A horse will gallop across an entire pasture to greet a returning herd mate. That same horse might spend 20 minutes dodging you in a paddock the size of a tennis court. What does the other horse know that you don’t?
This brings us to one of the most common myths in horsemanship: “Just catch your horse any way you can.” Did you know your session, and its probability for success, actually starts the moment your horse sees you?
By nature, humans are predators while horses are prey animals. All horses—even domesticated ones—are naturally perceptive to people, places, changes, and things. Horses know the safe place is with the herd, and when startled or bothered, they will fly from fear.
Think about the example I mentioned above of a horse running to greet another horse. This is how I want my horse to respond when he sees me. To create this type of bond, a change needs to take place in us first. In my 50-plus years in the equine industry, I’ve never once met a horse who went out human shopping. We’re the ones who chose them, so the privilege and responsibility lies with us to alter our approach. If someone showed up at your door every day with chocolate, flowers, and genuine kindness—no agenda, no demands—you’d probably start looking forward to seeing them.
Please understand, though, this is not about bribing your horse. This is about walking for a minute in your horse’s horseshoes. It’s your idea to catch your horse to go do _________ (fill in the blank with your desired activity or discipline). But what was your horse doing before you showed up? Most likely hanging with his friends or in a place he feels safe, like his stall or pasture. Horses are motivated by safety, comfort, and play (in that order). If they don’t feel safe, they aren’t comfortable. And if they don’t feel safe and comfortable, it’s challenging to play or perform well.
In this day and age, time is a precious commodity. We’re often multitasking, squeezing in riding sessions between errands and school pickups or after work. In spite of this, let’s practice the Parelli Principle of “Take the time it takes so it takes less time.” You most likely already realize the importance of pairing your riding sessions with a good physical warmup and cool-down. But, have you considered a mental and emotional warmup and cool-down with your horse?
Here at Parelli, we call this undemanding time, basically the time we do more of what our horses like to do, where they feel safe. Grazing time. Hang out time. Scratches and grooming time. Practice staying intentional, meaningful, and present with your horse. Invest in what he likes and he will be more apt to offer more of what you like.
Our goal is to teach you how to safely and effectively train your horse at home, so that both you and your horse can have more fun and achieve excellence together—creating a true partnership based on trust and mutual understanding.
I could teach you dozens of ways to catch a horse. But I’d rather teach you how to cause your horse to want to catch you.
Learn more about our digital home-study curriculum, the Levels Program, at Parelli.com.
This article appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
