Building Confidence in Nervous Horses

Techniques and Step-by-Step Exercises to Overcome Anxiety and Build Trust

Every horse owner wants their horse to feel safe, calm, and confident in any situation. For nervous or anxious horses, building confidence is a process that takes patience, understanding, and consistent training. In this blog post, we’ll explore practical techniques and step-by-step exercises you can use to help your horse overcome anxiety and develop a more relaxed, self-assured outlook.

Understanding Equine Anxiety

Nervousness in horses can result from past experiences, trauma, lack of exposure, genetics, or sudden changes in their environment. Recognising the signs—such as spooking, sweating, pawing, screaming out, or unwillingness to move forward—can help you tailor your approach and pace to suit your horse’s needs.

1. Establishing Trust: The Foundation

Every confidence-building plan should start with trust. Spend time with your horse on the ground, away from any pressure or expectations. Grooming, hand-grazing, sitting in the paddock playing herd guard whilst they sleep, or simply standing together allows your horse to associate you with safety and comfort.

• Frequency: 1-2 times per week, 10–15 minutes (I must admit this can turn into hours!).

• Goal: Create positive associations and a calm baseline for future training.

2. Desensitisation Exercises

Desensitisation, or ‘bombproofing’, introduces horses gradually to objects or situations they find frightening. The aim isn’t to overwhelm, but to allow your horse to explore and become comfortable at their own pace.

1. Choose a calm, familiar environment.

2. Introduce a novel object (e.g. tarp, umbrella, traffic cone etc.) at a safe distance.

3. Allow your horse to observe, sniff, and approach the object without force.

4. If your horse shows anxiety, pause and let them settle (sometimes walking them away and coming back can help). Reward the smallest signs of curiosity or calmness.

5. Gradually decrease the distance as your horse gains confidence.

• Frequency: 2–3 times per week, 10–20 minutes per session.

• Goal: Reduce reactivity by building positive experiences around new stimuli.

3. Groundwork for Focus and Boundaries

Groundwork helps horses learn to focus on you, respect your space, and feel safe with clear leadership. Exercises such as leading, yielding hindquarters, backing up, and standing still teach your horse to tune in and relax.

1. Begin with basic leading—walk, halt, and turn with your horse following calmly.

2. Practice yielding the hindquarters by gently asking your horse to step away from light pressure.

3. Introduce backing up and standing still as confidence grows.

• Frequency: 3–4 times per week, 15–30 minutes per session.

• Goal: Increase your horse’s ability to focus and respond to your cues, enhancing their sense of security.

If you need to revisit leading training, check out this post.

4. Gradual Exposure to Challenging Situations

Once your horse is more comfortable with groundwork and desensitisation, start exposing them to mildly challenging situations, such as walking past the letterboxes on your street or riding in a new paddock. Start small and increase difficulty only as your horse shows readiness. I strongly encourage the introduction and use of a flag to assist in self-regulating the horses nervous system.

1. Plan the route or environment—avoid busy or overwhelming areas at first.

2. Let your horse observe and pause as needed. Praise calm behaviour.

3. Retreat if anxiety increases, then try again another day.

• Frequency: Once or twice weekly, as your horse’s confidence allows.

• Goal: Build resilience by layering positive experiences in new environments.

5. Mindful Riding Techniques

When under saddle, use relaxation cues such as deep breathing, soft hands, and a calm seat to help your horse stay relaxed. Focus on steady, rhythmic movement. Keep rides short and positive, gradually building up duration and complexity. There is a whole post dedicated to grounding and self-regulation here.

• Frequency: 2–3 times per week, 20–40 minutes per session.

• Goal: Reinforce calmness and confidence while riding.

Consistency is Key

Confidence-building is a journey, not a sprint. By working at your horse’s pace and celebrating small wins, you’ll create a steady foundation for long-term trust and partnership. If you encounter persistent anxiety, consider consulting a qualified trainer or equine behaviourist for extra support. Remember, every horse is different—patience and empathy are your most valuable tools on this road to confidence.