Franklin Levinson's
Horse Help Center
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Horse afraid of rain
Dear Franklin,
I have a wounderful mare, she is rather forward and I enjoy riding her. I had a bad experience on another horse that has left me apprehensive when riding my own horse. She picks up on it and with the help of a trainer things are getting better. I live in a wet area and it can rain for several days. My wounderful mare is scared of rain, and cannot be ridden when it rains. I attempted to ride her and keep myself relaxed and talked to her, but it only got worse. So I stopped. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you - Susan
Hi Susan,
Generally, the better your relationship and the deeper your bond of trust with a horse, the better all things go. Just like with a child who is raised by a fearful and insecure parent, will pick up 'stuff' from the parent, a horse will only rise to the level of the humans interacting with it. I would highly suggest you do more on the ground with your horse to develop your own confidence with the horse and the horse's confidence with you. Forget riding for a little while and spend all of your time on the ground with your horse. This is where your bond is really formed anyway. Get used to being with your horse when it is raining. Be with her on the ground and get her settled during the rain with you near her on the ground. Do fun things with her on the ground. Have a lot of good, appropriate and successful action and interaction on the ground. Your horse and you will get closer. Your bond will really deepen. You will come to know your horse more and better if you focus with her with you on the ground first. Let the riding be the icing on the cake of your relationship and not the focus. You will be amaized at how great your relationship with your horse can become if you stop focusing on riding and focus on the 'horse' itself (even if it is just for a little while). Keep me posted.....
Sincerely, Franklin