Emotions have been "high" here in the USA... and the residual effects will remain. Some folks are feeling very confident, while others are devastated. Either way, many equine enthusiasts "seek refuge" in spending time with their horse as a reprieve from politics, daily life stresses, and the future unknowns...
Do you have horse behavior questions? Do you want to improve horse horse skills? Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares her horse training philosophy and coaches horseback riders of all experience levels. Offering horsemanship clinics worldwide along with distance horse coaching, instruction, and consults. Visit her horse video learning catalog offering webinars, courses, classes and more. Find her on all social media platforms #alternativehorsemanship
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Horse Help- Fear of the Barn
Question:
I decided to have stables built and they are now ready for my horses to use. The ex-racer will be fine as he is used to being stables, but the other horse has not been stabled for many years! I am worried he will refuse to go in the stable he gets anxious and skittish when walking through gates as well. How can I make him feel safe and encourage him in this task? I have been leading him to the stable to allow him to look at the space but now I need to introduce him to actually entering the stable without getting frightened or panicking.
Answer:
I have lost track of how many folks have built their horse a barn, that the animal has refused to go into. Multiple aspects need to be considered and addressed that influence the "how" you help the horse work through concern.
November Livestreams
Equine enthusiasts are often focused on task accomplishment without having a foundational understanding of how the quality and timing of their communication affect the horse's future willingness, adaptability, and try.
Join the Alternative Horsemanship Locals Community to participate in this 2-part horse learning series in the November Livestreams.
Click the link to subscribe. Replays will be available throughout the month.
Horse Considerations... Task Fixation Haltering
Avoidant Horse Behavior
Horsemanship and Doing Harm
The Illusions of the Safe Horse
Many people I meet judge the horse based on how the equine's behavior makes the person feel (safe, scared, confident, anxious, etc.) rather than having any acknowledgement or understanding of the animal's communication to learn how to decipher what the animal is experiencing in real-time and howthat will affect his future behaviors.
This leads to a lot of "he seemed fine" moments followed by excessive, dramatic, reactive, or even dangerous behaviors.
Illusions of the Safe Horse: Avoidant Horse Behavior
Horse Learning- Mindset
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Learning Mindset
Horsemanship and Horse Rider Tips - Recognizing how one's perspective and mindset affect the quality of the equine interaction. Addressing commonly overlooked horse learning opportunities that either build the human and horse's confidence, trust, willingness, and adaptability or increase their defensiveness.
Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.