Familiarize your horse with the place of show, do not ask for difficult tricks right away, remove stress-inducing objects, and ride confidently.
Horses are docile and friendly but can be easily spooked. Shows are packed with competitive horses and if you do not know how to calm down your horse, the environment can put a lot of stress on the poor thing
For instance, your horse might frantically move here and there and stay pretty silent, whereas the other horses will be neighing because when they see their trainer or master they understand that either they will receive food or a trip outside.
This is probably happening because your horse is feeling anxious or upset about something.
Fortunately, if a horse is feeling anxious about something, it is easy to notice and you can take the necessary steps to help your horse feel calm.
But before you tend to your horse, first try to find out what is making your horse anxious.
Things That Make Your Horse Nervous
There are several things which include-
Any Random Object
There could be some equipment in the stable that could make the horse feel threatened, like a lawnmower or a rack.
They can even get anxious if they see a car outside or any unfamiliar object for that matter.
After getting your horse, take it out as much as possible to familiarize him with different objects and the surrounding environments.
Any Abnormal Situation
Horses feel fear and trauma. So if the place they are living in is too dark or has little to no light, they might get afraid, and that will negatively impact their psychology.
There are a bunch of high-quality horse calmer products that can help to reduce your horse’s stress and make him feel happy, but sometimes it is best if you can calm him without any supplements.
Obnoxious Sounds
Sounds can annoy almost all living beings, and horses are no different. They are sensitive to many sounds, and if they hear those sounds over a long period, they will feel uncomfortable.
Shows will naturally be loud, so you have to prepare your horse from before to loud or unexpected noises.
Other Animals
Even though social animals, horses tend to stay away from unknown animals.
Your horse will meet new horses in the show and might get scared at first.
How To Calm Your Horse Down
Now that you know why your horse might get anxious, it will be much easier to help out your horse. Stressed horses have different body languages and have changes in nose and mouth expressions.
Here are a few things you can do to calm down your horse
1. Make Them Familiar With The Area
If possible take your house on a stroll around the area of the competition or show.
Taking your horse out on a new area and expecting it to perform at its best can be asking for too much, especially if your horse has just started competing.
2. Removing The Things That Make Them Anxious
If they fear some random objects, it will be better to store those away from your horse. If they are still anxious, then check the environment.
Check if his stall is too dark, or has any disturbing sound, or if there are other animals who can put the horse under stress, says Rutgers. You need to be very cautious about what you are doing.
If you are not careful, you might scare your horse even more and damage the bond between you two, and your horse will start to feel scared of you.
3. Know Your Horses Potential
Horses are unlike dogs, who will do whatever you tell them to and follow you until their last breath.
You need to understand their capabilities, and if you ask them for more than they can provide, it will put a lot of stress on them.
So it is wise to understand where you need to draw the boundaries and ensure you are not putting too much strain on them.
4. Maintain A Proper Routine
Another thing that could make your horse anxious has an irregular routine.
Not feeding them at the right time, not taking them out regularly, and not washing them regularly might make them believe they are not cared for and instead will make them tense.
You regularly need to check whether they are adequately fed, let them out in the field, let them move freely, and do not always boss them around. This will help the horse be more comfortable with you and feel less anxious.
5. Go Easy On It
Ride your horse the way you would ride at the stable and guide your horse to do only the things he is used to.
Horse supplements can strengthen your horse’s capabilities, but it is best to go slow and easy on them.
If you order your horse to do something difficult, such as going faster, doing a vault jump, or other tricks, he may be unable to do all those things under pressure and will frantically start moving around.
6. Stay Calm & Confident
If you are riding a horse and you are nervous, the horse can pick it up easily and might even push you off his back.
You not only need to calm your horse by uttering words like “Stay calm” or “It will be okay”, but you also need to have calm body language while riding a horse.
Final Thoughts
Horses have emotions just like us. They feel happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and anxiety just like we humans do. Out in the wild, if they fear anything, they can just run away and go somewhere where they can be at ease. But in a stable, they depend on us to keep it safe. It is our job to keep these horses calm and happy. Hopefully, this guide has given you some ideas by which you can keep your horse calm.