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Uneventful Mounting
Rose arrived defensive and anticipative about most things during the human/horse interaction.
Saddling her would cause her to get twitchy, tight, and buck like she was in the rodeo.
We did a LOT of digging out of her old "coping" patterns and helping her learn to stay mentally present and physically reasonable.
There is always a moment where I can feel a horse is ready to mount.
This was what it looked like after that moment when Rose was asked to line up at liberty at the block for the first time.
For her, the slow, intentional steps are opposite from her rigid, reactive self that first arrived.
No treats, nor any driving, or yielding to pressure. Rather an invitation for her to participate.
This moment has NOTHING to do with lining up but rather is a reflection of all the previously established "tools" in our Conversations and how we communicate that has meaning to the horse.
For many horses, asking them to think first, then move in slow, specific steps almost causes more concern as it counters their natural response to flee when unsure.
Soon though you see the levels of concern dissipate as they learn to check-in with the human if the person offers specific supportive communication to the horse.
In Rose's case, because so much of her past was about humans attempting to contain her, when I'm reintroducing her being ridden in a thoughtful manner, presenting a scenario like this creates a new experience for her.
Did I do this the second ride? No. Every time will be different.
Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey shares her final thoughts on working with young horses such as BLM mustang filly Calamity Jane. She addresses the human mindset and how it affects the quality of the interaction and preparation of the horse for future learning.
Horse Training and Desensitizing Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach discusses the dangers of not believing the horse's fear, defensiveness, and concern and how some training approaches can create dangerous behaviors in the animal.
Addressing the misconceptions of "making" the horse comply versus teaching the horse how to learn. How "desensitizing" can cause the horse to become mentally defensive and physically dangerous.
So many people make it a stressful, fearful, and Traumatizing experience for the horse. All from a human-created ego and urgency, often without any preparation in the skills taught to the horse in how to think through, search, and try. I'm sharing the final aspect of teaching BLM mustang filly Calamity Jane about trailer loading. I initially taught her to load and Unload (backing out) with the lead rope to offer specific and clear communication. Then I present the trailer in a new way giving her an Opportunity to be curious about.
Why does offering the horse time matter?
If you've been following BLM mustang Calamity Jane's journey you'll have been hearing about her progress from wild to mild.
The initial building of clear, specific communication, short and segmented sessions allowed her Time to learn how to think through what is being presented and have a willingness to try and trust...
This was the first day I played with her at the trailer. We did a couple of slow approaches, hanging out "thinking in" the trailer, asking for one foot in, then asking her to put it back. Then moved away and did something else as a spatial and mental release from the pressure of the trailer.
Then this happened...
Imagine if when horses experienced new scenarios it remained this low stress...
#alternativeHorsemanship#trailerloading#blmmustang
Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey recounts the young horse's education of BLM mustang Calamity Jane and the first few farrier learning experiences and Opportunities.
Explaining how preparation and skills can help make new and unfamiliar scenarios not overwhelming to the young horse and build their confidence.
Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel for weekly videos in the ask the horse trainer Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series, watch insight in the #tipswithpippin horseback riding series, and enjoy other weekly equine behavior videos.
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Hyper Alert Horses by Alternative Horsemanship
Horses that lack confidence in new scenarios are often hyper-alert... This helps break down the behaviors and postures that indicate the difference between defensive fixation and curiosity in the horse.
Subscribe to the channel for new weekly episodes.
Here's a quick glimpse into just a few of the horses who arrived for help this summer...
It isn't about making the horse tolerate the human but instead helping them learn to trust and willingly offer to participate.
Most equine rehabilitation or re-education scenarios I have are a result of ego-based human "training" attempts of "making" the horse comply. More often than not, this approach results in unwanted and dangerous scenarios for both the horse and the human.
Everything starts with the Quality of how the horse offers to be caught. If it begins with chasing, aggressive human behavior, or the horse having to mentally shut down to tolerate the person, what will the rest of the session look like?
#alternativeHorsemanship#RemoteHorseCoach#horsemanship
This mare has a history of bucking (and a very traumatic past,) so part of her re-education is to assume nothing and rebuild from the ground up.
I thought I'd share a short clip of what preparing a horse to be saddled looks like for me. In this case, I'm looking for feedback from the horse as to what may be triggering her anticipation, physical tension, or mental avoidance.
This is the first time we did this. Practice first noticing how many different forms of pressure are being presented.
Assess the horse's focus, breathing, movement, the stance at the halt, etc.
Watch for how she interacts with my communication.
What do you see? Everything is a learning opportunity if you commit to seeing beyond the superficial "obedient goal" and search for quality interactions.
**Please do NOT go and randomly try this at home- you and your horse could easily and quickly get into a wreck if you haven't established the fundamentals that go into the "bigger picture."
