The very first things to emphasize in order to
begin to understand the horse, are the 3 F's:
FOOD, FEAR, & FLIGHT.
Animals operate on instinct & emotion.
Eventhough a horse's brain is the size of a walnut,
doesn't mean he doesn't use ALL of it in his instinct to survive.

The hardest thing for me to see and understand is
realizing how a horse THINKS. We as humans have to put
ourselves in their frame of mind. They CANNOT think like us!!
Their world is much simpler. It consists entirely on these 3 concepts.
So, let's take each of these concepts separately.

       

FOOD                 FEAR                FLIGHT

FOOD is basic for all of us. We must have food and water to survive.
A herd of horses has a pecking order for who gets to eat first.
In your pasture, in order to make all of your horses feel no
competition when feeding, we suggest that you physically
separate them into different areas at all times.
By doing this you will alleviate their anxiety to get to the food AND
they will each get the right amount of food without having to try
to gobble it down before the other horses get it. An added
benefit to this separation is that you will more easily
begin to become the head of your own horse's herd.

FEAR is very healthy to a horse.....he needs this to stay alive.
To become our partner, however, he must trust us.
When people talk about a "spooky" horse,
it means that the horse hasn't experienced much
in order to NOT fear things. For instance, my horse,
Magnum, had a real problem standing still if I'd take off
my hat! So, it took a dozen different times of going out to
the pasture over a six month period for him to realize the hat
wouldn't hurt him. I'd put the catch rope on his head and
shake my hat at his whithers then move it over his back,
down his rear legs, back toward the front, up his front legs,
his chest , and back to his whithers. Then I'd repeat the
process standing on his other side. (Check out the section
on "Sacking Out".) But, remember, there is no such thing
as a totally "bomb-proof" horse. Jake's horse, Ben, has
been known to spook at a gum wrapper blowing across
the road! Especially while mounted on your horse, we have
to continually be aware of our surroundings and try
to "feel" the horse. Out on the trail, point out
the "wooly-boogers" (Jake's term for scary things)
to your horse before your horse is surprised by them.
(I make them up, but Magnum doesn't know it, he just
thinks I'm being part of his herd and looking out for him!)
If he does spook, move with him during the spook and
then bring him back to face the spot or obstacle that
spooked him. Ease him back as slowly as neccessary,
relaxed in the saddle, and take enough time to show
him the obstacle by facing it and letting him get
over the spook. If you don't do this at the exact  time
the spook occurs, your horse will not realize things that
will and won't hurt him and he'll spook in the future at
similiar obstacles. By continually showing your horse
new things and helping him deal with the fearful
things, you'll have a spirited, thinking
horse rather than a spooky horse!

Another thing to remember, is that we humans are
predators. Horses are the prey. When approaching or
working with horses, it's best not to raise (or shake)
your hand too high or smile too much because it will
remind the horse of a predator's claws or fangs and,
therefore, take longer for the horse to trust you.

FLIGHT is also necessary for a horse to survive in the wild,
as well as, on a trail ride if you encounter a predator animal!
Flight is the horse's first line of defense. You'll notice that
your horse will move away from you rather than attacking
when you're working in the roundpen. This is good to
know when you're first starting out with your first horse!!
(Magnum, either because he was mistreated or because
he was being taught to be a jumper in his first 5 years,
tended to rear a foot or two off the ground at times,
but while doing this, he was always backing away from me.)

Eventhough horses run away from predators in flight ;
if they are caught, they move INTO pressure. If an
animal has ahold of any part of the horse's body,
the horse will move toward the animal so that
it's body doesn't rip apart and he will still have
a chance to get away. So, remember this
instinctive phenomenon during training!