Adopting a new wild horse can be an
extremely exciting endeavor for people. While it is natural to be eager about
starting to train with the beast, it is more important to let the new horse set
the pace. The volunteers of ISPMB or International
Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros mention that before anything
else, people should focus on providing a safe, comfortable, secure paddock and
stall for their new horse, and establish a solid, predictable daily feeding and
socialization schedule for them. Training should be started after establishing
a level of trust with the horse.
Anyone adopting a wild horse must first
understand that these animals are not habituated to being around people. Hence,
the volunteers at ISPMB mention that people need to spend a good amount
of time with their adopted wild horses, try to help them to become accustomed to
human presence, and develop a strong bond with them. International Society for
the Protection of Mustangs and Burros is the first the original Wild Horse
& Burro organization in North America, and many of their volunteers have a
good knowledge of taking care of wild horses. They mention that if trainers or
handlers do not bond with the horse properly, they might face quite a
resistance from them. Wild horses are
independent beings, and hence gaining their trust is crucial to making them do
anything.
When a wild horse starts to realize that a
person comes to them every day with food and water, and doesn’t cause any harm,
they would gradually begin to trust the person. One should putter quietly
around the paddock during feeding time, and try to clean it up while
talking or singing. Basically, people should try to appear to be as non-threatening as possible to develop trust among them. Having a round pen
configuration would be ideal for the paddock of a wild horse, as it won’t
present any areas where they might feel threatened or cornered. Such an arrangement will also allow people to
interact with their horses more effectively throughout the training process,
without having to deal with any potentially troublesome transfers to a
different round pen training setting.
The volunteers at ISPMB mention that it will be prudent to avoid approaching the wild horse too much in their early days. They must be given time to get acquainted with their new home. Moreover, wild horses are naturally curious. Hence, as soon as they start to lose their anxiety and fear of being at a new place, they will start becoming curious about their surroundings. Within a month or two, people can expect their wild horses to be whinnying excitedly when they are approached and might trot to meet people when they enter the paddock. After gaining the trust of the horse, people should try to train them in simple actions like walking and trotting at varying speeds, turning, and stopping when instructed.