Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach Articles and Advice Blog

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.

Rider Skills Finessing the Feel Livestream

Refining Biomechanics Part 2

Finessing the Feel

Discussing limiting contributors that affect the rider’s ability to have sensitivity, awareness, and availability towards the horse's communication.

Watch the Livestream in the Alternative Horsemanship Locals Community

Saturday September 23rd 9am pst

Watch Now

Replays Available

PC Cassandra Kendall Art Bonita

Avoiding Triggering the Fearful Horse

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Avoiding Triggering the Fearful Horse

Discussing Horse Help and Problems when trying to avoid triggering the Fearful and Distrustful Horse.

Weekly videos posted in the series on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.

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.

Changing the pattern in
the small day-to-day interactions can be a great opportunity to safely assess Holes in your Horsemanship, refine, communicate, and build trust.

If there are any "holes," it can be a safe time and place to start changing up the Conversation, and refining influencing thoughts, without the equine getting overwhelmed. All in preparation for future unfamiliar situations.

Improving the Quality of communication builds trust and reinforces your support towards the horse. Establishing this before the day of unexpected events allows for less traumatic or overwhelming scenarios for both humans and horses.

Fall Hoofprints & Happenings Alternative Horsemanship Newsletter

Enjoy the latest edition of the Fall 2023 Hoofprints and Happenings Newsletter HERE

Tying the Horse Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series

Tying the Horse

Discussing the commonly overlooked aspects of preparing the horse in his education that affect and influence him standing tied without offering chaos and unwanted equine behavior.

Click the link to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.

Refining Horse Rider Communication- Alternative Horsemanship Livestreams

Refining rider self-awareness to improve the quality of communication offered to the horse.

Part 1 Biomechanics of Rein Handling
Saturday Oct 16th 9am pst

Part 2 Finessing the Feel
Saturday Oct 23rd 9am pst

Part 3 Specificity & Timing
Monday Oct 25th 9am pst

Watch in the Alternative Horsemanship Locals Community
All LIVESTREAMS are available for replay.

Improving Horse Transitions

Horse Transitions- Mental and Physical

Most horses I meet fall into two categories:

*Fearful or defensive (tight, rigid, lethargic movement) when moving forward

*Hyperreactive and overreacting with fast, fleeing movement when moving forward

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.

Horse Training Discussing Pressure & Force Free

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series Horse Training & Pressure

Discussing horses, human communication using pressure and thoughts on force free approaches.

Does your horse understand your communication?

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series Does your horse understand your communication?

Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach trainer discusses how your horse may not understand your communication creating unwanted equine behaviors.

Horse Help- Problems with Mindless Horse Training Methods

I am the first to admit that I’m quite resistant to “step by step” methods of training.

I find that although what/how you ask something of your horse may “seem initially clear” with a one, two, or three type of instruction, due to the focus on the end goal, it also limits a person’s perspective in seeing what is ACTUALLY happening in what I call “real-time.”

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?

4 Horse Rider Tips with Alternative Horsemaship

4 Horse Rider Tips

Are you breathing?

When riders focus they tend to hold their breath. Talk. Tell your horse what you are doing (literally, it also helps you keep track.) Sing to him or whistle. Anything!

Breath is the most underrated aspect of interacting with our horse. It affects our softness and specificity, mental clarity, muscles, and the effectiveness of our aids.