Horsemanship Video: Remote Horse Coaching

Enjoy this video explaining how the Remote Horse Coach can help you improve your equine partnership, address unwanted and dangerous horse behaviors, increase your confidence, and build a solid foundation in the trust between you and your horse.

The online and distance horse learning Remote Horse Training Programs offer Individual and Group options.  Students can subscribe to a suitable mentorship level that best fits their lifestyle, time, and budget.  Individuals may choose the degree of support ranging from a one-time equine-related telephone consultation with Samantha Harvey to on-going guidance via horse webinars, online horsemanship clinics, daily horse training tips, horse instruction behavioral videos with Q & A opportunities. 

 

Sam Harvey's equestrian and horse training tactics apply to both competitive and pleasure riders. Her adaptable distance learning format can be used to supplement a rider's current horse training program or used by itself. She has had proven success in working with a variety of equestrian students worldwide, irrelevant of their chosen riding discipline or years of horse experience. Her students vary on a wide spectrum from those facing equine-related trauma or fear to those needing the mental edge when competing at the international level.

Poop Patterns in Horses

Manure can tell you so much about a horse's health and stress levels in its consistency, texture, timing it is passed, etc.

But today I want to talk about something I've noticed over the years. Horses that come in for starting, re-educating, or refinement in their training are at various levels of exposure, confidence, and experience. They come from all over the country and are of many different breeds.

I believe socialization, freedom of movement, exposure to natural elements, and wildlife are important aspects of their education. They are kept in wooded area pastures at night and during the day are allowed to graze in herds in open grass fields.

I often joke I'm a grounds maintenance keeper and work with horses "on the side." I like to keep things neat and tidy and spend hours trying to keep up with the facility. So I notice things, like WHERE the horses poop.

Over the years I've realized there is a commensurate "evolution" in where horses decide to pass manure when they are out grazing during the day time in relation to their training.

In the beginning soon after they arrive, they poop wherever they may be grazing at the moment. As their mental availability and thoughtfulness starts to increase in our sessions together, they start to intentionally move closer to places where manure has been passed in the past. Then as they become more available and willing in "trying" and "searching" during their interactions with me, they start to consistently walk to a specific place to pass manure when grazing, in the same place, each day.

Even with me cleaning up manure daily, they will return to nearly the identical spot to relieve themselves, whether or not other horses have passed manure there recently.

I find the more mentally quiet and emotionally relaxed a horse is, the cleaner they are in where they decide to intentionally poop. If I hadn't noticed this consistently happening over the years with so many horses, I would have categorized the individual horse as a "messy" or clean horse.

But upon closer intentional observations, I have concluded that it, just as with all things horses do, is not an accident. It is yet another reflection of how their interaction with the human affects what their mental and emotional state is when they are on their own.

Horse Training Video- Having Conversations with Horses

Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey Remote Horse Coach shares a moment captured impromptu on the farm. In this unrehearsed video, she shares what Conversation with the horse... or five of them can be like. Join her on your journey of Horsemanship Learn more about the "Reading the Horse" Online Course HERE

Building a horse's trust and try

Evolving journey of rebuilding a horse's trust and try...

Myofascial system of the Horse and his physical responses

Here is a recent article I came across by The Equine Documentalist:

The myofascial system is a newly explored phenomenon in the horse. Studies into its complexity show us just how interconnected the whole anatomy of the horse is.

Note how many of the lines go all the way into the hooves. Considering every anatomical point along a myofascial line directly affects every other point, and the position and orientation of each point will affect the position and orientation of every other through the concept of bio-tensegrity, we can see that the hoof will be subject to the physiological state of the body and vice versa. As we further investigate these concepts and relationships the compartmentalising of the hoof and the rest of the musculoskeletal system will be replaced with a more holistic outlook.  Read and watch for more info.
https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/myofascial-trains-kinetic-chains-and-antalgic-posture-their-farriery-relevance
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https://youtu.be/3MluJpAy0Zo

Presenting familiar scenarios to horse while creating a new experience

Whenever I'm working with a new horse, I offer them a "clean slate" and assume nothing, irrelevant of their age or supposed training and riding background.

Mental Search vs. Task Fixation in Horse Behavior

Search vs. Task

How many thoughts and behaviors can you recognize in this young horse as he searches for what I'm asking?

When the human allows space for the horse to learn to take the time and sort through his options, it teaches the horse to be thoughtful and intentional vs reactive to the human's request.

This creates a mentally available vs physically tolerant equine partner.

Want to learn more? This horse is used as one of 7 demo horses in the "Reading the Horse" online course 🐎🎥💻. Click the link for the June COURSE details!

Re-Educating the Horse: Building Try and Trust

You can enjoy a brief video clip here

This horse arrived for a re-start. Besides addressing his pain and physical issues, I also need to re-educate him on the human experience.

Bad Weather & Horse Behavior- Learning Opportunity for Building Trust

It was been raining... for days. Gray, dark, windy, and cold. You can't see the rear of the property. Every simple task becomes a "chore" as I pile on the layers of clothing, jacket, scarf, and hat to head out and mentally head out into the blustery weather.

Reading Horse Behavior to decrease dangerous moments

I'm very excited about the seven-day upcoming online course "Reading the Horse" ( https://bit.ly/horsecourseonline ). One of the great opportunities for learning from these videos of seven different horses will offer people to learn to SEE and put value to all of the numerous and continuous ways they communicate. I know that may sound funny, but often the more time folks spend around the horse the more "routine" many of the interactions can become.

This builds unintentional mindlessness in the human and the horse or "autopilot" responses between the two. If this is the case, the human may miss when potential concerns begin to build in the animal until "all of a sudden..." he does something and it totally surprises the human.

In other cases, the person may see what the horse is physically doing, but not put value to the behavior or recognize the connection in what is currently happening to where it may lead in future actions of the horse.

Often folks are also hopeful. People will "wait" until the horse is committed to an unwanted response and then attempt to intervene at his peak concern. What the human may not have realized is that their initial pause or delay in communication with the horse has taught him that he is "on his own" in a stressful situation. The problem is this consistently, (often unintentional) unsupportive response from the person, teaches the horse that when concerning moments arise, he needs to fend for himself. As he does so, it can create an overwhelming feeling in the handler or rider.

So remember even the seemingly most "mundane" interactions are teaching and conversation opportunities between humans and horses. If folks prioritized quality interaction with their horse during these times, they would be diffusing and diminishing potentially dramatic and dangerous ones in the future, without even realizing it.

Keep in mind horses do not one day randomly become "trained" or reasonable. Even with a horse that has had years of training, someone can "undo" the training depending on how they interact.

Every moment the horse spends time with a human is a continuous learning opportunity. The person can teach the horse either desired or undesirable responses depending on their approach.

What has the quality of your conversations with the horse been lately?

Encouraging Curiosity in the Horse as the Training Continues

Curiosity in the Horse

I had a horse... one of those "I didn't mean to acquire him" types... one of those the hoarding breeder got out of control and ran out of money with a bunch of malnourished pregnant mares... one of those orphaned colts as a consequence. I tried to say no... but Pico wound up with me. He was Curious. Not the most confident nor athletic with his clubbed foot, but he sure did keep everyone entertained. 

Adjusting the Human Perspective: Pain in Horses

A horse that is curious about training...

Many horses and humans live with pain to varying degrees on a daily basis. If you've even been injured or having ongoing pain, think about the all-consuming feeling and emotional state the pain triggered in you.

• How functional were/are you?
• Were/are you in a frame of mind to learn something new?
• How was/is your patience levels?
• How long could/can you focus?
• Could you/can you physically stay still, get comfortable, or relaxed?

Preparing your horse for "life"- including not killing the farrier

As a trainer who over the years has gained a reputation unintentionally for working with horses often after the "mainstream" ways of training have not worked, (think big, dramatic and dangerous horses,) I receive many requests for help after all else has "failed." Many unwanted behaviors arise during the handling of horses in everyday scenarios. Two big challenges for many people is trailer loading and having their horse stand well for the farrier.

Cause vs the Symptom: Horses that quit or abruptly stop moving forward

With current world events, I've been doing a lot of Remote Horse Coaching. For folks that have access to their horses, one of the "spring" themes seems to be horses that were going "fine" and then "randomly" or suddenly started stopping, where they abruptly quit moving forward, either when led or ridden.