Fixing Dangerous and Unwanted Horse Behavior by Alternative Horsemanship

Horses don't just "do" that... 

What if we recognized and addressed the initial signs of concerned, fearful, or defensive equine behaviors before they erupted into things like:
Bucking
Bolting
Kicking
Spooking
"Over-reaction"
Biting
Fixating
Fleeing movement
Biting at the Air
Pawing
Jigging
Stomping
Weaving
and so many other moments that far too many riders respond to with, "Oh, he just does that, he's being a ____."
In many of the above-mentioned behaviors that I encounter with the "problem" horses that arrive for re-education, pain, physio issues, sleep deprivation, diet imbalance, defensiveness toward human communication, debilitating patterned interactions, etc. have influenced the equine's "coping" mechanisms. Rarely is the dangerous horse behavior recognized as a defense mechanism attempting to prevent human interaction that adds to his pain or fear.

 
How many times do you look at the horse and notice the feedback he is giving you? His breathing, eyes, ears, muzzle, nostrils, neck, chest, shoulders, topline, knees, barrel, hocks, the position/balance/direction of his feet, tail, the movement of his rib cage, his focus, and so many other physical posturings reflect what he is mentally and emotionally experiencing.

If the horse is displaying concern, do you try to survive a scenario by attempting to contain/block/drive/critique his behaviors?

The horse only has so many ways of communicating when they are in pain, experience fear, and anticipation, or are defensive toward human interactions. If the horse's chaos is seen as his "pleas" for needing clear, specific, communication to create a safe space for him, the excessive, dramatic behaviors diminish.

 
Often it takes playing detective to let go of assumptions based on previous interactions, mental distraction in anticipation of unwanted equine responses, and changing patterns that trigger the reactive horse to mentally flee.

Instead of trying to "fix" the final unwanted responses, one needs to search for the contributors that lead to the undesired outcomes. This requires taking time to experiment and assess how communication is offered and the horse's response to it giving one insight into any "holes" in the horse's education. Without "filling" these holes, there is no ability to influence changes in the horse's focus or the behaviors that follow.

 
How often do you interpret the beginning of unwanted behavior and translate that as the horse "asking" for guidance and support, just as he would receive if he was in the herd, or do you judge and criticize him as being disobedient or "disrespectful" towards you?

Do you offer communication in small, specific achievable segments to boost the horse's trust and try, or overwhelm him by hurrying through a concerning moment?
Everything is a teaching moment to the horse, whether or not you intended it to be.
If the human intention is built upon how to help the horse, the energy, clarity of communication, and refining the timing it is offered, the Conversation with the equine completely changes as does his mental availability, physical reasonableness, and willingness to try.

Rehab Example:
Click the link to watch a before and after video of the physical changes in a horse that was sent for re-education. He arrived with bucking, bolting, biting, rearing issues, would attack, chewed everything in sight, was dysfunctional in the herd, etc.

There is no "one" aspect in rehab and the re-education of a horse. The physical health affects the mental health, which influences the horse's ability to learn. Retention cannot begin until the horse is not in a constant state of pain or fear.
Changes in this horse's diet, farrier work, physio sessions, and re-education (starting as if he were a colt), affected his ability to learn, think, search, try, and offer safe behavior while letting go of previous extreme patterns of fixation, anticipation, and aggressiveness.