Twin Oaks Farm - Horses and Fun

08/27/2024

DNA test are in! Not surprised but good to know.
Ella B. quarter horse
Poppy quarter paint cross
makes Missy a quarter horse. 🥰

08/27/2024

The internet is full of criticism and judgment about what we do wrong with our horses. We’re often told that we aren’t good enough because we don’t jump high enough, don’t ride well enough, or can’t afford the most expensive horse. But at the end of the day, what matters most is that you h...

08/25/2024

I did not write this, but everyone needs to see it...

When we rush our horses in their training, we aren't expediting their fitness or building muscles faster - we are breaking them down and rushing to a place that will require more veterinary intervention, more alternative therapies, more time off, more risk of injury, more wear and tear on the fragile structures, and a quicker end to the riding career and soundness of our equine partners.

You cannot rush fitness, you cannot rush collection, suppleness, relaxation, it's impossible. Wherever you do rush and cut corners, you will end up with holes and issues in other areas of your riding and the overall health and welfare of your horse.

Don't want to take the time to teach your horse to collect, and instead just force him into a false frame? Well, you're going to be stuck with fixing the slew of problems that come with the tension that was just created.

Don't want to work your way up the scale to create true endurance and stamina? You now risk your horse pulling a muscle or injuring themselves from overexertion and being pushed too hard for too long when the body simply isn't ready for that workload.

Don't want to get a saddle fitted to your horse? Your horse will suffer the consequences of altering his posture and way of going to alleviate the pressure and pain caused by something that isn't suited to his build, even going so far as risking injury to yourself when he can't pick up his feet enough, causing a stumble which can be catastrophic.

Don't want to do boring small jumps to build up to the larger ones? You risk your horse not being able to find a good take-off spot, knocking rails, refusing and even crashing through the jump. You will also make the horse more nervous, anxious and again, tense and sometimes unwilling to jump again.

Don't want to waste time working up the scale of collection to achieve the proper head set without force? Let's just throw a harsher bit in his mouth, maybe tie the nose shut with both noseband and flash to get him into "frame". You've now lost all relaxation, the wrong muscles are activated and depending on how deep you yank the horses face in will determine if he's even able to swallow. Tension throughout the jaw and neck translate all the way to the hind legs, so zero collection is possible, even the slightest bit of engagement and lift of the back cannot be achieved.

Rushing will lead you nowhere except to more problems that could've been avoided had you taken the proper time for development.

📝 Unknown

📸 Sister

08/23/2024

“They’re just a trail horse”

It always pets my peeves just a little when you try to encourage someone to work with their horse more and gain more control and you get the “he’s just a trail horse. He doesn’t need all of that fancy stuff”. First off having full control of your horses body isn’t “fancy stuff” it’s the basics. Second off, trail horses need to be some of the most well equipped horses mentally and physically for the job. There are countless scenarios, environments and obstacles your horse needs to overcome. So being able to control where you put your horses feet is CRUCIAL for your safety and THEIRS. Even my well trained, been there done that ranch horses have encountered obstacles on the trail they are unsure of. I can rope a bull and drag it into a trailer, halter break 1,200 colts, ride down a highway on Reba, but the first time we encountered a bridge over water she was having second thoughts.

There’s a lot of rough country that I’ve ridden on my horses and there’s only been two times in my life while riding my finished horses that I felt the need to step off and lead my horse through an obstacle because I felt it was unsafe to do so. I don’t ever really ever have many scenarios or obstacles (even new ones) that I’ve encountered where I don’t trust my finished horses to carry me through safely. The reason why is because I have control of where my horses feet go. If I come across a big slick rock in the trail I can tell my horse to take their left front foot and step over the rock and not on it. If I come across a bridge with a giant hole in it I can tell my horses to step over not in it. If I come to a sketchy part of the trail I don’t have to question my horses footing because I can evaluate and tell my horse where their feet go to ensure our safety. I can move my horses ribs so my legs don’t get caught on tree limbs and so much more.

So you see all these “fancy things” aren’t fancy. It’s basic control so you can ensure safety. I’ve had so many people refuse to go to clinics, take lessons or just work and expand their horse’s knowledge and control because, well “it’s just a trail horse. All you need to do is point and shoot down the trail”. But when you have countless scenarios that can happen, unknown obstacles and more having true control of a horse is the only way to ensure your safety. It doesn’t matter how gentle a horse is, without control of their body and feet you can’t promise safety for your horse. Your horse may step on that slippery rock and fall (which is how I broke my leg on day 3 of a 10 pack trip in the back country). All the times I’ve been injured riding a horse (or a horse has been injured) is because of the lack of control I had and the horse has made a bad step, fall or decision.

Buck is 100% correct with saying “These folks who say, Nah, I don't need all that fancy riding stuff. I just want to trail ride.
That's like saying, I'm going to die out in the trees instead of in the arena.”

Most Injuries happen from lack of control.
Control = Safety

08/19/2024

Dressage is NOT abusive.

The word 'dressage' comes from the French verb 'dresser,' meaning, in the context of animals, 'to train.' In essence, dressage is just the 'training of the horse.'

Dressage was designed to BENEFIT the horse. When done correctly, it improves the horse's balance, strength, and suppleness, helping to prevent injury and promote a longer working life.

The riders and coaches who practice incorrect training and take shortcuts create the abuse. Judges further encourage this by awarding high scores for technically incorrect movements that do not meet the standards of their own rule book.

The public opinion of dressage is becoming one of animal abuse. They think a piaffe is taught by repeatedly whipping a horse's legs and that horses' heads are forced inward by harsh bits. Although this sadly happens, it is not dressage.

People see dressage only as a competitive sport, and yes, it can be. But at its core, dressage is about creating a harmonious partnership between horse and rider; it's not about percentage scores or medals.

So, let's go back to basics and continue to educate ourselves and the public on the core fundamentals of correct dressage training because dressage itself is not the problem.

Stock image from Shutterstock.

08/18/2024

Praise often.
Praise the smallest try.
A touch, a walk, a break, a gallop, a long rein.
A word filled with friendship and pride.
Nothing builds confidence in horses like the acknowledgement of their good will and efforts to please.

- Manolo Mendez

08/17/2024

A small stab in the heart is what you feel when you put up the day's riding list and you see riders sinking heavily in their shoulders when reading which horse they are assigned for the lesson. A small stab in the heart for that horse that for an hour will carry around a rider who has already decided that he does not like his horse. A small stab in the heart for the horse that did not choose the rider himself but still does his best, lesson after lesson.

Riding is a privilege and something you have chosen to do. If you chose to ride at a riding school, your instructor assumes that you actually want to learn how to ride. The instructor's highest wish is that you get good at it.

Often there is a plan and a thought as to why you are assigned to that exact horse. Before you mount up next time, ask yourself "what can this horse teach me today?" All horses have something to give, a feeling or a new tool in the box.

The art is actually in being able to get a lazy horse to move forward, to get an uncertain horse to gain confidence, a naughty horse to focus or a tense horse to be released. It takes work. If you think a horse is boring, it's more likely that you don't ride the horse as well as you think! It's not easy to be confronted with your own shortcomings, but it is in that very situation that you get the chance to truly grow as a rider.

The excuse that "it's not my kind of horse" is actually a really bad excuse. A good rider can ride any kind of horse. A good rider has trained many hours on different types of horses to become a good rider. A good rider can find and manage the gold nuggets in every horse.

If we absolutely want to ride, it is our duty to strive to do it as best as possible, even if it's only for fun. We owe it to every horse that carries us upon it's back.

Copied and shared with love for all of our horses, ponies and riders 🐎❤🐎

08/17/2024

When someone leaves a comments or a like here, I often click on their name to see their riding images on their page. I do this to keep track of what today's typical riding looks like. I see all kinds of riding. Some images and videos show very good balanced riding. What seems to be a common riding flaw that I see recently is with head position. So many riders post pictures of their riding with their eyes looking down. This might seem a minor issue, but it is not.

When your eyes are down, your horse can feel that your balance is forward, more over the forehand. This will put your horse onto their forehand. When your eyes go down, your head that weighs 15 pounds (7 kg) goes down and forward, and usually your shoulders fall forward as well. The fact that your head is up high at the end of an effective lever that is your upper body, multiplies the forward weight that you place over your horse's shoulders.

The negative effects this has on your horse show up in several ways. It makes both upward and downward transitions more difficult for your horse. This is because Horses need to push off or reach under with their hind, and you have shifted their balance off their hind. Lead changes become more difficult for the same reason.

Worst of all for riders, looking down makes it more difficult to develop "feel". I briefly had an argumentative student who insisted on looking down. She would argue with me when I said "eyes up", saying "I like to see what my horse is doing". I'd explain that with eyes up you can feel what your horse is doing and that makes all the difference.

If you look down when riding, just stop doing that. If you have to look down, move your eyeballs, not your head. If you do this, many improvements will follow. You will sit the canter better because your head and neck position will no longer interfere with your hips swinging to the 1-2-3 beat of the canter. "Eyes up". It's simple and fixes a lot of things.

08/16/2024

From Danee Rudy of Rudy’s Horsemanship
The Psoas Muscle and the Confidence Button!
The psoas major is the "fear muscle". It connects from your spine to your femur and it closes your hip angle when you get scared. You can't directly keep this muscle from contracting- if you are scared or nervous, it WILL close your hip angle. This is why you see so many riders leaning forwards, pulling on reins, and no matter how hard they try, they CAN'T sit back!
So what can we do about it?
Well, all our muscles have opposing muscles. Muscles work in sync- as one set contracts, the opposing muscles must extend. So if you can contract the muscles opposing the psoas, you can get the psoas to knock it off! your opposing muscles are the muscles in your butt that open the hip. But those muscles can contract in all sorts of ways, and we need THE specific movement that will re-open the hip! The best visualization I've come up with is to "ENGAGE THE CONFIDENCE BUTTON"!! Pretend you have a button, right at the top of your butt crack, that when you press it down into the saddle, will flood you with sticky seat super powers! Because it does! When you tuck your tailbone, lift your p***c bone, and engage your lower abs, it opens and relaxes your hip joints, enabling you to sit most evasions or spooks that your horse may dish out. It also puts you in a position where if you really HAVE to pull your horse's lips to his ears, at least you are able. Your seat will be in a strong position to both keep you on, and to influence your horse.
(The Confidence Button is my original concept- please do not use it unless you clearly state that it came from Danee Rudy of Rudy Horsemanship!!!)
WOW!!!! 😍Thanks for the amazing response!! Like our page for more tips and diagrams.

08/14/2024

08/13/2024

Team hopes findings will help improve equine welfare after showing cognitive abilities include being ‘goal-directed’

08/09/2024

Thoroughbred Logic: So You Don’t Want To Go Fast…
June 29, 2022Aubrey GrahamAubrey Graham, Uncategorized , Thoroughbred LogicComments Off on Thoroughbred Logic: So You Don’t Want To Go Fast…
This week’s Thoroughbred Logic discusses what you can do to keep these smart, sensitive and capable horses balanced, consistent, relaxed and maybe just a little slower.

Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, will offer insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). Come along for the ride as she offers her logic on keeping Thoroughbreds consistent, balanced, and maybe a little less fast.

“I first rode a Thoroughbred when I was a kid… I had ridden kick rides and naughty horses and lesson horses, but the sheer power the Thoroughbred had was thrilling.” I honestly cannot remember who recounted that to me recently (three people have said similar things in the last two weeks), but the comment set me up to think through this whole Thoroughbred and power thing… And frankly, I’m pretty sure, when I first sat on a Thoroughbred as a nine-year old (after years of riding ponies), I felt the exact same way.

Bold Sailor, my first Thoroughbred, featured here in his younger days with my childhood riding instructor, Terry Schrieber. Photo courtesy of Terry Schrieber.

So, yes. And yes again. These horses are powerful – they have a forward drive that many other breeds simply don’t have. And they want to work. I joke with Shane, my partner and professional hunting guide, that his working dogs – German Shorthair Pointers – are the Thoroughbred equivalent. They are wickedly bright, capable, occasionally stubborn, but mostly they want attention, and they want to work. Left without a job and to their own devices, God help your house and everything in it.

Shane Drake helps three of his German Shorthair Pointers disembark the dog boxes and head out to do one of the jobs they love – hunt quail. Photo by author.

But like working dogs, the Thoroughbred needs to go and do and being switched on means that while that drive and power might be thrilling, it also might not be for everyone, everyday. To state the obvious, Thoroughbreds are bred for quick-responding, long-running speed; to get around the track well, they need not only a fast responding body, but also a brain that can keep up. In a second career, they demand a rider who not only appreciates that, but knows both how to tune it up or down as necessary.

I know that if I leave that paragraph there, I’ll get comments about kick ride Thoroughbreds and how not all of them are fast and wild. So, yes. Yes, of course there are kick ride Thoroughbreds. No, not all of them remain as sensitive, bright, and forward their whole life. Hell, I have ridden ones where it takes a bunch of leg to canter, but once there you feel like you are riding into war — all big, ground covering strides and bravery. There are others where you ask for a walk from the halt, and you’re halfway around the ring at a gallop before you manage to collect your reins (thankfully, we can fix that). Even when addressing the green-beans who just came off the track, there is a wide range of speed, impulsion, and need to go forward.

Vanderboom Ridge canters around in dressage warmup at the Retired Racehorse Project’s 2021 MegaMakeover. Boomer was a very successful racehorse who can cover impressive ground when opened up. Photo by Alexa Wegner.

Regardless of whether they are more ‘go than woah’ or more ‘woah than go,’ an important part of riding Thoroughbreds is getting them to use that inherently thrilling power for good, and not for evil – or you know, for accidentally terrifying or generally intimidating their rider. So here’s the thing – if you want to go slower, there are actions to avoid and the concepts to cling to.

Here are three of my go-to recommendations about rider position and getting the Thoroughbred to stay slow:

Don’t pull (equally, don’t balance off the reins)

This is really, really, really annoyingly easy to say – it is of course, far harder to do. One often can successfully be soft while the horse is slow, but if they get quick – maybe on a canter transition, or around a turn, after a jump, or heading back towards the gate, Do. Not. Pull. Like literally do everything in your power to resist using your reins other than as an accompaniment to a half halt. It is natural that we want to control with our hands and arms, but for former racehorses, pulling or balancing off the reins simply means go faster. And they will do so…quickly. It is also a vicious cycle — the more a rider pulls, the more the horse inverts and goes faster, causing the rider to pull more.

Instead, use your core

Well, first… don’t panic. Me saying that is surely not helpful, but it is a place to start. Then, instead of your hands, use your core. Pushing your hands forward in what Practical Horseman refers to as a “shopping cart” feel (still having contact but not pulling back), tighten and engage your stomach and back muscles to manage their speed. At the trot, core control of speed means that you are able to slow your post despite the tempo of the horse. This means sitting gently through the foam of the saddle and feeling your seat bones sink in. This means being able to tighten your core and pause at the top of your post before coming back down. In the canter it means dropping your tail bone, flattening your back, and riding slightly behind the horse’s rhythm so to ask them to come back to you (and then have the patience to let them do so). It is hard. It takes significant strength and training. But, this method usually yields far better results on a sensitive, powerful ride than rushing to your hands.

Crafty Charger rides through Cross Country at Poplar Place Farm last year, requiring a soft feel of his mouth and core control. Photo by Chris Peterman.

Don’t: Pitch

Like pulling, pitching forward towards fetal position is not just common, but instinctual (and the two things — pitching and pulling — usually go together). Pitching protects our organs. Hell, it is evolutionarily designed. Unfortunately, it is also is the most likely position to not only make a horse go faster, but also cause a rider come rolling off. Leaning forward tips and narrows one’s center of gravity, moving it from a wide balance at your hips to precariously set just over the front of your pelvis. This makes riders vulnerable to side-to-side movement, rooting and bucking, and to changes in tempo as horses blast around (and thus usually contributes to more use of the hands for attempted speed control). Definitely note though, tipping and two-point are not the same thing.

Still one of my favorite pics of a very athletic, El Scorcho. Sitting up was always key on this pretty, ridiculously talented mare. Photo by Alexa Wegner.

Instead, Sit Up

A rider gains strength and balance when they sit up and put their hips under them. Heel, hip, shoulder. This is why folks say to focus on good equitation when s**t hits the proverbial fan. Good equitation puts you ninety degrees to the dirt, grounds your seat bones down into the saddle like a plug into an electrical socket, and sets you up to be able to not only ride out any turbulence, but feel it coming and pick up your reins (and their head) and let them know that bolting, bucking, propping, or porpoising isn’t how this ride is going to go. More importantly, the more upright and soft a rider is, the less the idea of “go fast” will cross the sensitive horse’s mind. Perhaps it can be thought about this way: upright (even in two point) and soft gives the fast horse the confidence it needs to try to go slow.

Cheese Whiz is a sensitive ride, and the best means of containing him comes through soft hands, core engagement, and staying upright. Photo by Cora Williamson.

Don’t Lock

Locking in my terminology means bracing through a joint or portion of your body that shifts the shape and movement of how you ride. This one is tough, though, as most people aren’t always aware of where they are locking. Moreover, a quiet, patient, well-schooled friend might simply flick an ear at you and ignore the immobile joint– a Thoroughbred, especially a green one, may well use it as a sign to go faster. In their brain, that bracing puts pressure on them where there should be softness and flexibility, and that means “go.” Everytime “go.” So until you can figure out if it’s the ankle or the hip, or hell, behind the knee bracing, or not being soft with your shoulders, elbows, wrists, or simply your hands turned into fists, your mount will likely invert and get to hustling along.

Instead, focus on being bungee

A trainer can help assess where the bracing occurs and provide metaphors and training tips to help a rider stay bungee in that joint (and all the others). Otherwise, when you ride a sensitive horse, I find it helpful to run down the checklist: where is my tongue (yep- it starts there, and needs to be off the roof of your mouth), my jaw, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, lower back, hips, knees, ankles… and so on. Being bungee, or making yourself into strong but supple rubber band is super helpful for giving these sensitive horses confidence to go forward and use their bodies correctly.

I first heard the term “tensile strength” in relation to gymnastics, where men and women have to not just be capable, but be graceful, elastic, and so strong that they can do the hard, athletic things while making it look effortless and fluid. That said, tensile strength actually refers to how much force a material can take before it snaps. Considering the term’s emphasis on the flexibility and bending before that happens, it seems like such a concept applies quite well to riding too.

Boomer (Badabing Badaboom) tackles the boat at Chatt Hills. The key to riding this talented former racer is to use one’s body to provide confidence while encouraging softness and flow. Photo by Cora Williamson.

Overall though, there are a lot of ways to stay quiet and enjoy the ride without unnecessary excitement. I could have written about inside leg to outside rein, about ensuring their balance, or about learning to be OK with just a little bit too quick. I’m sure I’ll get to all of that in other articles. That said, the most counter intuitive part of riding these horses effectively is that you have to meet their power and speed with strength that relies on softness, confidence, and self control. It is neither easy nor for the faint of heart. But if one can figure it out, the amazing thrill of the Thoroughbred gets to become real.

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08/08/2024

08/04/2024

From Tamarack Hill Farm

Why so much so young?

The various horse industries, like racing, are not likely to change the way they have operated for hundreds of years, racing 2 and 3 year olds hard, but that doesn't mean they have to be copied by sport disciplines.

I am a conservative about horse age.

A yearling is a baby, and ought to be running around in a field.

A 2 year old is a baby, and ought to be running around in a field.

A 3 year old is a baby, but now big enough to start getting more handling. No damn "futurities." No "young horse programs."
If you can't stand not doing something, put tack on, maybe spend some summer time doing some long lining, maybe get on him enough times that he won't buck you off, and throw him back out in the field.
If you do nothing with a 3 year old except the basic shots, feet, teeth, leading, the same thing as with yearlings and two year olds, I don't think you are putting yourself behind the game.

A 4 year old is a young adolescent. Like most adolescents, he needs a job, but not a hard, speed filled, spinning, wrenching, pounding job, so much as a slow, calm, body building job, lots of walking, the gradual acquisition of more musculature and body mass. You are still very much in a building mode.

Five is either the last baby year, or the first semi-mature year, depending upon the horse. Ride and train carefully, and try to avoid two things most of all. Injury and frantic stress. Never put a 5 year old into some "young horse" program with a performance based time limit, unless he is one of those early maturing types, and even then, be careful. And NEVER with a 4 year old.

Six, he is ready to start being a "normal" horse.

I realize I am in the minority with my time line. Many horses are used up and done for by 6, 7, or 8. Or even younger. They are fried mentally, and injured physically by greedy riders and trainers who had no issue grinding on them too young.

But if you can be patient, and give them time to grow up and get strong, you can still be riding those horses when they are late teenagers, into their early 20s, sometimes.

What is the rush? Seriously?

08/03/2024

Pretty bad---

I was recently talking with someone who leases out lots of horses to various riding programs, summer camps, boarding school and college stables, trail strings, whatever.

She told me that they have stopped sending horses to places that teach jumping because, so often, those horses come back sour, sore and generally used up from being over-jumped.

Think about jumping, and how much physical effort it takes, and how “slamming” the landings are, and have some sympathy, empathy and some of that rare commodity, common sense and decent horsemanship, before jumping the holy living snot out of some poor horse.

Sure, it’s “fun” to jump, but before you say something truly stupid like “my horsie LOVES to jump,” consider which one is having more "fun", the one sitting there, or the one doing the work.

Jumping is OK for horses when done carefully, but lots of humans don’t know the difference between careful and too much. Or, worse, they do know, and do too much anyway.

Some riders would jump 7 days a week if you let them, and they never give a thought to what it does to the horse,

08/03/2024

07/31/2024

Such an honest post. I have mentally apologized to many horses from my past. When you know better you do better. My primary goal these days is to hope to influence people that cross my path to treat horses they may meet in the future with compassion and kindness.

07/24/2024

Amen!

A small stab in the heart is what you feel when you put up the day's riding list and you see riders sinking heavily in their shoulders when reading which horse they are assigned for the lesson. A small stab in the heart for that horse that for an hour will carry around a rider who has already decided that he does not like his horse. A small stab in the heart for the horse that did not choose the rider himself but still does his best, lesson after lesson.

Riding is a privilege and something you have chosen to do. If you chose to ride at a riding school, your instructor assumes that you actually want to learn how to ride. The instructor's highest wish is that you get good at it.

Often there is a plan and a thought as to why you are assigned to that exact horse. Before you mount up next time, ask yourself "what can this horse teach me today?" All horses have something to give, a feeling or a new tool in the box.

The art is actually in being able to get a lazy horse to move forward, to get an uncertain horse to gain confidence, a naughty horse to focus or a tense horse to be released. It takes work. If you think a horse is boring, it's more likely that you don't ride the horse as well as you think! It's not easy to be confronted with your own shortcomings, but it is in that very situation that you get the chance to truly grow as a rider.

The excuse that "it's not my kind of horse" is actually a really bad excuse. A good rider can ride any kind of horse. A good rider has trained many hours on different types of horses to become a good rider. A good rider can find and manage the gold nuggets in every horse.

If we absolutely want to ride, it is our duty to strive to do it as best as possible, even if it's only for fun. We owe it to every horse that carries us upon it's back.

Copied and shared with love for all of our horses, ponies and riders 🐎❤🐎

07/24/2024

Long but excellent read!

Steffen Peters, Christine Traurig, Hilda Gurney and Charlotte Bredahl-Baker share their top dressage training tips.

07/15/2024

Couldn’t find the name of the person who originally posted this but excellent information.

"New Home Syndrome"🤓

I am coining this term to bring recognition, respect, and understanding to what happens to horses when they move homes. This situation involves removing them from an environment and set of routines they have become familiar with, and placing them somewhere completely different with new people and different ways of doing things.

Why call it a syndrome?

Well, really it is! A syndrome is a term used to describe a set of symptoms that consistently occur together and can be tied to certain factors such as infections, genetic predispositions, conditions, or environmental influences. It is also used when the exact cause of the symptoms is not fully understood or when it is not connected with a well-defined disease. In this case, "New Home Syndrome" is connected to a horse being placed in a new home where its entire world changes, leading to psychological and physiological impacts. While it might be transient, the ramifications can be significant for both the horse and anyone handling or riding it.

Let me explain...

Think about how good it feels to get home after a busy day. How comfortable your favourite clothes are, how well you sleep in your own bed compared to a strange bed, and how you can really relax at home. This is because home is safe and familiar. At home, the part of you that keeps an eye out for potential danger turns down to a low setting. It does this because home is your safe place (and if it is not, this blog will also explain why a lack of a safe place is detrimental).

Therefore, the first symptom of horses experiencing "New Home Syndrome" is being unsettled, prone to anxiety, or difficult behaviour. If you have owned them before you moved them, you struggle to recognise your horse, feeling as if your horse has been replaced by a frustrating version. If the horse is new to you, you might wonder if you were conned, if the horse was drugged when you rode it, or if you were lied to about the horse's true nature.

A horse with "New Home Syndrome" will be a stressed version of itself, on high alert, with a drastically reduced ability to cope. Horses don't handle change like humans do. If you appreciate the comfort of your own home and how you can relax there, you should be able to understand what the horse is experiencing.

Respecting that horses interpret and process their environments differently from us helps in understanding why your horse is being frustrating and recognising that there is a good chance you were not lied to or that the horse was not drugged.

Horses have survived through evolution by being highly aware of their environments. Change is a significant challenge for them because they notice the slightest differences, not just visually but also through sound, smell, feel, and other senses. Humans generalise and categorise, making it easy for us to navigate familiar environments like shopping centres. Horses do not generalise in the same way; everything new is different to them, and they need proof of safety before they can habituate and feel secure. When their entire world changes, it is deeply stressful.

They struggle to sleep until they feel safe, leading to sleep deprivation and increased difficulty.

But there is more...

Not only do you find comfort in your home environment and your nervous system downregulates, but you also find comfort in routines. Routines are habits, and habits are easy. When a routine changes or something has to be navigated differently, things get difficult. For example, my local supermarket is undergoing renovations. After four years of shopping there, it is extremely frustrating to have to work out where everything is now. Every day it gets moved due to the store being refitted section by section. This annoyance is shared by other shoppers and even the staff.

So, consider the horse. Not only are they confronted with the challenge of figuring out whether they are safe in all aspects of their new home while being sleep deprived, but every single routine and encounter is different. Then, their owner or new owner starts getting critical and concerned because the horse suddenly seems untrained or difficult. The horse they thought they owned or bought is not meeting their expectations, leading to conflict, resistance, explosiveness, hypersensitivity, and frustration.

The horse acts as if it knows little because it is stressed and because the routines and habits it has learned have disappeared. If you are a new human for the horse, you feel, move, and communicate differently from what it is used to. The way you hold the reins, your body movements in the saddle, the position of your leg – every single routine of communication between horse and person is now different. I explain to people that when you get a new horse, you have to imprint yourself and your way of communicating onto the horse. You have to introduce yourself and take the time to spell out your cues so that they get to know you.

Therefore, when you move a horse to a new home or get a new horse, your horse will go through a phase called "New Home Syndrome," and it will be significant for them. Appreciating this helps them get through it because they are incredible and can succeed. The more you understand and help the horse learn it is safe in its new environment and navigate the new routines and habits you introduce, the faster "New Home Syndrome" will pass.
"New Home Syndrome" will be prevalent in a horse’s life until they have learned to trust the safety of the environment (and all that entails) and the humans they meet and interact with. With strategic and understanding approaches, this may take weeks, and their nervous systems will start downgrading their high alert status. However, for some horses, it can take a couple of years to fully feel at ease in their new home.

So, next time you move your horse or acquire a new horse and it starts behaving erratically or being difficult, it is not being "stupid", you might not have been lied to or the horse "drugged" - your horse is just experiencing an episode of understandable "New Home Syndrome." And you can help this.❤

I would be grateful if you could please share, this reality for horses needs to be better appreciated ❤
‼️When I say SHARE that does not mean plagiarise my work…it is seriously not cool to copy and paste these words and make out you have written it yourself‼️