At 07:00:34 on 02.12.11, xXSuperSonicGinaXx wrote:
Ok so as a few of you may know I've finally got a loan (My beautiful 16.2 thoroughbred gelding) I ride him atleast twice a week and more if I can make it to the stables before its dark and we've started to build up a good relationship but I want to properly bond with him to the point where we both trust eachother a lot more. I want to build my confidence with general riding and he seems to be like the perfect horse, I was thinking about trying him bareback, I already ride him down to the field with his rug on but I think I'd like to actually try him propperly bareback. Ofcourse I'm not an amazing rider so I wont be straight off cantering and jumping but I think it will be good for me when I do ride with a saddle. Are there any tips of riding bareback or prehaps other ways I could gain trust from him?

At 08:22:20 on 02.12.11, Flicka wrote:
I don't know if I'd call riding bareback a bonding experience from the horses point of view-I'm sure others will disagree with me on this- but it can be good for the riders confidence and balance. I would take it slowly though because if he gets spooked and you get unbalanced, bang on his back, catch him in the mouth or end up falling off then you may actually knock his confidence. I think the best thing for bonding is to always make sure you are clear with your instructions and aren't scared to be firm with him as horses want us to be good leaders. I would do a lot of groundwork and I don't necessarily mean Join up which I've got mixed feelings about. I like to let my horse go loose in the school put up obstacles to negotiate and then at walk using body language get him to move away from me or follow me, halt, back up etc by using body language and energy. When my husband and his horse were going through a bad patch (lol) I got him to do it and they really bonded again.
http://www.troton.com/community/showforum/3153/1-

At 08:23:44 on 02.12.11, Flicka wrote:
By the way (DOH!) the link is to a good discussion which we had on riding bareback which has some good tips in it :D

At 21:24:13 on 03.12.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Honestly i have never rode my horse bareback and never will, he has had a back op but even if he hadn't i wouldn't desire to because we have built a bond based on respect primarily from the ground, i use join up, trick training and general time spent with him. Bareback riding (like no stirrup riding) helps with balance as flicka said and may help you trust your horse but i doubt it would have any affect on your horse. I like to spend time sat or laid in my stable with grenville stroking, grooming and generally being cuddly with him, training at liberty is also great i like playing 'follow me' with grenville, i run, he trots, i lift my leg really high, he does the same... It is really fun! :D and he gets carrots so he loves it!

At 16:55:46 on 05.12.11, quorum wrote:
I used to struggle building up a mutual bond with my horses, I loved them, but not entirely sure it was reciprocal lol. In the past 18 months I have had a great time building up a bond with a lovely chestnut mare. Every opportunity I have I lead her around whilst I am doing other things ( within reason!), grooming her and just spending as much time with her as possible. I make sure that I am mentally relaxed around her and not thinking or stressing about anything else. I think it takes time to really build a bond where you both trust each other, but so worth it!! :-)

At 23:21:18 on 06.12.11, KklovesJunior wrote:
I actually just bought a horse and when she got here i left her alone so she could get herself settled. But the day after that i came and brushed her and just sat on the fence and watched her. I continued with the same schedule every day. I would brush her and spent time with her but not force myself at her. Now a little more than a week later we are riding bareback (i prefer this way but i just bought a saddle that is arriving soon) and we went for short walks first. The only thing i have to say is if you want him to trust you you have to show him that he can. Keep the same schedule and there is nothing wrong with going bareback (i remember my first time bareback... lol) but don't do anything out of the ordinary. If you ride the same place all the time or somewhere he like ride there until you are confident in your ability to stay on and keep him calm bareback! Good luck!

At 17:03:27 on 08.12.11, smaarthorses wrote:
Just as with any friendship, trust takes time to build up. Trust comes from knowing that the other person will do right by you. Mistakes can happen, but the more mistakes are made the more the relationship is damaged. Horses are so honest in their feedback. Someone suggested just hanging out together, that is a great way to build trust. Be consistent and clear (without using punishment) what you would like your horse to do and how you would like them to behave. When building a relationship with a new horse I always start on the ground. It goes back to that old saying of "if you can't get it walk then you'll never get it in trot", well, if you can't get it on the ground then you will never get it under saddle...that goes for everything we do with our horses.
http://www.smaarthorses.wordpress.com

At 15:49:37 on 14.02.12, amylouise95 wrote:
I really want to build a bond with my horse.. I don't know how to, I've known her for about 8 years now but we just don't seem to have much of a bond. Others owners horses I know always whinnie at them etc and nuzzle them looking for treats but mine doesn't, I kind of feel like she doesn't like me, it's weird :/

At 18:40:00 on 20.02.12, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
@amylouise95 you have to remember not all horses are the same, grenville doesn't always want cuddles or whinny at me all the time etc but he is a very independent horse and not at all clingy, other horses may be very clingy and call at everyone for attention. Horses like people have different personalities. Grenville and me have silent conversations but that doesn't mean we don't have a good bond. If you spend lots of time with your horse and you have success with your horse, chances are your horse trusts you :)

At 16:45:57 on 21.02.12, Flicka wrote:
Hi amylouise95 I agree with Jess, all horses are different-your horse probably isn't very demonstrative, I wouldn't take it personally. I had a little TB (RIP) who used to pin her ears back all the time and she certainly didn't like a cuddle, when you groomed her she attacked me from both ends lol. But I didn't get a complex about it, I knew she was like it when I brought her, it was just the way she was. She had extremely sensitive skin and was very opinionated. Despite her grumpiness I loved her and I'm sure in her own way she didn't think I was that bad either. I now have two mares and one loves a cuddle and neighs when she sees me but the other doesn't and just bangs the door to attract my attention rather than calling to me with gentle nickers! Funnily enough the nuzzly, neighing horse is very food orientated whereas the other mare isn't but likes her space and freedom-very much like my first mare.