Hi, I was just wondering,...

Question
Hi, I was just wondering, how would you build trust between you and your horse? My horse has become very distant to me over the last month, and nothing i do will make him trust me. He's my little "babied-up-boy" you could say, but lately... He hasn't been riding as well as he used to (he's a jumper), he's lost his "strong spirit" and just plods around the pasture all day looking depressed. Everytime i come near him with a sadlle he runs to the other side of the pasture, and even when i just come out with a treat for him, he turns his head and walks away.. I don't know if i did something to make him lose faith in me (though a few weeks ago, we took a topple through a jump, and he was hurt... Not badly, but still hurt; we had the vet check him out and he was fine) or if he's going through a mood... Do you think you could help me out? he's my little boy and I don't wanna lose him!!!!

Answer
How often do you ride your horse? The first thing that comes to mind when reading what you have described is that he is bored... do you ever take him on trail rides, or try new things, or do you just jump everytime?

The very first thing I would do is give him a rest... turn him out with a buddy or two for a week or so, and instead of riding him each day, just bring him in for a good grooming session and a talking to. You'd be amazed at how well horses do when they're given a break once in a while. :)

Now, if you are giving him all that variety, then the second thing I would recommend is still to not ride for a while... but instead of just grooming daily, I'd take him for walks, do ground excersizes, lunging, etc. Just try to do thing that will encourage him to follow and trust you. :)

You may also want to try some join-up if you have access to a round pen... join-up every day for a week and see how that helps. :)