Two big challenges for many horse owners are trailer loading and having their horse stand well for the farrier.
Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares horse training and horseback rider coaching, philosophies, and approaches she has developed over three decades. Offering horsemanship clinics worldwide, distance horse coaching instruction, equine consultations, equine re-education and rehabilitation, colt starting, and lessons. Follow her #alternativehorsemanship on all social media platforms.
Preparing the Horse to not Hurt the Farrier
Preparing the Horse How Not to Hurt the Farrier
Two big challenges for many horse owners are trailer loading and having their horse stand well for the farrier.
Two big challenges for many horse owners are trailer loading and having their horse stand well for the farrier.
Horse Skills - Refining Understanding of Pressure
When we work with a horse we primarily use two forms of pressure to communicate, physical (the lead rope attached to the halter, the rein, the leg, the seat, etc.) or spatial (not touching the horse but being able to influence his brain and movement.) Vocal commands are a third, less common form of pressure.
A horse’s natural response to human pressure is to flee from it, become defensive towards it, or physically “challenge” it, which causes him to be unable to “hear” the person. The horse needs to learn that pressure offered by a person can be similar to feedback he'd receive from interacting with other horses.
Author Quote: Unknown
Increasingly Chaotic & Resistant Horse Behavior
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series Normalizing chaotic and resistant horse behavior
Join Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach in this thought-provoking YouTube video as she sheds light on the ongoing issue of chaotic horses and the intricate web of unwanted and resistant behaviors.
Exclusive LIVE Content with Q & A Opportunities https://bit.ly/ExclusiveHorseContent In-Person Learning https://learnhorses.com Distance Horse Coaching & Consultations http://www.remotehorsecoach.com Alternative Horsemanship Video Catalog https://remotehorsecoach.uscreen.io
Join Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach in this thought-provoking YouTube video as she sheds light on the ongoing issue of chaotic horses and the intricate web of unwanted and resistant behaviors.
Exclusive LIVE Content with Q & A Opportunities https://bit.ly/ExclusiveHorseContent In-Person Learning https://learnhorses.com Distance Horse Coaching & Consultations http://www.remotehorsecoach.com Alternative Horsemanship Video Catalog https://remotehorsecoach.uscreen.io
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series Cinch or Girth Tension
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Tack Tips : Cinch or Girth Tension
Discussing cinch or girth tension, tack fit, horses with past or current pain issues, types of tack, etc that affect the tightening and stability of the saddle.
Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.
Horsemanship Skills : Following a Feel
"Following a Feel"
Those words had no value to me in my initial years of riding (groundwork was nonexistent.) I interacted with the horse offering unintentional, continuous tension- on the lead rope, on the rein, in my leg, etc. There was never a pause, time for mental processing, recognizing separating directing the thought from movement, adaptability in my aids or any conscious release of pressure towards the horse (other than during a jump.)
Horse Skills & Tips : Breath and Tension
Tips for Resetting your Breathing and Releasing Tension at the Halt
Without realizing it, many riders hold their breath quite frequently when interacting with or riding the horse.
This unintentional simple act creates continuous containment of the horse due to the rigidity the human then carries in their body causing constant chaotic, miscommunication with the horse.
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Riding: Acknowledging the Equine
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach discusses the importance of learning equine behavior and communication to create a solid foundation in the horse rider's education.
Click the link to watch. New videos posted every Friday on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.
#alternativehorsemanship #RemoteHorseCoach #dearsamhorseseries #horses #horse #horsebehavior #horsebehaviour
Horses "Following a Feel"
"Following a Feel"
Those words had no value to me in my initial years of riding (groundwork was nonexistent.) I interacted with the horse offering unintentional, continuous tension- on the lead rope, on the rein, in my leg, etc. There was never a pause, time for mental processing, recognizing separating directing the thought from movement, adaptability in my aids or any conscious release of pressure towards the horse (other than during a jump.)
Connecting the Groundwork with Horseback Riding
One of the challenges in offering instruction is to communicate clearly with students AND horses. As I overhear, read, or watch many “horse training” sessions/clinics I find that there’s a general lack of “connection” in the student’s ability to understand how the “here and now,” especially in how the quality of their groundwork is, relates to their future ride.
Horse Training Help : Containment or Skills
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Tying the Horse: Are you teaching unwanted equine behaviors?
Horse Training Basics
Teaching containment or adaptability in the equine? So many unwanted equine behaviors are taught by human interactions that challenge the horse without ever teaching the horse the skills to think, search, try, and retain.
Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel
New videos posted every Friday
Livestreams with Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach
November Alternative Horsemanship Livestreams in the Locals Community
Changing mindless patterned horse interactions leads to unwanted equine behaviors.
Part 1 Mental AnticipationsSaturday Nov 5th 9am pst
Part 2 Physical Behaviors
Saturday Nov 11th 9am pst
Part 3 Specificity & Timing
Saturday Nov 25th 9am pst
Empathy and Equines
Empathy + Horses
= Weakness
There is a constant human imposition upon each other and horses...
Unrealistic ego-based demands without having accountability as to how a person's clarity of thoughts and intention, quality of communication, adaptability in energy, accuracy of timing, and everyday mindless interactions, are constantly "teaching" horses unwanted responses that people then criticize and chastise the equine for.
Unrealistic ego-based demands without having accountability as to how a person's clarity of thoughts and intention, quality of communication, adaptability in energy, accuracy of timing, and everyday mindless interactions, are constantly "teaching" horses unwanted responses that people then criticize and chastise the equine for.
Horse Rider Tips- Anticipation and Unwanted Equine Behaviors
The urgency of the stories in our head...
So many good-intentioned equine enthusiasts unintentionally get pressured and distracted by the "story" of
*last time...
*that one time...
*what if...
*what others think...
*I hope...
Horse Behavior: Engaging the Mind before the Movement
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Behavior: Engaging the Mind before the Movement
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach discusses the importance of separating engaging the horse's mind from his movement to diminish unwanted common equine behaviors that create mindless, chaotic, excessive, movement.
New videos are posted every Friday
Horses Pressure & Release Part 2
Pressure & Release Part 2
The reality is that many riders feel like they are begging for the horse to acknowledge them. Other folks’ approach is to “make” the horse do something through physical dominance; this fuels the horse’s defensiveness. Then there are riders who learn to work “around” the horse, limiting what they ask of them to avoid potential resistance or conflict.
The reality is that many riders feel like they are begging for the horse to acknowledge them. Other folks’ approach is to “make” the horse do something through physical dominance; this fuels the horse’s defensiveness. Then there are riders who learn to work “around” the horse, limiting what they ask of them to avoid potential resistance or conflict.
Pressure and release… The missing language of a quality equine partnership Part 1
Pressure and release… The missing language of a quality partnership Part 1
Groundwork and Horses
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Groundwork: Help or Hindrance
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach discusses the perception of groundwork, and whether it is helping to improve your equine partnership or decreasing the horse's trust.
Are you teaching the horse anticipation and fear?
Most people never consider how the horse responds to just the sight of tack or notice if there are Quality Conversations while tacking up.
Each aspect of the equine interaction influences the mental reasonableness and physical softness that follows.
While the norm (often out of convenience) is to tie the horse while tacking, the degree of bother or concern a horse may have while doing so, is frequently suppressed.
Horse Interactions : Human Goals vs Quality Partnerships
Goals vs Quality
It is very easy to fall into a pattern of setting goals and getting fixated on accomplishing them to feel successful with the horse.
In more scenarios than not, the goal is frequently prioritized over assessing if there's quality during the interaction with the horse.
I will often hear people excitedly telling me about how much they have accomplished with the horse.
Then as I watch their equine's behavior and see things like: chomping on the bit
pinned ears
tails swishing
fidgeting or excessive movement
"grumpy" faces
physical tension
rigid nostrils
wide eyes
inability to stand still (mentally and physically)
avoidance at being caught/ led/ tacked/ loaded into the trailer loading or mounted
or if every time the halter is removed the horse goes running off
Helping the Highly Reactive Horse
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
The Highly Reactive Horse
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach discusses the overlooked contributors in everyday human patterns and interactions that create highly reactive horses and unwanted equine behaviors.
Click the link in the comments to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel
Behaviors Sabotaging the Human and Horse Partnership
What is the most common issue I see sabotaging the human & horse partnership?
Containment
I define it as:
When a person is physically trying to "stop" an unwanted equine behavior, which is usually the symptom and not the underlying "issue," without acknowledging and addressing all the constant equine communication reflecting holes in the horse's education or understanding.
Misconceptions of a Confident Horse
Just because a horse is going through the motions of "doing things" and is "learning" does not mean that he is gaining confidence and or more curiosity from his experiences.
The horse may "quietly" tolerate a situation a few or even many times before he starts to show more obvious signs of stress, insecurity, or fear about what is being presented if he is being pushed to physically comply with the task given.
The Human Emotional Filter Sabatoging our Equine Partnership
The Human Emotional Filter
Frequently I've had posts shared with me about how "cute" something is in a horse, mule, or donkey's behavior. Unfortunately, when folks filter their interpretation of an animal's behavior with human emotions, it clouds their judgment in learning, recognizing, or believing what the animal is experiencing and communicating.
Frequently I've had posts shared with me about how "cute" something is in a horse, mule, or donkey's behavior. Unfortunately, when folks filter their interpretation of an animal's behavior with human emotions, it clouds their judgment in learning, recognizing, or believing what the animal is experiencing and communicating.
Curiosity in the Horse and Human
Curiosity in Horses... and Humans
One of the greatest challenges I have in so many cases of Equine Rehabilitation and Re-education is stimulating Curiosity in humans.
Horses amazingly enough, despite their past trauma, in most scenarios will still try, if given clear support and communication. As their fear diminishes, their curiosity increases.
But humans? Such a struggle. They become self-absorbed with fears, anticipation, what-ifs, distractions, and stories about "last time" which often become a fixation or mental block in their ability to be present in what is happening in "real-time."
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.
Fearful and Reactive Horse Behavior
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Fearful and Reactive Horse Behavior
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach discusses breaking down and understanding unwanted horse behavior recognizing the equine's feedback and differences between symptoms and root cause(s).
New videos posted on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel every Friday.
Click the link to watch now. https://youtu.be/_oIaZxvmj4I
Adaptability, Humans, and Horses
Adaptability
People and horses get stuck in mental and physical patterns during daily interactions. There is often a lack of clarity or specific communication offered during many familiar scenarios.
Patience, Horses, and Humans
Patience, Humans & Horses
I've had many comments over the years about how I seem to never lose patience with the horse during moments that for most people would trigger a rollercoaster of emotions... such as in the scenarios of when a horse:
Resists being caught
Difficult to Trailer Load
Bolts when Led
Won't stand quietly tied
Avoidant towards the farrier
Has excessive movement when tacked or mounted
Is sensitive about fly spray or bathing
Is buddy or "barn" sour
Alternative Horsemanship Livestream- Improving Rider Specificity and Timing of Communication
Refining Rider Biomechanics to Improve Specificity & Timing of Communication
Part 3
Join the Alternative Horsemanship Livestream in the Locals community for a discussion on the biomechanics that influence the rider’s ability to improve the specificity and timing of communication offered to the horse.
Watch Now in the Alternative Horsemanship Locals Community
Saturday, September 30, 9am pst
Replay available
PC: Cassandra Kendall
Are you teaching the horse Unwanted Behaviors?
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Teaching the Horse Unwanted Behaviors
Are you teaching the horse fearful, defensive, avoidant, or dangerous behaviors? Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach shares insight into common human interactions causing unwanted equine responses.
Horse Questions, Beahviors, and Interactions
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach shares a glimpse into what groundwork with the horse could look like when the horse's mind is engaged, without fear or flee.
Subscribe to the YOUTUBE Channel for weekly videos.
Assessing the Horse's Diet
Assessing your horse's diet
Unwanted Horse Behavior- Pain the Equine an Unaddressed Contributor
Pain - the Unacknowledged Frequent Contributor to Unwanted Equine Behaviors
Horses don't "just" pin their ears when you saddle, get tight or twitch their skin when you touch them, and move away every time you go to mount. If the horse is showing concern, tension, or defensive, please, BEFORE you focus on the "training" first start with your horse's behavior, and assess it for potential pain or discomfort.
Rider Skills Finessing the Feel Livestream
Refining Biomechanics Part 2
Finessing the Feel
Discussing limiting contributors that affect the rider’s ability to have sensitivity, awareness, and availability towards the horse's communication.
Watch the Livestream in the Alternative Horsemanship Locals Community
Saturday September 23rd 9am pst
Replays Available
PC Cassandra Kendall Art Bonita
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.
Horse Question Helping The Fixated Equine
Thoughts on using the Human's Body to "intervene" with a scary object.
One of the members of my Facebook coaching group asked me about the video with a dog where the owner used their body to "show" that a triggering object for the canine was "safe." They asked if a horse had a similar response and if I would approach it using my body the same way as what they tried to do with the dog.
The simple answer is no not at all.
Detrimental Patterned Human & Horse Interactions
the small day-to-day interactions can be a great opportunity to safely assess Holes in your Horsemanship, refine, communicate, and build trust.
If there are any "holes," it can be a safe time and place to start changing up the Conversation, and refining influencing thoughts, without the equine getting overwhelmed. All in preparation for future unfamiliar situations.
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Tying the Horse Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Tying the Horse
Discussing the commonly overlooked aspects of preparing the horse in his education that affect and influence him standing tied without offering chaos and unwanted equine behavior.
Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.
Refining Horse Rider Communication- Alternative Horsemanship Livestreams
Refining rider self-awareness to improve the quality of communication offered to the horse.
Part 1 Biomechanics of Rein Handling
Saturday Oct 16th 9am pst
Part 2 Finessing the Feel
Saturday Oct 23rd 9am pst
Part 3 Specificity & Timing
Monday Oct 25th 9am pst
Watch in the Alternative Horsemanship Locals Community
All LIVESTREAMS are available for replay.
Pressure & Horses- Refining Human Awareness
Pressure & Horses
Horse Training Discussing Pressure & Force Free
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Training & Pressure
Discussing horses, human communication using pressure and thoughts on force free approaches.
Does your horse understand your communication?
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Does your horse understand your communication?
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach trainer discusses how your horse may not understand your communication creating unwanted equine behaviors.
Horse Help- Problems with Mindless Horse Training Methods
I am the first to admit that I’m quite resistant to “step by step” methods of training.
I find that although what/how you ask something of your horse may “seem initially clear” with a one, two, or three type of instruction, due to the focus on the end goal, it also limits a person’s perspective in seeing what is ACTUALLY happening in what I call “real-time.”
Weaponizing Horsemanship
Weaponizing Horse Communication
The Horse's Behaviors reflect their mental and emotional state. How often are you critical, demanding, and inserting a human emotional filter without considering what the equine is experiencing during the interaction?
4 Horse Rider Tips with Alternative Horsemaship
4 Horse Rider Tips
Are you breathing?
When riders focus they tend to hold their breath. Talk. Tell your horse what you are doing (literally, it also helps you keep track.) Sing to him or whistle. Anything!
Horse Help Concepts- The Box an Alternative Horsemanship tool
The "Box"
I developed the concept of "the Box" because I was finding too many people wanting to be polite and kind in their communication with their horses, but were lacking specificity, boundaries, or spatial awareness.
The concept of the Box was to give the humans a mental image of where they needed their horse to be to communicate clearly without being distracted by the horse's counteroffers of often leaking, fleeing, drifting, or pushing into them movement.
Horse Tips and Skills Alternative Horsemanship Series
Join Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach in this new Horse Tips & Skills series addressing a variety of overlooked opportunities in the horse interaction to improve adaptability, build confidence, increase self-awareness, refine intention, and specific communication.
Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel for this ongoing series.
Horse Help- Improving your Equine Communication- Eliminating the Brace
Heavy on the lead rope- "dragging" the horse around?
Loading or unloading a horse from the trailer/lorry that you couldn’t “stop” or “move him” to a different place from what he was offering?
The horse would not move out of your personal space when working from the ground?
The horse was resistant to transitions whether being worked from the ground or in the saddle?
The horse is pushing, leaning, heavy, or dragging on the bit/bridle?
When trying to turn in one direction the horse slowly “leaks” the opposite way?
When trying to ride a straight line the horse is constantly “throwing” or “locking up” his shoulder or hip towards the opposite way from which you are traveling?
Picking up the reins and feeling a general “lethargic” response from your horse?
Are you overwhelming your horse?
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Is your horse overwhelmed?
Watch the full video and hundreds of others on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.
What topics would you like discussed?
Horse Evacuations & Equine Emergency
Alternative Horsemanship Tips for Evacuation Preparedness
Emergency Evacuation Video 1
https://youtu.be/52RflMZoP4w
Emergency Evacuation Video 2
https://youtu.be/jRCmOTq9mto
Pushy or Charging Horses
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Pushy and Charging Horses
Discussing Aggressive, Charging, "Pushy" Equine Behavior, what creates it, and where the human interaction begins to create safe boundaries.
Watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel. New videos every Friday.
Click the link to watch now along with the hundreds of others addressing common horse and human challenges and problems.
Horses and Pressure 3-part Alternative Horsemanship Livestream
Horses & Pressure: Part 1 Spatial Pressure
Discussing many of the commonly overlooked and unintentional human communication that creates avoidant, defensive, and unwanted equine behaviors.
Alternative Horsemanship Livestream
Saturday August 12th 9am pst
Replays Available
#alternativehorsemanship #RemoteHorseCoach #horses #equestrians #horsetraining #horsemanship #horsebehaviour #horsetips #horselesson #horselearning #horsehelp #horseproblems #horsebehavior
Horse Skills : Position Alternative vs Critical Communication
Positive Alternatives vs. Critical Commentary
Most riders focus on what they don't want their horse to do and attempt to "block," drive, or reprimand the horse in what they consider is the moment of unwanted behavior (more often they are responding to symptoms vs root causes.)
If they are reacting to only the big and obvious physical movements of the horse, they are missing all the initial Opportunities to check-in with the horse's mental availability and directability which influences his behaviors.
Horse Tack Tack the Sidepull
The Remote Horse Coach shares tips in her Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series on her Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel in the Tack Talk video discussing using a sidepull.
Mental Distractions and Anticipations in the Horse Interactions
Mental Distractions & Anticipations
Many people get triggered by distractions and mentally go far away from where they are with their horse as they get lost in their "stories" of what ifs, history of previous experiences, or anticipation of what might potentially happen.
The Human's Intention and Equine Interactions
For years I mindlessly caught, led, and tacked up the horse.
Human Emotions and Horse Behaviors
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Human Emotions and Horse Behavior
Sharing insight into how horseback riders purging their emotions, being mentally distracted, and offering chaotic communication leads to unwanted horse interactions, increases the horse's resistance, and builds his defensiveness.
Click the video to watch the latest episode on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.
Full Immersion Alternative Horsemanship Clinic 2023
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3 Common Unwanted Horse Behavior Triggers
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
3 Common Unwanted Horse Behavior Anticipation Triggers
Common unwanted horse behaviors and tips for improving your horse skills, building the horse's confidence, and creating safe equine interactions.
New videos on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel series posted every Friday.
Assess and Observe Horse Behaviors
A peek into interactions with a horse sharing the various Opportunities for horse behavior Assessment and teaching moments. The Equine Behavior reflects his mental & emotional state.
Sound On
17 yo QH was Gelded 2 mo ago had lived Isola his entire life.
Watch background, arrival & initial interactions on TT or IG
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Behavior Observation Opportunities
Exclusive LIVE Content with Q & A Opportunities https://bit.ly/ExclusiveHorseContent
In-Person Learning https://learnhorses.com
Distance Horse Coaching & Consultations http://www.remotehorsecoach.com
Alternative Horsemanship Video Catalog https://remotehorsecoach.uscreen.io
Horse Skills
"Following a Feel"
Those words had no value to me all the years I interacted with the horse unintentionally offering continuous tension- on the lead rope, on the rein, in my leg, etc. There was never any true release of pressure towards the horse (other than during a jump.)
Building the Horse's Confidence and Trust
Building the Horse's Confidence and Trust The video (beginning of week 2 with me) is of a 17 yo Quarter Horse gelding who was a stallion until 2 months ago. He'd never been outside a barn, had no horse skills, was very anticipative, and was physically pushy because of his defensiveness towards human interaction.
(Follow his story from arrival to present on https://tiktok.com/@AlternativeHorsemanship or Instagram https://Instagram.com/alternative_horsemanship #alternativeHorsemanship)
Alternative Horsemanship Full Immersion Clinic
What is an Alternative Horsemanship Full Immersion Clinic?
Developed to create various learning opportunities to help equine enthusiasts refine their understanding of equine behavior and communication. Sam includes numerous topics with participants learning while unmounted and mounted, and in individual and group sessions. These safe, fun, and supportive learning scenarios offer an in-depth, full-immersion experience.
Horse Rider Tips
Tips for Resetting your Breathing and Releasing YOUR Tension at the Halt
Without realizing it, many riders hold their breath quite frequently when interacting with or riding the horse.
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