Halter Breaking Young or Nervous Horses

I have a very similar style to halter breaking young horses and nervy horses. I believe it all begins in the paddock. 

Once the horse is settled into our paddock, which usually takes a day or two, I like to observe the horse. Quietly only watching them, seeing how they act in the paddock. By doing this, I get a glimpse of their character, and how they react to everyday things in nature, with no pressures or humans interfering with their natural grazing and daily routines. 

Repeating this process in a large, then smaller yards also then allows you to gauge how the horse handles human interruption to their natural environment as well as human “pressure” (in fences). By now, I usually have a clear idea on how to approach each horse with the halter. 

Some horses are simply unphased, some even enjoying the additional handling or human interactions of the yards. 

I’ve always said “A silent rider makes a quiet horse”.

To me, a silent rider means, soft hands, light in the saddle, soft voice and literally not talking a whole heap! 

Remembering this, before putting a halter on the horse I should have been able to approach the horse without any negative movements and rub it all over the face, neck and poll. Depending on the horse, these simple actions may take a few days or even a week. Building connection and confidence during every training session is the ultimate goal, even when the timeline of haltering is moving slowly. 

This starts a connection between myself and the horse which can only help when it comes to breaking and additional training. 

Once I can do this the horse is ready to be haltered.