Can you recognize defensiveness, anticipation, and pain in the horse?

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship 

This episode offers the opportunity to assess a horse's behavior for defensiveness, anticipation, and pain indicators. The Remote Horse Coach then shares an in-depth assessment to help equine enthusiasts learn how to read and recognize the horse's behavior. This gives insight into where to start with the horse, as well as seeing the horse's coping patterns. The video sheds light on various health issues that may affect the horse's willingness to participate. Join us in this educational horse video to enhance your horsemanship skills and deepen your understand.

Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship. YouTube Channel. New videos are posted every Friday.

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Horse Help: Defensive Equine Behavior & Re-Education by Alternative Horsemanship

 

"Can you recognize signs of Defensive Horse Behavior?" 

Re Sensitizing the De Sensitized Horse

 Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Resensitizing the Dysfunctional Desensitized Horse
Explaining the increasingly common problems with desensitizing the horse, creating dangerous behaviors because of the equine's inability to think, try, or be adaptable to change.
Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.

Avoiding Triggering the Fearful Horse

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Avoiding Triggering the Fearful Horse

Discussing Horse Help and Problems when trying to avoid triggering the Fearful and Distrustful Horse.

Weekly videos posted in the series on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.

Assessing the Horse Behavior & Defensive Triggers

 

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Assessing the Horse Behavior & Defensive Triggers

Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey The Remote Horse Coach shares tips for assessment of a newly arrived horse's behavior and recognizing signs of softness or defensive triggers in the equine.

17-year-old Quarter Horse was a stallion until 2 months ago.

Click the link in the comments to watch the full video.

#alternativehorsemanship #RemoteHorseCoach #dearsamhorseseries #horses #horsetraining #horsetrainer #horseproblems #horsehelp #horselearning #horselessons #horsemanship #horsebehavior #horsetips

Unwanted Horse Behavior, Resistance & Responses

 Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series Unwanted Horse Behaviors, Resistance, and Responses

Explaining the source and missed equine communication reflects building defensiveness in the horse towards human interaction creating unwanted, resistant horse responses.

Weekly videos on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.

Defensive & Fearful Horse Behavior

Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach discusses recognizing signs of Defensive & Fearful Horse Behavior in response to Horse Training Methods creating distrust.

 

Prioritizing Addressing the "Scary" Horse

Sam discusses why it matters to help horses during stressful times, fearful, or concerning experiences and what many people unintentionally teach their horses leading to unwanted and dangerous behaviors. Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series- Prioritizing Addressing the Horse Subscribe for weekly Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach videos.

Help- My horse suddenly stops moving forward!

The theme of the past few days has been new folks asking for help with horses that are going "fine" and then the horse "randomly" or suddenly stops, or quits, moving forward.

Surprising, Overhwelming, or "all of a sudden" moments with the Horse

All of a "sudden"

Nothing is random when a horse does it. You may not know why he did it, but it was not an accident.
The equine's body is a reflection of his brain and emotions.
Is the horse's movement a problem? No.
It is the result of his asking for support that was "answered" with the use of more pressure "driving" him into complying. Which "worked," until it didn't.

Spooky, bolting, reactive horse help by the Remote Horse Coach

Do you have a "spooky/overreactive/hypersensitive/dramatic/flamboyant/neurotic/destructive" horse? 

You might want to read the following thoughts I shared with a client after her older horse arrived for an assessment:

Re-Introducing the Halter to the Fearful and Defensive Horse

This is Cinder a two-year-old horse that was rescued from a life of abuse. When she arrived she was fearful and defensive, wanted nothing to do with humans, and would try and climb over anything to get away from the human. 

The journey of reawakening her Curiosity, which will replace her fear, allows her to physically offer reasonable behavior. 

It is not one that you can make happen. It is about creating 2-way Communication, believing the horse's feet back, addressing their concern, and then allowing them the time to mentally process their new human experiences. 

This isn't about getting a halter on a horse, it is about setting the horse up for success for the rest of her life in the human world. 

Far too many people are rushing trying to accomplish a goal, rather than seeking the quality. Certainly, in the case of horses who have a history of abuse, there is nothing you will sneak past them. So the mental shift we need them to make must be 100%, otherwise, their old survival and behaviors re-emerge if humans attempt to contain them or make them comply, which will trigger the dangerous behavior.

Improving the Relationship with your Horse- by Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach

Building Confidence in the Defensive Horse

Ask yourself this the next time you're with your horse...

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Unrealistic Equine Expectations

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Unreasonable Equine Expectations

Many equine interactions can become quickly frustrating and emotionally overwhelming because of the human's unreasonable "hopefulness" in the interaction. The scenario can quickly escalate causing diminished quality in the interaction and building defensiveness in both the horse and human. Subscribe for weekly episodes and Alternative Horsemanship YouTube videos.

Pressure & Horses: When do humans believe the horse's dangerous behavior? Tokyo Pentatholon

Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares her perspective in an open dialogue in response to the world witnessing the unwanted, dramatic, and dangerous scenario in the Tokyo Olympics involving a horse.

Pasture Conversations with Tulip Helping the Fearful and Defensive Horse...

So many daily Opportunities can arise to help re-educate the fearful and defensive horse if the human puts value to them. This isn't about "making" her stay, but rather creating a "new" human experience without imposing spatially or physically, but still communicating with the distrustful horse. This brief clip of a moment with Tulip along her journey of learning to trust and participate with people. In-person Learning https://learnhorses.com Online and Distance Learning Options https://remotehorsecoach.uscreen.io

Re-Educating the Fearful Horse Video by Alternative Horsemanship

A glimpse into the journey of a horse that arrived with pain and fear issues. First helping the horse get physically comfortable and then teaching him to try and trust the human. Video filmed from the saddle, to help people see how the horse's ears offer feedback as to their thoughts and focus. Their thoughts affect the quality and softness of their physical movement and the ride.

Reintroducing the Halter to the Fearful and Defensive Horse

For those who have been following Tulip's journey... and as a recap for those who are unfamiliar with her story. She was sold as an "Advanced Beginner" horse via sales video. After being shipped across the country, it took her new owner two hours to catch her... a year later they were stuck in relatively the same place and she was basically untouchable.

This is the first day of week three. If you're interested in week one, click here https://bit.ly/TulipHorse , and week two, click here https://youtu.be/oJe-Y8XNuOY , and now the first time I'm re-introducing the halter. She has massive physical scarring and trauma. Serious head shy-ness. So a lot of what I do with her in the videos is based on the very narrow window of opportunity I have to help and offer her a different human experience from what she expects.

Each of the videos is not ideal. It is a glimpse into the beginning of the Conversations and journey of "what it takes" to help a horse like this. I have no agenda. No "we have to..." And, no "circus act." If I were to "drive, make, force a horse like this... she'd blow right through the fence out of fear. The only goal is to reawaken her curiosity to replace the fear and defensiveness.

Tulip Week Two: Re-Educating the Untouchable Horse- Alternative Horsemanship

Tulip was bought off a sales video as an Advanced Beginner horse. The new owner quickly realized the mare had many fear issues. Haltering the first time took them two hours. Last week Tulip arrived and I couldn't get too close or touch her. You can find her sales video and last week's session here * https://youtu.be/BU0SDxd3F8Q This is a glimpse into what happened during week two.

Horses: The Sales Pitch vs Reality- Horse buying gone wrong

We didn't capture Day 1 unfortunately, which means you don't have the severity of her flee or defensiveness as a reference, or what it took to just get her halter off.

I wanted to show how hard she'd be triggered but had to choose between triggering that for the viewer's sake, and if I did, what I would be teaching her about future experiences with me. For her sake, I chose the "boring" course.

Some studies recently said humans only have a few seconds longer attention span than goldfish.

I find a lot of horse videos are dramatic, fast-paced, high intensity to keep viewers engaged. What I'm sharing is about as opposite from that as you could get.

I'll be doing a detailed breakdown in an online course with more footage and me doing voice-over teaching explaining the communication, her behaviors, how to influence a change in her thoughts and let go of her initial flee, avoidance, defensiveness, and fear replacing it with curiosity and a willingness to try.

It is a 20-minute video clip. Use it as an opportunity for self-reflection. Many people watch horse videos inserting their own emotional filter. Perhaps watch as an observer? Notice if you anticipate her behaviors as you watch? Imagine if you were there if you'd "do or want more"?

https://youtu.be/BU0SDxd3F8Q

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In case you missed the original post about here:

The sales pitch said this:

Tulip is a super fancy gorgeous buckskin quarter horse mare that stands 15.1 hands tall and has as much eye appeal as you could ever want in a horse. She is a 11 year old AQHA mare, she has been used for play days, 4-H, barrels and poles at the WSR a barrel races, And she has also been trail ridden extensively, she has a super good neck rein, walk trot lopes around extremely nice. She is good to catch, good for the Ferrier, loads and unloads good, good with other horses, Stands tied, Tulip does have one vice, She really doesn’t like her ears messed with, at some point in time someone must’ve rough handled her ears and now until she trusts you she does not like them messed with much.

Barn Name: Tulip

DOB- 11 years old

Height- 15.1 Hands

Color- Buckskin

Gender- Mare

Price- $5000

Rider- Advanced Beginner & Up

Disciplines-

Playdays

Barrels & Poles

4H

Open Shows

Trail Riding

"I think you would really like her she is a super broke super fun Mare that is 100% safe she only has one little quirk that she doesn’t like her ears messed with but isn’t bad about it someone at some point must’ve been very rough with her ears and now until she can trust you she is a little bit worried about it but extremely sweet and very easy to ride and very broke."

She was shipped across the country and delivered. It took her unsuspecting new owner two hours to get a halter on. Couldn't touch, tie, or trailer. The one riding attempt the horse started running backward at full speed.

She's had her a year and can do nothing other than catching her being very, very careful.

Here's my first session assessment:

Massive deep scarring in between her chest muscles as if impaled by something like a t-post, with random divets of missing flesh throughout her body, all healed. She's completely sound.

Atrophy and nerve damage to the left side of her face with trauma to the eye which is set deeper.

Any movement with "intention" towards her, she's fearfully running.

Raise your arms, horses in pasture move, trucks on the road slowly going past, she's running.

One tight, trembling, fearful horse. This isn’t just a case of bad training, but true trauma.

I got her to mentally acknowledge me and "lead" without the rope attached. Then it took about 10 minutes to get her to accept my hand anywhere in the proximity of her head to attach the rope to the halter.

After doing so, she was quivering, in her muzzle and shaking in her body. It was 85 degrees out.

As soon as the rope was attached, she was mentally gone, and physically locked up and braced in her body. As in hyperventilating in her breathing, hard severe steps, inflated neck, and torso. I touched her neck with a finger and she bolted sideways as if touching an electric fence.

I moved her to a temporary small area where I can work with her to start to build trust. Then I needed to get the halter off. It took close to 20 minutes for her not to thrash her head away, get ready to run off, or go flying backward.

One of my biggest peeves in the equine industry is how many professionals will lead on their clients promising blue sky potential. I'm quite the opposite because I think people need a realistic perspective to not be hopeful about how very much it will take to help a horse like this progress and recover. That way growth is appreciated and recognized without an end agenda overshadowing true, long-term changes and healing in the equine.

But these scenarios truly make me angry. Another website selling "pretty" horses that could get someone killed. I'm frustrated for both the horses and unsuspecting owners.