Young Horse Training and Education- Mental, Emotional, and Physical Maturity

 Gentle Reminder...

Although most equine enthusiasts want to do right by their horses, many are pushed into starting to ride horses at far too young of an age.

Heavy Horse Problems?

It is all connected

This is a great visual example of the "strings" I often talk about throughout the horse's body. The trickle-down effect of how one body part influences another, even if literally at the other end of the horse's body.

Horse Education- Rescue and Auction Bound Equines by Alternative Horsemanship

Thirty years ago, I never had the intention that my "specialty" would become helping very troubled horses due to their previous human experiences.

But here I am with probably 85% of the horses that arrive, are here for mental, emotional, and physical rehabilitation and then re-education.

Refining the Liberty Act- Behind the Scenes with Alternative Horsemanship

A quick glimpse into helping local performers refine their upcoming liberty act. It will be the first time all four horses are performing together.

Horses, Time, Patience- Sweet Video of Horses

What if we allowed the horse and ourselves the Opportunities of creating Quality Conversations without society-based "have tos..." What might the interaction look like then?

Considering the Horse: Assessing the fearful and abused horse

Observing the Horse: Starting with the fearful and abused horse... by Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach

She's 2 years old and came out of a very bad situation. She's had about 6 months off to just be a horse and gain weight. Her current owner has been unsuccessful in perking the mare's curiosity to participate to any degree with the human. 

I see far too many scenarios where a horse already is fearful and reactive, and people are continuously adding pressure in a manner that is challenging to the horse. 

These are the type of horses who will climb the fence and are seemingly unable to literally see what is in front of them when extreme flight emotions are triggered. If I approach working with her in a "have to" or "make her" manner, there will be no success and I will reinforce what she's already experienced about the human. 

The goal is not about getting her close to me but rather reawakening her curiosity which will replace her fear, which then diminishes the flee and instead she can offer thoughtful, reasonable behavior. 

I will be filming much of our sessions together and creating a course on my Remote Horse Coach video catalog site for those interested in this aspect of horsemanship. 

Considering the Horse: Movement by Alternative Horsemanship

Considering the Horse: Movement (Sound on) The pinto is 25 and semi-retired. The roan is nearing 20 and had a history of physical trauma. Different horses have different requirements and as they age the interaction needs to be adapted. Replay the video a few times to practice "seeing"- balance using the head and neck, engagement of hindquarters, lifting in of spine, pressure, and absorption in fetlock area, etc. The more you understand about the horse's movement, the better you can't recognize and decipher root causes vs symptoms of unwanted physical maneuvers.

Horse Conversations: Building Trust in the Fearful and Traumatized Equine

A Glimpse into helping the Horse by Alternative Horsemanship

Someone recently said, "Sam I love the word you use but I don't understand them. You mention things like Conversation, being mentally available, and searching. What does that mean when you're interacting with the horse?" 

Then I came across this video footage of a severe case from a horse that arrived for help last year. You couldn't get near her, touch her, she was incredibly head shy, and had a lot of PTSD from her previous human experiences. Her bad had massive scarring from a violent past. She'd been sold via video as a Beginner Safe Horse. 

This video shares a glimpse into one of the first few sessions with her. It is an example of what a Conversation with the horse can look like, the shift of when they start to become mentally available to acknowledge the human, and what searching can look like.