How to bond with a wild horse?

Snezzy

Learn all you can about horses and horse training. Your age is quite appropriate for learning; I've seen three-year-old kids dealing correctly with horses. You absolutely should not be hand-feeding the horse or touching its nose. Management of horses has been correctly understood for over 2500 years. Not something new. Get a lot of books and read them all. The Pony Club books are always good.

Lucy

Be careful when you hear the term "needs to learn respect" because it is often a sign of someone who doesn't understand horses. I also wouldn't feed the horse, otherwise that's the only reason he'll come to you and that doesn't mean 'trust' or 'bond'. It could also encourage him to be nippy. People often like to take the soft approach and pussy foot around horses, but this makes them all the more wary. My advice to you at your age, with a "wild" horse and that fact you have no understanding of horses I would advise you to leave well alone. It's just not advisable and someone (you most likely) could get very hurt.

*****

This isn't a horse that needs to "bond" with you and will somehow magically behave better. This is a horse that needs to be taught to RESPECT his handler. Feeding him treats is likely only to make him MORE pushy and disrespectful and more likely to bite. This isn't a horse you should be handling if you don't have the knowledge and experience to do so safely.

Jeff

Remove the word bond from your horse vocabulary. Any horse who figures out you control his feet will become a better horse.food treats make you a vending machine on legs.

zephania666

You've bonded with him, but you don't have enough experience to make that a two way street. The horse should be sent to a trainer to learn to be handled and ridden. Then, and only then, should you consider getting him to bond with you. This is not the movies; this is a real horse with real problems. Those won't magically be fixed by an inexperienced 11 year old. The danger of injury is real.

Anonymous

I have to agree with Lucy 100%. Humans tend to get hurt because of their lack of respect for the horse not the other way around. People are so up-tight about making a horse 'respect your space' and that BS that they forget they need to have some respect for such a powerful and instinctual animal. Just have a critical eye, because it's often those who like to recite all their achievements of years of horse knowledge that tend to know the least and be very stereotypical in their thought process. All the best whatever you do.

Elaine M

Be quiet around it, feed it, don't push into the horse's personal space.

The Oracle of Omigod

Feed him a carrot every time you see him. In fact feed him two carrots.