Paddock paradise or track system.
Our suburban boarding industry needs this.
This system works with small properties that don't have large acreage for paddocks and grazing.
Try it, you won't regret it.
Trama is real in horses.
So much fear. This is my third day attempting haltering this guy. I was able to halter him shortly after this video. He tolerated haltering while in freeze. His freezing and shutting down is my first prioritiy to help him with.
Tonight he accepted the halter right away and was softer about it. Such a beautiful fox trotter who has had quite a life.
This horse has trama in his history and freezes, shuts down,dissociates, escapes, reacts and unpredictably explodes with human and environmental pressure and fast movements. Has a history of explosiveness, unpredictable, and spooky Behavior.
I am teaching his owner how to become a good leader for him by using feel and timing. Giving him a place to go when trouble is upon him. Using distraction to change his thought to promote relaxation and a thinking, engaged horse.
It's not his fault, he is only in salvation mode when he perceives Danger, which is most of the time. His way of communicating that there's danger is to freeze and then explode uncontrollably.
Horses need a leader to show them and guide them what to do when trouble comes up on them. This starts on the ground and transfers into the saddle.
Helping a horse through tonic immobility under saddle. He habitually goes into freeze when frightened, then explodes when pushed or pulled through it. He sets back on the ground, extremly looky and is quite spooky. This was our first ride, I was testing to see what he would do when I reached back and touched on both sides. Left side was uneventful, no extra tension. Right side was opposite. Watch him when I reach back and touch. Tail tucks and muscles tense up then he freezes in mid stride.
I could squeeze or kick him through it, or lift a rein to only find solid brace in his mind. This would lead to increased trigger stacking or hitting his threshold into his known explosive expression.
Or, I can wait for him to process slowly and have small discussions to get small changes of thought for slight relaxation. When I know his mind and body are connected to me, I will ask him to trust my rein into movement.
He will remember that I helped him through his fear into slight relaxation. Instead of pushing, pulling or driving him through it only to find trouble on the other side. #horsetraining
Horses in freeze and shut down can be extremely explosive.
They can be reactive to humans movements and to surprises and changes in the environment.
Echo is going to be one that will need a lot of help releasing the tension he has of humans. He is starting to understand I am not going to force him into trouble.
Frankie pinned him down when he went to roll. Punk. Poor Gilbert.
Full video.
The reel cut off the end.
The art of distraction to change the thoughts of this 6yr old Thoroughbred. Highly distracted and filled with anxiety by the herd fun next door. No better time to work on connection.
He has anxiety about life and his owner has fear of him when he is distracted and animated like this. We work on his anxiety and her fear in this session.
Lunging, circling and round penning. I have met and helped multiple horses with issues in this area. Lunging is a classical training method that has been misinterpreted throughout the centuries. It used to be used to help the horse find balance, relaxation, learn transitions, rythem, forward and straitness. Now I see it used as a way to run adrenaline off, exercise because they are stalled, for obedience and punishment. This can create all kinds of issues on the lunge/circle and causes many horses to move out of balance while full of tension. It's not comfortable physically or emotionally.
This horse has a lot of tension about being out on the circle. I didn't ask him to circle, I asked him if he could walk out away from me and not on top of me. He could not be out there without thinking I wanted him to run out and lunge. He chose to run off, thinking I was going to follow with a lunge whip or tool. So his thoughts are not on forward, relaxation, rhythm or balance. His thoughts are to escape pressure.
Watch him immediately change when I tell him I hear his worries, support him and redirect his thoughts to a strait line instead of the circle. Just a little communication about his concerns softened his thoughts and he connected. His feet and mind are together and that removed the anxiety.
I help many horses with lunging and round penning anxiety. It's about where their thoughts are and finding balance and rythem through relaxation.
Frankie getting acquainted with the halter and rope. His spooking at everything is improving.
This is a mare with haltering issues, aggression and tension being caught. This is my 3rd micro visit with her and the first with the halter.
She is clear in her communication and liked that I listened to her. Stay tuned for updates.
Always makes me smile when they release tension about pressure.
I am sorry for the length of video. I didn't want to edit it because I want to show the entire process. This is a video about connection, energy, thoughts, tension, anxiety, and relaxation.
About how our life's baggage, carried into the stall or paddock, can reflect in our horse and the connection.
About looking internally at yourself if your horse is acting out.
About focus, relaxation and connection.
This is a 2 yr old arabian freisian cross and her owner. This young horse could not regulate her anxiety 6 months ago and would run around like a nut with any trigger.
She is maturing and has learned to self regulate and co-regulate her nervous system.
They have made so much progress and I am proud of them both.
