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?
The list could go on and on… All of the above-mentioned “issues” are a result of the horse’s physical resistance, which I will refer to as a brace.
The brace starts mentally. The physical behavior offered by a horse is a direct reflection of his mental and emotional state.
When the horse is mentally unavailable to human aids or is defensive towards communication, there is resistance.
There are different “levels” of resistance/brace a horse can display.
For most riders “good enough” is accepted, which is when the horse offers a minor level of try and the rider focuses on the physical responses rather than assessing them for having Quality.
Most people ride being “polite” to their horses, accepting "good enough" responses from their horses, trying to be “nice” or “kind” to not "offend" the equine.
The reality is, that when a horse carries any level of brace (tension) in him, mentally, emotionally, and physically, “being kind” and leaving him there, is not an actual “nice” act.
Instead, it leaves the horse in constant turmoil. Horses' brains have a very small frontal lobe that eliminates their ability to rationalize- or to say (in human terms), “I don’t feel good when I think/act like this, so let me change what I’m doing.”
It is up to the human to help educate, address, and follow through in their supportive communication to help the horse find a "safe space" emotionally, mentally, and physically during the interaction.
The horse’s instinct allows him to search for it, whether he’s in a herd of horses or with his human handler/rider.
We’ve all seen such clarity and boundaries displayed within a herd; the lead horse swishing its tail or turning his ear(s) back toward a horse lower in the pecking order when that horse gets too close. Or the mare sending her colt “away” from the herd as a disciplinary action, until the colt changes his mental and physical state, he is not allowed back into the herd.
All too often humans offer chaotic, emotionally charged, critical communication towards the horse, unintentionally creating defensive equines.
If people don’t realize that they aren’t mentally present, are not constantly assessing the horse's feedback, and are misinterpreting what their equine is asking of them, they cannot offer clear feedback. They then miss crucial moments of establishing “boundaries" to support the horse.
The more “gray” the human communication with the horse is, the more mentally “lost" the equine becomes. The lostness causes the horse a lack of security, so he becomes mentally defensive and anticipative leading to resistant, unwanted behavior.
The mental and emotional defensiveness of the horse translates into a physical resistance or BRACE. This is when the person experiences the scenarios listed at the beginning of this post.
As with anything, there are different levels of the brace, from the glaringly obvious, such as the horse that plants his feet and will not move forward to the horse that may offer some of the following scenarios…
The horse’s brace may appear as him trying what you asked “once” and then “giving up” or resisting if you ask for a different response from him.
The horse could be “going along fine” but always adds an extra step or two, such as in a transition or when asked to halt.
This could be the horse offering lateral movement, but if asked for a softer, more balanced, or rhythmic movement you feel like you literally are sitting on or have put your leg against a “brick wall.”
The list goes on and on…
People who offer unclear communication usually stem from them being unsure of
a.) Where, when, and what is the root cause of the brace
And
b.) What “tools” are necessary to communicate clearly with their equine in order to get a change in their horse’s mental, emotional, and physical state.
This lack of understanding in the human, causes fixation on the unwanted behaviors, which are the symptom(s), rather than recognizing the “root” cause(s).
Put it into people's terms; how do you physically act if you are mentally and emotionally unclear, insecure, worried, fearful, defensive, etc.? The same goes for the horse. Influence a mental and emotional change in your horse, and you’ll achieve the ideal physical response.
This is not the “quick fix” solution that many equine enthusiasts desire as it shifts the mentality from blaming the horse to rider accountability.
Unfortunately, the more common approach to “fix” the symptom of the brace is displayed in any tack magazine or catalog. What percentage of the equipment is offered to “fix” a problem by only addressing the horse’s physical behavior? Bits, spurs, whips, martingales, tie-downs, draw reins, etc…
These tactics may create physical yielding, but they NEVER build softness- only lightness in the equine. (This will be next Monday's topic.)
The quality of the human-equine interaction all comes back to intention, communication, addressing the horse's feedback without triggering his fear, and follow-through to support him in learning to think, search, and try... way before you ever get on.
For those interested in learning more I recently did a 4-part horse behavior teaching LIVESTREAM discussing the Brace you start by replaying Part 1.
The brace starts mentally. The physical behavior offered by a horse is a direct reflection of his mental and emotional state.
When the horse is mentally unavailable to human aids or is defensive towards communication, there is resistance.
There are different “levels” of resistance/brace a horse can display.
For most riders “good enough” is accepted, which is when the horse offers a minor level of try and the rider focuses on the physical responses rather than assessing them for having Quality.
Most people ride being “polite” to their horses, accepting "good enough" responses from their horses, trying to be “nice” or “kind” to not "offend" the equine.
The reality is, that when a horse carries any level of brace (tension) in him, mentally, emotionally, and physically, “being kind” and leaving him there, is not an actual “nice” act.
Instead, it leaves the horse in constant turmoil. Horses' brains have a very small frontal lobe that eliminates their ability to rationalize- or to say (in human terms), “I don’t feel good when I think/act like this, so let me change what I’m doing.”
It is up to the human to help educate, address, and follow through in their supportive communication to help the horse find a "safe space" emotionally, mentally, and physically during the interaction.
The horse’s instinct allows him to search for it, whether he’s in a herd of horses or with his human handler/rider.
We’ve all seen such clarity and boundaries displayed within a herd; the lead horse swishing its tail or turning his ear(s) back toward a horse lower in the pecking order when that horse gets too close. Or the mare sending her colt “away” from the herd as a disciplinary action, until the colt changes his mental and physical state, he is not allowed back into the herd.
All too often humans offer chaotic, emotionally charged, critical communication towards the horse, unintentionally creating defensive equines.
If people don’t realize that they aren’t mentally present, are not constantly assessing the horse's feedback, and are misinterpreting what their equine is asking of them, they cannot offer clear feedback. They then miss crucial moments of establishing “boundaries" to support the horse.
The more “gray” the human communication with the horse is, the more mentally “lost" the equine becomes. The lostness causes the horse a lack of security, so he becomes mentally defensive and anticipative leading to resistant, unwanted behavior.
The mental and emotional defensiveness of the horse translates into a physical resistance or BRACE. This is when the person experiences the scenarios listed at the beginning of this post.
As with anything, there are different levels of the brace, from the glaringly obvious, such as the horse that plants his feet and will not move forward to the horse that may offer some of the following scenarios…
The horse’s brace may appear as him trying what you asked “once” and then “giving up” or resisting if you ask for a different response from him.
The horse could be “going along fine” but always adds an extra step or two, such as in a transition or when asked to halt.
This could be the horse offering lateral movement, but if asked for a softer, more balanced, or rhythmic movement you feel like you literally are sitting on or have put your leg against a “brick wall.”
The list goes on and on…
People who offer unclear communication usually stem from them being unsure of
a.) Where, when, and what is the root cause of the brace
And
b.) What “tools” are necessary to communicate clearly with their equine in order to get a change in their horse’s mental, emotional, and physical state.
This lack of understanding in the human, causes fixation on the unwanted behaviors, which are the symptom(s), rather than recognizing the “root” cause(s).
Put it into people's terms; how do you physically act if you are mentally and emotionally unclear, insecure, worried, fearful, defensive, etc.? The same goes for the horse. Influence a mental and emotional change in your horse, and you’ll achieve the ideal physical response.
This is not the “quick fix” solution that many equine enthusiasts desire as it shifts the mentality from blaming the horse to rider accountability.
Unfortunately, the more common approach to “fix” the symptom of the brace is displayed in any tack magazine or catalog. What percentage of the equipment is offered to “fix” a problem by only addressing the horse’s physical behavior? Bits, spurs, whips, martingales, tie-downs, draw reins, etc…
These tactics may create physical yielding, but they NEVER build softness- only lightness in the equine. (This will be next Monday's topic.)
The quality of the human-equine interaction all comes back to intention, communication, addressing the horse's feedback without triggering his fear, and follow-through to support him in learning to think, search, and try... way before you ever get on.
For those interested in learning more I recently did a 4-part horse behavior teaching LIVESTREAM discussing the Brace you start by replaying Part 1.
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