Assessing the horse's health - relative to his diet

 

 I am not an equal nutritionist, nor a vet, but this is a generalized list of things I've learned to see based on the last three decades of working with many unhealthy horses.

Horse Behavior - Herd Dynamics

 Herd Dynamics 

In the summer there is a continuous rotation of horses on the farm as equines arrive from all parts of the country. They stay various lengths of time, depending on their individual needs in their re-education and often rehabilitation. 

Supporting the "Purging" horse

This question was posed by a student of mine and I thought it'd be a great way to start the week.

Horse Behavior Tips and Questions

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Horse Transitions- Mental and Physical

 

Most horses I meet fall into two categories:

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

Or

*Hyper reactive and overreacting with fast, fleeing movement when moving forward

Being Hopeful with Horses

 

Hopefulness. Waiting and Seeing. Reactive Riding. Taking the "try" and willingness out of your horse. What do all of the above have in common? They are a domino effect that occurs in the riding world far too often. Let me explain.

Alternative Horsemanship™ Defensive Horse Behavior Livestream

 Join Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach on Tuesday, July 15th, at 6pm pdt, for a discussion on how to interrupt default defensive equine behaviors and offering Positive Alternative communication to help the horse let go of unwanted responses in a reasonable manner.

 

Click to register or join the LIVE version.

Click HERE to watch the REPLAY through July. 

 

Why Enjoying the Equine Interactions Matter

 

Many times when I'm teaching a student, if a tense moment arises, I will instruct them to pat their horse.

This is not for the sake of being "touchy-feely," rather for the release that happens within the rider when they touch their horse.

Without realizing it, they will exhale the breath they'd been unintentionally holding.

The rider will inevitably smile; this creates an emotional relaxation, which causes them to drain the tension they had been defensively carrying between their hands, forearm, shoulder blades, neck, lower spine, hamstrings, calves, and all the way through how they are leveraging on their stirrups. This mental shift influences their unintentional continuous gripping/bracing or containment of the horse, with a physical release of their aids.

The softening of the rigidity in the human's muscles is usually immediately mimicked in the horse's behavior and can be seen in his sighing, chewing, dropping his head, rapid blinking, passing manure, and overall deflation in his posture.

The pat, smile, and tension release in the human, allows for them to regroup and decrease the potentially overwhelming moment they experienced with the horse.

This affects the clarity and specificity in which the student can effectively communicate and can support the horse, building his confidence in their guidance.