Tip of the Month
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Alpha means first, the top, the beginning, the leader. You probably already know this, but what most of us don’t know is, that to a horse, alpha is the most important thing in his life. Therefore there must be one regardless of the size of the herd. If there is only you and your horse, one of you will be alpha. So if you are not, then he must be. It is as simple as that. If the horse feels you are not capable of making the decisions, then he must. It is a matter of survival to the horse. When people say their horse is acting up or being bad, most of the time he is just being a horse and making little alpha checks. That’s right! Alpha checks. You need to be able to recognize what these alpha checks are, so you can correct him and maintain your alpha position. Example… let’s say your horse is nipping at you or just not standing still. If you know how to correct him, you do so. All is better. ( Sometimes for the rest of the day.) Stand there for a moment, then start doing something with your horse. Remember, if you stand there and dwell on the problem you will be asking him to repeat his actions. Here is a large alpha check…. let’s say you have a flake of hay in your hands, does your horse steal a bite? If so, you are not alpha! Your horse would never do this with a horse that was alpha over him. You must be that horse. Get after him, be firm and don’t give in. When it has worked in your favor, let it go, calm down, show your horse you still do like him. Getting alpha from the horse, is more than just making him run in the round pen or on a lunge line. (This does however, have its place.) It’s making sure you and your horse know what he is allowed to do as part of the herd. Remember, a horse will not kick or bite his alpha, this alone will make your horse life a lot happier, but not a kick in the pants. | |||
"Be good to your horse." Dennis | |||
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