Basic horse training

Every interaction is training

World Horse Welfare points out that horses don't instinctively know how to live in a human world: we have to teach them, through compassionate and consistent training. Horses learn all the time, not just in training sessions, so catching a horse in the field, leading it to the yard and picking up its feet all teach it something.

Horses learn from the consequences of what they do. If an action leads to something they want, such as a food reward or the release of pressure, they're more likely to repeat it. They can't reason out what we want, so it's up to us to make the right answer easy:

• Break training into small, logical steps.
• Reward the horse the moment it does what you asked.
• Stay calm and stop if the horse gets frightened. A horse in flight, fight or freeze can't learn, and methods that cause fear or stress make training less effective as well as risking injury.

World Horse Welfare's guidance is that positive reinforcement should underpin training, and that methods which risk injury or physical or emotional harm shouldn't be used. How horses learn explains the learning theory behind this, including the methods to avoid.

What a well-handled horse can do

The British Horse Society's Handling your horse awards set out the everyday skills that keep handlers, vets and farriers safe. A well-handled horse:

• Leads quietly from either side. Lead at the horse's shoulder. The horse should walk on from your voice and body position, not be dragged.
• Stands still for inspection. A vet needs to see the horse standing squarely to spot uneven weight-bearing or muscle differences between the two sides.
• Moves backwards, sideways and forwards under control when asked, so you can position it in a stable, at a gate or for treatment.
• Walks and trots up in hand in a straight line, with the gates closed, walking before each turn.
• Lets you pick up its feet, so the farrier can work safely. See Working with your farrier.

When someone is examining or treating a horse, the BHS advises the handler to stand on the same side as that person. If the horse is difficult, turn its head towards you, to help avoid injury to you both.

Turning out and catching

The BHS's handling lessons cover how to turn out and catch safely:

• Wear a hat, gloves and non-slip footwear, because even quiet horses can be unpredictable.
• Have someone open and close the gate behind you.
• Walk far enough into the field that you won't be caught between the horse and the gate if it kicks out as it goes.
• Don't chase the horse away from you when you let it go.
• When you lead a horse in, watch out for other horses following you to the gate.
• Never take a bucket of food into a group of horses.

The vet, the farrier and being alone

Plan for the experiences your horse will need to cope with calmly. The BHS points to short videos from the British Equine Veterinary Association on training horses to stay relaxed for vet visits, and suggests working with your farrier so that visits are a positive experience rather than a frightening one.

Being left alone, or led away from friends, is hard for a herd animal. Teach it gradually, in steps both horses are comfortable with: How horses learn gives World Horse Welfare's step-by-step method.

From groundwork to a first ride

Teaching a horse to accept a rider (often called backing) builds on all of the above. World Horse Welfare's grooms tailor a plan to each horse, and one of their blog posts follows Cariad, a 12-year-old mare, through the whole process:

1. General handling, then "bubble work" in hand in the arena: teaching her to respect the handler's personal space and come into it only when invited.
2. Lungeing, in walk and then trot, once she was comfortable with that.
3. In-hand walks outside, which she found very exciting at first. It took a few weeks for her to walk nicely in front of or behind other ponies.
4. Long reining, first in the arena, then outside on easy, straight routes, building up until she was happy going out alone and in company.
5. A check by the physiotherapist and a saddle fitted by a saddle fitter, then the saddle added to her lungeing and long reining.
6. Leaning over her, then walking a few steps that way, introducing each new stage slowly.
7. Sitting on her and asking for a few steps, then taking up the reins and stirrups.
8. Riding on the lead rein in the school, then on short walks outside, then off the lead rein.

Cariad spent around nine months on groundwork and a further six months being backed. She also lost 100 kg along the way. Her groom brought her along slowly and steadily to build her confidence.

World Horse Welfare also uses dummy riders, shaped like a person and attached to the saddle, for ponies too small to carry any of its grooms. A dummy lets them see how a pony reacts to something sitting on its back without risking a child, though it's lighter than a real rider and doesn't move like one.

How long should it take? World Horse Welfare's answer is however long it needs to take: the horse should be confident at each stage before moving on. Their top tips are to be clear, be patient, and have the horse assessed by a vet and other relevant professionals before and during work, to make sure it's sound and comfortable to carry on. Not every horse will suit being ridden: some are too small, some have conformation problems or conditions that would make riding uncomfortable or painful, and some simply don't enjoy it.

For carrying weight, World Horse Welfare's farms work to a rule that a fit, healthy horse should carry no more than 15% of its ideal body weight, saddle and rider combined. See Riding for beginners for more on rider size.

Using a whip

World Horse Welfare's position is that the whip is not a bad tool when used correctly: it's an optional piece of equipment that can be used in an ethically acceptable way when training and riding horses. It encourages riders to ask whether they need to carry one at all, rather than doing so out of habit, and its guide Should I carry or use a whip? shows, step by step, how to use one in line with learning theory without causing confusion, fear or pain.

When to get help

• If your horse's behaviour changes or training stalls, start with your vet: pain is a common cause. See Behaviour problems.
• For training help, a qualified coach or an equine behaviour professional whose methods are based on learning theory can work with you and your horse.
• To learn the skills yourself, the BHS Horse Explorers awards include Handling your horse and Lungeing your horse, taught by BHS coaches at Approved Centres or at your own yard.