how do you get your horse to trust you

[alex phillips]

my horse meadow was once abused and wont trust me,we have so many problems. how do i fix it.how do i get her to trust me so we can jump

[Hannah]

Hi Alex,
My old pony was once terribly abused.
It took a while. Some horses take longer than others, Like my new horse he adored me from the first day and we grew apon that! You need to show meadow you won't hurt her. Paintence and understanding lots of grooming, cuddles! keep her happy talk to her like she's your best friend which she probably is. Look out for her! see her everyday or most day's care for her give her treats etc.... Show her you love her. It all takes time. :) Good luck!

[Alyssa Thomas]

you could also try monty roberts' join-up method. it works on the basis of the horse's language. it builds trust by establishing yourself as the herd leader in a gentle and pain-free way.

[Amy]

My horse was once abused when he was younger (now 29) and is head shy and extremely spooky because of it. when i first started riding him in lessons he wouldn't let me get him from the paddock or from his stall he would either run away or move to the back of his stall, my riding teacher had to get him for me he also wouldn't let me brush his face or let me put his bridle on. My riding teacher gave him to me and i started working with him just going over to him and giving him treats and patting him and he eventually started to let me do more stuff with him. it's been about 3 years since i started riding him 2 since I've owned him and hes still sometimes spooky but sooo much better just cuz he knows he can trust me.

What does she do to show u she doesn't trust you?

[Claire]

Just like Alyssa I was going to say use the join-up.

[Maria]

Well the way I got Smidget to trust me was just sitting in her stall, grooming her, giving her treats, and being very calm. Now I can jump on her neck and she doesn't do anything! Sparta just loves everyone but doesn't trust everyone. I was with him from the start and he only trusts me and my friend Annalee

[Kat]

Make everything a good experiance.
If he does something wrong, don't get mad and smack him, tell him "no"
then try again.

Join Up works well.

also, just spending lots of time together, not just riding.
brushing, treats, etc.