Virtual Horse Coaching with The Remote Horse Coach: Does it work?

Individual Virtual Horse Learning & Coaching

What Happens in a distance horse coaching session — and Why It Works

Samantha Harvey- Alternative Horsemanship ™ the Remote Horse Coach™

People frequently ask what is involved with individual virtual horse coaching and instruction, the process, and how it works. This is usually followed by, "Why does your way work when other things I've tried haven't?" It isn't about the format of a session, rather the quality, specificity, and relevancy of individual instruction.

The Problem with General Instruction

Too often, horse education is built around creating quickly, "simple" methods for a general audience and is focused on masking unwanted, symptomatic horse behavior, rather than teaching horse enthusiasts how to recognize root cause(s). Group Clinics, lessons, online videos, and books address a wide range of situations, horses, and skill levels at once- without the ability to adapt to the human's current understanding and skill level. That broad and generalized instruction leaves many humans thinking they understand a "task" and then find themselves in overwhelming scenarios with their horse because they are missing fundamental pieces in the understanding and communication with the animal. When a principle, technique, or concept — are offered in a "one size fits all" methodology, so many aspects are unaddressed that will affect how the horse responds to the human's aids. It doesn't not teach the human- or horse- how to think, search, and try. It misses the importance of adaptability, timing, and real-time assessment.

For many people, their assumptions, anticipations, unrealistic expectations, and lack of understanding of equine behavior (without assigning a human story to it,) are top contributors to why things fall apart with the horse.

Individual Horse Learning with Samantha Harvey

One-on-one coaching is a fundamentally different kind of learning.

The instruction is adapted to your current abilities, awareness, and skills. Most students start with an Intro Consult by telephone, ranging from 15-60 minutes, to speak with Sam to recognize the potential hole's in your horsemanship- and "where" to start to improve your equine partnership. Options like Telephone Instruction or Video Evaluation, Assessment, and Instruction creates the opportunity for students to learn the theory and put into practice things such as skill refinement, to break down once challenging scenarios with the horse and replace them with attainable segments that build the human and the equine's confidence and trust.

That online and virtual horse learning journey is different for every student. What is shared- is Sam's attention, genuine care for her students, and the quality of the instruction. Her coaching mantra is- "Helping Horses, One Human at a Time," comes from her belief in the value of individual coaching. Guidance is built around real-world experiences, rather than generalized, hypothetical situations.

The Root Cause Question

Most unwanted horse behaviors are symptoms. The tension, refusal, reactivity, avoidance, shutdown equine behaviors... The spook, bolt, buck— these are all reflecting the horse communicating missing fundamentals in his education. They are not the cause. They are the result of usually an accumulation of: fear, confusion, anxiety, unclear communication, mindless patterns, fear-based coercion, that has built up over time, and "suddenly" one day, the equine offers dramatic responses.

The teaching of masking horse behavior symptoms is far easier than asking humans to be accountable and mentally present. So, the behavior gets managed, suppressed, or worked around. And it may improve — temporarily — because the specific trigger gets contained. But the underlying condition that produced it doesn't change, and so the behavior returns in another form, usually more dramatic- and often increasingly dangerous- than the original display.

"Unwanted horse behaviors are symptoms, not causes. Learning to interpret the subtle, underlying equine communication allows you to recognize and address root issues rather than mask them."

Individual coaching is designed to find the root, not the symptom. That requires time, honest observation, and a willingness to look at the human's role in the dynamic — not just the horse's behavior.

The Human Variable

Horses respond to the specificity, timing, and clarity of human communication. The timing of a release. The quality and adaptability of an aid. The tension carried in either the human or horse's body. The habitual patterns that have developed without our noticing. Horses are reacting to and influenced by all of it, whether or not the human intended for them to.

During individual as the human's clarity, timing, or emotional state shifts — even slightly — the horse immediately responds differently. Not because anything was "fixed" in the horse, but because the human's intention has changed from a "screaming match" to what Sam calls a "Conversation."

Samantha Harvey spent decades being screamed at, yelled at, and degraded by top level international coaches and top level horse instructors- as that was "how things were done" to prove you were a worthy student. Today, her past learning experiences heavily weigh in on why she truly holds sacred creating a "safe" learning space for both the human and horse. This allows room for experimentation, and vulnerability to try the unfamiliar, without "worrying" about what others will think or say.

What Changes Over Time

Some people work with Sam once or twice and find what they need to move forward. They get clarity on a specific situation, a new way of reading their horse, a practical shift in their approach — and that is enough to change the trajectory of what they are doing.

Others stay much longer. As their skills develop, their perceptions, awareness, and understanding of the horse evolves- leading to new, more complex questions to refine their learning. What felt initially like a superficial "horse problem" in the first session becomes, over time, a much more interesting conversation about the nature of equine communication, about learning, about the quality of attention they bring to every interaction. Strengthening the equine partnership is not about reaching an "end point"- but more about the evolving journey.

The specific goal or timeline decrease in significance as the human becomes more available and considerate of the horse's communication. Connecting how the fundamental skills allow for a variety of scenarios to be navigated and accomplished with the horse, without increasing his fear, requires the kind of honest, specific, ongoing attention that individual learning provides.

Every learning session with Sam is recorded. Students then receive a downloadable link to replay the lesson as often as they'd like. This is a crucial factor in getting the most out of virtual learning- it releases the time pressure of "trying to remember everything" covered in a class. Countless times students have voiced how helpful it has been to have the option to revisit and review previous coaching lessons.

The Practical Shape of It

For those wondering what the entry point looks like:

• A quick H.E.L.P. video analysis ($20) gives you a professional assessment of a short video — a fast way to get outside eyes on what is actually happening
• An intro telephone consultation (15, 30, or 60 minutes) is a recorded conversation where we can discuss your specific situation and identify what is most in play
• The Intro Coaching Combo — the most popular starting point — combines a call, enrollment in the Reading the Horse behavior course, and a full video review for $160
• Ongoing telephone and video coaching, the Empowered Equine Partnership Series, and Private Mentorship are available for the deeper, longer-term work

The format is flexible because the work is individual. All learning is built around your horse, situation, and where you are in the process — not around a standardized path that expects you to fit it.

If This Way of Thinking Speaks to You

The Intro Consult is a conversation, not a sales call. It is a chance to discuss challenges, concerns, fears, lack of clarity or direction, ask questions, and see whether working with Sam is the right fit for you.

Book an Intro Consult Explore Individual Coaching Options

Top Five Horse Behavior Problems

Horse Behavior Problems- or is it something else?

Top Horse Help Internet Searches for Horse Problems Behaviors

Five Things People Type Into a Search Bar at 11pm

By Samantha Harvey  ·  Alternative Horsemanship™

Most of what brings people to articles like this one isn't curiosity. It's the specific, quiet kind of panic that happens after something has gone wrong. whether on one occassion, or the final interaction that triggers an overwhelming fear in the human, as you replay the event over and over, unsure of where to turn, or who to ask for help...

I've received thousands of questions over the last three decades through my orignial "Ask the Trainer" forum, during consults, in the Alternative Horsemanship™ Facebook group, etc. People usually are not asking the "right" questions- instead, they are concerned with things like, "what is wrong with my horse," and underneath that, the hard to admit, "am I good enough to help my horse," or, "is this my fault."

Below are five of the top searched horse behavior help searches (according to Google) — followed by a reframing of the question to focus on the root cause, versus symptomatic behavior(s).

1. "Why won't my horse load in the trailer?"

The searcher wants a technique. A rope trick, a physical tool to "fix" the resistance, or to be inspired by a video of someone calmly walking a horse onto a trailer in ninety seconds while the comments fill with "wow, magic touch."

Root Cause: How have I prepared my horse to trailer load- away from the trailer? I.e. how does he feel about physical and spatial pressure? Can I separate directing his through from his movement? Is he defensive towards how I am communicating? Do I address his counteroffers?

Trailer loading isn't a loading problem. It's a relationship question that happens to show up as the "stakes are raised"- pressure is increased at the trailer. He's asked to walk into a small, dark, enclosed space with no way to see what's behind him — based entirely on whether he believes the human standing there has correctly assessed that it's safe. Most horses haven't learned how to think, search, and try during their education. The trailer didn't cause an issue- if reflected the areas that have not been addressed in teaching the horse to be adaptable and willing.

2. "Why is my horse hard to catch?"

This one usually arrives with assumptions that creates a human story — "he used to be fine, and now the second he sees the halter he's gone to the other end of the field."

The symptomatic question focuses on the catching. The root cause question is: When about our previous interactions has taught my horse to anticipate, causing my presence to be something he now tries to avoid, and how do I undo that?

A horse that's hard to catch isn't being difficult or to wreck your day. He is protecting himself. If during his learning with the human, he consistently is triggered to be in a fearful or defensive state- he has learned to avoid being near people to keep himself "safe." The hundreds of seemingly insignificant moments (to the person) have repetitously reinforced his lack of trust: a slight increase of tension as the human approaches, a lifting of the head as he is haltered, heavy and slow or walking too fast when lead, fidgeting and fussing when tied or tacked- these all reflect internal chaos. Without taking the time to understand what is triggering, the horse is asked to "contain" his concern- until he no longer can... then he's typically reprimanded for acting out... from there he learns to avoid humans.

3. "Why does my horse spook at everything?"

The generalized answers tend to include things like: that's just his personality, use this type of tack, he just needs more practice going near/around/over scary things, wet-saddle blankets or more riding miles, then there's the guilt imposed phrases such as- "you just need to stay calm and he'll feel it."

What's really underneath the reactive behavior: A horse that has not learned how to "think through" what is asked of him. When the mind is anticipative, it is "disconnected" from the body- the horse literally cannot see what is in front of him. Everything becomes overwhelming. He cannot retain the "training"- no matter how many times you practice. If he is not learning while in a safe state, if the way you communicate triggers his fear, you are only hoping to survive the scenarios. Each one that scares him, fills his proverbial "emotional cup"- at somepoint, the cup will overflow, and the behavior comes exploding out.

Here's the part that doesn't get said enough: a horse that spooks at "everything" can have multiple contributors- from diet imbalance, lack of sleep, distrust of the human, pain triggers, and holes in his education- that all combined- creates dramatic, dangerous behavioral responses.

4. "Why does my horse scream / pace / lose his mind when separated from other horses?"

This search is usually typed by someone who just spent forty-five minutes trying to ride while their horse hollered for his herd-mates, and they're embarrassed, a little angry, and mostly just exhausted.

The real question: Why is the horse's search for security increaed (seeking the herd) despite the human's communication? What is missing in the interaction that leaves the horse "searching" for help from other horses?

Separation behavior gets labeled as "herd-bound" like it's a fixed setting some horses come with and others don't. In my experience, it's less about the horse being incapable of separation, and more about whether he's ever been given any other reliable reference point for "okay" besides "near other horses."

5. "Why won't my horse stand still for the farrier / vet?"

The search is often paired with words like "stubborn," "rude," or "disrespectful" — words that say more about how exposed and frustrated the person felt standing there apologizing to the farrier than about the horse himself.

The foundational hole: Why does my horse fight me on this one specific thing, when he's "fine" for everything else?

Feet are one of the few places on a horse's body where he is, for a moment, three-legged — a vulnerable position for a prey animal. The horse's entire nervous system is built to avoid, because three-legged is how you get caught. Asking a horse to stand on three legs for an extended period, head restrained, while a stranger does something he can't see, asks him to override something very old and very deep. Most horses can tolerate doing this. But there is a drastic difference in "what they can tolerate" and "this horse has been educated in a manner that prepared him" for what is being asked, leading to very different outcomes.

What do these five "horse behavior problems" have in common?

None of these are horse training problems in terms of a missing skill, cue, or relying on a piece of equipment. They're reflecting foundational holes in how the horse has been educated. If the human's communication has no meaning to the horse, triggers his fear, or creates defensive behvior, the person does not have the ability to influence how the horse thinks, searches, tries, or interacts. In each scenario, the horse is responses reflect his history, nervous system, and what he's been taught (even if unintentionally.) If the human is fixated on finding a solution to mask, contain, or create compliance in the equine, they are masking a symptom- which is why every interaction in the stressful scenario seems to make the horse's behavior worsen.

The good news if you are searching, is that you are being honest that how things have been occurring between you and the horse is not working. The first step in creating a different outcome is having the mental awareness and openness to ask for help.

Recognizing you might be "asking the wrong questions"- focusing on symptoms and not root causes, then allows you to reframe your perspective, awareness, and understanding as to "why" something is occurring. It gives you a "starting point" to break down the big picture, into smaller segments and learn where you communication and the horse's lack of understanding is a combination leading to a lack of change.

— Samantha Harvey, Alternative Horsemanship™

If this way of thinking speaks to you

Curious about an Intro Consult? Join me for a 15-60 minute conversation,to discuss where you are with your horse, ask questions, and learn how what would be addressed in virtual coaching to help you and your horse..

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Why the Horse Training Hasn't Worked

Perspective & Approach

You've Tried the Trainers.
Here's Why It Hasn't Worked.

Your skepticism about horse professionals is probably well-earned. Let's talk honestly about what's actually going on — and what it would take to change it.

By Samantha Harvey  ·  Alternative Horsemanship™

I'm going to start with something most people in my profession won't say: if you've worked with multiple trainers and clinicians and still feel like something fundamental is missing — if your horse is "better" for a few weeks and then isn't — your instinct that something isn't right is probably correct.

That's not a comfortable thing to say, because I am a trainer and clinician. But after 30 years of working with horses and humans on six continents, I've seen the pattern repeat too many times to pretend otherwise.

The frustrating part isn't that people are trying. Most horse owners I've worked with are trying very hard. The frustrating part is that most of what gets offered in this industry is focused on the horse — on changing his behavior, managing his responses, producing a more compliant animal — without honestly addressing the variable that is actually most in play: the human.

The Symptom Gets Fixed. The Cause Doesn't.

When a horse has an unwanted behavior — refusing, tension, defensiveness, reactivity — the standard professional response is to address that specific behavior. The pulling, the spooking, the bucking, whatever it is. And often it gets better, at least for a while. The trainer addresses it, demonstrates something that works in their hands, the horse responds — and the owner leaves feeling like progress was made.

But here's what doesn't get addressed: why that behavior was happening in the first place, and what role the human's communication, timing, awareness, or emotional state played in creating the conditions for it. A horse that is tense and reactive is telling you something. Most training "fixes" the telling, not the thing being told.

"Unwanted horse behaviors are symptoms, not causes. Learning to interpret the subtle, underlying equine communication allows you to recognize and address root issues rather than mask them."

I use the word "surviving" to describe what many horse-human interactions actually look like, even when they appear functional. The rider gets through the session, the horse doesn't do the really bad thing, nobody got hurt. But neither party was actually communicating with the other. The human was managing, and the horse was tolerating. That's not a partnership — it's an ongoing negotiation between two unclear parties, and it's exhausting for both.

The Human Filter Nobody Talks About

Here's the thing about horses — they are the most honest communicators most humans will ever encounter in their lives. They have no agenda. They are not being stubborn, ornery, or difficult on purpose. They respond to what is actually being offered to them, which is why the same horse can be completely different depending on who is handling him.

What they respond to is clarity, consistency, and someone who is actually present. What most humans bring to the interaction — without realizing it — is anticipation, emotional filtering, unconscious habits, and unresolved tension from the last thing that went wrong. The horse feels all of it. He doesn't know what to do with it. He responds in ways that then get labeled as "bad behavior."

I warn students when they begin learning this: once you can see it, you cannot unsee it. That's both the gift and the difficulty of this work. Because once you genuinely start to understand what the horse is communicating, you realize how much of what you thought was happening in your interactions was actually just your own story layered over the top of the horse's real response.

What Most Professionals Are Incentivized Not to Tell You

I don't say this to be harsh to my colleagues, but the economics of the training industry create a particular kind of pressure. Clinicians who fill arenas rely on dramatic visible transformation in a short window of time. The before-and-after, the moment of connection, the horse that was "bad" and is now "good." Those moments are real. But they happen in the trainer's hands, with the trainer's timing, read, and awareness — and then the owner goes home without the foundational understanding that made those moments possible.

The result is a cycle that I see constantly: take a lesson or attend a clinic, feel inspired and hopeful, go home, things gradually slide back, take another lesson or find another clinician, feel hopeful again. The horse gets older and more confirmed in his patterns. The rider gets subtly more discouraged, even if they can't quite name it.

The students who make the most lasting progress in their horsemanship are not always the ones who improve fastest. They are the ones who become genuinely curious about the process of learning, rather than focused on arriving at specific outcomes quickly.

They stop asking "how do I get my horse to stop doing X?" and start asking "what is my horse actually trying to communicate when he does X, and what is my role in creating that situation?"

That shift in question changes everything.

What "Alternative" Actually Means

I named my approach Alternative Horsemanship™ for a reason. Not because it is trendy, and not as a marketing word. Alternative, in this context, means an alternative to the default — to the widespread industry approach that prioritizes compliance, repetition, and performance over genuine understanding of equine behavior and honest assessment of the human's role.

What that looks like practically:

• We don't label horse behavior as good or bad — we read it as information
• We address the human's timing, presence, emotional state, and clarity — not just what the horse is doing
• We look for root causes instead of managing symptoms
• We don't progress to a new skill until the foundation underneath it is actually solid
• We accept that real change in a horse-human relationship is not fast — and that's not a failure, it's honest
• We understand that the goal is a genuine partnership built on trust, not a more obedient animal

For the Person Who is Done with Quick Fixes

If what I've written here resonates, it's probably because you've already been through enough cycles of hope and disappointment to be skeptical of the next thing that promises results. I understand that completely, and I'm not asking you to take this on faith.

What I do offer is access to how I think — through articles, videos, and an introductory consultation where I can hear specifically what's going on with you and your horse. Not to tell you what's wrong or offer a formula, but to have an honest conversation about what is actually happening and whether this approach is something you want to explore further.

If you're the person who has been quietly thinking there has to be something more real than what you've been offered so far, that's probably a useful instinct to follow.

If this way of thinking speaks to you

The Intro Consult is a conversation, not a sales call. It's a chance to discuss where you are with your horse, ask questions, and see if this is the right fit for where you want to go.

Book an Intro Consult Explore the Video Catalog

7 Questions to Improve Time with your Horse

Horse and Human Help

Improve Time with your Horse

Samantha Harvey- Alternative Horsemanship ™ the Remote Horse Coach™

I believe people can learn from many different forms of shared horse knowledge (even if it is what not to do,) BUT I find without a clear foundational basis, the constant barrage of "dos and don'ts" that drastically differ in shared horse training approaches, theories, and methods can be exhausting for the student to filter through.

Horse Learning Help - When we Stop Powering Through

When we Stop Powering Through





I had remote coaching students on multiple continents this week- and the general theme was discussing breath... The students' backgrounds were drastically different, as were their ages, and horse experience.

Removing the Rose Coloured Glasses- The Pitfalls of Horse Learning

My students who are most “successful” in their horse learning are not always the ones to reach “the end results” fastest. Instead, they are the individuals who are more interested and curious in learning how to develop the skills to communicate and work with the horse, rather than resorting to seeking quick fixes, or creating stories to explain away resistance or unwanted equine behaviors.

Replacing Fear Cycles in our Horsemanship

 The fear of "getting it wrong" can overwhelm people into doing nothing. Avoidance is a common "tactic" in both insecure people and horses. 

Horse Behavior: 5 Physical Assessment Opportunities

When learning or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting with the horse, people can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, the tension in their posture, increased energy, and tight movement.