5 of the best ways to show your horse how much you care
Every day is a good day to make sure your horse feels loved.
Ever feel like you just keep asking your horse to give you more? More time. More hard work. More patience. More understanding.
I know I’ve felt like this especially with horses that are working so hard to teach people. Honestly, I’ve really struggled with feeling guilty for asking for so much from horses- its part of why I started this blog.
I’ve found that giving back and not asking for anything in return has really strengthened my relationships and cultivated more peaceful energy between us.
I want every horse on the planet to know just how much they are loved and appreciated. So I’m sharing five of my favorite ways to make horses feel loved.
Five ways to make horses feel loved
1. Horse's choice grooming
This one is going to require you to put your perfectionism on mute. Use only your horse’s favorite grooming tools and groom only their favorite places. Don’t worry about actually getting them clean it’s more perfectly scratching that itchy spot than getting rid of mud and tangles. Be sure to pay attention to where and how they are showing you to groom. More pressure or less. Faster or slower. Circles or with the direction of the hair. Are they leaning toward you or wiggling away? Remember it’s horse’s choice so whatever they pick go with it.
2. T-touch
If you’re not familiar with Ttouch and the work of Linda Tellington Jones you’re missing out on a great way to support and balance your horse’s body. Her work covers a series of gentle hand techniques that don’t require a ton of fancy skills and make a tremendous difference in how your horse moves and feels. You can grab her book here or check out more videos of it in action on the Tellington TTouch youtube channel. These easy movements don’t look like much at first but stick with it and you will see your horse go from zero to zen in just a few minutes.
3. Bring A Friend
For a lot of horses, one of their least favorite parts of working with people is being separated from their friends. Why not change things up and let your horse spend some time in the arena with their horsey bff. Obviously, be sure the other owner is okay with it first. Then sit back and have fun watching your horse enjoy their free time in the arena, playing and snooping around.
4. Go For A Walk
It might seem a bit weird taking your horse out for a walk instead of riding but the change of pace will really do them good. As you head out be sure to give them options about which way they want to go and what pace feels most comfortable. Avoid nitpicking or getting stuck in your head about where you planned to go just explore with your horse and watch their curiosity come to life.
5. Meditate With Your Horse
Okay so before you start picturing your horse sitting cross-legged, let me explain. Science has shown that meditation goes much further than just what is happening inside the mind of the person meditating. It actually affects how they interact with others, their response to stress, and the energy they bring into basically every situation.
What horse wouldn’t feel more loved and appreciated with an owner that has more patience, thinks clearer, and has more positive energy? If you want to try it but your not sure where to start I created a horse meditation track that might help. Head over here to give it a go.
Try them out tell me how it goes. If you’ve got questions about any of these send them my way.
I’d love to hear about any other ways that you make your horse feel loved and appreciated. Share away in the comments.
Insightfully,
Becky
