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What Horses Taught me About Relationship Building with Roosters

Relationship Building with Rooster

Working with horses for most of my life has taught me that relationship building is one of the most important things you can do with your animals. Horses, like roosters, are complex, perceptive creatures with their own unique ways of communicating and understanding the world. My experience with horses has profoundly influenced how I approach working with my rooster Butter, and I believe these lessons can help anyone looking to build a deeper bond with their rooster and their flock.

Sensitivity and Mindfulness in Prey Animals

Horses are prey animals, meaning their survival depends on constant vigilance. They’re always on the lookout for potential threats, and they rely heavily on their instincts. This hyper-awareness requires us to be equally mindful. When working with horses you always need to be aware of what’s happening around you, how you’re feeling, how your horse is feeling, and how you are both feeling together.

This requires you to be aware of your mental state, your energy, your intentions, and your movements. Horses are masters at reading subtle cues and will quickly pick up on incongruities—when someone’s outward behavior doesn’t match their inner emotions.

This level of sensitivity can be incredibly humbling. There’s a saying in the horse world: “It’s never the horse, it’s always you.” Horses act as mirrors, reflecting back the energy and emotions we bring to them, showing us what we need to work on within ourselves.

If you’re stressed, rushed, or frustrated, they’ll sense it and respond accordingly. These experiences have taught me to slow down, ground myself, and approach each interaction with intention and reflection.

Parallels and Lessons in Working with Horses and Roosters

So how does this relate to working with a rooster? Like horses, roosters are highly attuned to their surroundings. Their role as protectors of the flock means they’re constantly assessing potential threats and making split-second decisions to ensure the safety of their hens. While horses might flee when startled, roosters are more likely to stand their ground, using pecks or kicks to defend themselves and their flock.

My rooster Butter is always aware of what’s happening in the chicken yard, and he doesn’t hesitate to let me know if I’ve overstepped a boundary or disrupted the flock’s harmony. For example, if I’m rushing or distracted, Butter is very quick to give me a hard peck as if to say, “Pay attention.” It’s his way of reminding me to slow down and be present.

Tame Rooster

Earning Trust With Your Rooster

Just as with horses, building a relationship with a rooster requires respect and patience. It’s about showing them that you’re not a threat, that you respect their role, and that you’re willing to meet them where they are. This process takes time and consistency. You can’t rush trust—whether it’s with a 1,000 pound horse or a 8 pound rooster.

Are there breeds that are known in general to be more docile and easy going – yes but that doesn’t mean you can’t work on building a relationship with other rooster breeds. Just like chickens there are high strung horse breeds and then there are more likely to be quieter breeds. Both can love and learn if we truly take the time to respect and build our relationship with them. It doesn’t mean you should write them off or lump them into a group that they can’t be worked with. Every animal has their own unique personality and it’s our job to find ways in which to understand them.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Even with a lifetime of experience working with horses, I’ve had to relearn these lessons . Whenever I’ve ignored the foundational steps of building trust – by rushing, skipping steps, or failing to check in with myself – I’ve faced the consequences. With horses, these missteps often resulted in getting myself hurt. With my rooster Butter, it’s a reminder that I need to be fully present and intentional every day.

I’m not perfect by any means and I’m still learning. I even had a rooster before Butter, a Speckled Sussex named Henni(fer). I was at a loss on how to work with him and nothing I found online at the time sat right with me – only finding people recommending dominating tactics. I also did not know much about rooster behavior at that point. From my work with horses, I knew that relying solely on dominating tactics might seem effective initially, but it doesn’t truly create a safe or trusting relationship. Animals in a state of shutdown can suddenly overreact when their suppressed instincts resurface. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to apply my knowledge of how to safely work with horses with my first rooster. I eventually gave him to a friend who has a horse farm with plenty of other chickens, where he still lives today.

One of the most humbling aspects of working with animals is realizing how much they have to teach us about ourselves. Butter, like the horses I’ve worked with, reflects back my own energy and emotions. If I’m stressed or unfocused, he’ll let me know immediately. It’s a powerful reminder to slow down, take a deep breath, and approach each day as a fresh start.

What to Do with a Mean Rooster

The Daily Practice of Presence

Building a relationship with Butter has become a daily practice in mindfulness. Each morning when I step into the chicken yard, I remind myself to be fully present. I pay attention to my body language, my tone of voice, and the energy I’m bringing into the space. Butter’s reactions are my quickest tell—if I’m off balance emotionally, he’ll pick up on it instantly.

This practice has also deepened my connection with the rest of my flock. When I’m present and intentional, the hens are happy to take turns sitting in my lap for naps and pets and Butter is more relaxed.

Encouraging Others to Work with Roosters

One of my biggest hopes is to inspire others to give roosters a chance. They’re often misunderstood and unfairly labeled as aggressive or unmanageable. But with patience, respect, and a commitment to building trust, roosters can become incredible companions and protectors for your flock.

Butter has taught me that every day is an opportunity to try again, to learn from the day before, and to deepen our connection.

Reflections and Learnings

Animals have an incredible ability to teach us about our inner worlds, revealing the areas where we can grow and reminding us of the importance of authenticity.

I’m always reminding myself to be more present and to continue learning from Butter and my flock. They’ve enriched my life in countless ways, and I hope to encourage others to keep trying, learning, and building relationships with their animals. With time and effort, you might just discover that your rooster has as much to teach you as Butter has taught me.

I have written about my personal experience relationship building with my rooster Butter in another blog post as I hope to see more people take a chance on roosters. I hope to encourage you to feel confident about working with your rooster by sharing my personal experiences and other helpful resources. Let’s be part of the change in the world for better rooster care – starting with our own flocks.

Rooster Advocates to Check Out

If you are looking for ways in which to understand your roosters behavior better the team at Roovolution has dedicated significant time and effort to creating valuable materials for working with roosters in a humane way. My learnings with horses were only part of the puzzle and seeing their insights and how they had successfully worked with relationship building with their roosters, gave me confidence to work with Butter. I highly recommend their resources to anyone keeping roosters.

Here are some of the best ways to learn more about working with your roosters:

How to Tame a Rooster

I never knew how my lessons with horses would prepare me for working with my rooster but I’m so glad they did.

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