As an Animal Communicator I regularly get owners asking how they can increase their horse’s trust in them.

I always ask horses in a session whether – and how much – they trust their owners. Some people already know it’s an area they need to work on, and others realise they need to work on it if their horse gave a low score.

I’ve found in my sessions that just asking a yes/no question isn’t enough. For instance, a horse that says ‘no’ when I ask if it’s in pain might actually have a very high pain threshold! So, I now ‘measure’ the level of pain, or, in this instance, trust.

I did a pendulum survey a while back to get a picture of how many horses do trust their owners – and how much.

There can be all sorts of reasons why your horse might not trust you –

• a bad past experience (with you, or even with a previous owner),

• feeling that you don’t listen to his opinions or preferences / always override them,

• feeling that you’re not there for him when he needs you.

Interestingly, in my experience ‘trust’ is initially a bit of a foreign concept for a lot of horses. When I ask if they trust their owner, they just kind of shrug. I have to ask if their owner has ever done anything to make them not trust them, for it to make sense. Those negative experiences seem to stick with them more than the positive ones, which they take more for granted.

So how can you increase your horse’s trust in you?

The obvious answer is, be trustworthy!

• Listen to him.

• Keep him safe.

• Be clear and consistent.

• Make decisions that are in his best interests.

From an Animal Communicator’s point of view, there are a few more things you can do.

• Learn how to understand what he’s trying to tell you, and take those opinions or preferences into account.
  That might be by learning how to read his body language better, or doing an Animal Communication course.

• If for some reason you can’t – eg he wants to stay in the field today but you need him to come in for the farrier – make sure you verbally explain to him why you can’t.

• Be there for him when he needs you, is struggling, or feeling anxious or insecure.

• Stand up for him, eg when a peer or trainer wants you to do something you know isn’t in his best interest.

• Be a partner, not a dictator.

Note that when it comes to Trust, there’s a difference between a horse doing something because he trusts you, and one that is doing it out of training, habit, or even fear.

It’s all about building and strengthening that bond and relationship between you. Check out this quick video –

What can you do to increase your horse’s trust? Let me know in the comments.

Keep connecting with your horses,

Trisha x

If you’re wondering what’s going on with your horse, grab my free pdf, ‘What’s Wrong With My Horse?‘.

Or, cut to the chase and get all your burning questions answered in an Animal Communication session, (includes physical check, and energetic clearing and rebalancing).

About Trisha

Trisha Wren has been an equine professional for most of her adult life.  She rode, competed, and taught Western Riding for 15 years in Scotland, then horse and rider bio-mechanics in New Zealand and Australia for 10 years.  She’s been a full time horse communicator and healer since April 2016. Find out more about Trisha here and sign up for her self paced Animal Communication course here.