Understanding the horse's defenses

Horse defenses are attitudes that the animal adopts in certain circumstances by whim or by necessity to signify a disagreement or a problem. You must then understand them to better manage them in order to smooth the reactions between you. Here are some expert recommendations.

Disordered movements

A horse that is suffering cannot express it as clearly as a human. He then finds a roundabout way to say that everything is no longer going as usual. In this way, he expresses his discontent or discomfort, sometimes pain.

Each horse has a specific way of functioning. The animal finds a particular way of expressing discomfort, unease, pain or any other problem of the same nature. It is therefore up to you to pay attention to its actions. Generally, we distinguish between expressive horses and introverted horses. If you want to understand your horse, it is better to clearly note the defense.

Disordered movements consist of a set of gestures that the horse makes, for example, when he ignores all subtlety. For example, he has tried everything as usual without the rider understanding or correcting himself. He then moves up a gear. He can tilt his head in all directions or shake it. Some horses push straight on the bridle, even if it is of quality like the one displayed on La Sellerie Française , to free themselves from the rider's grip . Horses that do not seek conflict prefer to make the desired movement as quickly as possible or they go completely off into the wind.

This reaction explains a discomfort that the horse wants to calm down so as not to suffer any longer the pain or discomfort that prevails at that precise moment. This is generally due to the pressure of your hands.

Refusal to move forward

The horse refuses to move forward quite rarely. This defense is noticeable in all horses. Yours must be used to it if he has the opportunity to participate in group lessons. At this level, the horse is simply telling you that he is not able to do what you are asking of him. If you pay attention, you will realize that you are asking too much of him in the precise circumstances of the action.

The defense of refusing to move forward is also an expression of helplessness or trauma in a horse. He finds himself in a situation in which he cannot resign himself to throwing in the towel. For the rider, the important thing is to comfort his animal to make his crisis pass. If it is just a whim, it is necessary to show him firmly and friendly who is in charge in the duo.

Back and forth and kick

Rearing is an extreme that horses often reach by instinct. They then go into ultimate mode to encourage the rider to dismount. If you are very complicit and the horse rears, then you have good reason to worry. In reality, the horse cannot want to harm you and the fact that he has such a dangerous deviation for you, the situation is then complex. It must be a bad memory that comes back to him through trauma. It can also be an action that he never wants to repeat again.