The following article was written after an episode of Sinead Halpin Maynard’s podcast, In Stride on Ride iQ, with her husband and 4* rider/Road to the Horse Champion Tik Maynard. To learn more about Ride iQ’s innovative training platform, click here. Want to listen to the full episode? In Stride is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville at WEG. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Our horses are always trying to tell us something, whether through positive or negative feedback. I mean, think about it. How many times have you been in a situation with your horse where they either licked their lips or pinned their ears back to let us know they are agreeing or disagreeing with the situation? Horses may be seen as complex animals, but the more we sit back and listen to what they are trying to tell us, the more we can understand.

U.S. 5* rider and Ride iQ coach Sinead Maynard sat down with her husband Tik Maynard on Ride iQ’s In Stride podcast to discuss horses’ love languages and how to utilize them for better understanding and connection.

Tik Maynard is the 2024 Road to the Horse World Champion, a sought after natural horsemanship coach, and he’s represented Canada at multiple World Championships and the Pan American games in eventing.

Tik Maynard works with a horse. Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Hartford.

Just like humans, horses have love languages. The five known love languages for humans are words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts. According to Tik, a horse’s love languages include comfort, play, quality time and food.
Similarly to humans, horses may be given an adequate amount of love and attention and still have behavioral issues or a lack of understanding with their owner or rider. Why is this?

Humans typically resonate with one or two of the love languages, meaning that they typically notice, appreciate, and are influenced by these the most. Although the other three love languages may be given, they are not received and don’t resonate as much. The same goes for horses.
In order to gain a better understanding of our horses, the first step is determining what motivates them to be our partners. Through observation, Tik was able to notice how horses feel, think, and play to determine their love languages or how we can more effectively show our horses we care.

Love Language #1: Comfort

Today we’ll be discussing the first — and arguably the most important — love language in horses: comfort. To begin, think of horses like little kids. What matters to them most? Food, shelter, and water should be expected, but what comes next?

Just like little kids, horses seek comfort. They want to feel safe, heard, and respected. Already challenging enough, horses can’t verbally communicate with us, making it more difficult to determine what they are feeling. It’s through observing both the physical and emotional side of your horse that you will be able to begin to determine where they find the most comfort.

Photo by Sally Spickard.

Examples of Physical Comfort

When horses seek physical comfort, they are seeking to be seen, heard, and accepted. For example, a horse may continuously rub their head up against you when you take off the bridle after a ride. Some riders may see this as their horse becoming “pushy”, but what if it’s their way of expressing discomfort?

Put yourself in their shoes and picture how uncomfortable it is to have an itch you can’t reach. In these situations, rather than jumping to conclusions, taking the time to notice what your horse is trying to tell you and scratching their itches is a great way to show them love.
Another component of physical comfort is space and freedom. Some horses really appreciate having their own physical space. This can look like a horse who doesn’t love to be groomed or a horse whose happiness comes from being turned out and having free range. Making the appropriate changes in your horse’s routine to acknowledge your horse’s need for space and freedom can make a world of difference in your relationship with them.

Examples of Emotional Comfort

The other component of comfort is emotional comfort. This can present in a lot of different ways, some that you may have never seen. A horse expressing the need to attain emotional comfort can look like a horse who does not like being alone. As herd-bound animals, this can be quite common. Rather than forcing the situation and having your horse hack out alone on the trails from the start, the solution may be to have another horse hack out with you until your horse becomes more comfortable and emotionally balanced.

In these types of situations, it’s important to note that we must earn respect from our horses. We can recognize when our horses do or don’t like certain things by physical signs. When it comes to meeting your horse’s need for emotional comfort, take an empathetic and patient approach.

Pats for Off the Record. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Showing Respect Through Action

What may be deciphered as a controversial statement, Tik explains that sometimes with the people that we love, there is a lack of respect or politeness. Instead, we should make an effort to demonstrate our love in part through respect and politeness? One way we can do this with horses is to have the patience to learn their preferences, notice their comfort or discomfort, and meet them with empathy.

Aim to be more present with your horse. Sit in the moment and notice what your horse is actually trying to tell you. By doing this you will begin to learn what your horse’s likes and dislikes are based on their actions. Some signs that your horse is comfortable include licking of the lips and chewing.

Listening to your horse’s feedback is an open-ended question. There are thousands of options, and the only way to know what works is through trial and error. The goal here is to recognize any sign of improvement, even if that’s just 1%. Sometimes things will happen that you’ve never heard or seen before, and that’s okay.

At that point, there’s no set of standards to follow. You’ll need to be creative. Think of your horse’s behavior as a puzzle you’re trying to solve. You may not know the answer right away, but the more you work to understand your horse and show them respect, the more they will be willing to reveal the answers.

We’re pleased to introduce a new training series from our friends at Ride iQ! Be sure to check out the Ride iQ app for coaching in your ear, progressive series, podcasts, and much more here.

Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison at Carolina International 2014. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Conditioning is one of those topics that most certainly stirs up a lot of confusion. Whether you’re new to the sport or preparing for a show, knowing a baseline of exactly what you should be doing with your horse in order to reach your fitness goal is crucial.

Throughout Ride iQ’s Conditioning Schedule Workshop, we discussed all things conditioning with Jon Holling, a US 5* event rider. Jon shared an example 6-week conditioning schedule for each level and the discussion included how to adjust based on your specific horse, your circumstances, and your goals.

To get started, here are five key things we learned about conditioning.

You Can Track Your Horse’s Fitness Without a Heart Rate Monitor

The best way to track your horse’s fitness without a heart rate monitor starts by wearing a wristwatch. Go ahead and try this during your next interval day and begin to compare each of your rides throughout the conditioning program.

• After a trot or canter set, walk for 3 minutes.
• Then halt..
• Look at your horse’s nostrils or flank and count their breaths for 15 seconds.
• Multiply that number by 4. What’s the result?

This is your horse’s respiration rate. Jon generally treats a respiration rate below 80 breaths per minute as an indicator that your horse is ready for their next set. If their respiration rate is above 80 after three minutes of walking, give them a minute or two more to recover before checking again. If their respiration rate then indicates readiness, continue with your next set. If not, call it a day and continue to monitor how they’re reacting to the fitness work.

Six Days Of Riding May Not Always Be Feasible — And That’s Okay!

Let’s face it — we all live busy lives. While Jon’s conditioning templates offer six days of work, this may not always be feasible or realistic for your personal riding schedule.
Ideally, at least five days of riding a week is key, as four days doesn’t allow for the variety and consistency of work needed to prepare for novice level and above.

Jon’s conditioning templates map out 6 days of riding each week: (1) hack, (2) dressage, (3) trot set, (4) jump, (5) dressage, (6) intervals or cross-country school. In the workshop, Jon explained how to choose which days to skip or combine if you’re limited to 5 rides per week. If you’re someone who doesn’t have a full five days, it’s important to get creative here and use your best judgment. If your schedule only allows you to make it to the barn four days a week, maybe you ask a fellow rider at the barn to trail ride your horse on that fifth day to keep them moving.

You can also combine your days as you see fit. For example, you can combine your long walk with the dressage day. A great rule of thumb if you are combining days is to keep your horse’s recovery in mind. Keeping jump days and gallop days with either a rest or hack day in between will ensure your horse get’s enough rest and recovery.

Another rule of thumb Jon suggests: be on your horse for at least 45 minutes each time you ride. That includes a generous walk at the beginning of every ride.

Conditioning in a Field is Great for You and Your Horse

If you’re able to do your fitness work in a field, take advantage of that! Riding in a field gives you the opportunity to work on rideability, improve your strength, and expose your horse to varied footing, which is great for injury prevention.

Jon recommends doing canter sets in your gallop position, which benefits your strength and balance as a rider while your horse improves their fitness, too. A lot of riders will struggle in the gallop with their horses, insisting they become too strong. The best way to improve this is by — you guessed it — practice galloping your horse! Just as you would on course, allowing your horse to come through its shoulder and rocking back onto their hind end encouraging self-carriage will allow you to feel more confident at this gait with your horse.

Even better, riding in a field is great for practicing rideability up and down hills and away from or toward the barn.

If you miss a day or even a week of the program, don’t panic. Backtrack as needed and pay attention to your horse’s fitness.

Switch Up The Footing For Soft Tissue Conditioning

Even if you have a horse who’s already fit, riding on a variation of surfaces is still just as important in order to condition your horse’s soft tissues. Not only does riding in the arena get boring, but it doesn’t allow your horse to adapt to other surfaces you might face at a show.

It’s important to note that any sudden surface changes can be hard on horses, but working in the field can allow the connective and soft tissues to get used to moving, flexing, bending, and using itself. In turn, this will strengthen the soft tissues.

Take Advantage of Your Hack Days

On your hack days, of course, you want your horses to be relaxed, but it’s important to make these days purposeful. For example, Jon has most of his horses to hack in a ‘round and down’ frame and he’s diligent about keeping them at a marching pace. Alternatively, if you have a horse who has a tendency to pace it may be best to keep the horse more in a frame during your hack, but again, still marching and moving forward.

Your hack days are your friend. Use these long walking sessions as an opportunity to reconnect with your horse between training sessions. Allow your horse to stretch and relax, all while maintaining their fitness level.

Want to listen to the full conditioning workshop with Jon Holling and download his 6-week conditioning schedule templates? Start your Ride iQ 2-week free trial to all of that and more at Ride-iQ.com.