How to Stop a Horse from Eating on the Trail

Eating Grass Is a Sign of Disrespect

Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship has developed an effective method to train horses, regardless of their age, history, or any behavioral issues and past traumas. Join him on his weekly endeavors of tackling some of the most challenging situations with problem horses, and with problem owners. This week, we’ll join Clinton as he shows us how to stop a horse from eating on the trail.

Grass snatching during a ride seems to be an extremely popular topic among the horsemanship community. While some people never experience problems, others notice that the grass-snatching habit comes in waves. It can be frustrating, but Clinton essentially tells us that the reason behind all this mid-ride eating is boredom. When a horse chooses to eat grass rather than pay attention to his rider, it means that you could use some practice in terms of effective leadership.

In order to have a safe, enjoyable partnership with your horse, he needs to respect you and you need to respect him. Respect is a two-way street. To start working toward a better partnership, you need to show your horse that you’re a capable leader. Every time your horse tunes you out and starts to eat on the trail, you need to give him something to listen to—give your horse a reason to pay attention to you. When you catch him in the act, immediately put his feet to work. You can spin him around or have him yield his hindquarters. What you do doesn’t matter, just that you hustle the horse’s feet with energy.

If a horse ignores your cues and buries his head in a patch of grass, he’s disrespecting you. While this might be a little blunt, it’s important to understand that the primary reason behind this behavior is a lack of attention. Your horse isn’t going to stop eating on the trail unless you get his attention. Once you get his attention, he’ll quit eating grass.

Clinton Anderson has spent the past 20 years of his life devoted to creating the best training tools and videos available to horsemen all over the world. Unfortunately, you can’t bring your TV into the arena to watch the training videos. That’s why Clinton and his team have been hard at work developing a new platform to deliver the training to you in a whole new way, a way that brings 20 years of horsemanship and puts it in the palm of your hand. Now, you can access the mobile method and get all of the method at the touch of a finger.

While some may view a horse eating grass on the trail as a sign of disrespect, it is more likely a symptom of boredom and a lack of effective leadership. Clinton Anderson’s approach to horsemanship emphasizes the importance of gaining the horse’s respect by providing engaging activities and exercises that capture the horse’s attention. When the horse is distracted by grazing, it is crucial to redirect their focus back to their rider through assertive but fair cues that promote listening and respect. Through consistent training and leadership, riders can enjoy a safe and enjoyable partnership with their horses, free from frustrating and potentially dangerous grazing habits.

Download the Downunder Horsemanship app today to gain access to our digital training kits today. Our app also offers over 100 hours of free in-depth training content. No Worries Club members will have full access to Clinton’s ever-growing training library and a plethora of members-only features and information.

Start your digital training experience today. Visit our website and download the Downunder Horsemanship app to experience the Method in a whole new way.