Develop Trust With Your Horse By Teaching Her To Lie Down

Before going to train your mare for a horse ballet like dressage, try teaching her some basic tricks first.

Eventually having your own pony most probably made you more determined to become a full-on equestrian. But no matter how eager you are, your dressage competing days must wait until your mare is ready with the right coaching and experience to handle it. Meanwhile, just enjoy horse riding and better yet, practice your coaching talents by developing trust between you and your mare by teaching her an easy trick; like lying down, for example.

Begin by providing your horse protection for her legs. With the rope placed on the pastern located on the mare’s leg that’s next to you, ask your mare to give you her foot and let the rope aid you in holding up the foot. While doing so ask your mare to lean back. Release just as soon as your mare leans back, commend her, and put her foot down.

Next, ask your pony to rock back and continue doing so until her knee gets to touch the ground. Ensure your mare’s nose isn’t pointed between her legs as that will make it difficult for her to lie down. When your mare becomes more content with her knee touching the ground, ask your mare to stay a bit longer before letting her get up. At this point, teach your pony the cue for getting up so she’s going to look for your sign to get up before she is doing so and remain staying down before the cue.

For the subsequent steps, see if your horse will lift her knee from the ground. If so , place the rope under her tummy towards the other side of her body, over her back, and in your hands again to keep your mare’s foot up in case she resists the steps that follow.

While your mare’s knee is on the ground, direct her nose toward the opposite side, the opposite of where you stand, and ask her to rock back far more. Slowly, your pony will come down on her shoulders and lie down. Permit her to get up once she wants to do so.

Give the cue for lying down. Let your mare lie down and get up numerous times before asking her to stay down which you may do by having your mare bend her head on her side. Finally, let your mare stay down longer before signaling her to get up.

Once your mare has learned your cues, it will become natural for her to lie down and get up when you cue her to do so.

Remember that horses can’t learn this in just one day.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats