The Importance Of Seasoning Your Horse

Seasoning your horse is just as important of a step in their training process as any riding exercise that you could ever teach them at home. 

Being pray animals, horses are going to react differently in different environments, regardless of their age or riding skills at home. Hauling your horse to new environments and reaffirming that you have control of their feet and proving through keeping them safe in these strange new environments, is one of the best ways to also establish yourself as a trusted leader to your horse.

It’s important to remember that just because a horse has a spook or two or even a meltdown in a strange environment, doesn’t mean that they are a bad horse, they’re just scared and using the reactive side of their mind, and it’s our job as the trainer to flip it back to the thinking side of their brain. 

Think about how many times you went somewhere new and were super nervous, such as a job interview, dentist appointment, or airport, and struggled to handle even the simplest of tasks. Your horse is no different.

I understand that not everyone can haul to new places or events all the time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of your surroundings that you do have access to. Hand walk them down the road, go for trail rides, take them to a different part of the property to tie them up and brush them off, and walk them through cars in the driveway to simulate being at a horse show. These little things can all add up to building your horse’s confidence.

One of my favorite things to do is use my trailer as the place where I tie, groom, and saddle my horse every day. This helps the trailer become a symbol of safety, home, and comfort to your horse. So when you’re at a horse show it’s like bringing their stall with them.

The more miles your horse can see, the better, both under saddle and in the trailer. As Clinton Anderson says, treat them like a piece of luggage where they go everywhere with you.”

I consider hauling your horses before they ever need to see the show arena as a part of their training, not an additional expense. Sure it may cost a few bucks extra up front, but what’s more expensive, a few extra bucks today to blow a cheap entry fee or the shot at a futurity or big championship because they weren’t properly prepared for being in a working mindset in a new environment? 

I love to take advantage of local shows with the cheap entry fees when I first start hauling. That way I can treat it like there is a little pressure on the line, but if they need me to take a step back and help them through any kinks, that’s ok too. 

And let’s be real, we could also use a little extra experience putting ourselves outside our comfort zone too.