Respect: The Foundation of a Safe and Trusting Partnership with Horses

Working on the round pen

Respect is everything when we work with horses. These incredible animals can weigh 500 kg (over 1,000 lbs!) — and that means we can’t afford to be careless. 

But respect is not just about keeping ourselves safe — it’s also about understanding how horses think and feel. When a horse feels insecure, the reactive side of their brain takes over. Their first instinct is always to run away. Only if they can’t escape will some horses turn to fight — kicking, biting, or lashing out.

The more training and positive experiences a horse has, the more he learns to use the thinking side of his brain. This makes him less reactive, more focused, and easier to communicate with.

🦌 Horses Are Prey Animals

It’s important to remember that horses are prey animals. Their survival instinct tells them to run first and ask questions later if they sense danger. In the wild, they live in herds because there is safety in numbers — more eyes watching for predators and a better chance that someone else, not them, will be the target if danger strikes.

👑 Becoming the Leader They Trust

One of the best ways to build respect is to become your horse’s trusted leader. This doesn’t mean being harsh or forceful — it means mimicking the natural behavior of the herd.

Horses have a clear social structure, often called a “pecking order.” They constantly test and challenge one another to see who is in charge. And yes, they will sometimes challenge us, too!

So how do we earn their respect?

🦶 Move Their Feet — With Confidence, Not Fear

In the horse world, the one who can control another horse’s movement is the dominant one. This is why moving a horse’s feet — forward, backward, left, right — is such a powerful way to establish leadership.

You can build respect by calmly asking your horse to:

• Move forward

• Step back

• Yield the hindquarters

• Move the shoulders

• Stand quietly when asked

But here’s the key:We are not trying to scare them into moving. We want calm, confident movement — a horse who yields because he respects us, not because he fears us. This creates a relationship built on trust and mutual understanding, which is safer and more rewarding for both horse and human.