Often I talk about what I call "the Conversation" with the horse. This applies throughout any interaction with the horse.
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Horses and the Round Pen- How to not weaponize it
There was an article on anti-round pen usage... Here is my perspective/response:
Horsemanship- The Detriment of "I want"
Has the urgency of "I want" limited Quality in your equine partnership? If the priority is, "I want," how available are you to hear, acknowledge, and address the horse?
Horses: The Sales Pitch vs Reality- Horse buying gone wrong
We didn't capture Day 1 unfortunately, which means you don't have the severity of her flee or defensiveness as a reference, or what it took to just get her halter off.
I wanted to show how hard she'd be triggered but had to choose between triggering that for the viewer's sake, and if I did, what I would be teaching her about future experiences with me. For her sake, I chose the "boring" course.
Some studies recently said humans only have a few seconds longer attention span than goldfish.
I find a lot of horse videos are dramatic, fast-paced, high intensity to keep viewers engaged. What I'm sharing is about as opposite from that as you could get.
I'll be doing a detailed breakdown in an online course with more footage and me doing voice-over teaching explaining the communication, her behaviors, how to influence a change in her thoughts and let go of her initial flee, avoidance, defensiveness, and fear replacing it with curiosity and a willingness to try.
It is a 20-minute video clip. Use it as an opportunity for self-reflection. Many people watch horse videos inserting their own emotional filter. Perhaps watch as an observer? Notice if you anticipate her behaviors as you watch? Imagine if you were there if you'd "do or want more"?
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In case you missed the original post about here:
The sales pitch said this:
Tulip is a super fancy gorgeous buckskin quarter horse mare that stands 15.1 hands tall and has as much eye appeal as you could ever want in a horse. She is a 11 year old AQHA mare, she has been used for play days, 4-H, barrels and poles at the WSR a barrel races, And she has also been trail ridden extensively, she has a super good neck rein, walk trot lopes around extremely nice. She is good to catch, good for the Ferrier, loads and unloads good, good with other horses, Stands tied, Tulip does have one vice, She really doesn’t like her ears messed with, at some point in time someone must’ve rough handled her ears and now until she trusts you she does not like them messed with much.
Barn Name: Tulip
DOB- 11 years old
Height- 15.1 Hands
Color- Buckskin
Gender- Mare
Price- $5000
Rider- Advanced Beginner & Up
Disciplines-
Playdays
Barrels & Poles
4H
Open Shows
Trail Riding
"I think you would really like her she is a super broke super fun Mare that is 100% safe she only has one little quirk that she doesn’t like her ears messed with but isn’t bad about it someone at some point must’ve been very rough with her ears and now until she can trust you she is a little bit worried about it but extremely sweet and very easy to ride and very broke."
She was shipped across the country and delivered. It took her unsuspecting new owner two hours to get a halter on. Couldn't touch, tie, or trailer. The one riding attempt the horse started running backward at full speed.
She's had her a year and can do nothing other than catching her being very, very careful.
Here's my first session assessment:
Massive deep scarring in between her chest muscles as if impaled by something like a t-post, with random divets of missing flesh throughout her body, all healed. She's completely sound.
Atrophy and nerve damage to the left side of her face with trauma to the eye which is set deeper.
Any movement with "intention" towards her, she's fearfully running.
Raise your arms, horses in pasture move, trucks on the road slowly going past, she's running.
One tight, trembling, fearful horse. This isn’t just a case of bad training, but true trauma.
I got her to mentally acknowledge me and "lead" without the rope attached. Then it took about 10 minutes to get her to accept my hand anywhere in the proximity of her head to attach the rope to the halter.
After doing so, she was quivering, in her muzzle and shaking in her body. It was 85 degrees out.
As soon as the rope was attached, she was mentally gone, and physically locked up and braced in her body. As in hyperventilating in her breathing, hard severe steps, inflated neck, and torso. I touched her neck with a finger and she bolted sideways as if touching an electric fence.
I moved her to a temporary small area where I can work with her to start to build trust. Then I needed to get the halter off. It took close to 20 minutes for her not to thrash her head away, get ready to run off, or go flying backward.
One of my biggest peeves in the equine industry is how many professionals will lead on their clients promising blue sky potential. I'm quite the opposite because I think people need a realistic perspective to not be hopeful about how very much it will take to help a horse like this progress and recover. That way growth is appreciated and recognized without an end agenda overshadowing true, long-term changes and healing in the equine.
But these scenarios truly make me angry. Another website selling "pretty" horses that could get someone killed. I'm frustrated for both the horses and unsuspecting owners.
Horse Training: Illusions & Misperceptions
The Illusion of "Horse Training"
One of the greatest negative contributors in the horse industry (to both the human and horse) is the misperception of "Horse Training."
Horsemanship: Not being distracted by the dramatic behaviors
Why do I live this lifestyle and commit myself to this type of unrelenting, physically demanding, challenging work?
For moments like this.
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