4 Easy Tricks to Desensitize Your Horse for the Trail

There’s nothing like a quiet trail ride, especially in the fall. However, this beautiful time can be ruined if your horse spooks and injures another horse or rider. One way to prevent this is by desensitizing your horse. Desensitizing is when you familiarize something ‘scary’ to a horse. There is a seemingly infinite number of ways to desensitize your horse. In this post, I will share with you some of my favorite ways to desensitize your horse.  

 

(WARNING: These exercises may scare your horse at first and may result in injury. Please be cautious and practice common sense.)

1.  Tarps

You can use a tarp in MANY different ways. A few of the ways I like to use a tarp is to lay it on the ground and have your horse walk over it. You also could hang it somewhere where it can blow in the wind. These desensitizing techniques may not only get your horse familiar with the tarp itself, but it may also help them get used to other similar objects and sounds, such a crunching leaves.

2. Caution Tape.

You can use caution tape by tying a piece to a jump standard or 2 step-in fence posts and then walking them around. Alternatively, if your horse is already quite calm and desensitized, you can walk them through the tape so it flaps on their body. Caution tape can help desensitize them if there is road work ahead or if any plastic has ended up in a woods from the wind. 

3. Old Water Bottles

A basic thing to desensitize your horse to is a plastic water bottle. These are really easy to find and are very cost effective. Simply crackle the bottle around the horse and then if they’re used to that, crackle the bottle on their body. This is very helpful if you need water while on the trail or just at the barn.

4. Pallets

One final way to desensitize your horse is to walk it over a pallet with a piece of plywood. This sound will sound hollow and will help familiarize them with the sounds bridges make.

Although all of these methods are good for desensitizing, nothing can top trust. If you get your horse to trust you and trust that you won’t lead them into danger, you’ll have a very good, calm horse. So until next time, happy trails!