horse boarding stables in Rhode Island

Sample My Newsletter
From "I'm Scared of My Horse," Issue 19 of my FREE monthly newsletter

Re: Ask A Horse Trainer

"This article is for people with a horse that "turned into a brat" since they've owned it. It concerns itself with ground manners and the like – it does not deal with riding issues (such as spooky or jiggy horses). It does not specifically address horses that "have always" been bratty. Rather, if your horse has taken a turn for the worse (manners-wise) since you began dealing with it, this is for you.

"Would you like to walk out to the barn, have your horse turn to you with a smile and just hang out, friends for life? Well, that's possible, but first...

"First the hard medicine: If your horse has developed poor ground manners (pushy, rude, especially dangerous vices such as kicking or biting) since you've been in charge... then you'll only fix it by realizing that you need to make a change yourself. Every contact we have with our horses teaches them something – and your behavior has "trained" him to walk all over you. When the horse came to live with you he saw you as a blank slate. Would you be in charge – or would he? He knows somebody's gotta be. Millions of years of "survival of the fittest" programmed him to believe that there's gotta be a boss. If you're not ready for the post, he'll assume it. But now, six months or years after moving in, the horse looks at you and sees a giant sucker, with the Tootsie Pop wrapper and everything...."

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