Making my foal trust me and be my friend

Question
Hi,
I have a 4 month old colt still with his mother, but he is starting to ween himself off her a little bit.
I was just wondering if you could give me some tips on how to make my foal gain trust in me and to learn that i wont hurt him so he can be my friend.

Answer
Hi Sacha,

The best things to be working on with a foal at this age are the issues of space and path.  Horses are herd animals by nature, and you're going to want your little guy to see you as the leader of the herd.  Friendship will come after he learns to respect and listen to  you.  This is very, very important if you want your foal to be be a safe horse to be around.  All of these things are done on a lead line and are easy to do and practice.  Teaching a foal to safely lead is the most important of all lessons, and teaches the horse to trust you as the leader.

The issue of space is simple: He who controls the most space is the leader.  That means that you need to be very clear that he can't barge his way into your personal space (the imaginary bubble that surrounds you).  If he does, he's learning that you're a pushover and he can take advantage of you.  Behaviors that seem cute at 4 months can be downright dangerous at 3 or 4 years old.  For example, do not let him rub his head on you.  An adult horse who does this can really hurt you badly.  Remember that the behaviors that you are cultivating now are ones that he'll do for his entire life, so it's important to start off the right way.  

Path is similar to space - if the horse cuts in front of you while leading, they control the path.  That makes them the leader.  If your colt tries to cut in front, simply use your lead line and give his halter a quick, sharp tug.  This tells him that you're not happy.  Make him stop before you start walking on again.  If he gets in front again, you can use the end of your lead line to bop him in the chest and make him step back.  If you watch his mom, she'll do similar things like push him with her nose to make him move out of her way.  It's all a very natural language to a horse.

I highly suggest that you read John Lyons' material on lead training - he's a great trainer and his books explain everything you need to know.  I hope this helps get you started.  Remember, be consistent and firm, and your foal will grow to love you because he'll trust you.  For horses, trust comes from predictability.  They need to have clear expectations of their behavior from you.  

Good luck with your little guy, and don't hesitate to contact me again if you have other questions.

--Susan