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.

Finding a Horse Boarding Facility- How to Choose the Right One

Choosing the right barn to board your horse means knowing what questions to ask and what to look for when visiting boarding facilities. In this video, we discuss the important features to consider, like cost, other horse owners, facility rules, owner responsibility, and the health of the animals currently boarding.

Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel for the Tuesday Trainer Tips series and the Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series on Fridays.

Help- My horse suddenly stops moving forward!

The theme of the past few days has been new folks asking for help with horses that are going "fine" and then the horse "randomly" or suddenly stops, or quits, moving forward.

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.

Horse Buying Check List- Red Flag Behaviors

There are several warning signs to consider before buying a horse, especially to make sure they're a good fit. In this video, Sam shares tips to help horse shoppers understand if a horse is appropriate for their abilities and goals. Are the sellers hiding something? Learn how to spot dishonest sellers and avoid buying a dangerous horse.

Horse and Rider Mental Distractions

Horse and Rider Mental Distractions

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.

Stop Ignoring the Horse's Behaviors

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

*Dangerous and Unwanted Behaviors

Is the horse biting, kicking, pacing, weaving, bucking, fussy, hard to catch, difficult to saddle, grinding his teeth, will not stand still, or displaying other unwanted and dangerous behaviors? Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach discusses this topic and recognizes symptoms of fear, defensiveness, anticipation, and potential pain in the horse.

Am I ready to buy a horse? Horse Buying Checklist- Self Assessment- Part 1

#alternativehorsemanship #horseshopping #horsebuying Before you start horse shopping Sam shares tips to better understand what kind of horse will best be suited for your horseback riding abilities, goals, and budget. Part 2 Horse Buying Checklist: https://youtu.be/Edxrqdzd5OA WHEN HORSE AD LIES: https://youtu.be/BU0SDxd3F8Q DANGEROUS HORSES SOLD TO NAIVE BUYERS: https://youtu.be/Q7ZtLG1y4z0

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.

 

Horse Problems- Tacking up Assessment

Most people never consider how the horse responds to just the sight of tack or notice if there are Quality Conversations while doing so.

Each part of the 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 frequently is suppressed.

I suggest practicing tacking the horse without tying him. The goal is not about getting tacked up.

 
It is an Opportunity to notice how your horse feels about standing while you are moving around him.

Horse Problems- TOP 5 Unintentional Interfering Human Behaviors

Horse Problems: Interfering Human Behaviors

As folks are learning with their horse or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting, they can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, posture, energy, and movement.

 
Without meaning to, as a person is trying to mentally understand and physically coordinate something new with the horse, the human through their own behaviors may also be conveying unintentional signals to their horse.

 
This can add to the confusion between horses and humans when attempting to change old patterns of how the interaction between them has been.

So here's a checklist for My TOP 5 Physical Assessment of yourself any time you work with your horse, but especially if you feel out of your "comfort zone."

Horse Goals vs Creating a Quality Equine Partnership

Horse Goals vs Creating Quality Equine Partnerships

It is very easy to fall into a pattern of setting goals and getting fixated on them while losing sight of assessing if there's quality during the interaction 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.

Equine Rehabilitation and Horse Re-education what is involved? Addressing the viral video

A recent video I posted on TikTok got over 1.1 million views in about 72 hours showing the Before and After of a horse that had arrived for "bad and dangerous behavior" issues such as biting, kicking, bucking, bolting, striking, etc. when the root cause was the amount of pain he was currently in, his past mental and physical traumas, and the strong distrust towards humans. This is a response video explaining what is involved in the way I approach equine rehabilitation and building the Horse's trust. Here's the link to the Before & After Horse Rehab video https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRaJTJ5s/