Defensive horses are the most commonly mislabeled. People call them aggressive, b*tchy, mean, rude, pushy, etc. But, at their core, they are simply trying to protect themselves.
I have a new young filly in for training who has been regularly handled her whole life by a loving owner, but has never found any peace or relaxation with humans nor has she been able to soften her defenses. She is inconsistent in how she shows up to sessions -- sometimes she is fine to be caught, other times even just putting the halter on can be an anxiety-filled task.
So, she's here to see if we can get to the bottom of it and set her up for a life of happiness, relaxation, and joy instead of bracing and defensiveness.
I am filming a lot of her journey for my online members but wanted to share a little snippet here of her session yesterday, where we went from bracing and refusing to be touched to softening and resting while my hand was on her face.
✨ The message I share around the 2-minute mark of this edit is one that I am so passionate about and believe is very important for all of us to remember. And so, I wanted to share it here with all of you. ✨
Thanks for watching 🫶🏻
It’s the horse training tip of the day!
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Some subtlety work at liberty with Cornetto 🩷
I chose to share this entire video because I think it demonstrates the level of detail I go into when beginning liberty work. I want the horse to learn to follow my shoulder and feel relaxed and good about the connection, finding focus without it being forced.
I want him to keep track of my body and what it’s doing and where it’s going, all while maintaining the good, soft feelings of friendship and mutual respect.
It might look “boring” to some, but I’ve found it’s an integral part of the building blocks that create a truly engaged liberty partner — not one who is only there because it’s really hard for them to leave.
Watch me as I try to not teach the already-too-spicy 3-year-old how to rear on cue because it would be so fun and so easy and she and I are totally bad influences on each other 🫢🤫
liberty work is so fun.
do it with your horse 🥳
need help learning? I'm here for you 😉
One of my favorite (and challenging) transformations to date 😍 This 3-year-old Westfalen gelding was SO uphill out of his withers that you can see in the before video there’s a massive dip in front of his withers and he’s so “downhill” from hind end to front end. 😳
He gave me a run for my money and for a while I wasn’t sure he was going to “get it.” But I kept rewarding the tiniest attempts of his nervous system to relax during movement and the one day it clicked and now he’s a stretchy junkie 😜 NOW we can work on developing the right muscles that will make him stronger, comfortable and more confident under saddle! 👏🏻
Self-Carriage?
Is self-carriage really self-carriage if the horse doesn't find it themselves?
Side reins, neck stretchers, draw reins, pessoa rigs... Bigger bits, tighter nosebands, leverage...
All of these things exist to "teach" a horse how to stretch and carry themselves. The problem with all of these tools is that your horse's first experience with contact is one that comes from resistance, pain, and constriction.
👉🏻 Mentally, side reins and any other head-restricting device are among the most detrimental things you can do to a horse's well-being. Taking autonomy of the head away from a prey animal who is designed to scan and observe their environment is painful for them in more ways than one.
This results in resistance from your horse... physically, mentally, and emotionally.
They will learn relatively quickly to put their head down and keep it where you want it to be because it's uncomfortable for it to be anywhere else. But, by observing the facial expression and musculature of the horse's neck, you can clearly see this is nothing more than obedience and box-checking to avoid the negative stimulus of bit or poll pressure.
Then the horse's view of contact comes from a place of resistance...and that resistance will slowly spread to all other aspects of their work because contact is present in everything we do under saddle.
Self-carriage has to be discovered, not taught. The horse has to find out that it actually feels better to stretch down and disengage their neck muscles. We can't force those muscles to relax any more than you can force someone to relax who doesn't want to.
So what do we do? We let the horse find it on their own through patience, positive reinforcement, and proper muscle development.
This gelding, Bear, had one of the most upside-down necks I have seen in a while. He didn't want to go forward and resisted any notions of contact. Through my program, he's learning to stretch down and release his body, and he's doing it without any gadgets, tie
🌬️ Harness the Power of Your Breath for a Stronger Bond with Your Horse 🌬️
Did you know that your breath can significantly impact your relationship with your horse? Let's talk about the transformative power of box breathing, specifically the 4-7-8 technique. This simple yet powerful exercise can help you stay calm, centered, and present...which in turn, helps your horse feel more relaxed and connected with you.
✨ What is 4-7-8 Breathing?
Inhale: Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4 seconds.
Hold: Hold your breath for a count of 7 seconds.
Exhale: Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whooshing sound for 8 seconds.
✨ Benefits of Box Breathing for You and Your Horse:
Reduces Stress: Helps calm the mind and body, reducing anxiety and tension.
Enhances Focus: Promotes mental clarity and focus, essential for effective horsemanship.
Improves Emotional Regulation: Aids in managing emotions, making you a more consistent and reliable partner for your horse.
Strengthens the Bond: Creates a shared calmness, deepening the connection and trust between you and your horse.
🌟 Try it now using this video as a guided breathing exercise 🌟
Take a few moments to practice 4-7-8 breathing in your next interaction with your horse. Notice how this simple exercise can shift your energy, making you more present and tuned in to your equine partner.
Remember, your horse can sense your emotions and energy. By practicing mindfulness through your breath, you’re not only benefiting yourself but also creating a more stable 😉 environment for your horse.
👉 Follow for more tips on enhancing your relationship with your horse through mindful practices.
#HarmonizedHorsemanship #MindfulHorsemanship #BoxBreathing #HorseTrainingTips
He’s doing it 👏
He’s trying so hard and he’s letting himself be brave.
After a week or so of minimal progress, I got quiet and I sat with him. I asked him what I should do.
I got a sudden bit of inspiration. I don’t know where it came from, but it said:
“Teach him something else. Stop trying to touch him. Everyone has tried to touch him for 2 years. Do something else.”
And then I saw a lunge whip in my mind. I was confused and wanted to resist the thought, but I trusted my intuition and I walked inside to get a whip.
I just followed my intuition for the next 30 minutes. But it was working. And after a few sessions like that one, he’s following “halter pressure” in the form of the string of the whip wrapped around his nose.
I never thought to try this because he was so reactive to touch on his face and under his chin. I would have thought this would have set him off into a panic. But he never panicked. He allowed it all and we’ve made more progress in the last 3 days than we’ve made in the last month and a half.
We’ve got this Sammy. We can do it! 🙌🏼🥰
Oh Sammy, you brave soul ✨💫 We discovered today that scratches feel good. And that will make the next steps so so so much easier. Human touch doesn’t have to mean stress, it can mean endorphin release and good feelings. 🤍💛🧡
In the last 24 hours, Sammy has:
1. Laid down and slept (with REM cycle) in the middle of the day. His human hasn’t seen him lay down once in the 2 years since round up. (I’m sure he has, but not during the day with humans around!) 🙌🏼
2. Allowed me to touch his shoulder and actually rest my hand there while he processed and did some licking and chewing ❤️
Way to go, my friend ✨🥳
To the filly I never knew I needed -
I wasn’t looking for another horse. In fact, I’d sworn off more horses and promised myself I wouldn’t add to my herd.
And then you were born.
I’ll never forget the moment I met you. Two days old, and you marched right over and shoved your nose in my face. When I politely corrected you, you turned and hiked your butt up at me.
You were full of fire and confidence and you didn’t even know what it meant to be a horse yet. And I was hooked.
I wanted to be like you. Fearless. Confident. Unwaveringly sure about boundaries and opinions. You inspired me, and you were only a baby.
Unlike my first baby horse, you were not “easy.” Your first haltering sessions were full of bucks and hops, stepped on toes and sass. You earned the nickname “Spicy Fajita” and I visited you every day. I was still trying to talk myself out of taking you. I didn’t need another horse.
But I needed YOU.
I needed you because you were determined to teach me to be strong and resilient and to stand up for what I knew was right. I needed you because you weren’t just “another horse.”
You were THE HORSE who would complete my herd and my family.
You filled a space I didn’t know was empty.
In the last year, you’ve brought me some of the most joyous moments and have challenged me to be a better horsewoman. I never felt the need or desire to break the spirit that was exploding out of you. Instead, I set out to see what would happen if I chose softness when you chose to be tough. If I chose silence when you chose to yell. I never wanted to be louder than you. I wanted to show you that you could be quiet, kind and soft —
Without losing the fire that lived inside of you.
In return, you taught me the same thing. To be strong and firm, while being quiet, kind and soft.
Happy 1st Birthday, Sterlings. I’m grateful for you being the beautiful, wild, spicy soul that you are. You are perfects in every way. 🤍
Baby Horse wasn’t very comfortable when I got there tonight to see her. I was hoping for bright eyes and snuggles, but she was feeling a bit dumpy. She responded well to some pain meds and they say she’s eating and more comfortable again. I just want her better 💛 More tests tomorrow and Thursday that will hopefully help us narrow down what’s going on. Keep sending her love and healing vibes. I hate that she doesn’t feel good. 😭
👉🏻 How to Handle Herdbound/Barn Sour Behavior 👈🏻
I've gotten a lot of requests on how to handle herdbound behavior in a way other than chasing the feet, using movement as punishment, etc. This video was filmed for my Hub subscribers, so it's not super formal, nor is it the steadiest of filming as I am riding one-handed, but it does demonstrate how I handle it.
Things to Note:
1. I keep my horse below the panic threshold at all times. If I push him too far past his comfort zone too quickly, he will snap into the sympathetic nervous system and will no longer be able to be reasoned with.
2. Fear/anxiety/panic are not emotions that you can reason or negotiate with. The only thing you can do with those emotions is to help them feel better. Imagine if you are scared or nervous and someone starts yelling at you and punishing you for feeling that way...what will you feel? What would you do?
3. I reward the smallest shifts forward and the tiniest bits of relaxation. It seems like we are progressing at the rate of a snail, but if you do this work 5-6 days in a row, you will see HUGE improvements in how your horse handles leaving his/her friends.
4. If I push too far or get into panic/fear, I have to go back a bit and find relaxation again before I move forward.
This is better to be done from the ground before you do it from their back. Us humans can stay more relaxed and confident on the ground a lot of the time, which helps us be a better leader for the horses. Once they'll walk off calmly with you beside them, you can get on and do the same thing! It may change their confidence, so just be ready to start the exercise over. You can typically expect them to progress through it more quickly each day, but sometimes you have a different horse than the one you expect and you need to meet them where they're at each day. These are beings with brains and emotions, not machines.
Another small side note: the horses being left behind have a major influence too! If th
Herdbound Issues Debunked
Is Your Horse Herdbound? The Solution is Not What You Think.
