Horse Learning Help & Skills- Addressing the "frozen" moments in the Human Part 2

 Part 2- Addressing Triggers on the Horse Learning Journey

Each aspect of unpacking previous horse experiences and creating new ones based on trust and willingness is connected. Below are some of the common aspects that need to be addressed to reduce the common "frozen" experience folks have when unsure as they embark on a "new or different" way of interacting with the horse.

Methodology without a Foundation
It can become obvious for folks when they need to "walk away" from a previous training approach that is no longer aligned with their mindset. The challenge is- becoming clear on what they are now "walking toward."

As one's "belief system" evolves in how to interact with the horse, so do one's values. It can be obvious to recognize horse behaviors that we do not want occurring, but when unclear as to "where to start" in addressing the equine, can leave one in a passive or hopeful state, where the horse is taking over in the interaction. To solve this, one must unpack their deeply instilled perspectives on horse training.

Myths of Horse Training
One of the biggest disservices that the horse industry has created- is the illusion of the "trained horse." (I've written past posts in-depth on this topic and discussed it in videos in my Dear Sam: Horse Help YouTube series.) A majority of traditional training is based on developing conditioned responses in the equine, limiting the equine's ability to think, search, or try. It also leaves many compliant, "trained" horses living in a defensive and dysfunctional state.

As good-intentioned owners start to "peel back the layers" of starting over and trying to create trust with their horse, it triggers the unintentional opening of the proverbial Pandora's Box, where often people are shocked at everything the horse has contained for years on end, comes pouring out.

The combination of a person experiencing new thoughts in their perspective about equine interaction, and a horse who may have seemed previously manageable, now offers more expressive, resistant, dramatic, or perhaps even dangerous behaviors, can be overwhelming. This leads to a state of "analysis paralysis" as one commentator referred to it.

What's Missing?
The lack of clarity in the human comes from a lack of understanding of the horse. For most people, their perspective and teachings have been in the form of "how to" contain, make, and impose compliance. Rarely have they been educated in recognizing and understanding equine behavior and communication (without anthropomorphizing- i.e. assigning human thoughts and emotions to equine behavior.)

Despite good intentions, most equine enthusiasts I meet have a total disconnect in their ability to "read the horse." This leaves them guessing or wondering what the animal will do next, rather than understanding how the horse is offering ongoing, continuous feedback that offers insight into his mental and emotional state.

Patterns of Familiarity do not create Adaptability
How often do you ask for the horse's attention before you halter?
Does the horse avoid or anticipate as you halter?
Do you offer specific communication as to where you want the horse looking, and delegate changes in his energy as you lead?
Do you ever ask your horse to halt in a "random" spot and notice if he can mentally and physically pause?
Is there a pattern in what time you work with the horse, where you halter, the direction you turn him around at the gate or stall door, where you tie him, the order you clean his hooves, where you saddle, where you mount, the direction you ride off in, the order of what you ask of him in the round pen or on the lunge line?

ReEvaluating Priorities
I cannot emphasize enough how much of the "mundane" everyday interactions have contributed to defensive horses. To the human, there is often little significance in these "common" scenarios leaving them lacking consideration as to what the horse is experiencing.

Learning how to engage the horse's mind, teaching him to be mentally available and directable, while still taking time to address his feedback in a manner that does not leave him defensive, all influence the behaviors that follow.

Deconstructing Assumptions
Before we can develop adaptable horses, one has to empathize in recognizing the horse is doing the best he can based on his previous interactions. Despite his age, exposure, experiences, training, or compliance, there may be holes in his education, leading to defensive, anticipative, tension-filled behavior.

Where do I start?
Let go of all assumptions and offer the horse a "clean slate" starting at the beginning of every interaction. Take a few moments and write a list of all the things you think your horse is okay with, then experiment in your interactions practicing evaluating the horse during those scenarios. This can allow for an honest assessment to understand how even the most basic scenarios can be triggering for a horse.  

Example:
Years ago in a clinic, there was a highly competitive, well-trained, older horse that was super "easy" to handle. In one session, while still in his paddock, I had the owner walk in with the halter in hand- and NOT catch the horse who had walked over, trying to dive his head into the halter. When the student took the halter away and walked off, without catching the horse, what followed was 20- 30 minutes of a full-blown emotional melt-down displayed in bolting, kicking, squealing, rearing, snorting... all behaviors this horse had NEVER displayed previously. People who knew the horse, and had watched him for years patiently tolerate interactions, navigate challenging trails, and hauled to different locations were flabbergasted at his behavior.

Observers asked me two questions-
1) Why did the horse do that? My answer was he was never okay with any of how and what was asked of him, but between his previous training experiences and his personality, he learned to "quit resisting" to make the human pressure decrease, creating the illusion of an obedient, safe horse.

2.) What made me decide to tell the student to not halter him?  I pointed out his tension-filled walk, despite the low energy.  The rigidity in his ears, the hard, unblinking eye, the heavy breathing, the clamped tail, the imbalanced foot placement, the "imposing" diving into the halter... This feedback "told" me- the halter was a trigger.

Hurry does not Help
If we did not take the time to slow down to a) believe and b) address his anticipation or concerns in the present, the horse would still experience them, just in a containment form, as we asked more of him. If every human interaction is solely increasing the horse's concern- it is not a matter of "if" but rather "when" something will tip the horse emotionally over the proverbial edge, and he will "all of a sudden" become explosive.

The consensus I have found among quality horse folks- irrelevant of their background or discipline- is that developing true progress and quality is a slow journey. The flamboyant, dramatic changes frequently displayed in the mass-marketed training approaches are gimmicks. Horses can quickly learn the "lessor of two evils" and make sudden "improvements"- yet as soon as the session is over, or the owner handles the horse again, it becomes apparent nothing was retained (other than perhaps increased fear) from the one "tune-up" session. To build a foundation, one must see value in the small, seemingly insignificant moments (to the human) that have great meaning to the horse.

Letting go of Mass Marketing Tactics
Offering to "start over"  with a horse allows for a real-time, relevant understanding of him. This is where the human has to recognize how many preconceived ideas they may have about their horse, and let go of those to believe his clear communication. Doing so and learning to see the horse while remaining emotionally neutral, offers specifics of what to address to help him succeed in the human-created environment.

Starting over is not a negative, bad, or "backtracking"- those words are based on egotistical judgment and are both unhelpful and irrelevant critiques.

So what do you do now?
Start with your skills. Can you read horse behavior? Do not just practice with your horse. Observe those in a field, in a stall, being worked with by someone else, standing tied, etc. How often are your opinions overriding neutral assessments? Do you find yourself "stuck" in recognizing the nuances of where the horse's thought is, what his emotional state is, and how the behaviors that follow mimic it? If so, that is where your re-education needs to start.

Self- Awareness
Set up your phone on a mounting block, chair, bridle rack, etc., and film short segments of your equine interaction. Does not matter where or what you are doing. Assess if you:
Offer clear, specific communication?
Does the horse acknowledge your aids?
Is the horse defensive toward your communication?
Do you address the horse's feedback?
Is there a "delay" in your communication and the horse's response?
As you watch yourself, notice if you offer beginning, middle, and end communication, or do you move on before the horse has finished addressing what you asked of him?
How often are you moving (literally) to work around the horse?
How often does the horse halfway address you and then you move on?
Do you look like you are breathing consistently?
Are you balanced in your postures?
Do you impose on the horse?
Is your communication critical and after the fact?

Start Small
As you replay the video footage, give yourself grace. Don't watch in terms of "good and bad" but instead see it as an opportunity to recognize where to start with short, segmented interactions. Notice if as you do so, human-created "have to work my horse" thoughts lead to unintentional "hurrying" to "do something?" Our concept of what is "worthy" of a session is based on human convenience or ego. Let go of that. 10 minutes of quality interaction overrides 60 minutes of quiet chaos.