Training a young horse can be a challenging task if not handled correctly from the very beginning. From the minute the foal is parted from its mother, it needs to be molded a little bit at a time each day, otherwise it will almost be impossible to train once it is fully grown up. There are some key tasks that must be accomplished in order to ensure smooth foal training. For example, it is vastly important for a young horse or foal to be properly accustomed to its surroundings, to feel adequately comfortable around people and other animals, and above all it needs to understand that you are his master. Failure to accomplish any of the above tasks may complicate your foal training procedures.



One of the things you should understand about foal training is that much like a child growing up into a new world, a young horse or foal will feel a little scared while growing up especially when undergoing training procedures. So it is important that you do not move the foal to a new or advanced part of the training until it fully understands the current level and feels completely comfortable with it.

Make it a priority to teach your foal that you are its master. In other words, you are the boss and the young horse needs to obey your commands. This means that you must train the foal to trust you when it is apart from its mother no matter what territory you lead it to. You can achieve this by introducing the young horse to all sorts of vehicles such as cars, trucks, bikes, and even tractors in order to limit their fears of large moving mechanisms. You must also train your foal to feel comfortable around people and other animals as well especially dogs. You will be surprised how many adult horses go into frenzy when they encounter a dog. Once your foal begins to trust you as its master, the rest of the foal training will be smooth sailing.

The next important key factor when training a young horse is getting it used to its surroundings. This can be done with or without its mother but it must be done, the sooner the better. There is a good chance you will eventually want to travel with your horse or horses so it is important to get your foal comfortable with horse trailers. Try practicing leading your foal in and out of a trailer a little bit each day until he feels content being inside. At that point you can set up a hay net that will keep the young horse occupied while remaining inside the trailer.

Last but not least, when training a young horse you have to put a maximum effort in making him a friendly animal. His socialization skills are very important. The last thing you want is to have a foal that is too concerned about where he is at and who is around him when trying to train it. A friendly horse will make foal training easier especially in the long run. So give it your best in making him sociable and comfortable with the outside world.

One final point on foal training, do not spoil your horse. Many foal trainers give their young horses treats while training them just like dog trainers do. This can have a reverse effect and can lead to the horse expecting for you to offer it food all the time. The horse can even become angry and bite if it is not offered a treat so make sure never to spoil your horse when foal training. It is ok to reward your young horse every so often but do not make it a habit.