Encouraging Curiosity in the Horse as the Training Continues

Curiosity in the Horse

I had a horse... one of those "I didn't mean to acquire him" types... one of those the hoarding breeder got out of control and ran out of money with a bunch of malnourished pregnant mares... one of those orphaned colts as a consequence. I tried to say no... but Pico wound up with me. He was Curious. Not the most confident nor athletic with his clubbed foot, but he sure did keep everyone entertained. 

Adjusting the Human Perspective: Pain in Horses

A horse that is curious about training...

Many horses and humans live with pain to varying degrees on a daily basis. If you've even been injured or having ongoing pain, think about the all-consuming feeling and emotional state the pain triggered in you.

• How functional were/are you?
• Were/are you in a frame of mind to learn something new?
• How was/is your patience levels?
• How long could/can you focus?
• Could you/can you physically stay still, get comfortable, or relaxed?

Preparing your horse for "life"- including not killing the farrier

As a trainer who over the years has gained a reputation unintentionally for working with horses often after the "mainstream" ways of training have not worked, (think big, dramatic and dangerous horses,) I receive many requests for help after all else has "failed." Many unwanted behaviors arise during the handling of horses in everyday scenarios. Two big challenges for many people is trailer loading and having their horse stand well for the farrier.

Cause vs the Symptom: Horses that quit or abruptly stop moving forward

With current world events, I've been doing a lot of Remote Horse Coaching. For folks that have access to their horses, one of the "spring" themes seems to be horses that were going "fine" and then "randomly" or suddenly started stopping, where they abruptly quit moving forward, either when led or ridden.

Using a round pen- an Alternative Horsemanship perspective

I find 95% of folks misuse a round pen, whether under the guise of "exercising" or teaching conditioned responses, an example being the lesser of two evils is to turn, face the human, and be caught rather than made to run; which is a bullying tactic. The problem with teaching conditioned responses and patterns is the day you change the routine, the horse does not know how to react because his responses have been obedient versus thoughtful. Sometimes, this creates him throwing a tantrum or seemingly becoming a fire breathing dragon instead of the horse you're used to. 

Communicating with the Horse

Do you ever think of the interaction with your horse as a Conversation?

Dangerous Horse Behavior: Food Aggression

Question: My 3-year-old gelding has developed a habit of dipping his neck down, then shaking his head at me at feeding time. He didn't do this over summer, of the two youngsters he was the most respectful. I assume his attitude says he is more important than I am, and wonder how to correct him. He is second to the mare in herd status, she is just 4 but very dominant over him, but accepts me as the lead mare. Why has my lovely Chinook taken such a turn? Had him since he was a baby, and the only difference is, its Alaska and its winter so I don't spend as much time with them.

Learning to Believe the Horse's Communication

A client's mule from a few years ago...

30+ years ago when I started out with horses I never would have thought my journey would evolve as it has... The variety of disciplines and animals I've worked with was not exactly intentional, but rather part of my evolving journey. The more exposure I had to unfamiliar experiences, the more I wanted to learn.

Whether it was 3 Day Eventing, jumpers, Dressage, racehorses, driving, ranch roping, moving cattle, cutting, reined cow horse, packing in the mountains, colt starting, Horsemanship, or rehabilitating dangerous horses, each area had something to add to my foundation of understanding. Over the years my experiences ranged in working with a variety of breeds such as Thoroughbreds, ponies, Warmbloods, Arabians, Heavy and Light Drafts, Chilean Criollos, east Asian horses, gaited horses, Mustangs, Mules, and many others.

Practice Listening to the Horse

We could gain a lot more out of our relationships if we practiced listening and hearing more, especially when comes to interacting with the horse.

Trail Riding with your Horse: All the right Ingredients

One of the greatest challenges I have is getting folks to switch from reactive to proactive behavior with their horse. Although for a majority of people riding is supposed to be a fun outlet or escape from other aspects of their life, it isn't always the romanticized experience that initially inspires most folks to start riding in the first place. But it can quickly become an emotionally frustrating experience when the human has intentions that may not yet be appropriate for their own abilities or that of their horse. 

The Follow Through with the Horse

I was recently asked a great follow up question and thought I'd share my response here. Paraphrasing here, I was asked what happens if you try to be aware and support your horse 99% of the time, but "miss" the 1 % when a horse's behavior catches you off guard. Is it just horses being horses or? So I thought I'd share my answer in today's post.

Preparing the Horse for Realistic Unknowns

If you have the opportunity to spend time with your horse, there are plenty of ways to learn to notice any unintentionally conditioned behaviors in them.

Why Horsemanship matters in Everyday Scenarios

Why "it" matters...
Yesterday in preparation for embracing truly remote isolation for the next few months, I had to pick up three different horses (all currently at private, remote desert locations) and bring them to a fourth private farm to meet the vet.

I haven't taught in person in the last month, and these horses will be making the 1,400-mile journey north through country most folks in the USA have never even been to. Do you know what it is like to drive for 300 miles on one road and only pass a few other vehicles? My rig is self-sustained, including with enough fuel so that we never have to engage with another human to make the entire trip! We will summer in isolation in the heart of the rocky mountains.

Horse Training Approach: What do you do with horses?

People often ask "what kind of horse training do you do?" I say, "I work with people and horses."

In the traditional world of horses, not categorizing yourself meant that you didn't really know a whole lot about anything. Nowadays I find it quite ironic how many students I have that many of my clients come from "specialized" trainers but are having major issues on fundamental basics with their horses and the specialized trainers are unable to help them through the situations other than forcing the horses into submission through fearful and aggressive tactics.

Mindfulness in our Horsemanship

As with most things, there is a learning curve in the progression and improvement of Horsemanship. It involves recognizing, understanding and then grasping concepts and building the skillset not only in the mechanics of the "hands-on" communication but also learning how to achieve quality interaction with the horse. 

Desensitizing the Horse vs Supporting the Horse

I don't try to desensitize or de-spook a horse. Instead the more the horse is mentally available and engaged in a Conversation with the human, the less overwhelming the world can be.

Addressing the horse's thought before his physical behavior...

Rather than the handler or rider critiquing the horse's unwanted behavior, the person needs to "dig deeper" and address the root cause of it.

Getting fixated on stopping the obvious physical actions may temporarily curb the horse's initial actions, but it will not address the root cause of them.

If the behavior is only contained or criticized, the original unsought movement will evolve into a new undesirable one.

The horse's actions are a reflection of his mental and emotional state. If we prioritize having quality conversations with the horse helping him to learn to think through what we are presenting, he can then offer a soft, reasonable, physical "try" in his response to our requests.

Horse Video-Supporting the horse

Upcoming Alternative Horsemanship Webinars

April 4. 2020   11am PST or 6pm GMT

May 2, 2020  11am PST or 6pm GMT

June 6, 2020  11am PST or 6pm GMT

Details

Horsemanship Webinar with Samantha Harvey

What: Horsemanship webinar with Samantha Harvey
When: Saturday April 4, 2020 @ 11am-noon pst
6pm-7pm GMT
Where: Closed, private Facebook Group
Cost: $20 USD or £16

Discount Available- Email Me for 30% off

What you get:
This will be a one-hour, live, interactive, four-part webinar that will address:

• Assessing the horse
• Assessing the human
• What do defensive thoughts look like physically?
• Changing Patterns in Humans & Horses

How does it work? You click HERE

to sign up. Complete the form with your payment. You will be sent an invite link to the Facebook group. 24 hours prior to the event you will receive a reminder about the Webinar. Join in on the group about five minutes before the scheduled LIVE event.

Discounts: Have a friend you want to join in with? Use code

FAQs: 

What if I can't join in part or all of the LIVE session? No problem. The webinar

will remain posted in the group for one week following the event. 

What if I want to watch it again? No problem. You can replay it as many times as possible.

Will there be an opportunity to ask questions? Yes, if you are participating during the LIVE event version.

Have questions? Email me

Join: Click HERE

Three Mares in a pasture: Curious Horse Video

This was an unexpected moment I captured in the pasture with a client's three horses. One is a rescue paint mare, another is a filly brought in from the wild, and the last is an endurance Morab mare. Each horse has their own confidence and curiosity levels that they offer in their human interaction.

Grooming the Horse for Feedback

#MustangMareMoments

Supporting the Defensive "Purging" of a Horse

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

"During several of your training sessions with my horses, you reported that they were "purging." They were definitely different horses following this event. Could you explain what this is and how to tell when a horse is doing this.....and maybe why." Many horses I encounter have a level of continuous emotional containment. This creates mental stress and a physical tightness in their behavior.

Opportunities: Improving Horsemanship Horse Video

Ready to take a new path? Make proactive choices? Rebuild your confidence? Learn to recognize and understand what your horse needs?
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One click... one choice... Why not?
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Evolving your Horsemanship to Improve the Equine Partnership

Too many people are unclear in what, where and how they communicate with their horse. They unintentionally "challenge" the horse into guessing what they want. Then they reprimand the horse every time he can't figure it out. Or they present a task using the same manner of communication repetitiously, driving the horse's stress levels up, until he accidentally figures out what the person is asking. The more the horse has to "guess" at what the person wants, the more he will tune out the person's aids or communication and can become dull and unresponsive to the aids or feel like he is "taking over" during the session. 

Self Reflection Opportunities Improving the relationship with our Horse

I find during these stressful times, self-reflection in the emotional struggles folks are currently experiencing can also be applied to better understanding the challenges they may also be facing with their horses.