Why Do Horses Push On People?
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- Horses push or crowd people for several reasons, including as a greeting or asking for a scratch/touch or checking out the status of a relationship. But many horses push on people out of confusion and a lack of clarity as to their role in the relationship with a person. This is a training problem and I explore why this happens.
I teach Good Horsemanship around the world helping people to understand the emotional and mental component of how horses operate to achieve both a willing partnership and bond and to maximize the performance potential of a horse.
Web Site: www.goodhorsemanship.com.au/in...
Facebook: pages/Good-Ho...
This is terrific, very clear. Dogs and toddlers have the same question and the same response. If they don't know who to rely on, they get upset. Consistent gentle leadership makes everyone happy.
I used a lot of the dog training techniques on my kids. It worked, one Ah, and they new stop, 2 Ah's and they knew they pushing it.
Horses play an almost non-existent role in my life however I find this absolutely fascinating! Thanks very much for the video :)
What a kind and loving way to explain the cruelty of giving mixed signals to animals! If we choose to keep animals, it should be with as little stress to them as possible.
Excellent information! Recently got a new schooling horse at our barn. Every time he was taken from his stall, he would crowd the walker (including me!). After deciding (for my own protection) that I wasn't going to allow it, I began responding by just pushing him back firmly but gently, shoulder to shouder. He doesn't do it to me anymore, & is acting more willing/happier when he leaves the stall.
Thank you sir. I love the straight forward mellow tone in your message.
Thanks Ross, answering lots of questions for me today through your videos. Thank you.
I just found your channel! Yippee!👍🏼😊
22 Sept 2018
I have been struggling with this same problem.😳
Thank you, sir. Now that I have found you, I will certainly return AND I will share this with my friends.
Lots of love💖 and appreciation from Louisiana!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I love this video! I showed it to my Husband, Gary . He pet his first Horse for the first time last year . We are older so it’s never too late ! Thanks for a Fun Video with so much wisdom. 💜🐴 💜 Laura and Bear
had no sound but caption got most of your message. Thank you , you make sense to me. I love horses, I get to be around other peoples horses and this is helpful.
THANK YOU! Not because you told me something I already knew, just explained to make sense of what I knew. Not only horses, but as a Falconer, everything from a hawk to a horse wants just a few questions answered of their keeper. All animals! Food, water, shelter, good, now, who are you and who am I? Do we have a relationship? If so, how's this going to work, I need to know! or else, I will have to take charge and set the rules, I can follow or I can lead, WHICH IS IT?!? I know it sounds simple, but the basis is, NO and YES. Animals love that simplicity and will respond to it perfectly IF IT IS CONSTISTANT! Behavior Modification is a science upon itself. Cheers!
Love this video, I actually say out loud to my horse "don't you move my feet I'm moving yours". It works very well, thanks to your explanation.
I used to tell my mare "Get off me ya big cow!" And she would.
thankyou, so easy to understand clearly and helps me make some change for the better 😊
Ross thank you for making this video. I absolutely love it. I think it teaches the first and most basic lesson that anybody who wants to be around horses needs to know. When I have non-horse people horse sit for me I make sure they watch this video
I used to ride a lot and found that if you fell off the horse thought it was his fault and woke you up if you were out cold. These were rental horses so they didn’t want to get in trouble if they went back to the barn without you
Clear, directly communicated information!! Inspires me to be as clear and direct with my horse!!
Thank you for this excellent video!!
Not a horse owner but this is very informative and so good to know. Never know when you'll need it.
Love, love, love it! So true and explained well!
Most clear example of what not to do I've seen. I will share. Thanks for the help.
pcokfarm it doesn’t give any examples of what TO do much less what not to do
Good explanation! Your written explanation is perfect.
Thank you so much for the clear and concise answer!!!
Thanks for the video, I am not a horse person but have ridden a bit, this explains a lot.
Video brings back a lot of memories, some I didn't totally understand years ago. My dad had some horse work before their farm switched to tractors so he gave me some basic guidance. Establishing you are the boss should be No.1 with any horse before you even ride them. One good way that worked for me was to lead the horse around the yard, switching directions by pushing/pulling the halter. You'll get quick feedback if the horse is going to cooperate or test you. Often during these walks they'd throw their heads into me or rub the halter/bridle really hard on me. For their reward they'd get some chin hair pulled. They couldn't associate it with me because my right hand was under the jaw.
Another favorite tactic was to body-crowd me to shove me over, usually to step on my foot. I'd just shove back and add kick to their shin. Don't send hate mail about cruelty blahablah....its far nicer than a kick from another horse. One other technique is using a riding quirt holding it along my left leg so the horse couldn't see it. If he/she didn't respond to the first method above, I'd flick my hand/wrist BEHIND MY BACK to whack their belly. The flapper noise and the belly tap don't come close to "injuring" a horse but they do not like the combination. Again they are not associating you with the discomfort, just a cause-effect of their behavior.
The last thing you want to do is have a horse that's head shy if they associate your hands with discomfort. But the other last thing you want is a horse that shoves you around mentally or physically. Horses don't have a strong desire to please like a dog, especially Border Collies, so they can be a handful. More than a handful if a horse has been allowed to get away with undesirable behavior from a previous owner.
thanks for sharing that. it's always interesting to listen to someone who knows what they're talking about. how intelligent do you think they are? they are incredibly keen & alert.
Thank you for addressing the question this video left me with, which was: What do you do about it? =^[.]^=
Thats stupid
Mr. Jacobs, you appear to have very good horse since. It's obvious you know your way around horses. Not only that, but your voice is very soothing, and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the horse world! People need to learn the correct way to deal with these beautiful creatures, not only to benefit themselves, but more importantly, their horses. God Bless
I revisited this video again today. I have a yearling in the heard! My first baby! I REALLY think you would be proud of me! I really do! I have a tiny channel for family members so they can see what's going on. I'm doing ok. Good bless and thank you SO MUCH for your wise videos. Your a EXCELLENT Teacher! Good bless you and yours!💜🐎💜🌿🌲🌿💜🐎💜
I just want to tell you how much I love your videos!!!
Thanks for sharing! I never knew this - don't have a horse but it's good to understand them. I try to understand all animals.
Love this info!!! This will help so much!!! 💜🧡💛💙💚
As a kid, I once found myself in a field of horses- and I was afraid! They were at one end of the field, me at the other, but they began moving towards me. I didn't run, but walked pretty quickly to an opening into another field, to escape them, all the while, they were gaining ground on me! Before I could get away, the leader reached me and began pushing me - I was so afraid of what might happen, but all he did was to continue pushing me until I reached the exit of the field - they could have followed me into the next field but didn't, much to my relief! My interpretation of their behaviour was that they may have been curious at first, perhaps hoping I had something for them to eat, then once they'd established that I had nothing to offer them, they firmly escorted me off the premises - I was in no doubt that I was an unwelcome trespasser in their territory as the horse continued to firmly push me out of their field!
They probably just went in to investigate, they got close to see what they could find out about you and stopped following when they smelled the poop in your pants. Hahaha
Terrific! Thank you, Ross.
MUY buen video , bien explicado , aprendí mucho en pocos minutos , gracias Señor
This was really helpful to me, I’m new to horses and our yearling (we just got her a few months ago) sometimes does this to me so I need to be firmer and let her know she has to follow my lead!
You cleared this up for me hugely.
Since the last time our mini, yes a mini horse, reared up at me and tried to paw me, he failed thank God..., we go in his pin with a whip with a plastic bag at the end.
Every time. He has shown improvement. Makes sense now bc he isn't confused of who's in charge.
This was a great video, thank you.
Really well explained, thank you!
Your statement of the stress the horse has over who is in charge is so true. Its so hard to get people to understand that the horse needs us to be in charge to feel safe.
They want to know that if they trust us we won't walk them off a cliff or into trouble. lol
Forget me Knot Equine Rescue inc I always think they are thinking " well if YOU are scared , then I should be very scared" .
Katherine Richards~ I totally agree! I sometimes will be hanging out with the horses in the pasture, just watching them and if they run, I run cause they more than likely saw a coyote or some other creature they think will eat them, like a cow, lol. they read each others emotions and body language and if one horse is fearful of something then the rest of the herd takes notice and runs as well. i on some level like to believe that I have been accepted into their herd and if I am scared, they read that and respond! i always check my emotions and try and be emotionally congruent when approaching them. I have seen scared people go in to a horse with a huge grin on their face, faking confidence and the horses see right through it!
Forget me Knot Equine Rescue inc I don't believe any human or other animal can read us as horse can. And in the barn when they all stop crunching at once, they may not start crunching again until they know you know its all ok outside. I briefly worked with a trainer who insisted you must have a contract with your horse.....Horse you are the feet, I am the eyes. Well I swear one time that my horse put a thought in my head, your eyes don't see what I'm afraid of right now, get back on my back. When I did, it was a bear he could see because of his height. When I saw the bear he immediately calmed down .
omg Katherine I had something similar happen but it was an injury to his leg. I was sleeping in the house and he jumped his pasture fence and got into the cattle pasture. he is afraid of cattle and tried to jump the barb wire fence to get out and got his leg caught. I woke up cause I had severe restless leg syndrome, i never had it before and never had it again. Anyway, I didnt think anything of it. I went out to see why his buddy was neighing at 5.30am and he was limping, it was kind of dark out so I leaned down to look and got sprayed in the face with blood. He nicked an artery. He turned out to be okay and healed just fine. Then a few weeks later i had a terrible stomach ache. I went outside to check my horses and there he was laying down where I can see him. I walked over and he looked at his tummy, looked at me and sighed, then looked at his tummy. he had colic. I told my friend and she said it was his way of telling me that he needed me. I believe now that they can communicate with us like that if we have that kind of deep connection with them. So you story is spot on!
The trainers tell me that I have the pushiest horse they have ever seen. Now I understand his confusion. We've been working with him, but probably not consistently enough. I hope this video helps us with his future confidence in us. I am definitely subscribing to this horse trainer so I can learn more. I'm the kind of person who needs to understand clearly what I'm supposed to do too! Just like the horse. A good explanation makes a better foundation.
Warwick Schiller is good also. He explains things well and is very concerned with safety with the horses.
Elizabeth Staeheli Kim
I agree. I took all of his courses online and he explains technique and reason very well. He also uses tools for desensitization that have made some insecure horses very secure!
Very clear, great advice.
Great explaination, so helpful thank you
Thankyou for sharing Ross
So many people here asking some textbook reference on to how to treat a living, thinking animal. It's like asking "if my neighbor is loud, what do I do?" It depends how they are loud, when they are loud, are they armed and how they take to what kind of confrontation. And unlike your neighbor, the horse doesn't likely want to hurt you, just concerns with being a horse.
This is great. It is the same with dogs but people get all caught up and confused. If we truly respect animals we need to learn about their nature and way of communicating, then determine how to interact with them. I hope this gets more views.
marshhen yes, same with dogs, and young children! Lol, but true. Thanks, Ross!
Thank you.. this really helped.♥️
Excellent. Thank you!
Excellent explanation.
I'm in Mexico ranch-sitting and have 2 beautiful 8 year old geldings to care for. It's been many years since I interacted with any horse, but did have some basic skills years ago. I'm relearning everything, from saddling, bridling and gaining control over these animals. I appreciate your video!! TY
Excellent video. Thank you. Can you show us how you would do it different pls. ( the video with the horse and girl)
Very good point Ross
Very good a clear. Thank you.
Very well explained
My mules and horses do the same thing . It's their way of saying hello or just messing with me in a friendly way to get some attention or see if I'm carrying pieces of apples . I give them a hug and scratch their ears . This pretty much does the trick . Thanks for your video Mr.Jacobs .
There is a huge difference between a horse coming up to us to say hi, or check for treats or just be in our presence. His example is of a horse that is challenging a human to find out whose in charge. the way I do that is to back the horse off several feet. One or two steps back is not enough in that scenario. Several feet back is my rule. I tell him back and while he is backing I seem to say "personal space". when I am training or lungeing, or just standing in the middle of my herd they know not to crowd me. I automatically let them know, "personal space" and they stand back and let me do what I want to do in the pasture. I have horses that are jealous of other horses getting attention and that can get dangerous if they are too close. so back you horse up when he does that. You can use a lunge whip and gently tap on his chest while saying back, you can wave your hands in a waving motion also while saying back. the idea is to move the horses feet. That is how you answer the question " who is in charge"
I've been raising horses and mules for 60+ years and know what I'm doing . Have had many rescue animals including Mustangs and know what I'm doing .
No whips or spurs on my ranch .
There is nothing wrong with a lunge whip if it is used correctly, as an extension of your arm not as a punishment tool. Good for you though that you are so good at what you do you dont need any tools to help you with your mules
For a non-horse person like me, this is a real eye-opener. Fascinating window into horse behaviour!
Thank you sir.
👍. Good Clear Answer!
Great video Ross.
Thanks Warwick.
,
When my grandpa taught me to ride, he said never back away from it. If it was pushing me to stick my hand in the air like it was a tiger paw and swipe at it like a predictor. It worked and i only had to do it once. But i had to groom it good before it would let me saddle and ride it.
Very interesting. Makes sense.
Hahaha. My horse nipped me in the Butt when I was cleaning his hooves once. I was so mad that I instinctively bit him on his nose. He never bit me again. He would hug me after we rode and I loved that. I miss having a horse. They are amazing creatures.
sometimes when I groom my horse he will try and groom me back by nippling on my pants pocket, he is not allowed to do that on my skin though. its something they do with each other, mutual grooming and a sign of affection.
Umm that's a BS reply, there is nothing "instinctively" about turning around and getting the horses nose to your mouth in order for you to bite it. The timing of those actions would have no effect on the horse biting you in the future either.
@@AdonisBlueCo I think it would have effect. His action had a consequence. It's just like in a herd. The horse is trying another horse but the horse fights back and shows his place. That's exactly what she did..
Mimi umm no, she’s telling a tall tale nothing more. It could have effect if her supposed bite back reaction were instantaneous but not from a series of other actions to get to the finale action she is attempting to boast.
Interesting point of view.
Thank you 😊
Great vid!
Very interesting.
OMG this totally makes sense now! My horse would always place one hoof on my foot while I was grooming him, then LEAN into me. Once I began to lean back and push him off, he stopped. Once, he turned his head and put his teeth in my shoulder. He didn't bite... he just waited, clearly wanting to see what I'd do. He looked at me. I looked at him. I reached up and took his ear and put it in my teeth. I didn't bite, I just waited. He looked at me. I looked at him. He took his teeth off my shoulder, I took my teeth off his ear. I felt like we'd come to some kind of an understanding... I just never quite understood what that understanding was, til I saw this video, LOL!
Shemah Fletcher
I love your story!
You ever try to eat grass?
i rode a horse like that too .funnily enough he was the best horse to fall off because he just stood there waiting for you to get up again .glad i watched this video it explained some off his behaviour around people
shemah...you talk like you were wearing steel toe boots when it stepped on your foot?...........don't tell me he did it more than once?....lol you had a crushed foot and did not learn?
most horses dont want to be in charge.. your horse was asking if you want to be in charge.. and you didnt answer.. you turned around and asked it if it wanted to be in charge.. and then you had an understanding of equality.. thats most horses.. then theres the minority ones who want to be in charge
ty-great video
This sounds very reasonable. I feel stressed myself when working in a poorly organised team. And I can imagine that horses need to have a clear and simple set of rules to keep their swarm logic working in a stress situation like the herd running from predators.
Very interesting
Thank you! It is so similar to dog behavior. They all need clear answers!
starting to ride at an early age, being brought up around horses all my life the first thing i was told is let them know who is boss. i was never afraid of a horse but aware i could get hurt if not careful. like any other animal you have to let them know who is boss from the start.
All I can say about your story is "of course". I can't handle with the fact people adopt or pretend to love them (or any animals) and understand them without taking the time to learn about them.
TYVM!
Jeremy from jersey just subscribed
I always thought it was because they didn't have hands to scratch their faces and your shoulder is softer than a tree or post.
Nancy Christiansen they still scratch their face with their back foot
Nancy Christiansen: did your parents raise you to be a scratching post for a horse? ;)
thank you
To me it comes down to one thing.. the power comes from the one that's feeding the other.. and that's in ALL life forms.
Spot on Ross.
Thanks for a great video. Can you teach us how to give him a clear answer please please please! I keep watching People's videos and they keep saying this but no one shows you how to do it. I'm desperate.
I'm hoping the video called Stop Driving Your Horse Crazy might give some ideas how to approach helping a horse not to push on people.
wow thanks much much nedded
wonderful video :}
I had bicycle, motorcycle, and car and I am wondering what should be driven in the future.
OK, so I was at a barn the other day, first day meeting this new horse, and he did walk into my space a bit as I was standing there, talking to the owner. He was also veering left into me a tad bit as I tried to walk him to be groomed, again, getting into my space. So, what should I have done in these instances? I asked the owner what this meant, and they said the horse was just saying hi. It didn't seem like this was the case, but I'm new to horses.. So, now I can see he was asking me who was in charge. What actions could I have taken to tell him I was in charge in these specific cases?
so ... how do i correct and give him the clear answer ?
So how do you give that answer?
Great video, but I am so sorry ( I am an amateur with horses) this video didn't help me as much as I thought. So what am I supposed to do?
Ross, so what are examples of giving clear answers?
If the horse is doing this out of habit from an unclear owner, or to test a new rider, stick your knuckles into his armpit and ribs and apply pressure until he steps away from you. If the horse is challenging still, and making you move out of the way after your attempts at actually trying to make him listen, stand directly in front of his face, take the reins, and tug-tug back towards his chest/neck in a 1-2 or 1-2-3 pattern and firmly/loudly say "Back, back" to make him back up; move forward as he steps back to show that YOU are the mover, and HE is the one to back off and make way for you. If he looks like he's "thinking about it" to step into you, step into his space first, and make him move, to change his mind on who's boss. There are other methods, this is just what has worked for me with a charro trained horse who had multiple behavioral problems. He learned to respect me and I learned to respect but train him, and we were able to work very well together. He always kept respectful distance unless I motioned for him to come closer for a neck hug, petting, or grooming. He even got over his habit of challenging me for space enough for me to practice for halter showing him without worrying about getting my boots clomped on, but he was sold before I could show. Wonderful horse. Roscoe P Coltrane (spelling?) was his name.
Edit: Also, wonderful video. Haven't ridden in a while but I miss it so much. Seeing videos like this keep my memory of how to train and deal with difficult horses fresh in my mind.
how to give that answer then? I've seen very experienced raiders to instantly slap the horse across the face when they start to push them around. Is this the way to go?
theres a big difference between a pushy horse and a horse that pushes on you ..sorry..
youre describing a pushy horse..
a horse that pushes on you,,is nudging you for treats or it want you to pet it,, is a sign of love
how do we show a horse that we are in charge
When I first got my horse, he pushed on me, I pushed him back, and never had a problem out of him
All animals deserve kindness and respect.
Great video. Same principles with donkeys?
I'd like to see this theory applied to the interaction between humans and ants.
I have noticed many similarities in horse and dogs when it comes to establishing dominance order.
Although I have never raised horses myself I have raised many dogs. There are a few ways to establish order with canines but the most effective is through walking the animal, always making sure the dog is at heel thus making the human pack leader.
I assume driving the horse has the same effect when establishing an order between human and the horse.
Thank you for your informative video. Mr. Jacobs.
Exactly, all pack animals have "follow the leader" instincts. Thats why horses are driven and tamed b4 being mounted.
We're buying our first horse. We've built a relationship with this horse over the last year & a half while my daughter has trained on her. She (the horse) was ALWAYS rubbing her head on me. I thought it was because her head itched. I left it go & left it go... even laughing when she did it. My daughter, did not have this issue (my daughter is still a child). I could never figure out why the horse respected my daughter more than she did me. Finally, one day I stopped allowing her to rub her head on me. & slowly but surely, she's understanding that I'm one of her people. Now, after seeing this video it all makes sense! I thought it was just a coincidence, but I guess not!
So is it like domination relation?
NSW my arse Ross is in Tasmania I know I saw the last Thylacine go past at 0:21.
Yeah. That was Spud our pre-historic cross bred mutt. A great dog, but a lousy impersonator of extinct species.
Definitely insightful, but how can you know for certain which gesture is a question and which is a show of affection ? Seems like you could easily mix them up.
I deal with that a lot bringing in new horses all the time. Watch their eyes, if their eye is soft and they are just gently nudging you but stop when you try and correct, them its probably affection. If their eyes are not soft. open wide, ears erect and they don't respond at all to you, then I would think that is a test, but again every horse is different and you just have to be the same with every horse, all the time, firm fair and consistent.
That horse had been watching Ali that was a real nice jab.
If I try to back my horse up (releasing when she steps back and putting pressure on when needed) she becomes more and more annoyed seemingly. Her ears flatten, whites of her eyes show and her head raises. Why is this please? She follows and stops well on a long rope, is responsive and soft on the bit etc. Thank you
My horses never pushed on me. I was always "lead mare". However, the day I put my mare to sleep she shoved me away from her with her head. I still don't understand, but she was in a lot of pain.
This can be applied to dogs and children. Thanks!!!
So do I explain in a calm tone or do I use more direct language?
I think a low, deep firm voice, with the same words all the time works for me. I use a calmer tone when grooming and giving affection. corrections need to be clear, use as little words as possible and your body language is more important than your words. Horses communicate with each other by body language. They sense if we are scared by our body, our shoulders should be square, stand firmly with your head held high. If you watch Warwick Schiller's videos you can see the confidence in his body language and the horses read that really well.
I love learning this stuff. Are there horses who wont yield to the person, and want to remain dominant ?
Or is it more typical for horses to want to be led by, subordinate to people ?
I have found, even with the most dominant horse that they dont want to be in charge. they would rather just follow and know what to do and where they stand in the herd. I have dealt with some very dominant horses. i had one when I first started working with them that would not load in a trailer. I had moved and he was the last horse left on the property. 2 days of trying to load him, a vet came, sedated him and he still wouldn't get on. Another experienced horseman tried and failed. I finally called a friend who is really good with horses and within 45 minutes she had him on and looked at me and said "you know what I am going to do, right?" I said yup, your taking him off and she did that three more times until he just loaded on his own, all in all it took about an hour and a half. She said something that has stuck with me and shaped my way of handling these animals to this day. She said "You are not going to drag an 1100 pound horse on the trailer, nor can you trick him on. You need to work with his mind and gain his trust and respect, then you will be able to work with him"and now he is easy to handle and loads at will!
Forget me Knot Equine Rescue inc thank you !!!