One with the Horse

16/08/2024

29/07/2024

Enjoying some time out 😊 back in action from 1st august x

27/07/2024

DO YOU HANDLE YOUR HORSE WITH COMPASSION?

How we handle and train our horses is extremely important, not just for our horse's welfare but also for the effect that it has on our relationship and our safety.

Training is essential, it is not a luxury or something to do at the weekend. Horses need to know how to behave around people and be as prepared as they can be for every situation they will encounter in their day to day life.

How we train our horses will understandably have a lasting impact on how they feel about us. If you use force or bully your horse to do what you ask they will associate you with the fear or discomfort they feel at the time. This is when relationships start to break down and problem behaviours begin, and the horse may start to say no. No, they don't want to be caught, no they don't want to be ridden, no they don't want to interact with you. And why should they?

Create a good relationship with your horse by learning to read their body language, recognising when they are stressed and not pushing them too far. Ensure they aren't fearful or incapable of performing what you are asking, provide calm equine company, use positive training methods that reward your horse when he does the right thing, break training down into achievable steps, stay calm and your horse will learn to trust you.

Compassionate handling leads to better welfare and safer horses as well as faster results for horse owners.

Brooke, Action For Working Horses and Donkeys have produced a brilliant evidence-based factsheet with information about why good handling matters. Plus, there are some useful tips for you to handle your horse more compassionately.

You can download a copy here:
https://www.thebrooke.org/sites/default/files/CompassionateEquineHandlingWeb.pdf

20/07/2024

Mutual trust, the foundation of any relationship ❤️

And once you have both...then you can get simply everything together 🤎

08/07/2024

What they said...

"Following the horse empowerment sessions, our relationship is more two-way now, listening to the horses communication and needs a lot more!"

A key aspect of our sessions is to help the owner to tune in more to their horses non-verbal communication in the moment and be guided by this when working with and interacting with the horse. We can get busy and focus on our objective of what we want to do that we can miss the subtle communication indicating their needs.

07/07/2024

Haha 😂

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕

27/06/2024

Tuning into your horses communication…

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬…

Part One.

Horses can use calming signals to calm themselves, they might also use calming signals to calm someone else, like a person or another horse.
In the wild horses survive on co-operation not competition and this is where their social skills like calming signals come into play, so it’s important we pay attention to them.

The issue we have as humans is the signs of calming signals can mean multiple things, so we need to make sure we are looking at the “bigger picture” or the whole body to help us.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.

It’s a difficult subject to inform people on, because calming signals can be a sign of a horse experiencing stress or a horse relieving stress.
It’s down to our intuition to make that call, for example if your working with a horse and he’s showing multiple calming signals, like shaking his head, turning his head away from you, blinking rapidly, rubbing his head on his fore leg then that’s probably a sign to back off and realise that today isn’t the day to push that horse further.

Calming signals can also be a sign of a horse “preparing himself” for stress, say there’s a new object your horse hasn’t seen 9 times out of 10 horses will go to investigate the new object because they are naturally curious, but have you noticed they often investigate the new object by looking at it side on, or they’ll make a big circle around the new object. This is the horse saying “hmm I’m interested in this, but I’m giving myself space because it could potentially be stressful”.

Another calming signal I see my own ponies do is “making yourself small” for example when the vet comes, Blue will often hide at the back of her stable in the corner. With her head lower, in hopes that if she “makes herself small” she can avoid the stressful situation, it’s also a way for them to detach from the stressful situation.

𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝, when a horse is showing calming signals we can mimic them as a gesture of acknowledgement. For example if your horse yawns, you can yawn, if your horse signs/breathes out you can sign/breathe out.

I often see people getting offended when their horses turns its head away, when they are working with them. Humans often take this as disrespectful as if the horse isn’t paying attention, we then proceed to encourage the horse to look at us straight on so we feel they are paying attention. This is actually extremely disrespectful in their language, and turning their head is actually the respectful thing to do.

When horses freeze we often think of this as the horse is “shutting down”, but in fact this is too a calming signal and one we shouldn’t ignore. We have been taught to not allow the horse to “freeze” but it’s important we do allow him to freeze, even for a few minutes this will help him regulate his own nervous system.

Studies have shown that when horses display calming signals and we ignore them, or don’t know that they are doing them, that the horse can actually stop doing them all together even in the herd! Which you can imagine can be extremely dangerous and chaotic.

𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬? 𝐎𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬… 𝐈 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 “𝟓-𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤” 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐒𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞… 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤!

Written By - The Fearful Rider

Art Work By - Dorota Kudyba Art

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🧡Total Contact Saddles
🧡ZERO FLYZ
🧡Equine Products UK
🧡The Western Saddler Ltd.
🧡Hedgewitch Essentials

27/06/2024

Great visual… the emotional cup

A horse's Emotional Bucket

* click on the photo to see the full infographic

**Thank you for the original inspiration of THE EMOTIONAL CUP by Upbility, Publisher of Therapy Resources.

24/06/2024

What they said...

"The horse empowerment sessions have had a positive impact on my thinking, seeing things from a different perspective."

Are you ready to embrace seeing your horse and your relationship from a different perspective? Visit www.onewiththehorse.co.uk to find out more and set up a discovery call.

08/06/2024

Did you know that today is 'Global Wellness Day'? Happy wellness @ !

We stand for the wellness of all, and in particular, we support horses, through our holistic approach with their wellbeing and happiness.

Proving healing and empowerment to thrive.

www.onewiththehorse.co.uk

30/05/2024

It was a joy to meet this little one :)
He was very expressive in his communication!
Being present, understanding and listening to his needs, the equine empowerment grows and the relationship strengthens.

28/05/2024

A foundation for a strong relationship rooted in equine empowerment and a non dominance approach... what would this look like for you? Get in touch if you want help to explore.

"Carey’s way of engaging with horse and human has helped us so much in developing greater trust, mutual respect and connection. My pony and I found Carey’s approach rooted in equine empowerment instead of variations of dominance, a refreshing way of exploring and developing relationship."

21/05/2024

Empathy before ego… something is going on and they are communicating in the only way they know how…

07/05/2024

Warm welcome at Pachesham Equestrian Centre on Sunday and a fab play and empowerment session 🐴🐎 building deeper trust, connection and understanding. Flexibility to join a session there in future 🐴🐎 ask for more info 😊

03/05/2024

Enjoyed this course and very much linked to the horse empowerment 🐴🐎🤩

27/04/2024

5 tips to build trust and connection with your horse:
1) Be aware of how you are feeling
2) Be present
3) Listen to their non-verbal communication
4) Be aware of your own body language
5) Bring a positive mindset

We explore these and more at our horsemanship clinic; deepening trust and connection on 5th May: https://www.onewiththehorse.co.uk/store/Events-c89634942

24/04/2024

Inspiration: "The horse's mind is a powerful thing. When you gain their trust, they will give you their heart." — Unknown

Its humbling to watch horse/human partnerships flourish built on a strong foundation of trust, listening and understanding.

Join us at our horsemanship clinic; deepening trust and connection: on 5th May 2024: https://www.onewiththehorse.co.uk/store/Events-c89634942

18/04/2024

The second article in the Equitas mini-series. Holistically transforming emotional well-being for your horse. From anxious and stressed to calm, playful and happy 😊 🐴 🐎

10/04/2024

Who knew there was a national unicorn day!?

Happy National Unicorn Day! 🦄✨

©️Emily Cole Illustrations

07/04/2024

Trust is the foundation of any relationship.

Have you and your horse lost trust? This could be for a range of reasons; a bad experience, previous pain, a fright, a fall, a spook, a buck/rear, whatever it may be you no longer have the feeling of trust in your partnership.

This can show through behavioural challenges, which we can help resolve through building a deeper level of trust and understanding.

Our holistic approach of using communication and play, we can help you and your horse address those negative emotions, create a positive mindset and regain trust and connection on a deeper level. Building sense of safety and happiness.

07/04/2024

Who wants to support the Horsley, Bookham and Leatherhead RDA with their raffle… some fab prizes to bid on!

Calling all equestrians! We have loads of amazing prizes in our Easter Auction so get bidding.

https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/hblrdaeasterauction2024

Osborn Dressage
One with the Horse
Emma Hughes Horse and Dog Photographer
Fresh Focus Hypnotherapy
The trailer Wizard

31/03/2024

Past experiences causing trauma and how to spot it…

The way horses respond to trauma and the lasting impact of a bad experience in early life have been highlighted by experts

19/03/2024

Love this and so true ❤️

19/03/2024

Good article by Justine…

As an owner or rider, you can learn a lot about how your horse is feeling simply by reading their behaviour and body language

18/03/2024

Enhancing sense of happiness through play...

Object play, engaging the SEEKING emotional system, working with their natural curiosity, helping to release 'feel good' dopamine to be self-rewarding.

18/03/2024

Definitely and similar to children who don’t know how to express how they are feeling.

Behaviour has a function, it has a purpose for the horse.

Behaviour may even be a way the horse is trying to cope emotionally in a situation.

Behaviour is Communication.

13/03/2024

Understanding and responding to your horses emotional needs. A holistic approach to wellbeing.

Looking at the whole horse, with equal importance on their physical, mental and emotional well-being will help them to thrive.

We can improve well-being and increase our horses’ sense of happiness by factoring in their emotions with a compassionate approach to horsemanship.

In this article, Carey Khan from ‘One with the Horse’ looks at factors relating to equine well-being, while discussing how empowering the horse can help it deal with situations more effectively.

https://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/understanding-and-responding-to-your-horses-emotional-needs/

Everything Horse Magazine

07/03/2024

Absolutely. The importance of emotional and mental health is now getting lots of recognition for people, the same should be for all sentient beings

Emotional health should be held with the same type of importance as we hold for physical health.

Every human on this planet can attest to how badly being very sad, overwhelmed, stressed or angry makes their whole body feel.

And yet, when we’re working with non-human beings like horses, we throw this out the window and completely downplay the impact of emotional health.

Horses who are chronically stressed in training and day to day life aren’t going to be feeling their best.

There are going to be unwanted behaviours that impact the safety of their handlers in addition to the horses’ overall welfare.

Physical soundness is taken a lot more seriously in the horse world than emotional soundness is, despite how chronic stress can negatively impact the physically body, too.

The physical body and the “emotional body” or the “soul” are of equal importance for overall welfare.

How horses feel about their environment and their surroundings DOES matter.

Ensuring for good emotional health will undoubtedly benefit physical health and overall trainability.