Horses are lovely creatures. They are gentle, affectionate and known to develop long-lasting, loyal friendships with humans. How well you know your horse plays an important role in determining the kind of relationship you will have with it.
Just like human friendships require time and attention, you also need to spend time with your horse to create a strong and special bond with them.
The key lies in getting to know your horse. Scroll down to read about 4 things you didn’t know about your horse and get to know it better.
Scratching Spot
Do you know that scratching a horse on its withers can have a calming effect? While all horses love to be scratched and massaged, every horse has a different favourite spot for scratching. It’s up to you to find the favourite spot!
It is usually a place that they can’t reach themselves, for example, their mane, wither, or the top of their neck. If you are wondering how to know you have found the spot, the answer is simple – look for signs! The most common signs include eyes glazing over, or your horse may try to nuzzle around you.
Horses Love Water
You may not know this, but most horses love to splash around in the water. On a hot day, they can spend hours playing around in the water. If your horse loves swimming, take them out to a waterhole, or a pond to treat it with a fun, relaxing day.
On the other hand, while they are all strong swimmers, some horses are extremely afraid of water! The reason is that they often have difficulty judging the depth of water by looking at it. This makes them wary of getting into it. If your horse is afraid of water, you can help it overcome its fear by consistent encouragement. Work until, like most other horses, your equine buddy falls in love with swimming!
Horse Training
Training a horse for riding is one thing, but do you know you can teach your horse a number of tricks? For example, teach it to pick up things you drop. This trick comes in handy when you drop something while riding. Instead of mounting off, you can simply ask your horse to pick it up for you! Similarly, you can teach them to hug, bow and even come when called!
Best Friends Forever
Are you aware of how much your horse enjoys your company? Well, it may not be able to tell this to you but most horses love human company. This makes it important to take time and hang out with your horse. While a dog may be a man’s best friend, horses are pretty cool too!
Remember, just like humans, horses get happy, sad, frustrated, excited and even grumpy. However, they are a little difficult to read. Learn to read the body language of your horse and never ignore it when they are sad and feeling down with the blues. You can always offer a yummy treat to cheer them up!
