Poop Patterns in Horses

Manure can tell you so much about a horse's health and stress levels in its consistency, texture, timing it is passed, etc.

But today I want to talk about something I've noticed over the years. Horses that come in for starting, re-educating, or refinement in their training are at various levels of exposure, confidence, and experience. They come from all over the country and are of many different breeds.

I believe socialization, freedom of movement, exposure to natural elements, and wildlife are important aspects of their education. They are kept in wooded area pastures at night and during the day are allowed to graze in herds in open grass fields.

I often joke I'm a grounds maintenance keeper and work with horses "on the side." I like to keep things neat and tidy and spend hours trying to keep up with the facility. So I notice things, like WHERE the horses poop.

Over the years I've realized there is a commensurate "evolution" in where horses decide to pass manure when they are out grazing during the day time in relation to their training.

In the beginning soon after they arrive, they poop wherever they may be grazing at the moment. As their mental availability and thoughtfulness starts to increase in our sessions together, they start to intentionally move closer to places where manure has been passed in the past. Then as they become more available and willing in "trying" and "searching" during their interactions with me, they start to consistently walk to a specific place to pass manure when grazing, in the same place, each day.

Even with me cleaning up manure daily, they will return to nearly the identical spot to relieve themselves, whether or not other horses have passed manure there recently.

I find the more mentally quiet and emotionally relaxed a horse is, the cleaner they are in where they decide to intentionally poop. If I hadn't noticed this consistently happening over the years with so many horses, I would have categorized the individual horse as a "messy" or clean horse.

But upon closer intentional observations, I have concluded that it, just as with all things horses do, is not an accident. It is yet another reflection of how their interaction with the human affects what their mental and emotional state is when they are on their own.

Horse Training Video- Having Conversations with Horses

Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey Remote Horse Coach shares a moment captured impromptu on the farm. In this unrehearsed video, she shares what Conversation with the horse... or five of them can be like. Join her on your journey of Horsemanship Learn more about the "Reading the Horse" Online Course HERE

Building a horse's trust and try

Evolving journey of rebuilding a horse's trust and try...

Myofascial system of the Horse and his physical responses

Here is a recent article I came across by The Equine Documentalist:

The myofascial system is a newly explored phenomenon in the horse. Studies into its complexity show us just how interconnected the whole anatomy of the horse is.

Note how many of the lines go all the way into the hooves. Considering every anatomical point along a myofascial line directly affects every other point, and the position and orientation of each point will affect the position and orientation of every other through the concept of bio-tensegrity, we can see that the hoof will be subject to the physiological state of the body and vice versa. As we further investigate these concepts and relationships the compartmentalising of the hoof and the rest of the musculoskeletal system will be replaced with a more holistic outlook.  Read and watch for more info.
https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/myofascial-trains-kinetic-chains-and-antalgic-posture-their-farriery-relevance
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https://youtu.be/3MluJpAy0Zo

Presenting familiar scenarios to horse while creating a new experience

Whenever I'm working with a new horse, I offer them a "clean slate" and assume nothing, irrelevant of their age or supposed training and riding background.

Mental Search vs. Task Fixation in Horse Behavior

Search vs. Task

How many thoughts and behaviors can you recognize in this young horse as he searches for what I'm asking?

When the human allows space for the horse to learn to take the time and sort through his options, it teaches the horse to be thoughtful and intentional vs reactive to the human's request.

This creates a mentally available vs physically tolerant equine partner.

Want to learn more? This horse is used as one of 7 demo horses in the "Reading the Horse" online course 🐎🎥💻. Click the link for the June COURSE details!

Re-Educating the Horse: Building Try and Trust

You can enjoy a brief video clip here

This horse arrived for a re-start. Besides addressing his pain and physical issues, I also need to re-educate him on the human experience.

Bad Weather & Horse Behavior- Learning Opportunity for Building Trust

It was been raining... for days. Gray, dark, windy, and cold. You can't see the rear of the property. Every simple task becomes a "chore" as I pile on the layers of clothing, jacket, scarf, and hat to head out and mentally head out into the blustery weather.