Tamara Alazawi Horsemanship

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas to you! Thank you to all of my lovely clients, colleagues and friends…2 legged AND 4 legged! May you always carry that child-like joy in your heart in all of your horsey endeavours.

(Photo credit: unknown)

10/12/2023

I think this is going to be a very important course in understanding the long term impacts on performance and soundness. Please have a look!

NOW IN THE LIBRARY!!

The latest webinars have been added to the Onlinepethealth Equine Membership, including Linking Equine Asymmetry to Birth Trauma, with Dr Ian Bidstrup 💚

As a BONUS, Dr Bidstrup has shared an eBook on Birth Trauma with us!! Not only is this a great read, but it is a phenomenal resource to share with owners too!

If you want to access this webinar -
Comment:
MEMBER 👉 if you are an Onlinepethealth Equine Member
NON-MEMBER 👉 if you are not a member but want to know more about watching this webinar!

Schedule the time to watch this webinar NOW!

09/12/2023

Lessons will no longer be cancelled due to rain, because this! New hobby activated

07/12/2023

This is so cool! So many times we are faced with soundness issues that are not quite so easy to diagnose, but something is just not right. You may not always get the full picture with other methods of diagnosis but please listen to your gut whether or not your vet or body worker or trainer agrees. Abnormal movement is not always the first symptom, often behavioural issues begin long before and with much more subtlety than often thought.

This is a great opportunity to remember that the horse will most often try to please you and by the time they show any signs of discomfort or injury through behaviour or movement they have already been whispering (well before yelling!) that there is a problem.

26/11/2023

Had so much fun with Mt Barker Adult Riding Club at Antola Lodge today! Thank you all for coming along and trying a few new things. Such a lovely group of people and horses, and thank you Antola Lodge for providing such a beautiful and fun facility. Can’t wait to get there again!

25/11/2023

This lady is a gem

Until a person can find emotional stability, no horse or human can trust them.

I’ve been mulling this over quite a bit for a few weeks - how can we find the ability to process, accept and feel a full range of emotion, as a healthy human must, without becoming an emotional cyclone?

Both horses and humans interact with their world in the way that works for them. Horses and humans both can learn to shut down, or to escalate to threaten.

When emotions stir up, and people back down or back away, we train the horse or human to threaten more, to escalate to get what they want. We condition emotional instability.

When emotions stir up and we shut them down, we train horse or human to stop feeling to get through life.

A middle ground is necessary - feel the feelings but don’t live there. Don’t shut them out but don’t use them as a weapon either.

Every true horseman I’ve met in life has a way of accepting what’s in front of them without judgment, but shaping it with their calm. I see you, and understand your emotion, but you can’t threaten me with it- here is the place where you and I can safely interact together. They don’t escalate themselves while interacting, and they guide those around them to peace.

Emotional fitness - it is a rare treasure to find in someone. But it is the mark of a true horseman: see the emotion, they feel the emotion, but they don’t live there.

22/11/2023

Heck yes! I agree with Amy that “Lazy” is a dirty word! Similarly “stubborn” and “dumb”…

Quite often I hear horses who are not freely forward described as “lazy.” There are a few problems with this :

1- lazy is an anthropomorphic description. Horses don’t care about our ideas of work ethic, or even know what those are. Their priorities are eat, be secure in a herd, look out for danger, and eat. Their priorities are not inside leg to outside rein, they don’t care about doing straight flying changes, and they certainly don’t care that you have a show coming up. The only way they can become invested in your work is if it makes them feel good, as in brings them mental and physical well-being. Otherwise, you can threaten with your leg all you want and inspire fear response, but they aren’t lazy - they just don’t share your priorities.

2- most sluggish horses are extremely tight. Moving forward with a rider on their back is actually double or triple the amount of work that it should or could be. They are moving with a tight back, tight shoulders and weak abs and haunches. Likely the rider is tight as well, and quite likely the rider is not balanced as well as they could be and using reprimanding or nagging aids. This horse is working FAR harder then they need to be.

If a horse’s shoulders are supple, back is free to lift, core is engaged and working without interference, hind legs swinging at optimum range of motion, movement is easy and enjoyable. So your “lazy” horse is far out working a horse with looseness and alignment, because they have to work much harder just to go forward.

Imagine being pulled off your couch, given a 70 lb pack to carry that slips around and isn’t stable, and being asked to move forward through a series of obstacles without being fit or knowing how to position yourself. You aren’t going to be moving very fast either, and someone nagging you to speed up incessantly will probably make you quite resentful.

Something to think about next time you whip out the “L” word; which in my barn is a very very dirty word, along with stubborn ;)

06/11/2023

Great to see this being studied and proved, and why I’m so thankful for having the ability to have my horses in a large paddock together.

“Similar studies have also shown that horses with access to large paddocks with other horses showed better learning performance and were less aggressive to humans than horses who lived individually.”

🐴 🐴 🤗 DID YOU KNOW? 🐴 🐴 🤗

Recent research by scientists in Finland showed that horses living in larger paddocks in groups of three or more were better at following directional commands from humans?

Similar studies have also shown that horses with access to large paddocks with other horses showed better learning performance and were less aggressive to humans than horses who lived individually.

Horses in herds in larger paddocks can travel upwards of 9km a day! They also show complex behaviour in seeking food, water, shade and resting areas - they make a lot of decisions to keep themselves and the herd comfortable and safe. They also show complex social interactions.

Scientists theorize that using their natural “smarts” can also help our horses be more in tune with their riders and handlers and learn faster.

Of course not everyone is lucky enough to have the option of large paddocks and herd environments. And some horses just don’t play well with others! However there are certainly some benefits to giving them plenty of social interaction and outdoor time.

Do you have any thoughts on keeping horses in herds vs as individuals? Let us know in the comments!

03/11/2023

Very interesting to see this joint in such a young horse. It is not just the racing industry that causes incredible wear and tear like this at a young age. Every horse discipline is guilty of this to some extent. In futurity/young horse competitions, horses are often pushed well beyond what they can physically and/or mentally do.

Even beyond what they ‘can’ do, we should be questioning whether a horse’s gifts and abilities are sustainable at that level and increasing levels of demand. Just because you can, and just because your talented and wonderfully giving horse offers it, doesn’t always mean you should take it and run with it. But how often do you see young well- bred dressage horses continue competing at high levels throughout their later years? Doesn’t that suggest that maybe certain methods of training in dressage have an negative impact too? Healthy dressage is an art and should be like physio but not all humans care for that.

Western - some competing 2 year olds?( I don’t know enough about this, I may be wrong)…. Western, english and racing all have humans driving them and while most people are keen to ensure their horse is happy and healthy to the best of their ability there are some humans in disciplines besides racing that could do with more insight and compassion.

I hope that we can learn from this poor 4 year old that there is so much more to think about.

Thoughts from the two day dissection on a 4 year old TB.

Firstly this horse was just under half way to maturity having just turned 4.
🌸Born 23 of September 2019
🌸first race 14 of October 2021
🌸last race 2 January 2023
🌸7 race starts total

Ridden three times post racing because his owner felt he wasn’t right. Multiple issues were found in our dissection that I will talk about on my patreon page.

But this photo below sums it up, this is a picture of the acetabulum or commonly known as the hip joint. I have compared it to a 25 year old who has the normal amount of break down I would see in a horse that age. Even at 25 he still has cartilage and hasn’t worn down to bone like the 4 year old has. The 4 year old also has damage to the femoral head that sits in the acetabulum, combined with a sprung pelvis that I pulled apart with my bare hands, the p***s symphysis doesn’t fuse till 6.

All I can do for these horses is tell the story their body’s tells.

They are babies, underdeveloped and completely unready for the workload.

01/11/2023

100%

⚠️ NEVER underestimate the impact that YOUR stress levels have on your horses and dogs! ⚠️

This is Herx coming down after a week's worth of absorbing my study deadline stress. Today was the last day. You can see the effect my compounding study stress has had on my dog but you don't notice it until there is contrast and the stress is gone.

How does this happen?

Both horses and dogs have the ability to smell something you can't...
Glucocorticoids (cortisol) and adrenaline.

These are hormones and neurohormones that are produced when the mind experiences stress/trauma.

Cortisol in particular is a hormone that, when released in high levels, can be sustained at high levels, unlike adrenaline that is fast acting but also fast to deplete.

Cortisol is an essential hormone for consciousness and alertness, but when secreted in prolonged high amounts has some negative mental, emotional and physical effects.

When you experience compounding stress you won't necessarily notice it because it is slowly compounding (like building blocks of lego).

What you may eventually notice is:
🧨 you become a little less tolerant to things you would normally tolerate
🧨 you may become a little more over sensitive mentally and emotionally
🧨 you may experience memory loss
🧨 you may struggle with a lack impulse control
🧨you may have problems with reasoning and risk assessment
🧨 you might find you struggle with attention and focus
🧨 you may develop problems getting to sleep or staying asleep (insomnia)
🧨 you may find you might develop some anxiety and/or depression
🧨 you may have difficulties regulating your emotions
🧨 you may experience sensory overload problems
🧨 you may find you do things that help you feel distracted from your emotions and stay stimulated as much as possible

These things slowly creep in without you knowing it.

In the meantime, your dog is smelling the little fluctuations and surges in your cortisol levels as the baseline rises to new levels, your horse is smelling it to!

You can't smell cortisol so you aren't even aware that your dog or horse is responding to the information you are unknowingly and unconsciously giving them.

⚠️ This scent is a warning system to your dogs and horses ⚠️
This scent says "I feel under threat, be alert and vigilant of me and around me".

When you release this scent, you will display corresponding microexpressions in your body language to. So now your body smells like danger and your body looks like danger. This is a lot of information for your dog and horse. It speaks VOLUMES and 100% trumps ANYTHING you say verbally to your animal. They'll believe EVERYTHING your smell and body says over what your words say.

And we wonder why our dogs and horses don't want to partner up when we want them to!

🫵 So check in with yourself first.
🫵 Do some deep breathing.
🫵 Check your body for areas that are holding tension.
🫵 Acknowledge any emotions that you're holding on to without having an opinion or validation.
🫵 Data dump whatever thoughts are running around in your head.
🫵 Take a walk and MAKE time for yourself
🫵 SLOW YOUR MOVEMENT DOWN!!!

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 😊

04/10/2023

Something has to change…

29/09/2023

While I extend the same compassion and empathy to the humans as I do the horses (when we know better we do better), I can’t help but share this!

23/09/2023

Had so much fun spectating at the Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material clinic. So lovely to spend with friends, clients and colleagues and feel the ever growing popularity of this approach to training.

Thank you Amalia Dempsey Horsemanship, respect to you for juggling organising AND riding AND being a mum to a newborn!

Thank you Karen Rohlf for coming to little old SA, please come back sometime soon!

18/08/2023

I am so glad this is making the rounds on social media, and that more of this approach is gaining attention. My most favourite thing about approaching training this way is the physical ‘health’ that you begin to feel throughout the body but also the mental health! You can avoid so many ‘behavioural’ and physical problems by not focusing on ‘making’ the head and neck vertical and simply allowing heathy posture to happen as a result of correct work, as the author says.

From Paula Kierkegaard

“A fascinating question: How do you get the poll to be the highest point when riding? The most simple answer is: you allow it to be. The natural posture of the horse is to be up and (very) open. Look at a foal since they have the most free/complete use of their body. So initially we ride straight on, minimal longitudinal flexion steady tempo, etc. Through lateral flexibility the horse starts to offer degrees of longitudinal flexion (aka bit acceptance)/mobilizes the jaw/etc and works into the control of the outside rein. As it does so, the rider is then able to lengthen the outline at will/adjust the posture/etc. But even as the horse lengthens the outline (eg free walk) if the horse is active they still arc out to the hand and poll is the highest point of the bony structures of the neck. The vertebral bodies must be kept aligned in their arcing up and out. When the horse is thusly upright the bit only acts (whispers) into the corners of the lips (thus there is no reason for the myriad of shaped bits either).

For sure the lack of allowing an upright open posture is NEEDED for the entire body to work correctly, for the horse to step freely through, the hips to be loose, the chest to be raised, the freedom of the shoulder and forearm (NOT tossing feet out to stay balanced at all), the tail to swing. BLOCK any part and the others will suffer. And yes, the eye for a horse trained as requested by the directives/rules has been LOST, or at least muddied. (In particular the shape of the neck negatively affecting the entire body because it is help compressed, creating the PVC like appearance of the vertebrae.)

This period of time canNOT be RUSHED, it takes TIME to stabilize the horse carrying us, to sustain tempo and allow it to adjust to us. And this is where riders today IMPOSE THEMSELVES onto the head and neck, but more painfully onto the tongue and bars to compress the neck/lower it and try to immediacy ride all three gaits with preciptious flexion. So it becomes the NECK GIVING to the hands, rather than the HIND legs 'giving' and folding over time. It is backwards. The compression of the hind legs is what arcs the balancing rod.

IF the horse is precipitously flexed, to the vertical, and then beyond by compressed outlines/etc that is where it is not so simple to 'just ride more actively' to again get the posture of the horse open. Why? Because the bit has been employed backwards onto the tongue/bars, (or even a caveson onto the skull) to create pain and false flexion. As this happens the poll (the bumps on the skull) is no longer the highest point, and the cervical vertebrae are compressed both nearer the skull (atlas and c3) and near the chest (hence the chest drops/sags/horse onto forehand). And often this is compelled by going over tempo to sustain the submission. mho”

27/06/2023

Joyce doesn’t mind this weather!

23/06/2023

Splish splash!

21/06/2023

Interesting study - a helpful reminder that developing trust through compassion and mutual understanding takes time, and is not transferable from one horse - human connection to another. It is an individual connection in its own right.

Most horse people believe in building a strong relationship with their horses - but did you know science backs this up?

A recent study conducted in Europe tested horses’ willingness to walk on a novel surface (a fluffy blanket or a tarp) and be touched by a novel object (a soft toy). The following was observed:

🧡 75% of horses with only one regular handler were happy to approach the novel surface, compared to only 32% who had multiple regular handlers

🧡 Scientists hypothesized that horses with only one regular handler would be more reluctant when led by an unfamiliar handler - however they remained more willing and trusting than those with multiple regular handlers

🧡 Horses who had had multiple owners were much less likely to allow themselves to be touched by a novel object than horses still owned by their breeder or purchased from their breeder

🧡 The shorter the relationship between the horse and their regular handler, the more reluctant they were to approach a novel object or surface

Of course, like so many interesting scientific experiments, this work raises many questions! For example:

🙋‍♀️ Are more “difficult” and resistant horses more likely to be sold and therefore have had multiple owners?

🙋‍♀️ Why did having an unfamiliar handler not increase reluctance even though we know horses can identify their handler from strangers?

Do you focus on building a strong partnership with your horse? It certainly can help when your horse is in a stressful situation!

21/06/2023

100%. The real win is in dedication over time.

Acquiring students is easy - keeping students is hard

The initial excitement, the enjoyment that comes with experiencing those changes- the light bulb moments, feeling the horse soft and easy and happy with a little adjustment. It’s really fun to watch those in the initial lessons, to make a little tweak in the riders position or mind frame or approach and see quite a change in no time at all.

But time goes on an excitement fades as the work becomes work: it stops being magic and starts to roll into laborious and tedious awareness, habit development or habit changing. You might hit a wall and plateau in development, and have to watch your friends all progress past you while you plug away at learning to not pull when you pick up your reins for example.

Its the difference between chasing a thrill and chasing development- the thrill seekers will be on within a few lessons to something else that gives them a quick burst of “magic,” until the thrill fades there too.

The horsemen and women don’t panic when they’re buried in details, because they know mastery of riding is mastery of details- doing basic things with perfection. They are there when it gets hard and stops being glamorous, and they are the ones their peers will call lucky when it looks easy on the other side.

18/06/2023

Any movement, intentional or not has a *huge* impact on the horse. Imagine the flow- on effect of this action through the rest of the body. It’s not just our hands either! Think of the impact our other cues, imbalances, one-sidedness and so on have also.

It’s always us!

18/06/2023

Brilliant! How little it takes and how much we impact!

We must be so incredibly tactful, ever striving to do less and stay out of our poor horses’ way!

17/06/2023

Correct link here!

Learn the 3 most common mistakes to avoid with EMS and the 4 step guide to recovery

17/06/2023

If you have a horse that you suspect has Equine Metabolic Syndrome or is lethargic, unwilling to move, stiff, has hoof problems, etc take a look at this course. It’s free and has some really useful info and things you can implement straight away to help your horse live his best life.

Elisha Edwards Horse Health

📣I am very excited to announce that REGISTRATION is now OPEN for my SIGNATURE online course, Healing Horses Their Way! 🥳

✅This course is the most comprehensive course of it's kind and it is designed to help every horse owner, lover, and guardian take their horses to optimum health and wellness using diet, nutrition, and natural medicine.

If you believe in a holistic and non-invasive approach to your horse's health care and you have a passion for horses and natural medicine, this course was made for you! 💟

🔐My promise to you is that by the end of this course you will be empowered to make the very best decisions for your horse’s health care that you can; in body, mind, and spirit.

👇👇👇
https://elishaedwards.com/healing-horses-their-way-sp/

17/06/2023

3 Things I find myself saying the most in lessons:

“It depends”

“Let go of the reins!”

“It’s not about head and neck position”

07/06/2023

So true, what’s below the surface needs more attention!

“I am confident in saying that we must do better in understanding. We have to take interest in what lies under the skin before we can take the reins and insist on forward, or bend, or collection, because without an idea of the inner workings of a horse, we have no way of monitoring the damage possible.”

“But I firmly believe we need to be brave enough to face the repercussions of our ignorance, no matter how well meaning. I believe we have to face our every flaw squarely and stare it down until we are what a horse needs.”

“The least we can do is give back half that much in growth, in knowledge, in personal change.”

“The horses deserve it”

I’m still processing all I learned from Bellus’s dissection. It gave me a closure I’m extremely grateful for, because as you can imagine, it was a very hard decision to make. Putting a beloved horse down is never easy, but there are always the complicated feelings of guilt, wishing you’d done more and known more, regret, and mourning for the life you know your horse deserved. I think I did the best I could, but facts are facts- he suffered, and didn’t deserve it.

The one thing I am certain of is that he was an incredibly generous, beautiful soul. Upon discovering the details of his body, I am also certain that horses are experts in surviving at any cost. Bellus was in chronic pain and thus chronic stress- my priorities might have been good posture and bend and the like, while his were just surviving.

I am confident in saying that we must do better in understanding. We have to take interest in what lies under the skin before we can take the reins and insist on forward, or bend, or collection, because without an idea of the inner workings of a horse, we have no way of monitoring the damage possible.

The things I’ve seen will change me forever - places his body remodeled, places that adhered, places that atrophied, places that were unable to function. It was never a question of not wanting to - it was a case of unable to.

I don’t believe we shouldn’t ride them, or that any refusal is a reason to quit.
But I firmly believe we need to be brave enough to face the repercussions of our ignorance, no matter how well meaning. I believe we have to face our every flaw squarely and stare it down until we are what a horse needs.

They are so generous - you know this only as a nebulous idea until you stare directly at the evidence of all a horse gave even without the ability. The least we can do is give back half that much in growth, in knowledge, in personal change.

The horses deserve it

03/06/2023

“Frustrated by your horse? Try this---

Go for a run. Yes, you, human rider. Intersperse your run with sets of push-ups. See how long it takes before you lose athletic buoyancy, before you “just can’t.” “

Developing Empathy

Frustrated by your horse? Try this---

Go for a run. Yes, you, human rider. Intersperse your run with sets of push-ups. See how long it takes before you lose athletic buoyancy, before you “just can’t.”

Fatigue in a horse, which is pretty much the same thing that you just felt, creates leaning, tripping, stumbling, slow reactions, poor coordination, lugging on the hand, all sorts of what you may be mistaking for “bad behavior.”

The tired horse will feel just like a “disobedient” horse. And then what will happen to that horse if the rider doesn’t tune into the horse’s fatigue? You know exactly what will happen to the horse. It will get drilled on. Drilled on just when the exact opposite should happen.

Trainers who lack the ability to sense what the horse is going through are among the worst drillers, and they create tense, scared, resistant horses, and they then do something even worse, they blame the horse.

Change your mind set. Think how YOU would feel if you had gotten beyond your limits and then got ground on and punished to fix your bad behavior.

You think I’m kidding? You think this isn’t going to happen today, all across the world where people ride and drive horses? That unfit for the task horses won’t be cranked and pressured? Dream on.

The best thing that you can do if your goal is to become a competent trainer is to constantly be aware of your own frustration meter. And stop before you create damage, physical and emotional injury and distress. Get a little and end on that. If even a little seems elusive, DO NOT GRIND. Go walk, try again tomorrow. Don’t add fear and anxiety to the training process.

I will say this one more time---“Don’t add fear and anxiety to the training process.”

Why am I saying this so often? Because if I had learned this decades sooner, I would have been a far better trainer and horse person---That’s why. Learn, if you are capable of doing so, from the mistakes that others have made. Do not drill your horse.

31/05/2023

Keep this in mind. Antibiotics are definitely necessary sometimes, but there are often many other things you can do to strengthen the immune system and improve healing before and during a problem.

14/05/2023

Happy Mother’s Day to all creatures.

Photo by Kent Keller, titled “Mother Love”

24/04/2023

Lest we Forget