The Use Of The Term Respect in Horsemanship – by Ian Leighton Horsemanship

The use of the term respect when it comes to horse training often comes under fire. “Respect is a human term” they say and talk about it like it is something that can be bullied into a horse. I personally have no respect for a bully or a narcissist.

Respect in horsemanship is something we earn from our horse by helping it feel comfortable with the choices it is making. We might earn it from a frightened horse by helping it through a worrying situation. We might earn it from a defensive horse by showing it how changing that way of looking after itself reduces the need to be defensive and worried. We might gain it from a bolshy horse by proving that we are assertive enough to earn the right to be the one who should be followed.

Respect is not gained by any one method or aspect of horsemanship. The frightened horse might need exposure in increments to whatever it is that that has it worried and the removal of that thing every time it starts to deal with it. The defensive horse might need to move separate parts of its body for us in order to become comfortable with the fact that these responses gain it more than the defensive behaviour that has worked for it in the past. The bolshy spoiled colt might need chasing away a little to learn that if it is to be near us it is to be in a more socially acceptable manner.

Gaining a horses respect is more about showing it easy ways to be in a human created environment so that it can relax and leave the worrying to you. Horses crave this more than food in many cases. Respect is also having enough empathy for the horse to work out what it needs in order to gain its respect. Nothing takes the worry out of a horse more than taking away the confusion it might be feeling.

Respect for another horseman might be putting some effort into understanding what they might be trying to achieve with a particular horse and learning enough about that given situation before assuming that that is how every horse is handled.

Respect in horsemanship is about reading a particular horse and using an appropriate technique to help it understand. That technique’s success is largely reliant on the amount of feel one has for the horse and the situation. Respect is a 2 way street and we must lead by example. Bullying is just that and will only create fear and worry.