Working with horses sometimes appears like a magic act. We can get distracted by their big, dramatic, unexpected behaviors, unsure of when, how, or what caused them to begin. This leaves folks unsure of how to influence a different outcome or response in the animal.
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.
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Showing posts with label anticipative horse behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anticipative horse behavior. Show all posts
Behind the Scenes with the Horse Trainer
When I get a call from an owner about a potential horse to participate in training, a lot runs through my mind during the conversation.
Valuing the Horse's Halt
A picture can tell us so much. This horse was new to the handler, was catagorized as a very "experienced and confident" animal. We had the opportunity to assess him at a clinic.
Why the one size fits all "Horse Training Program" can be detrimental
Someone in this group recently shared the following comment to my starting vs breaking the horse post:
"This really resonates with me. Today I tried a new trainer, something away from my usual showjumping. A ‘natural horseman’ trained in XXXX. I felt my horse was being bombarded with stressful pressures resulting in With him bolting in the arena as his only means of ‘release’, then when cornered, my horse smashed through the gate to escape. I have been informed my horse has no respect for me. I feel so lost."
So I thought I'd share my thoughts...
Unfortunately, this isn't unique... I meet a lot of folks who have tried a "trained" professional who has learned through a specific "program."
When the horse is ready to ride
When the horse is ready...
People often ask how do I know when a horse is ready to ride and I'll tell them, "The horse will tell me."
Today I was working with Sally a mare who has some riding experience but carried a lot of containment and obedience. In our Conversations I opened the door for her to purge... and there was a lot she had to say. So her time here has been working on her learning to be able to express herself in a reasonable way without being obedient and then hyper-reactive.
The Crazy Horse- Is it really the horse, or the human?
Building Trust in the Defensive Horse
A moment of trust... what the picture is really reflecting
Though the rain was pouring down yesterday, the day prior was gorgeous. In this part of the world where the weather can change every five minutes from hail to sunshine, you learn to take advantage of it!
Sally, one of the desert horses that arrived to spend the summer with me had never seen trees, grass, wildlife, etc. before arriving at the farm. Though she's been settling in, everything in her world has changed.
As I was in-between my endless mowing and weed eating and spring chores, I saw a very different Sally standing out in the field. The horses were out grazing in the infield, a place she'd initially go nowhere near as the movement in the branches of the nearby trees due to the wind and wildlife had kept her on-guard eve in her opportunity for letting down.
As I go through my "checklist" of questions to owners with horses that arrive for training, one of the important ones is in regard to the horse's sleep patterns. Noticing if/when/how long the person actually sees the horse sleep.
Since arriving I'd seen Sally sleep, but not in a deep state and for very short periods of time, and only in the night time pastures. But this past week there was a big shift in her mentally. Simple, subtle moments where she'd offered on her own to be much more thoughtful, less emotionally reactive, and able to try in a reasonable manner.
I have found that the quality of the Conversation with the human affects the horse when they are on their own. And then I saw her... I'd turned out horses, but had to gently "re-direct" them to another pasture while they were loose. Sally had made a wrong turn into one area, I called her by name off the grass, she quit eating, came over to me, checked-in, then I pointed and I directed her to the correct pasture. She calmly walked off and resumed grazing. A few other horses had moved off further away, but she didn't engage. Even her body looked softer and more relaxed as she grazed.
And then a short while later, I watched her gently lie down, comfortably viewing the world around her, then settling-in as she took a nap. I headed over to say hi when she'd perked up again. Though she loved scratches for all her itchy spots when standing, she always had a tightness to her body, muscles, and breathing. But as I walked up at this moment, calling out to not startle her, she acknowledged me softly. I watched her, for any concern at my presence. There was none. So I came over and scratched on her and then took a seat.
Was this about capturing a fun picture? Not at all. This was an awesome moment in time that reflected the shift in her perception of the new world around her and me. This was a huge moment, for her to be completely "exposed" laying in the middle of a field, with a human nearby, and not have any fear or containment. This trust is what the equine partnership is built upon.
But it doesn't come from being "nice" to the horse, nor being "hopeful" in the communication. I had to present, and ask Sally to address many of her fears, anticipation, reactivity, and defensiveness in recent sessions. I had to offer her a safe place to express and purge her concern without critiquing her for feeling that way. I couldn't force anything to "happen" but I could offer every interaction to be a quality Conversation.
Does her trusting me as she lies down mean she is "finished?" No. But it is one of the many contributors that will and does affect Sally's journey to her becoming a thoughtful, willing, and confident equine.
Though the rain was pouring down yesterday, the day prior was gorgeous. In this part of the world where the weather can change every five minutes from hail to sunshine, you learn to take advantage of it!
Sally, one of the desert horses that arrived to spend the summer with me had never seen trees, grass, wildlife, etc. before arriving at the farm. Though she's been settling in, everything in her world has changed.
As I was in-between my endless mowing and weed eating and spring chores, I saw a very different Sally standing out in the field. The horses were out grazing in the infield, a place she'd initially go nowhere near as the movement in the branches of the nearby trees due to the wind and wildlife had kept her on-guard eve in her opportunity for letting down.
As I go through my "checklist" of questions to owners with horses that arrive for training, one of the important ones is in regard to the horse's sleep patterns. Noticing if/when/how long the person actually sees the horse sleep.
Since arriving I'd seen Sally sleep, but not in a deep state and for very short periods of time, and only in the night time pastures. But this past week there was a big shift in her mentally. Simple, subtle moments where she'd offered on her own to be much more thoughtful, less emotionally reactive, and able to try in a reasonable manner.
I have found that the quality of the Conversation with the human affects the horse when they are on their own. And then I saw her... I'd turned out horses, but had to gently "re-direct" them to another pasture while they were loose. Sally had made a wrong turn into one area, I called her by name off the grass, she quit eating, came over to me, checked-in, then I pointed and I directed her to the correct pasture. She calmly walked off and resumed grazing. A few other horses had moved off further away, but she didn't engage. Even her body looked softer and more relaxed as she grazed.
And then a short while later, I watched her gently lie down, comfortably viewing the world around her, then settling-in as she took a nap. I headed over to say hi when she'd perked up again. Though she loved scratches for all her itchy spots when standing, she always had a tightness to her body, muscles, and breathing. But as I walked up at this moment, calling out to not startle her, she acknowledged me softly. I watched her, for any concern at my presence. There was none. So I came over and scratched on her and then took a seat.
Was this about capturing a fun picture? Not at all. This was an awesome moment in time that reflected the shift in her perception of the new world around her and me. This was a huge moment, for her to be completely "exposed" laying in the middle of a field, with a human nearby, and not have any fear or containment. This trust is what the equine partnership is built upon.
But it doesn't come from being "nice" to the horse, nor being "hopeful" in the communication. I had to present, and ask Sally to address many of her fears, anticipation, reactivity, and defensiveness in recent sessions. I had to offer her a safe place to express and purge her concern without critiquing her for feeling that way. I couldn't force anything to "happen" but I could offer every interaction to be a quality Conversation.
Does her trusting me as she lies down mean she is "finished?" No. But it is one of the many contributors that will and does affect Sally's journey to her becoming a thoughtful, willing, and confident equine.
Myofascial system of the Horse and his physical responses
Here is a recent article I came across by The Equine Documentalist:
https:// www.theequinedocumentalist. com/post/ myofascial-trains-kinetic-c hains-and-antalgic-posture -their-farriery-relevance
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https://youtu.be/ 3MluJpAy0Zo
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://
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https://youtu.be/
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.
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?
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?
Dangerous Horse Behavior: Food Aggression
Question: My 3-year-old gelding has developed a habit of dipping his neck down, then shaking his head at me at feeding time. He didn't do this over summer, of the two youngsters he was the most respectful. I assume his attitude says he is more important than I am, and wonder how to correct him. He is second to the mare in herd status, she is just 4 but very dominant over him, but accepts me as the lead mare. Why has my lovely Chinook taken such a turn? Had him since he was a baby, and the only difference is, its Alaska and its winter so I don't spend as much time with them.
The Follow Through with the Horse
I was recently asked a great follow up question and thought I'd share my response here. Paraphrasing here, I was asked what happens if you try to be aware and support your horse 99% of the time, but "miss" the 1 % when a horse's behavior catches you off guard. Is it just horses being horses or? So I thought I'd share my answer in today's post.
Changing Routines creates Improved Adaptability in the Horse and Human
"How often do you present change in your horse's world?"
Over the years as different horse owners have sought my help I have discovered that horses are the best people trainers ever.
On numerous occasions, I have heard things such as:
I have to feed in a certain manner or location or time so that my horse will eat.
I have to catch my horse by doing XY and Z first.
My horse loads into the trailer just fine as long as his body goes in first.
I have to get on at this location in the facility so that my horse doesn't get distracted or call to his pasture mates.
My horse ties just fine as long as he can see me but if he doesn't then he will pull back.
You get the idea.
For many years, folks can learn to work around their horse in order to avoid conflict, feel like they were accomplishing things and having a certain level of success.
But at some point, usually under circumstances out of their control, they could not present things as their horse expected.
Over the years as different horse owners have sought my help I have discovered that horses are the best people trainers ever.
On numerous occasions, I have heard things such as:
I have to feed in a certain manner or location or time so that my horse will eat.
I have to catch my horse by doing XY and Z first.
My horse loads into the trailer just fine as long as his body goes in first.
I have to get on at this location in the facility so that my horse doesn't get distracted or call to his pasture mates.
My horse ties just fine as long as he can see me but if he doesn't then he will pull back.
You get the idea.
For many years, folks can learn to work around their horse in order to avoid conflict, feel like they were accomplishing things and having a certain level of success.
But at some point, usually under circumstances out of their control, they could not present things as their horse expected.
Learning to read Horse Behavior
People tend to fixate their visual focus on one or two body parts of the horse, which limits what they see. As they work with the horse, whether the animal is loose or on the lead rope, people need to learn to be able to "zoom in" and out and scan the entire body of the horse.
Word of the Day- Anticipative Horses
Anticipate- Many horses tend to be mentally ahead of where they are physically because of concern. The action or movements of the horse tend to be exaggerated and over-reactive mentally and behaviorally.
Contributors causing a horse to become anticipative can include:
Contributors causing a horse to become anticipative can include:
- lack of confidence
- lack of clear communication from the rider
- riders that "drive" the horse rather than help them learn to think through scenarios
- riders that don't offer a clear mental and physical release when the horse tries
Because the horse is mentally unsure, it limits his ability to be mentally available or willing to accept the human's influence. This causes excessive, undesired, and sometimes dangerous movement. This often leads to a vicious cycle creating fear in both the horse and human.
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