gaining my horses trust and respect

Hey everyone :)
If you have seen any of my other recent posts, you will know that I have a new dun arabian/riding pony mare. I am looking for ways to gain her trust and respect on the ground and when riding. The first obvious one is join up, which I intend to do with her. Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Kayla

There are a lot of other threads like this you could check out. How well do you understand herd dynamics and behavior?

You get a horses respect by moving their feet, forwards, backwards, left and right, and away from you. How well do you know how to work with horses?

If you watch a lead horse, they can move any other horse in the herd. They will first look at the horse to move, pin their ears, turn their butt to that horse and if that horse still won't move they will kick or bite the other horse. You need to understand this and be able to do the same if you want to be the leader and have their respect. I'm not saying you'll have to literally kick or bite, but you'll have to be able to get them to move where, when and how you want.

What should you do to get their respect? Number one is keep them out of your space. Only let them near you when you can completely control their feet and only when you ask. Do not let them crowd you, or push or rub on you. Doing groundwork is how you teach them that you control their feet: lunging, backing and yielding their front and rear end. Just to clarify, lunging is not just having the horse go around you in circles. There is more than that. You should only have the horse go around for 2 circles at most before you stop them or change their direction. More than that, they will lose focus on you and you are only burning off their energy. They aren't learning anymore.

As for trust, that will come with time. Some you can earn quickly and some will take months. Being their leader, working with them, desensitizing them and helping them with issues they have, you'll earn their trust.

If you don't know how to do these things, find a trainer or an experienced person to help you.
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It's not activities that create and form bonds and respect.. it's consistent actions. Enforcing boundaries, correcting ill behavior, and rewarding when necessary.

A huge thing when you're looking to build trust and respect in your horse is not overfacing them. Don't allow them to get away with not doing something once you've asked but also never ask for something if you aren't sure they are physically and mentally ready for it. It just leads to frustration on both sides and is damaging. Your horse wants a leader, but one that's fair and easy to understand. Baby steps with everything..