Connect the Spots

12/29/2024

Today I got to meet the tall, dark, and handsome Mr Phoenix! ❤️ He was a little stoic at first, but settled in and relaxed pretty quickly.

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas From Connect the Spots!

12/25/2024

Are you listening to your animals this evening?

In some European countries, a tradition unfolds on Christmas Eve. Children are told that on this magical night, horses and other animals gain the ability to talk. To put this charming notion to the test, they head to the stables, hoping to catch whispers at midnight.

We, of course, know that horses can, in fact, speak all year, if only we're able to listen.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays To All

🎄♥️🐴❄️🎄

Koper Equine
Happy, healthy horses.

12/23/2024

My thoughts on anthropomorphism

While working with Joy this morning I started thinking about anthropomorphism…again. I think about it a lot and I’ve wanted to write this post for awhile but never quite found the words.

Many may disagree with me but I take this opinion from my own understanding of human psychology (I have a Diploma in Human Development which delves in to Developmental Psychology) and also from what I feel in myself to be true, unpopular opinion though it may be.

Firstly we need to understand what anthropomorphism is.

It is the act of attributing human thoughts, feelings and emotions to an animal.

So why is it a problem?

Because it is believed that animals don’t think the same as we do. They don’t have the parts of the brain necessary to produce certain thoughts that we attribute to them. And anthropomorphism could lead to the horse being unfairly treated on the basis of a belief that they have human thoughts and emotions.

My personal opinion is this:

Anthropomorphism is not the problem. The incomplete process of anthropomorphism is the problem.

I also believe that neuroplasticity plays a role whereby the horse brain may be able to enlist other areas of the brain to perform emotional processing tasks since they’re lacking the prefrontal cortex. But that’s another topic for another day.

But anyway, hear me out and then feel free to give your thoughts…politely.

Let’s take the term “belligerent”. A lot of people refer to horses as belligerent.
What does it mean? In human terms, belligerence is when someone is considered hostile and aggressive.

But why would a human be hostile and aggressive?
In psychology terms, a person may act hostile and aggressive when they feel threatened. Their anxiety over the perceived threat makes them act in an aggressive way in order to protect themselves.

Go figure!

So if we complete the same thought process with a horse. Labelled it as belligerent but then extrapolate that further and understated why we can decipher that they feel threatened.

By understanding that they feel threatened we can now change tact and approach the horse with new eyes. We can now present ourselves in a kinder way to the horse. We can do what they need to feel safe therefore removing the perceived threat and down scaling the “belligerent” behaviour.

Let’s try another one.

Bolshy/bolshie

In human terms it means someone who is deliberately combative and uncooperative.

Why would a human be deliberately combative and uncooperative?
Probably because they don’t feel comfortable with the situation and they’re behaving in this way in order to protect themselves, to try and stop it from happening.

So why then, would a horse be deliberately uncooperative and combative?
Probably because they don’t feel comfortable with the situation and they’re trying to keep themselves safe and stop things from happening that they’re scared or anxious about.

So with that knowledge we can adjust our approach so the horse feels safe and comfortable to cooperate.

How about this one; disrespectful.

Why would a human be disrespectful to someone? Probably because that person has offended them in some way, perhaps by their behaviour or something they’re said. Or perhaps because they don’t know any different.

So for a horse we can extrapolate that and understand that perhaps the horse is behaving in a disrespectful way because either A) we’ve offended them or B ) they don’t know any different and we need to show them a better way.

With that information we can repair the relationship and show them a better way.

What about some positive emotions? One I heard recently is pride. That horses don’t feel pride.

Pride is defined as “a feeling of accomplishment or confidence that can be a response to success.”

You think a horse might feel a sense of pride when they feel confident in a new skill they’ve developed?
Confidence is certainly something we attribute to horses with apparently no concern for anthropomorphism.
Confidence is defined as a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

Certainly we can accept that for horses, though I am unsure why, as equestrians, we seem much more comfortable accepting anthropomorphism when it’s in a positive view versus in the negative view.
Of course I understand that the negative attributions could lead to the horse being unfairly treated. But if we can extrapolate for the positive emotions, why not for the negative?

At the end of the day, the thing humans and horses have in common is our primitive instincts. All human behaviour is driven by an instinct. We have psychology to explain that for us.
But horses have that same part of their brain too. Their behaviour is driven by instinct and if we break it down further, we can use that information to understand WHY the horse might be behaving in a belligerent or bolshy or disrespectful way.

Feelings and emotions give off an energy or aura. We feel it from other humans. And we can feel that same energy or aura from a horse. That’s why we attribute a human emotion or behaviour to it. Because as humans, that’s how we understand it, we instinctively feel it.

The issue, in my opinion, is not anthropomorphism but the incomplete extrapolation of anthropomorphism.

If you’re going to label a horse with a certain behaviour or emotion, it’s important to look at that emotion from a human perspective to understand what drives that emotion and break it down completely so you can use it from a place of understanding for your horse.

12/22/2024

This is a fascinating bit information! Did you know that saddle fit may be even more important if you “just” hack or trail ride?

“I don’t need a fancy, professionally fitted saddle, I only hack out and mostly in walk!”

I’m going to quote Dr Ian Bidstrup from a recent webinar he conducted on saddle fit from a specialist spinal vet’s perspective – and for those interested there will be a more in depth look at saddle design next year which will be fascinating.

THE SLOW DEATH

This is the terminology he uses to describe slow rides. Now slow walk is important, super important, when we’re building posture and balance for sure, I’m a big proponent. However, when we consider the pressure under saddles and its effect on the skin and blood flow then we have to think more traditionally and look at the role of the saddle in spreading that pressure.

If you sit on your horse in halt, it’s likely that the pressure under the saddle is already approaching levels that prevent blood flow. I’d have to go and look at a ton of research to try and get down to it but we know it’s not always that easy to get our hand under the front or anywhere else under the saddle, your weight and that of the saddle has to go somewhere!

What happens when we move at a pace that’s faster than walk?

Each part of the back under the saddle is at least partly unloaded at one stage of the stride pattern. In rising trot we shift our weight forward and back in the saddle, from our seatbones to the stirrup bars. In canter the whole saddle rocks a little, and the pressure under the saddle fluctuates and transfers from front to back and back again with each stride. Even sitting trot allows for some relief of pressure under the saddle in all areas within each stride.

Racehorses have pretty grim saddles with teeny areas underneath them, the reason that greater damage isn’t done is because whenever they walk any distance they’re generally going to the gallops where they will get immediate relief from the unrelenting pressure.

Walk does not offer any real alleviation of pressure. A lack of blood flow to the muscle will stop them functioning fully, and may be causing damage to the skin and to the fascia. Fascia are layers of connective tissue that wrap around muscles (you’ve seen it if you’ve prepared or eaten most meats) that are critical to the skeletal and biomechanical health of the horse and obviously the skin is pretty important too!

The long riding experts Be Professional. Look Cool. have also looked at this VERY closely in their work, the effect of saddle pressure on the horse’s back and, for riding long distances daily, back to back, for long periods of time where "mistakes" get hugely magnified. He recommends intervals for dismounting and loosening the girth, and for taking the saddle off. This should be done more than once every day, and that’s WITH doing faster work. Here’s a post of theirs on the subject https://www.facebook.com/beprofessionallookcool/posts/pfbid03369vorLPo4PeMYF49a7V6kp1HYm6qH7ixnywNMqApYvHrPzernmJBD13rCpQpuDyl

Remember, they’re not just poorly designed to carry us and a saddle, the way they function in the wild means that riding them will always compromise them immensely unless we’re super careful about how we load them with weight and how we prepare them to carry that weight.

Give your horse a break – if you’re not doing faster work then your need for a well fitting saddle is just as high, perhaps higher, as those working at supposedly higher levels. Take the fitting of your saddle deadly seriously.

12/21/2024

It was cold and blustery today, but Bugsy still had a good session. And I stayed warm thanks to the Redingote suit Time For Me To Fly Equine Performance Bodywork recommended!!

12/20/2024

I was so pleased to meet both Liam and Chance today! They both did great for their sessions! ❤️

(I’ve had some technical difficulties and missed posting lots of sessions. But I think it’s fixed now!)

12/16/2024

Behind the elbow is such a sensitive and often overlooked area!

12/13/2024

The poll effects the entire horse! Tension and discomfort in the poll is so common has such a huge impact on the horses over all performance!

𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 I can't stress enough to everyone that will read this - with the way that we are approaching the idea of releasing the horse's poll, it is NEVER about the horse saying "I don't want to"... it is ONLY ever "I feel like I can, or I feel like I can't." It is NEVER " my horse doesn't like that" ... it is MOST OFTEN "my horse feels the need to protect that."

When we misread the situation and the horse's responses, deciding to think of it as resistance or "my horse doesn't like that" will make our approach one of "doing" instead of "being."

Maybe it might be best to think of the poll as a sensitive being, separate from the horse. That POLL that lives with your horse is a highly sensitive person that is the gatekeeper to the rest of the body that your horse lives in. And if we push on the request to get in past the poll, that only makes the poll more defensive. That pesky poll needs subtle small talk to open the conversation. And when we engage in the conversation, we need to talk around this idea of getting into the rest of the body... we need to be subtle about engaging the poll in a way that encourages the poll to INVITE us into the body. Being invited is a blessing. Trying to barge through just bars the door and proves to the poll and the horse that we were insincere all along and plotting to "make" instead of "help.

This reminds me a bit of the story of the Princess and the Pea, where the prince has to identify which of several mattresses has a pea hidden inside it... it's a test of perception and sensitivity. We can only "marry the princess" when we've been sensitive enough to identify where the pea is hidden.

Maybe this is a silly or a little "woo-woo" way to think about it, but might be helpful.

The way that we do everything with our horse will affect this... because the poll is one of the most subconsciously protected areas of the horse's body. So long as everything we do is about producing relaxation first, then a response, we are working in congruence with the ask for the poll release.

12/08/2024

This is so true! The connection that Masterson fosters is amazing! I’ve had improved relationships with my horses. But even the connection I’m able to have during a single session always amazes me!

12/07/2024

You’ve seen it done on horses. This is your chance to try it in your dog!

11/25/2024

Despite the blustery day Saturday Bugsy had a great session! I’m so proud of him for staying calm and relaxed. I love how he continues to open up to me, allowing me to go even further with the bodywork!

(Of course every time a camera came out he stopped yawning. Sometimes they just know! 😜)

11/06/2024

Thanks to everyone’s kindness and generosity over the month of October, we were able to donate $250 to help Samaritan’s Purse and Fleet of Angels with disaster relief efforts from Helene!

I have a heart for that area and am thrilled to be able to help in any way!

11/02/2024

Didn't get your fill of fright yesterday??🎃👻
Check out this fascinating lecture on Equine Complex Cervical Malformation (ECVM)!
https://youtu.be/Szk4oSp_Rd4?si=RTtF4-SYbPgWVy-v

Sharon’s passion for horses was first noticed when she was caught riding a bush horse at 4 years of age. She would climb up the front leg and haul herself up...

10/18/2024

10/09/2024

I had a lovely day at Bridgefield Farms! Such a beautiful facility and area!

10/07/2024

I love it when I have help with sessions!❤️