Inside the Horse's Mind: Does Your Horse Need You to Be the Boss?

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times. “You need to show your horse that you’re the boss.” This is based on the premise of dominance, and that horses need to see the human as the dominant leader in order to trust and obey.

In this video from CRK Training, this trainer suggests that perhaps this isn’t the case. She suggests that riders don’t have to use dominance and intimidation to get a response from the horse, and that horses value togetherness more than they value relying on a dominant leader.

What do you think? Do horses need a “boss” in order to know where they stand? What are ways that riders can be assertive without being dominant, and where is that line?

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