One of the key ingredients to a good driving horse that is not often talked about, but is incredibly important, is TRUST.

Trust goes both ways.

That means building a relationship between both horse and driver where each party can trust in each other. The driver can trust the horse out in front to take care of them and listen to direction. And the horse out in front can trust that the driver will guide him and prepare him for what is to come in a kind manner.

Without trust in both parties, we can run into a lot of issues.

In driving, I truly feel we must be much more critical of our partners in what we can and cannot tolerate or let slide. This does NOT mean I am any stronger or more disciplined with a driving equine, just that I need to prepare them for so many more things than I might a riding horse in these early stages. There is so much more room for error in the sport of driving…

How do you build that trust?

With a solid foundation on the ground. With consistency. With a lot of time and effort on both parts. With listening, and understanding communication between the horse and driver.

Trust Building Exercises

Start with the VERY basics. Ask yourself…
Are there ANY holes in your horses training?
Is there anything you do not trust your horse to do?
What areas does your horse lack confidence in?
Are there any basic skills your horse struggles with?

If you can honestly answer those questions, and find areas your relationship needs work on – that is a great starting place.

I once had a client send their miniature donkey to me to be trained to the cart. I quickly found out they had been struggling to just pick his hind feet when he tried to take my head off for asking to pick up a hind foot. Needless to say, we spent A LOT of work on that before progressing in his cart training at all. If your horse (or donkey) has problem areas, especially ones so simple as this, they are going to be the root cause of an accident waiting to happen; OR could mean the difference between an accident going horribly wrong versus one that is handled smoothly.

Ultimately, there is no one answer or perfect exercise on how you and your equine can build trust together. That trust grows from the foundation training you set forth on the ground, and the work you continue to build upon.

The more you go out and DO with your equine, the more confident you two will become together, and the more you can begin to trust one another.