely upon us for protection and security. Trust is a requirement for a healthy partnership. Horses are prey animals and have an instinctual flight response to fear. A scared or excited horse can be a dangerous one, therefore, having the ability to calm horses is imperative for safety reasons.

  1. Reading Horses

    • Recognizing the first signs of anxiety, agitation or fear in your horse enables you to take immediate action, minimize stress and calm your horse more effectively. Horses that are anxious or restless may breathe heavily. Horses exhibit warning signs of agitation or fear, such as stamping their feet, baring their teeth, flattening their ears, swishing their tails rapidly from side to side, rearing, bucking or bolting.

    Communication and Body Language

    • Providing an atmosphere of safety, trust, confidence and courage is essential to teaching horses. They have the ability to sense our emotions through our body language, causing them to react accordingly. When interacting with horses, it's vital to remain calm regardless of the situation. Keep a relaxed posture while avoiding abrupt movements, and demonstrate that you're not upset when your horse displays bad behavior. Pushing horses when they are under stress or anxious can add to their anxiety and result in resistance and fleeing.

    Head Down

    • Horses that are relaxed carry their heads below the withers, which results in their spines and tails being at ease. They associate this position with rest and grazing. In reverse, horses that are anxious or afraid carry their necks and heads high and erect. Giving the head-down cue and asking the horse to lower its head serves as an automatic calming signal. Begin teaching your horse the cue in a calm environment that's relatively free of distractions. When it learns the cue, introduce small distractions as you ask it to lower its head. Increase the distractions until the horse responds consistently.

    Sacking Out

    • Sacking out changes the way horses react to objects they're fearful of by desensitizing them through bombardment. By systematically exposing them to an object that causes fear or anxiety in a controlled and safe environment, you can change the way they perceive the object and permanently remove their fear. Sacking out builds trust and tolerance for stress, and helps avoid uncontrollable panic by creating coping mechanisms. In the round pen and using a halter and lead line, show your horse the object and gently rub it over it face, neck, back and legs. Continue the process until the horse remains calm when confronted with the object. Learning to overcome the instinct for fight or flight dramatically reduces a horse's chances of injury.

    Sing-Song

    • A horse is highly responsive to the sound and tone of its owner's voice. A key component in your success in handling a horse with skill and confidence is having the ability to communicate verbally. Using a pleasant and soothing tone of voice, gently sing, "There's a clever, boy, there's a clever boy, there's a clever little fellow." The tone of voice produces the calming effect when introducing this technique. Over time, the combination of the words and soothing vocal tone is what a horse learns to associate with "calm down, nothing is going to happen to you, everything will be alright."