Unwanted Horse Behavior- Pain the Equine an Unaddressed Contributor

 Pain - the Unacknowledged Frequent Contributor to Unwanted Equine Behaviors

Many horses and humans live with pain to varying degrees on a daily basis. If you've ever been injured or have ongoing pain, think about the all-consuming feeling and emotional state the pain triggered in you.

Horses don't "just" pin their ears when you saddle, get tight or twitch their skin when you touch them, and move away every time you go to mount. If the horse is showing concern, tension, or defensive, please, BEFORE you focus on the "training" first start with your horse's behavior, and assess it for potential pain or discomfort.

Recognizing Horse Pain

 Response video Alternative Horsemanship the Remote HorseCoachdiscusses Pain in Horses: https://youtu.be/P7fefRzTuVU

Biting, Reactive, Dangerous Horse, or Pain Issues? Equine Ulcers

Bad Behavior or Pain Issues? One common trigger spot I see in equines who have ulcers. This mare has not been ridden or in any form of work for several years. She is often high alert, and small things trigger her insecurity and anticipation, causing her to be emotionally reactive. She does lie down and sleep, but for short periods. She's an IR candidate so the feed is specific, monitored, and offered multiple times per day. Experimenting with common dietary gut soothing supplements like Aloe, GutX 100, ulcer guard, and magnesium oxide have had effect.

Word of the Day: Avoidance

Avoidance- This is a horse who is mentality unavailable or "shut down." He will create methods to evade communication with his handler or rider usually because of defensiveness, a lack of clarity, pain, and distrust. Physically he may display behaviors such as tucking his chin towards his chest evade the bit, his focus is often not where he is at physically, if experiencing pain he may raise his head to avoid discomfort.  In many cases, people use severe equipment to "make" the horse comply. Instead, they need to revisit the quality of communication and mental availability in the horse to recognize what triggers the horse to avoid scenarios.