How are horses tamed?

If you want to start riding a horse, taming is the first and most important step that needs to be taken. Non-forceful techniques are proven to be the best option in the long term to achieve tamed and happy horses who will respect and bond with their riders. Here’s how to do it:

Empathy

When handling an untamed horse, empathy is key. Handler should put themselves in the place of the horse, to understand its fears and feelings. A slow and respectful approach goes a long way.

Earn the horse’s trust

It helps a lot to place the untamed horse next to tamed horses in the field. Walking to the tame horses in the field and feeding them treats will show the new horse that there is nothing to fear. The tame horses should be patted spoken to in a soft voice and warm tone. Over time, the scared untamed horse will start to relax and may even approach the handler by themselves.

Regular grooming

It’s no secret horses like to be groomed: the slow and smooth strokes of the brush are very relaxing. Regular grooming will help make the horse more comfortable around people and accustomed to being touched all over their bodies. This will come very handy if they’re going to be ridden by different people.

Introduction to lunging

Once the horse is comfortable enough being handled, groomed and wearing a halter, there’s one step left in their taming process: introducing them to lunging.

Horse lunging is a very effective training method that involves having the horse move in a large circle. The handler guides the horse with a long rope, a whip (don’t worry, it’s not used to inflict pain), and verbal commands. Lunging is a very useful technique for settling high-strung horses and establishing control. This allows the horse to be handled through the walk, trot, and canter.

We hope these tips help you better understand the process of taming!