What is Alternative Horsemanship?

I was recently asked about the "Alternative Horsemanship" and why I use that to describe what I do. So I thought I'd share with the group my answer...
The interpretation of "Alternative" Horsemanship is relative to your current perception and word association... as the human student's awareness and recognition of believing the horse's communication evolve, so does their translation of what Alternative "is."

Time and Horses

Enjoying the moment...

Even though there's always something "to do" on the farm, I've been intentionally working towards slowing my own thoughts down.

Yes, I check one thing off the list and add four more projects.

But that is irrelevant to the horses. As is time.

Learning to recognize and change how we respond to triggers that create an "urgency" in our own human patterns of thoughts, emotions and behaviors can completely alter the relationship with the horse.

The human can still have clarity, intention, and a goal, yet without adding the chaos that appears when the Conversation with the horse becomes a dictatorship rather than two-way communication.

Starting a horse under saddle

 I spy... Can you find the new arrival? 

He and his human counterpart recently participated in a Full Immersion Clinic and she decided to bring him in for training to be started under saddle. 

 His past is unknown as she acquired him at auction a year ago. The only thing clear was he was very reactive to the world around him. 

 Part of my goal to help prepare him for life is to help him learn how to think through scenarios, search for options, and to keep trying in a reasonable manner, even if what he originally offered wasn't what was desired.  

One of the things in seeing a horse like this is a reminder of when I come across horses that are as cute as he is, is that often the human's emotions have clouded the perception of what the horse is expressing in his own emotions and is being reflected in their physical behavior. 

This causes unintentional filtering of how a person interprets horse behavior, causing passive support towards the horse when he really needs proactive interaction and guidance. 

Would you like help in assessing your horse to clarify how to approach working with him? Find out more HERE

The horse's head postion

Often I talk about the Conversation with the horse. This applies throughout any interaction with the horse. Recently I was asked about correct head postion. 

The Horse: Valuing the Whole Experience

Decades ago I was an apprentice and working student at a variety of facilities in both North America and in the UK. 

Creating a willing horse by teaching them to search

The "search" is when we ask the horse to learn how to focus mentally and then physically offer a specific response, in other words, much of our Conversations with the horse is about them searching for what we are presenting.

Conversations with Horses

 

In the horse world I find there can be a lot fear, negativity and critique. This can be overwhelming, frustrating and depressing for many. 

Video Horse Coaching: Distance Learning Programs

 I've had a lot of inquiries about video coaching lately... It is such a great opportunity for learning. Some folks are concerned initially about how complicated it will be, it isn't.

Reviewing the Release with the Horse

 Reviewing The Release

As with everything much left to interpretation when it comes to terminology in association with horses. I try to be clear and precise in the words that I'm offering, but there still can be a gray area in the human student's understanding. This often comes from their level of awareness, background, and unintentional anticipation/expectation of their mind "getting ahead" of wherever they are currently at with their horse. I thought I'd share my perspective of a release with a horse. Here are a few of my thoughts:

What one horse experiences as a release, could be pressure or stress-inducing to another. Often what humans assume a release of pressure is (whether physical or spatial) is not perceived by the horse in the same way, and defeats the purpose. The release is not about "asking nothing," but is a time for the horse to mentally process and emotionally purge any potentially defensive emotions. But if he is "left" standing with tension, concern, or is distracted while offered a release, it will be containment for the horse, rather than a processing opportunity. There is no set "time" as for the length of the release, it needs to be appropriate for the particular scenario and individual horse. Often the human is assuming the initial release is enough, rather than assessing the horse during/after the release to recognize if the horse needed more time, support, etc. to truly let down and process.

If the horse is dramatically/quickly "rushing" out of a release moment, then it wasn't a release.

If the horse is unable to continually release throughout the human interaction, probably too much, too fast has been imposed upon him, and can lead to mentally overwhelming and physically unreasonable behaviors.

Lining up a horse for mounting video

Behind "how to lead a horse," I think "how to line up a horse" for mounting is the second most searched for topic online, followed by "trailer loading issues."

Here's the first time Hazel is learning to help pick me up from the trailer. Join me HERE for daily posts and tips on improving your horsemanship. 

Would you like individualized coaching? Check out the Remote Horse Coach site for a variety of options.

One Step at a Time with the Horse

 It is very easy to become overwhelmed with everything that "isn't" or is challenging, frustrating, and exhausting with our horses. 

Changing Worried Horse Behaviors

Changing Worried Horse Behaviors

Helping the Horse with Worried Eyes Question: 

"Hi Samantha, The other day you talked about stress showing around the horse's eyes. I recently bought & watched your "Reading the Horse" series, and it helped me get better at seeing more subtle signs of tension sooner. It's really helpful. Thank you for making those videos available!

Leading the horse with Quality

Why your personal space matters... I see too many folks dragging their horse into their left shoulder blade. 

This often comes from a horse dragging on the lead rope, which may not seem bad when walking straight, but it becomes obvious when a turn is made. 

So ask yourself this: 

How often do you check-in with the horse before you make a turn to assess how soft the horse is in their response to pressure with the lead rope? 

How often do you notice if you grip with your fingers tighter on the rope as you make a turn? 

Does your horse get heavier on the rope as a turn progresses? Is your horse looking the opposite way from the direction you are turning? 

Does your horse change their energy during the turn? 

Do you offer the horse to think through and then move around the turn in quarter sections? 

If your horse offers something unwanted to you stop and address it, or wait and "fix it" later? 

 Every moment with the horse is an opportunity to refine the clarity and specificity of the Conversation. It isn't "about" the turn itself, but rather a scenario that allows you to assess clearly the interaction and address any unwanted thoughts or movement.

 The more intention you have during the seemingly insignificant moments, the more your horse learns to mentally with you, allowing for a physical reasonableness, no matter what may arise.

Teaching a horse to Search to improve the Partnership

The Search

 I balance between working with a horse both on the lead rope and loose. 

 In this scenario, with Pardner the goal is for him to address when I ask him to think, then move with intention.

 It is an opportunity for him to think through his options, try something, perhaps let it go if I ask him to, and then to be willing to try something else. 

 I'm looking to see if he gets stuck on a thought, or if he has the ability to address me, if he can pause when asked to stop or if he has to leave to sort himself out. 

 In the end, he "happens" to be asked to step into a tire cutout. But the focus was not about the task, rather the Quality of the Conversation, that then allowed the horse to "find" the specific task presented. 

 I don't want conditioned or patternized responses from the horse. I want him to be interested in participating and willing to try. Is the about getting him to be obedient? No. It is creating a scenario where we can practice the Conversation together which will apply to any future scenario with him, whether from the ground or while I'm in the saddle.