Fear Limiting our Horsemanship

The fear of "getting it wrong" can overwhelm people into doing nothing. Avoidance is a common "tactic" with both people and horses. The mental anticipation by the human can interfere with their ability to be present for their horse, having thoughts such as:

"Last time I tried to ___________ my horse __________ and I don't want that to happen again."

"What if my horse _______, then we won't be able to _______, so I better not ________ to cause an issue."

Horse Help- Fear of the Barn

 Question:
I decided to have stables built and they are now ready for my horses to use. The ex-racer will be fine as he is used to being stables, but the other horse has not been stabled for many years! I am worried he will refuse to go in the stable he gets anxious and skittish when walking through gates as well. How can I make him feel safe and encourage him in this task? I have been leading him to the stable to allow him to look at the space but now I  need to introduce him to actually entering the stable without getting frightened or panicking.

Answer:
I have lost track of how many folks have built their horse a barn, that the animal has refused to go into. Multiple aspects need to be considered and addressed that influence the "how" you help the horse work through concern.

Are you teaching the horse anticipation and fear?

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.

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."

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. 

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Horse Question Helping The Fixated Equine

 Thoughts on using the Human's Body to "intervene" with a scary object.

Answer:

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.

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?

Helping the Traumatized & Fearful Horse part 2

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Helping the Traumatized Horse Part 2

Horse trainer Thoughts & Perspective on the contributing Horse Training practices that create Traumatized and Fearful Horse leading to increasingly dangerous and unwanted equine behaviors. Part 2 Watch Part 1 Here All new access to Exclusive LIVE Content with Q & A Opportunities In-Person Horse Learning Distance Horse Coaching & Consultations Alternative Horsemanship Video Catalog

Horse Trainer Advice: Build Trust in the Fearful Horse Part 1

 

 Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series 

Build Trust in the Traumatized Horse Part 1

Horse trainer Thoughts & Perspective on the Traumatized and Fearful Horse, building trust to replace unwanted equine behaviors. 

Click the link in the comments for the Alternative Horsemanship YouTubeAlternative Horsemanship YouTube video- subscribe for weekly videos in this series.

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Getting Hurt with Horses

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Getting Hurt with Horses So many human/horse accidents, fear, and trauma can be avoided by trusting yourself to not just do "what everyone else is doing." Sam shares her thoughts on when not to trust the equine professional in order to keep you and your horse safe. Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube channel for weekly episodes and other horse behavior and learning videos.