How Do I Get My Horse to Respect Me?

Dr. Nancy Diehl shares how you can earn your horse’s respect through consistent training with both positive and negative reinforcement.
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How Do I Get My Horse to Respect Me?
The key to getting your horse to be compliant and, in my mind, to respect you is to apply your reinforcements correctly and consistently. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse
Q. How do I get my horse to respect me?


A. First, so that we’re on the same page, let me explain what I think of as respect from a horse.

I certainly don’t think of it as fear. I also don’t think respect has to be a kind of profound obedience wherein a horse doesn’t move a foot unless directed to do so by his handler.

I think of respect more as reasonably prompt compliance with what I am asking a horse to do. That might specifically mean: “Don’t crowd me; move away; come here; whoa; and go

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Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Nancy Diehl completed a master’s degree in animal science while studying stallion sexual behavior. Later, she completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center and worked in equine practices in Missouri and Pennsylvania. Diehl also spent six years on faculty at Penn State, where she taught equine science and behavior courses and advised graduate students completing equine behavior research. Additionally, Diehl has co-authored scientific papers on stallion behavior, early intensive handling of foals, and feral horse contraception. Currently she is a practicing veterinarian in central Pennsylvania.

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