Horse
Fear
© 2006 Cherry Hill
www.horsekeeping.com When it comes to horses and people working together, I've observed
several types of fear. Fear of the Unknown - You or the
horse don't know what is going to happen next. It might be nothing, it might
be sweet or it might be injury. You just don't know, so you and/or the horse
are fearful. This is the most common type of fear. When a horse
steps into a puddle. he can't see where the bottom is and doesn't know if it has
safe footing or it is really a very deep dangerous hole. The horse
fears the unknown. A person riding in a park suddenly sees an emergency
vehicle coming quickly with lights and sirens flashing - the rider does not know
what the horse will do as the vehicle gets closer. The rider fears
the unknown. The more solid the horse-human relationship, the less this
type of fear is a problem. Never ask your horse to do something unsafe and
he will learn to trust your judgement more and fear the unknown less.
Fear of Real Danger - These
are instances where you or the horse have reason to be afraid: The person riding
a horse that is known to be a chronic rearer fears the real danger of being seriously
hurt or killed. The horse who has had his mouth jerked on cruelly by
his rider is now bridled and ridden and fears pain and injury.
In both instances, the danger is real and so is the fear. Fear of Failure
- This only applies to humans since failure is a human concept.
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