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How many times have you been told to not allow your horse (young or adult) into your space? Or worse yet, don’t let them crowd you, push on you?

In our previous video we discussed why horses are pushy. In today’s video I will be explaining how to assess your horse’s behavior so you can learn why your horse is pushy. This is important and for the following reasons:
- To understand what motivates your horse’s behavior, get to the real cause so you can resolve the issue and not deal with the symptom
- Know which training approach will work best to help your horse learn new habits
- Stop repeating old, negative behaviors
- Create new behaviors, mindset, attitude
- Develop a great start/re-start with the relationship and partnership

Assessing the unwanted behavior should always come first and before you try and change it. If we don’t understand the why, how will we know what will work best and that means not compromising your horse’s integrity, spirit and relationship with you.

This means we set up the opportunity to evaluate our horse, see why he does what he does and try and see his perspective. Horses are so smart and so much of what they do is instinctive and not cognitive.

And this is where we go wrong. Thinking they are doing it on purpose. Now don’t get me wrong, some horses are super smart and do plan, and some are raised as brats, but most horses aren’t that smart or spoiled and truly rely on their instincts to guide them.

How do we begin assessing? First, I spend time observing their behavior with other horses. This is the #1 thing I will want to do first as it will give me a true read about their nature and if their pushy behavior is a trait or learned.

If I can’t watch them in a natural setting with other horses, I will test them through a series of exercises that help me see/read how they feel about me pushing back, meaning how do they respond to both rhythmic and steady pressure?

Here is a list of the areas I look at when getting a true and accurate assessment of a pushy horse, meaning is it nature or is it nurture, learned.

Untrained behavior:
- High headset, rushes into and through – instinct
- Normal look in their eye or soft and wide
- Flickering ears (front and back), asking questions
- Usually won’t move/go then rushes and plows through
Defensive, frustrated, protective (food) behavior:
- Pinning ears, hard look in their eye, high headset
- Swishing tail, stomps, kicks out
- Charges and throws a shoulder

Nervous, unsure behavior:
- Won’t look at you, flickering ears
- Wants to flee and if trapped will fight, barge through, or flee, pull back
Truly disrespectful and bratty behavior:
- Pushes back into pressure
- Challenges you by looking you straight in the eye, sizes you up and rushes through you
- Pins ears, swishes tail, screams, shows teeth
In the end, it is up to us to make the first change and realize that we limit ourselves and our horse’s potential by viewing them through a narrow and judgmental eye.

If we take the time to observe, study, ask questions, communicate, and educate our horses we will set us both up for a safe and happy co-existence and partnership. One where there is no fighting, punishment, danger, or excuses.

Please click here to learn more about how to develop your horse while you develop your riding skills https://www.taoofhorsemanship.com/mas...

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