Learn horse behavior, communication, and improve horsemanship skills in weekly articles from Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach. Sharing her horse training philosophy developed over three decades. She coaches riders of all experience levels in clinics worldwide and offers distance horse coaching, instruction, and consults. Her horse video learning catalog has webinars, courses, classes and more. Subscribe on all social media platforms #alternativehorsemanship
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
How do I find a quality horse trainer?
Watch the latest episode on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel.
Click the link
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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."
A rider's physical tightness usually starts with clenched seat bones. This tension, creates rigidity that travels up the spine between their shoulder blades, into their neck and shoulders, down the upper and then forearm, ending with gripping in their fingers on the reins. From the seat down, there's often a shortened leg position, with an outward turned knee and toe, and a clamped hamstring and calf.
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What does Quality with the horse mean to you?
What do you consider as Success?
How
often do you connect how the horse's mind and emotions influence his
physical responses, versus fixating on containing/blocking/driving his
movement?
Where is your focus during the equine interactions?
Are you mentally present and available to acknowledge and address the horse's feedback? Without triggering his fear?
Do
you ever adapt your original goal whether temporarily, short or even
long-term, to prioritize first building trust, try, and willingness in
the horse?
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
Horse Training Tips :
Are you teaching the horse Physical Compliance without engaging his mind?
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach shares a horse video reflecting a physically compliant horse but not mentally present. Without the horse learning to think, search, and try, he will not be mentally redirectable or adaptable. Watch on the YouTube Channel
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Horse Time Mindfulness
Photo is of a very dedicated student who wore this shirt she made to an Alternative Horsemanship clinic...
1. Many people focus (and worry) about doing things "right" and don't realize their concern has affected consistent, regular breathing when anticipating or being"hopeful."
The effects include:
* rigid and delayed communication offered to the horse
*mental & physical fatigue
* limits their physical adaptability to assess and address the horse in real-time
2. Many people offer constant negative criticism towards the horse (often after he has offered an unwanted response,) rather than communicating what I call Positive Alternatives. Offering proactive communication to help the horse mentally engage and offer physical responses that he CAN do.
Always communicating after-the-fact criticism teaches the horse to be defensive toward the human communication.
