Evolving Journey of our Horsemanship

Some days everything may go as planned and then there are days where nothing seems to be able to be accomplished. My personality is to "will" things to happen, but it has taken a lot of years and intention to realize that wasn't going to work when it came to the horses.

Horsemanship and Doing Harm

 

There have been multiple very experienced, "well-trained" horses that have participated in recent clinics (all are obedient, but tension-filled, hypersensitive, hyper-responsive, and avoid humans if given the choice.)

 

An interesting discussion has accompanied working with them to "reawaken," re-educate, and rebuild trust, when addressing old triggers and giving them "new" clarity and quality during human interactions. This then allows for teaching relevant skills, with curiosity replacing the fear, thought replacing anticipation, and soft, intentional movement replacing tension-filled reactions.

Quality, Horsemanship & Horse Learning

 What does Quality with the horse mean to you? 

What do you consider as Success?

How often do you consider how the horse's mind and emotions influence his physical responses, versus fixating on containing his movement?

Where is your focus, and are you mentally present and available to acknowledge and address the horse?

Are you willing to let go or adapt your original goal whether temporarily, short or even long-term, to prioritize building trust, try, and willingness in the horse?

Horsemanship: Reviewing The Release

As with everything, there are many interpretations when it comes to the terminology associated with horses. I try to be clear and precise in the words that I'm offering, but there still can be a gray area in the human student's understanding. This often comes from their level of awareness, background, and unintentional anticipation/expectation of their mind "getting ahead" of wherever they are currently at with their horse.

Groundwork: Helping or Hurting your Horse Partnership? Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach

 
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series, the Remote Horse Coach focuses on groundwork and discusses understanding horse interactions that can either reinforce defensive, resistant, avoidant, unwanted behavior or it can teach the horse the skills to think, search, try, and offer reasonable behavior. Alternative Horsemanship™ shares insight into changing human patterns, critical communication, assessing the horse's feedback, and other tips to build a solid foundation and trust-based horse partnership. 

Can you recognize defensive horse behavior? • Can you recognize Defensive Horse Beh... 

Alternative Horsemanship TikTok / alternativehorsemanship Alternative Horsemanship IG / alternative_horsemanship 

Reading the Horse Behavior Online 7-part Course https://remotehorsecoach.uscreen.io/c... 30% off through Dec 31, 2023 Remote Horse Coach Courses
Use discount code: REMOTECOACHCOURSES 

LIVESTREAMS with Q & A Opportunities https://bit.ly/ExclusiveHorseContent In-Person Learning https://learn

Pressure & Horses- Refining Human Awareness

 Pressure & Horses

I’ve never had an “English” language conversation with a horse, but over the years I feel that I’ve found some degree of a “common language” with which I use to communicate with them. I explain to students there is no “one” way to do things, and I always tell people “Take what you like, leave what you don’t” from any learning situation. I finished reading a horse blog the other day and realized that in this day and age, I don’t think you can participate in any aspect of the horse world without hearing the word “pressure” in reference to communicating with the horse.

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?

Horse Behavior- The Eye

 

Holes in the Horsemanship

 Holes in the Horsemanship

It is my job when a horse first comes in to evaluate “where the horse is at,” mentally, physically, emotionally, and experience-wise. So I thought I’d share with you some of the more common “holes” I tend to find in working with horses of all ages… I believe a majority of the time the holes are present because owners and horses learn to get comfortable with how or what they present in a scenario. The horse learns what is expected of them and then can comply. The problem occurs when the “rules” or expectations change.

Horse Tips: Perceptions of the Halt

 Perceptions of the Halt

Many humans view the halt as physical yielding or obedience. There is little or no concept of the difference between the feet not moving versus a horse mentally present and physically relaxed when asked to stop.

Horsemanship- Helping vs Challenging the Horse

 Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series 

Helping vs Challenging the Horse 

Learn the difference between helping your horse versus offering communication that creates fearful, reactive, and defensiveness behaviors.

New videos Fridays on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel 

Eliminating the Hurry to Improve your Horsemanship

In western society, people tend to hurry, and unintentionally carry their chaos into their horsemanship.

Their self-imposed urgencies of task accomplishment often become the focal point, rather than prioritizing the Quality of Communication with the horse. The general unspoken standard of "if the horse's behavior doesn't scare me, we're still okay," leaves many horses in the gray area during a majority of human interaction. If the horse "mostly" complies, the tendency is to add more to what is being asked of him.

Horses and Safety- the skill of "Doing Something"

 

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series 

"Doing something" 

Reduce the chances of horse related accidents by learning to proactively communicate and interaction builds quality partnerships, increases safe horse handling experiences, decreases the equine's fear, and defensiveness. 

New weekly videos on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.

Horseback Riding Tips

 So many horseback riders I meet have forgotten...

Prioritizing Addressing the "Scary" Horse

Sam discusses why it matters to help horses during stressful times, fearful, or concerning experiences and what many people unintentionally teach their horses leading to unwanted and dangerous behaviors. Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series- Prioritizing Addressing the Horse Subscribe for weekly Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach videos.

Connecting the Dots of Horseback Riding

Connecting the Dots

(This will be a several-part entry that will be covered over the next week or so...)

When resistant, unwanted, and/or dramatic behavior occurs with the horse, people get distracted by the big-ness of the horse. In my mind, the “big” is an after-the-fact response by the horse. The root of the problem has occurred or began to occur anywhere from minutes to months before the horse finally resorted to undeniably dramatic behavior.

Horsemanship Challenges: The Human Learning Curve

In this horse trainer advice video, Sam discusses in her Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series challenges, frustrations, and understanding of the horse many horseback riders experience as their horsemanship journey progresses. 

Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel for weekly videos in this series and the Tuesday Trainer Tips Series.

What is Alternative Horsemanship?

Samantha Harvey discusses her riding background and education and how she developed her Alternative Horsemanship approach to help horses and horseback riders improve their equine partnership. She shares how her horse philosophy and goal are to help horse riders improve their understanding of equine behavior and communication.

Horseback riding and Horsemanship- Stop Overwhelming Yourself

 One Step at a Time

It is very easy to be overwhelmed by everything that "isn't" or is challenging, frustrating, and exhausting with the horse.

 

What does Horsemanship mean? By Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach

 Horsemanship... (my random morning thoughts)

Isn't a "thing" or a fad... it is a mindset influencing a way of being.