Ask Monty: What is the best way to calm a nervous horse?

December 30, 2020 – Ask Monty Newsletter

Question: What is the best way to calm a nervous horse?

Hi Monty Roberts,

My name is Marina and I have a question about horses, what is the best way to calm them down? I have a horse that when I’m grooming and tacking up she won’t stop moving it makes it hard to get the saddle on and bridle on and when I get out to the pen to ride she is as slow as a sloth. What do you think I should do about that?

Monty’s Answer:

Dear Marina,

Please do not feel as though you are the only person with horses who has this problem. It occurs in the world of horses with a consistency greater than most problems I hear about. Having received your question. I have learned that most of my lessons on the Online University where standing still is concerned, have to do with the farrier, the vet and for mounting. I promise you I will, in the near future, do as much as I can to include more lessons where standing still to saddle and groom is concerned.

The lessons for the vet and farrier are very similar to the grooming and saddling so I can recommend that you study those lessons while I am getting busy to create the saddling and grooming ones. Standing still is a behavior desired by virtually everyone who deals with horses. It has a common human error that is committed by most hands-on horsemen. That error is the failure to relax, breathe diaphragmatically and discipline them in appropriate manners.

Please become aware of my book From My Hands to Yours which outlines the overall human behavior I recommend where encouraging horses to relax and stand still is involved. If this virus ever goes away and I am still around, I would hope to see you on the road somewhere and help you with your horse. Thank you for your question. You have given me some homework to do which probably should have been done years ago but I will get busy on them now.

Sincerely,