Stressful situations for horses are not uncommon; it can be quite difficult to calm them down. However, there are several techniques that can help him cope with stress in an unfamiliar situation or environment.
Instructions
Step 1
The main thing that you need to pay attention to is the horse's attitude to you personally. You need to get your horse to trust you in a stressful environment. For example, if being with a horse, you hear an unusual and new noise for him, behave calmly. The horse will not panic if it sees that you are calm. Thus, the calmness of the horse will depend on your reaction to a stressful situation. This also applies to horseback riding. Try not to drive too hard if you are only teaching him. Your movements can make him anxious and, as a result, lead to severe stress.
Step 2
You cannot isolate your horse from stressful situations all the time, so it is very important to accustom him to them. The horse must get used to irritants that make him anxious. This learning process is called desensitization. It consists in the constant and deliberate creation of a number of stressful situations in order to accustom the animal to them. If noise is a part of everyday life for the horse, the learning process will be quite fast. If you keep your horse in a calm environment and there is little to distract him, try to create unusual situations for him as often as possible. For example, use your chainsaw when your horse is grazing. Over time, he will get used not only to the noise of the chainsaw, but also to any loud noises.
Step 3
There is also a natural way to calm the horse. Putting his head down will make him relax. This is a natural physiological response in horses. It is associated with the fact that in this position of the head, the muscles of the neck and back relax, and the pulse slows down somewhat. As soon as you see that your horse is alarmed by something, lower his head, this will calm him down. It is necessary to introduce such a technique into practice gradually. Tilt his head with light pressure on the top of it. Give him a treat each time to encourage his actions.
Step 4
You may find yourself in a situation where the horse will need to be reassured while riding it. In this case, you should distract him and force him to focus on certain things. For example, make him walk sideways or spin in place. Making such movements, the horse will wait for new commands from you. Stress, as a rule, in such cases passes and the horse calms down.
Step 5
The condition of the horse can also be influenced by what you feed him. Large amounts of starch and sugar in feed can generate excess energy, which is then thrown out violently. A protein deficiency can also cause a similar reaction. If you are confident that your horse's diet is balanced enough, try adding some magnesium to his feed. Among other things, this substance has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the animal.
