Whitehall Farms

12/05/2023

SLOOOOOW DOWN!

SLOW your walking down to 1 step per second with and without your horse next to you.
SLOW your hand movements down as you touch or do things.
SLOW your talking down.
SLOW your breathing down.
SLOW your pulls and pushes down on the leadrope.

SLOW to FLOW!

Humans are WAAAAY to fast for horses and this is one of the leading causes of reactivity and opposition reflex in horses.

Speed = stress.

Let me teach you what speed does...

When the brain perceives a threat, it causes the body to release the stress response hormone cortisol. Cortisol levels and speed go hand in hand.
Cortisol provides the body with the fuel it needs to flee a scary situation or fight against it.

The thing with the mind-body relationship is that the brain feels an emotion such as fear, which create a physical response in the body, but the body can also move at a certain speed or in a particular way and create an emotion in the brain. It can be reverse engineered.

This is how special the intimate relationship is between the brain and body.

The other thing to remember is that, collectively as a social animal, when speed is noticed by another mammal (no matter the species), it alerts the unconscious brain to threat.

Speed is an alarm system in a social system (consciously and unconsciously).

If you walked down a road and everyone started running, you'd find it hard not to run even if you didn't know what the cause was. You are noticing that others are running and in a direction, so you mirror them to increase your chances of survival. You don't need the reasoning part of your brain for this. You just activated your primal (survival) part of the brain.

One other thing to remember: HORSES CAN SMELL CORTISOL. So not only does your speed act as a visual alarm system to your horse, it also acts as an olfactory one!

Would you want to interact with someone who caused you to feel constantly on alert?

These little things are the beginnings of what ripples into chronic stress in both humans and horses.
You spend enough time around someone who is fast in their movement, your nervous system will condition itself to being on high alert.
HELLO 👋 CHRONIC STRESS!!!

Slow your movement down = slow your thoughts down.
Slow your movement down = lower your cortisol.
Slow your movement down = feel connected with yourself, the world and others in it.
Slow your movement down = slow your alarm systems down and eventually they'll turn off.

Slow down so much that it is uncomfortable. It won't be uncomfortable for long, I promise 😉

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 🙂

11/30/2023

Cooler, damper weather means more time needed for proper warm up and cool down.

Be sure you’re warming your horse 🐴 up with a purpose. It’s dragon riding season folks. Move their feet, get their brain.

11/14/2023

𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗪𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗦 “𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗔𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚”

10/04/2023

A Crisis of Identity

Some of the most stuck people I meet are those who cannot let go of who they were and accept where they are now.

They were brave riders, able to ride anything, even doing track work.....

They have an identity that is deeply connected to being a talented equestrian, not someone who is struggling with a horse, feeling lost and vulnerable when they ride.

And it is this identity crisis that can be the biggest roadblock to accepting the current situation they find themselves in.

The inability to recognize that they are out of their depth, the need to take a step back, learn new things, and accept that their confidence has taken a hit, will take its toll.

The more frustrated they become, the greater the divide in their sense of self, and the more they resist the situation.

The reality is, we never stay in the same place. A skill or ability is never set in stone; it is fluid. It's either growing, shrinking, or facing challenges.

The ability to competently and reliably influence a horse is complex, and it will never remain static.

Life will present you with different horses, each of which will require a unique approach.

Being alive means you are constantly evolving.

Responsibility changes you (ask any woman about the transformation upon becoming a mother), age changes you, and factors like fitness, strength, and health are in a constant state of flux. All these factors influence your sense of vulnerability and your perception of risk.

Then there's time: the more rides you experience in life, the more chances something unforeseen can occur. Your mind will constantly recalibrate what's considered safe and what's not.

All these elements shape you.

If you don't embrace the relentless forces of change, you'll find yourself stuck.

Life doesn't allow you to remain 17 forever.

But it does offer opportunities to be as accomplished as you aspire to be, provided you let go of preconceived notions of who you think you should be. Accept that life is about rising to challenges and learning from the lessons that horses present to us.

07/02/2022

Happy Canada Day!
Whitehall Farms celebrated with a win at Hastings Park in the 2022 Lieutenant Governor Stake

06/19/2021

Welcome to the world!
“Il Penseroso Knight”
(In Shining Armour (Thatcher) x Four Star Wars)