I’ve been having some conversations lately around the nature of “bonding” with horses. I hear it all the time, “I can’t wait to get back home and bond with my horse.” Well, what exactly does that mean? When asked, most people say that they mean hanging out with their horse in the pasture. Doing some work, occasionally petting them, and just generally being close in proximity to them. While that’s all well and good, I’m not convinced that’s all there is to bonding with a horse. See, a bond requires a relationship. Relationships require more than just “hanging out” around one another, like a lazy couple sitting in their living room with the TV on, not actually interacting with one another. So the two cornerstones of the human – horse bond I’m talking about on this episode are trust and respect. No relationship I’ve ever seen is worth its salt without those two key components.

Key Takeaways

In the horse human relationship there needs to be a leader. If the horse is the leader and starts treating you as a fellow horse, it could be extremely dangerous. This why being the leader is so important. Boundaries need to be set in the bond you have with your horse, and setting them is up to you.

Horses don’t tend to have the personal relationships we like to project on them. In the wild, once they’ve weened off their foal, there isn’t much of a bond left. They are just a part of the herd, which has its own kind of relationship and hierarchy that’s much different than any human relationships. It’s mainly there to give an increased chance of survival for the individual – I doubt many of you look at your friends with that mentality.

So, how do we develop that trust and security with our horse that shows we are really bonding? Purpose. Setting an intentional purpose for your horse secures that bond and establishes you as their leader. If you are just going to hang out and pet and feed your horse for the day, be intentional about it. If you’re going out for a ride, be intentional. Set up the boundaries.