Horse Problem - Pressure/Release - How to introduce pressure/release after first halterings

I can halter her, but once she feels ANY resistance on the halter (or anywhere on her body for that matter) she goes into instant flight mode. Right now, a tiny pull and she's backing off without a chance for a release.

Any ideas are welcome.

Also, search touch all around her face, ears, neck, etc., to find out her favorite places to be scratched (scratch or rub, don't pat!) and memorize them to return to often. Do all that before gently asking for the head down using pressure/release. Having her head lowered will be a huge emotional breakthrough for her, because a lowered head instantly produces a relaxed horse. Where the head goes, the mind follows. Immediately. But with a really fearful, wilder horse especially, you need to deeply bond with her first and show her via your finger in her mouth (remove it once she works the mouth!) that you can help her relax. They don't realize you are producing the relaxation in them going this route usually. All they file away is, "wow, when I'm with this particular human, suddenly I feel more relaxed!" So back up and work on only that at first. After you've got that well in place, then use the lead rope to very gently apply pressure to ask for the head down. Minute ounces of pressure there at first, and release for the smallest try, slightest change in the right direction. All horses learn from the release of pressure what it is we want, not the pressure itself, so get your release timing very quick for right answers, but reward the try in the right direction with a release as well. If you need to, without releasing the pressure, stick a finger in the corner of her mouth to get her working her mouth as you apply the rope pressure downward. This working of her mouth relaxes her neck and it instantly makes her drop it. Voila, release the pressure for that head lowering quickly and she'll learn that was the right answer there. A lowered head is a relaxed horse; you're teaching her to relax at the same time you're teaching her to yield to pressure.

If she gets scared, just stop what you're doing and return to bonding. I strongly believe you cannot ask anything of the horse, especially the wilder more fearful ones initially like that, until you've well got the bonding/relaxing techniques down. Think of your lessons as you "helping her," not about you getting her to "obey" if that makes sense. It's a mind frame that puts you in the right nurturing mode for teaching her to trust, to get past her fears and helps her to understand what you are asking of her as you go along there.

Don't teach your first pressure/release lesson with a horse like this for leading, but teach her to drop her head using pressure/release on the lead rope. That's more important. Lowered head is a relaxed horse - automatically, instantly. Get that in her foundation first and then from then on when she's afraid or spooks, come in and help her to relax again, finger in mouth, ask for the head drop.

All of the above (and much, much more) is taught in my Whispering Way 12-Step Total Training System DVD set. Usually it helps to see this natural horsemanship art taught visually, to really understand how it is all done. You can get that DVD set here: CLICK HERE

Nurture her along the way and return to bonding as often as you have to, if she ever feels afraid, and you'll make faster, more productive progress there while simultaneously building trust in her for your fair, kind leadership.

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