Train ambushes you on your first solo trail? No problem. #Rheyathehorsethatcould
Show me a labelled product and I'll show an alternative prospective.
"The bigger, or hotter the horse, the more control/respect/restraint you need over them" -- or perhaps, the more thorough you need to be.
#lessismore #nowhipsandchains
Mr. Levi here is a prime example of "what happened before what happened".
When he arrived, you couldn't sneeze in the horse's direction without repelling him emotionally and physically within a 100 metre radius. Yet, once caught he seemed so quiet and still (but for those who are looking, tense, rigid, internal - FROZEN. Not to mention, his rather less than desirable reaction to being mounted/ridden (symptom of the cause) 🐎🤠.
Like many large breeds, he was conditioned to STAND and OBEY promptly in his earliest years entering the world. To most, his still (frozen) state may have come across as "well-broke", "quiet" or even "bombproof", and can be an easy, low drama state many aspire to work around.
This state of "freeze" however, is rather more like a ticking time bomb, only delaying, disguising or momentarily inhibiting the fight/flight response (even when deemed necessary. And yes - there are times where this reaction is indeed necessary, especially in training).
Trauma is activation of the stress response to an unpredictable, uncontrollable and/or prolonged stimulus - and a completely natural survival response all *us* mammals share. Think of trauma as a tunnel: stimulus strikes, fight/flight commences and provides us an escape from the (potentially life threatening) encounter.
Tunnel passed, cycle complete. But what happens if we get stuck in that tunnel?
The problem with freeze (disassociating) however, is that it lies between fight/flight and keeps us "stuck" - as a state of going internal (preparing for death; non-receptive to external and tactile sensations). We never truly "escape" the threat and the emotions associated with this "near death experience" stay with us and resurface with minimal relation to the original threat.
In horses, this can look a lot like:
Explosive, unpredictable, anxious, spooky, hot or flighty behaviour.
It's not "their breed" - "personality" - "that they're excited" - "in the bloodlines" or that they "love their job"
"They know when you know, and they know when you don't"
There is so much more to this piece of wisdom than most people may initially perceive; and isn't it ironic how heavily perception can impede in every aspect on the results we may or may not be getting with our horse.
As we usually do, people tend to take this one into account with such complex emotions of intent in the form of spite or conscious sabotage at the horse's origin. "They know when you know what you're doing (showing them who's boss, good riding skills or experience, solid boundaries?) and they know when you don't (inexperienced, too soft, novice). This perception sets the stage for defensive, apathetic and confrontational tones towards the horse and any behaviours or concerns that may arise.
In any mammalian interaction, when the individual is faced with uncertainty of their safety (and we don't have the god given right to validate what that may be for another) they enter the sympathetic state (fight, flight, ^^freeze^^), ^^resulting in tension, disconnection (dulling of the senses; non-receptive to vocal or physical cues, not paying attention, you and your asks/demands don't exist anymore).
As long as you normalize, ignore, try to correct or force the horse through this (completely natural, flight/prey) response, your relationship (AND training) will tarnish.
"They know when you know (attuned: notice and feel WITH (not for) them, their concerns, the environment and potential stimuli around them), and they know when you don't" (label, discard, disregard, understate, perceive with intent or motive, or don't notice such concerns, outside factors, or changes in neurological state.
If you want to be trusted and connected as one of the herd (yep, this will heavily influence the effectiveness of your training and performance as well), you need to draw in the attunement of such.
#13Shillingsequestriancenter
- If you meet defensivess with confrontation, then you are escalating the symptoms.
- If you meet defensiveness with empathy, then you are alleviating the cause.
Addressing the causes of behaviour - rather than scolding for the symptoms
This can be a tough one to wrap our heads around because of the equestrian culture and “curated” norm many of us grew up in. Though it’s still practiced on the daily today too…
The idea that if you are met with an undesirable response or vice; such as biting, kicking, bolting, bucking, porpoising, refusing - whatever it may be in any context, that it’s your duty to “step up” and correct that behaviour or suffer the wrath of the horse “getting away with it” (whatever it may be). From what I grew up exposed to - and a majority of what I’ve seen in my practice, condones the idea of meeting negative behaviour with positive punishment through our physical action (smacking, swatting, kicking, etc.) or using their own against them (driving them into energy exertion/flight following the vice, such as round penning, chasing, wrong thing hard/right thing easy type approach).
But.
What if.
What if we paused and returned to curiosity instead of intensity? Why in the heck is the horse doing this said vice or behaviour in first place? Where did it come from? And what triggers it? Am I the stimulus — or am I in some way connected to it?
Is it that they are being “cranky?” “Baby brain?” “Mare stare?” “In heat?” “Silly?” “Having fun” “Bad bugs?” “Spooky?” “Naughty or defiant”? Trust me, I’m just as sick of inserting quotations here as you are tired of reading them with each personified label.
Try rewriting your perception to are they coming from a place of defensiveness? Fear? Anxiety? Fight, flight, freeze?
And why?
Horses cannot speak, but they are most certainly clear communicators, much better and more consistent than ourselves. You, like many, may have just perhaps been condi
How do you make a anxious situation better? You make it stimulating!
Drying up on a rainy cold day with 3 horses meant everybody needed a waiting stall. For horses, such as my own 3 (Rorie, Val and Dixie), stalls are very unusual and may have some lingering negative associations from the past. Although all 3 have been stalled in their last life, they were certainly not ready to be locked up again. Despite their “experience”, each one of them anxiously paced and nickered to be freed.
But, they couldn’t. We had to stay inside with coolers and hay and warm up before rainsheets and freedom.
For Rorie, she felt comfort in my presence in her stall. For Val, knowing Rorie and I were right next door and she was included - not alone. And Dixie, well....she was greatly satisfied by a flake of hay and company from across the hall.
In some situations and relationships, your presence is just needed for your horse’s comfort. The horses seemed content while I was in the stall, but as soon as I had to go around the corner to the tack room, suddenly all three horses began to grow anxious again.
And it wasn’t enough for me to be outside the stall, Rorie actually required me to be in the stall for her to eat her hay happily. This also let me keep Val (next door) happy too.
In an uncomfortable, stressful (perhaps from past events or life) or new environments, we need to be a calm and emotionless leader for our horses. You need to learn to laugh at what they fear, work with them patiently in new surroundings and be understanding and provide comfort through the stress.
This is where human emotions can get involved and the relationship may suffer.
It’s pretty amazing what can be done when the horse is taught nothing you do is going to harm them. Introducing new things suddenly becomes simple and less dramatic. Rather a test of attention to perform as usual with a new stimulus.
You can see how this ties into your riding as well. For example, the same concept is used when approaching a scary fence at an off property event. New surroundings, new stimulus - same mind set.
Here is Summer modelling the sheen extra crinkled blue tarp on her freestyle circles👠
