To be successful with straightness training you have to meet the instinctual needs of your horse first.

Given their characteristics, horses have a number of needs. These are:

• Certainty and safety, because the horse is a prey animal with a flight instinct
• Routine, because the horse is a creature of habit, so require a regular routine of eating, resting, grooming etc
• Grass and roughage, because they are herbivores
• To eat small amounts throughout the day, because with a full belly it’s not easy to flee
• Variety, because it’s boring and frustrating to be 23 hours in a stable
• Constant movement, because they are steppe animals
• Connection with other horses, because they are social animals
• The nead for leadership, because they are herd animals and like to follow a confident leader

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