Connecting with a Norwegian Coldblooded Trotter

Our new rescue is giving me what I call the "cold shoulder." She displays a very common horse behavior of looking away while turning the shoulder towards me. I explain why this behavior is just the same as kicking a person in the face, why she does it and how to solve it.

When connecting with horses by allowing them to let us to take the guard everything else with horses becomes so much easier, because we have taken the time to give the horse a reason to trust us and feel safe in our company.

Horses are prey and flight animals and spend a lot of their time taking the guard for each other, that`s why we often see one horse standing while others lay down and sleep. This exercise makes you the standing horse and the one taking the guard, which is the best reward we can give any horse.

Thank you so much for watching! I dare say that taking the guard is the one thing most horse trainers and owners skip doing and therefore need to rely heavily on either treats or pressure when training horses. By dedicating a couple sessions to connecting with your equine you have taken the first and most important step towards doing liberty without treats. This will enable you to lead without lead rope and ride without reins - cause you have become the treat by being the one who makes your horse feel safe.