Pony Power

04/03/2025

🐴 Why Do Horses Spook? The Science Behind Their Brain—and How You Can Help 🧠

Ever wondered why your horse suddenly jumps at a rustling bush or shies away from a harmless plastic bag? It’s not “bad behavior”—it’s science. Let’s dive into what’s really happening in your horse’s brain and how you can help them feel safer...

🌟 The Equine Brain: Built for Survival

Your horse’s brain is wired differently from yours. As prey animals, horses have evolved with a highly sensitive limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotions, memory, and—most importantly—survival instincts.

🔍 When a horse senses potential danger, their amygdala, the brain's fear center, kicks into high gear. This triggers the sympathetic nervous system—the famous “fight-or-flight” response.

Heart rate spikes.

Muscles tense, ready to bolt.

Vision narrows to focus on the perceived threat.

To your horse, that plastic bag might as well be a crouching predator. Their brain isn’t being “silly”—it’s protecting them from what it perceives as a life-or-death situation.

🌿 Why Horses Struggle to "Think First"

Unlike humans, horses have a relatively underdeveloped prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and logic. This means their response to fear is instinctive and immediate. They don’t have the luxury of thinking, “Oh, that bag moved because of the wind.”

This neurological wiring makes horses exceptionally reactive.

🗝️ But here’s the KEY: while they may react instinctively, they are also herd animals. They look to those they trust—whether another horse or you—for leadership and reassurance.

🧘‍♀️ The Power of Your Emotions: Why Calm Is Contagious

Horses are incredibly in tune with the emotions of those around them. This comes from their herd dynamics in the wild:

In a herd, horses rely on a calm, confident leader to signal when it’s safe or when it’s time to run.

If the leader panics, the whole herd panics.

As your horse’s human partner, YOU become their herd leader. When you stay calm, confident, and grounded, your horse’s mirror neurons—brain cells that mimic emotions—will pick up on your energy. A calm leader tells them, “It’s safe; you don’t need to worry.”

🔍 What Does This Look Like in Action?

1️⃣ When your horse spooks, don’t react with frustration or tension. Instead, take a deep breath, soften your body language, and reassure them with your calm presence.

2️⃣ Speak softly or hum—your voice can have a soothing effect when paired with a relaxed tone.

3️⃣ Be patient. Don’t force them directly toward the scary object; instead, let them process while you maintain calm, steady energy.

🌿 Herd Dynamics in Action: Partnership and Trust

Horses feel safest when they know someone else is “in charge.” By stepping into the role of a calm, confident leader, you create a foundation of trust and partnership.

💡 Key Qualities of a Good Herd Leader:

✔️ Calm under pressure
✔️ Consistent and fair
✔️ Clear in communication
✔️ Patient and non-reactive

When your horse trusts you as their leader, they’re more likely to turn to you for reassurance instead of defaulting to flight mode. Over time, this trust builds confidence—and fewer spooks.

💡So, How to Build Partnership and Trust?

Spend time doing groundwork exercises to establish clear, calm communication.

Reward your horse for bravery, even in small steps. Approaching a “scary” object deserves praise and reassurance.

Practice being mindful of your own emotions—stress and frustration can unintentionally signal danger to your horse.

🐎 The Bottom Line 🐎

Spooking is part of who horses are, but with patience, partnership, and trust, you can help your horse feel safe and confident in our human world. By becoming the calm, reassuring leader they need, you’ll not only reduce their fear—you’ll deepen the incredible bond you share.

💬 Have you helped your horse overcome spooking by building trust and confidence? Share your experiences below! Let’s grow together as mindful, empathetic riders.

💥 SHARE this post to help people everywhere create stronger partnerships with their horses. 🐴💙



Photo by Flo Knoyle Photography

04/02/2025

Important for everyone to learn the signs of a stroke and how to save a life!

I URGE ALL MY FRIENDS TO READ & SHARE THIS; YOU COULD SAVE A LOVED ONES LIFE BY KNOWING THIS SIMPLE INFORMATION!!!

Stroke has a new indicator! They say if you forward this to ten people, you stand a chance of saving one life. Will you send this along? Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue:

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and

Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A

SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. Chicken Soup)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is

'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

I have done my part. Will you?

04/01/2025

How cute!

50 unforgettable moments captured when animals did something hilariously silly (link in the comments)

03/31/2025

😢

Have you heard of the New World Screwworm?

The adult screwworm fly is about the size of a common housefly (or slightly larger), with orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body, and three dark stripes along its back. It gets its name from the behavior of its larvae (maggots) as they burrow (screw) into the wound, feeding as they go. The maggots (larvae) cause extensive damage by tearing at the hosts’ tissue with sharp mouth hooks. The wound can quickly become enlarged and deeper as more maggots hatch and feed on living tissue.

Because they feed on live flesh, NWS maggots may burrow deep into wounds or openings, while other species of maggots may appear around the outer surface of the wound. In addition, even the smallest of wounds have the potential to attract flies, so it is imperative that you keep a close eye on your animals for any signs of wounds.

Lastly, NWS infestations are a reportable disease! Immediately report any suspicious wounds, maggots, or infestations to a local accredited veterinarian, your State Animal Health Official, or a USDA veterinarian.

For more information, reference this resource from the U.S. Department of Agriculture:https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/bro-new-world-screwworm.pdf

03/28/2025

Cool!

03/12/2025

03/06/2025

There are so many wonderful resources for us about how to interact with our horses… as well as with ourselves. This is our foundation. This is the heart Therapeutic Riding.  please share your resources! What’s your favorite? Why?

03/05/2025

It is vital to understand the anatomy of your horse.

03/05/2025

03/01/2025

“If every single person who has liked you in your lifetime were to light up on a map, it would create the most glittering, beautiful network you could imagine.

Throw in the strangers you’ve been kind to, the people you’ve made laugh, or inspired along the way, and that star-bright network of you would be an impressive sight to behold.

You’re so much more than you think you are.

You have done so much more than you realise.

You’re trailing a bright pathway that you don’t even know about. What a thing. What a thing indeed.”

- Donna Ashworth

Image by Tetiana Babinich, licensed via Shutterstock.

02/12/2025

All any of us wanted when we were children was unconditional love from the people around us.

And, when that love failed to come our way sufficiently, many of us turned towards animals, sometimes needing to cling to the family pet for dear-life in order to survive and receive enough warmth and acceptance to keep us going.

Animals give us unconditional love and through always welcoming our presence they give us the vital acceptance and validation that, who we were, and still are now, matters and is enough.

The dog who raced to greet us every time we returned home. The cat who always chose our bed to cuddle and sleep. The pony or horse who was always there and always happy for us to nestle our face into their neck and mane, as we allowed our tears of sorrow to flow.

I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve relayed such stories, myself included, with the oft-heard phrase being that, animals and especially horses or ponies, literally saved our lives.

I'm so thankful to these gracious beings who simply loved us as we were and demanded nothing from us except our pure love, bonds and affection in return.

For some, again myself included, it was these safe, secure and joyful animal-bonds and attachments, so utterly lacking in the human-realm, which laid down the templates for the capacity for more genuine relationships, trust and sense of security. And which filled the holes left painfully gaping by those people who were meant to pour love into us.

I for one am utterly grateful to the rabbits, dogs, cats and ponies who sustained me during those early, critical years, and know for sure that I wouldn’t have made it through without them and the life-raft they so generously and loving always provided for me..

©Angela Dunning
The Horse’s Truth
www.thehorsestuth.co.uk
https://buymeacoffee.com/angeladunning

Image by Smile.Artcraft licensed via Shutterstock.