Emma Lee Horsemanship

11/12/2024

"Researchers believe that the proven benefits of hay nets, including reduced hay waste, prolonged feeding time, and weight management, outweigh any minor changes in the axial skeleton observed in this study" 🙌💕🐴

How do hay nets on round bales impact the axial skeleton of the horse?

You all asked, and we delivered with more research! And I promise it has been worth the wait!

Last week, the second portion of our study evaluating hay nets was accepted into the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, and this time we teamed up with an equine chiropractor (thanks Dr. Taylor Rieck) to evaluate changes in the axial skeleton!

Introduction: Many horse owners use hay nets. As our last study demonstrated, they have many benefits including a reduction in hay waste and management of bodyweight and body condition scores. Additionally, we were able to explore the impacts on dental health and did not have any concerns regarding soft tissue damage, tooth wear, or dental abnormalities. But that has led us to our next question, can the act of eating hay from a hay net result in changes to the axial skeleton of the horse, specifically relating to the vertebral column?

Materials and Methods: Because I want this post to be able to stand alone (and some of you may have forgotten what we did since the last research post), I will start from the beginning and I apologize for repeating myself. Thirteen mature geldings were used in this study and assigned to treatments based on weight. The study began in September 2021 and all horses received dental work and were assigned to their treatments, seven started on the no hay net control (CON) and six started on the hay net (NET) treatment and all were fed grass round bales. In September 2022, horses received dental work again and switched treatments in the cross-over design. Throughout the study, these horses lived in identical neighboring pens with shelter, ad libitum water, and free choice grass round bales with the only difference being NET horses had their round bale hay placed in hay nets with 1.75”/4.45 cm openings (graciously provided by Hay Chix) while CON horses did not.

During this study, from May through August of both years, changes in the axial skeleton were evaluated. This time frame was chosen as horses were not being worked in undergraduate courses. In May, when the semester ended, an equine chiropractor adjusted all horses to get them to a baseline. Horses were then evaluated for range of motion and pain-pressure thresholds at 4-, 8-, and 12-weeks post-chiropractic adjustment. Cervical range of motion was evaluated using neck stretches for lateral movement as well as chin-to-chest, chin-to-knees, and chin-to-fetlocks. Pain pressure threshold was evaluated at different points on the body using a pressure algometer which documented the amount of pressure applied until the horse moved away to avoid the pressure. Additionally, another chiropractic adjustment took place at 12-weeks and subluxations (misalignment of bones) were documented and rated on a 0 to 3 scale to indicate none, minor, moderate, or severe subluxations. These scores were combined for each location or vertebral region (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral).

Results: There was an average 8% increase in cervical subluxations observed in NET horses (P0.05) and sacral vertebrae were not analyzed as no subluxations were found.

Another finding was that average cervical range of motion was 5 degrees greater in NET horses compared to CON horses for chin-to-chest and chin-to-fetlock measurements (P≤0.05). No differences were observed in pain-pressure thresholds when comparing treatments (P>0.05).

While not the initial objective of the study, we also saw decreased range of motion and pain-pressure thresholds over time regardless of treatment, which suggests the benefits of chiropractic - but I will save this topic for another post when I can dive into into it deeper!

Discussion: Our main findings were a slight increase in subluxations in the neck for NET horses alongside an increase in cervical range of motion. While these findings initially appear to contradict each other, previous research in humans has found that activities which stimulate voluntary neck movements utilizing a wide range of motion and postures can recruit and strengthen cervical muscles. As a result, prehending hay from a hay net may have simulated exercises to strengthen the neck in these horses, however, these movements may have simultaneously resulted in an increase in cervical subluxations.

Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that hay nets do have the ability to influence the axial skeleton of the horse with minor changes. However, the researchers believe that the proven benefits of hay nets, including reduced hay waste, prolonged feeding time, and weight management, outweigh any minor changes in the axial skeleton observed in this study. Additionally, results from this study suggest regular chiropractic work can be beneficial for horses regardless of hay net use!

What Next? While this study gathered some very useful information to create a foundation of knowledge, I would love to investigate hanging net height and hole size to determine how these factors may influence the axial skeleton and time to consumption for horses in the future!

Funding: This study was funded by the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and HayChix.

I hope you find these results as fascinating as we did! There is always so much to learn!

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

01/12/2024

“This horse was supposed to be kid safe!”
“My trainer rode him bridle-less!”
“She’s won so many shows!”
"They said he was beginner friendly!"

Time and time again, we hear stories of horses that are sold to someone as “beginner safe” and then, within a short period of time, they start to unload their riders regularly, become hard to handle on the ground, stop doing what they used to be able to do easily, and the once push-button dressage horse could now qualify for the NFR.

Frequently, the new owner complains that the previous owner or trainer must have drugged the horse or used calming supplements behind their back.

However, I’d be doubtful.

Here’s why:

New Owner = New Lifestyle. He was living in a pasture in Wyoming and now he’s living in a box stall in Los Angeles. He goes from having an unlimited amount of grass to getting two square meals a day. Then, when he starts to lose weight, New Owner adds more grain. Whether this grain is beet pulp, oats, sweet feed, or even senior feed, this is likely adding unnecessary energy and will lead to gastric ulcers as well as numerous other health issues.

Old Owner has had Horse on a regular exercise regimen. He got worked with on most days and hard enough to work up a sweat. This allowed anyone to hop on him with just a lead rope and pony four more without an issue. Since New Owner doesn’t want to pay for a groom or exercise rider, he takes responsibility for getting the horse out himself, but he misses Friday because it too cold out, then Saturday because he has to work late, then Sunday because there’s a big football game on...Horse remains in his 12 x 12 box stall getting progressively more irritated, bored, and frustrated.

New Owner comes out to ride. Horse doesn’t want to pick up his foot, so after a bit of a struggle, New Owner decides that his feet don’t really need to be picked. He’s only been in his stall after all. Horse starts to get pushy to lead since he’s eager to move. New Owner permits the pushiness, so Horse begins to circle around him, excited to get out of his stall. New Owner goes to tack up Horse and cranks the girth up in one tug - something Old Owner knew better than to do. Horse flies backwards and breaks the cross ties. Now New Owner starts to become fearful of Horse. New Owner goes to get him out of the stall the next day and horse swings his butt towards New Owner and threatens to kick. New Owners gives up and leaves him in his stall another day.

When New Owner finally does manage to get the horse out for a ride, New Owner doesn’t understand why the horse has become pushy and resistant. New Owner doesn’t start by turning Horse out or lunging him, he just hops right on. Maybe New Owner pokes him in the side with his toe while mounting or kicks his hip while swinging his right leg over, but he causes a wreck before he even gets to sit in the saddle. In the event New Owner does get on, Horse is a whoooooole lot more horse than when he tried him out at the Old Owner’s place due to confinement and diet changes. But New Owner does not call Old Owner yet. Nor does New Owner consult with a competent trainer in the area. New Owner accepts advice from other boarders at the barn, including a few Natural Horsemanship followers, as well as, of course, everyone on Facebook. This results in New Owner buying a $150 bit and $300 worth of training videos.

None of this helps. In fact, the new bit results in a new issue - rearing! New Owner is now quite scared of Horse, but not willing to quit yet. He is going to ride that horse. However, Horse can sense fear in New Owner which scares him causing his behavior to worsen and, as one might expect, New Owner to get dumped.

New Owner, from his hospital bed, writes malicious posts all over Facebook about the sleazy folks or bad trainer who sold Horse to him and probably drugged Horse. Old Owner fights back pointing out that his 6 year old kid showed this horse without any issues. Everyone else grabs a bag of popcorn to watch the drama unfold...Meanwhile, Horse gets sent to a kill pen by New Owner’s angry spouse.

How could all of this have been avoided? Here’s what I do as an owner, trainer, buyer and seller:

First, ask lots of questions. Take notes and lots of pictures. Every horse I sell or send home from training leaves my barn with an “exit list”. This is a detailed list of the horse’s current diet, exercise regimen, living conditions, social environment, tack used, habits, strengths, and weaknesses. No horse is perfect, but if we can set them up for success, we may be able to avoid many of these possible issues.

Here are some things to keep in mind when buying a horse for the first time (or a refresher if it is not something you have done in a while):

1.The vast majority of calories should come from forage (hay) instead of grain or supplements. Horses are built to graze all day, which means they should have access to this forage as much as possible. Recent studies show that more than 4 hours without food can cause GI issues in equine.

2. Get the horse out of a stall. How would you like to be locked in your bedroom for 24 hours? It’s just not fair. If you can’t get to the barn to turn your horse out, you need to make sure you make arrangements for someone else to do so. If you can allow for your horse to live in a pasture (or at least a dry lot if you’re in the SW United States like me) with other horses, this is always a preferred option over stalls!

3. A more complex bit in novice hands solves nothing and creates a variety of dangerous behaviors. Adding training aids like whips, spurs, tie downs, and martingales is a huge indicator that the rider needs lessons, not the horse.

4. Check your tack. Are you 100% sure it fits your horse well? If not, call a fitter. You won’t regret it. They'll either tell you your tack fits or tell you exactly what does fit so that you can buy something that does.

5. Still not sure why your new horse is acting differently? Call a vet. Make sure the problem is not a symptom of pain. A horse who bites when the cinch is tightened could be indicating he has ulcers. A horse who bucks when transitioning into the canter could be trying to tell you he needs a chiropractor. General arthritis is also a common issue.

6. Remember behavior is communication. If your horse begins doing things he didn’t used to (like biting, kicking, rearing, etc), he may be trying to communicate to you that something is wrong. If using punishment only makes the situation worse, consult with a behaviorist who can help you determine why the horse is acting out and how to curb the behavior without using excessive force. Watching a couple videos on the internet likely won’t give you much more than a band-aid fix, if that.

Yes, all of these things might require a little more money than you originally planned for, but if money is an issue, buy a goldfish instead. Know your horse and the lifestyle you have and see if they are compatible. Some retired show horses may never adjust to being turned out on pasture 24/7 and the opposite may be true for an older horse coming into a boarding barn from a pasture for the first time. At the end of the day, don’t keep a horse you’re terrified of. If the behaviors the horse is exhibiting are truly scary and you’re hitting the dirt more often than not, the horse may just not be for you. Remember, just because you have the papers saying the horse is yours, doesn’t mean the horse is yours.

Take the time to see what lifestyle fits both of you the best. Your horse will thank you.

Schedule a pre-purchase evaluation with Emma using the link below 👇

https://www.emmaleehorsemanship.com/pre-purchase-evaluations

25/11/2024

Who's looking for more +R/Force Free horsemanship profiles to follow? Podcasts to listen to? Books to read? Click the link below to the "Resources" tab on the ELH website for a spreadsheet of *tons* of equine professionals invested in horse welfare as well as some recommendations for books, podcasts, YouTube videos, and more!

This page is always under construction as I add to it, update links, and adjust all the info as needed. If there's any resource you personally love, but don't see it listed, shoot me a message and I'll add it!

**Disclaimer: The spreadsheet took, like, 15+ hours to make, so please be kind if there's a mistake somewhere 🙃

https://www.emmaleehorsemanship.com/general-5💕🐴

Unlock your horse's potential with our comprehensive training resources. Explore guides and videos to boost your knowledge. Get started now!

25/11/2024

I didn't realize it's been so long since I made this original post! Always a good graphic to review when you're not sure what your horse is doing. This was inspired by Rachael Draaisma's book "Language Signs & Calming Signals of Horses". Read below for more info or read the post on the ELH blog linked below 👇

https://www.emmaleehorsemanship.com/post/communication-ladder

Guys, I did a thing! I've been home all day icing my leg, so naturally I did something super nerdy. After looking over the several different communication ladders Rachael Draaisma uses in her book "Language Signs & Calming Signals of Horses", I compiled them into one master graphic.

I've listed the body language a horse will use at each step during the process of being exposed to a stress-inducing stimulus. The horse starts in neutral, then exhibits calming signals, displacement behaviors, stress signals, then distance increasing signals before displaying a fight or flight response. Sometimes the horse may not need to go through each step or may skip steps and can go through the ladder in reverse order as the stimulus is removed from the environment. However, the horse can also enter a state of learned helplessness if this situation is not resolved by his signals.

For example, a young horse who has never been round penned before that is expected to behave perfectly and is therefore worked for over an hour and is then hosed off without ever seeing a hose before, may display calming signals, displacement behaviors, stress signals, and try to move away from the stimulus (human & hose) before becoming shut down when he realizes his efforts at communication are in vain.

Remember that watching for these signals and helping your horse out of stressful situation can significantly increase the effectiveness of your training sessions while keeping your horse inquisitive and playful. Keep this in mind and your horse will thank you 😉

24/11/2024

Love this, especially ending. I relate to it so much and I know a lot of my clients feel the same way! Making smart choices about our riding has nothing to do with our confidence 💕🐴

You have been lied to about confidence. Grossly mislead.

Lost your confidence? Not confident to ride anymore? You see, you used to be young (and dumb?). Jump on any horse and somehow, you're still alive.

"I can ride anything!" You used to feel. In that instance, your brain wondered what this state of invincibility was... and you looked to your left, to your right, and a horse-pro who does the same; meaning ride any horse, in any condition, in any state, in any way you want, feelings be damned, and they told you that this feeling was "Confidence".

They then used this concept of "Confidence", as the Boogie-Man against you. If the horse was nervous, it is because you're not confident. If the horse doesn't understand you, it is because you're not confident. If you feel anxious, it is because you're not confident.

Anything to hide the fact, that there were very real problems present under the surface. But it is easier to gaslight someone than to educate them, (or the horse).

Why then, later in life, when we become more cognisant of our safety, and our well-being, and hopefully the horses well-being too, do we then lose our confidence? A textbook definition of confidence is:
"the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something."

If your confidence is contingent on youth, ignorance of hazards, disregard for safety and well-being, and then your "Confidence" fly's the coop the minute those issues become important to you, your "Confidence" wasn't reliable in the first place. Meaning, your "Confidence" by definition was not confidence.

It was probably youthful hubris.

It takes absolutely no skill, no intelligence, to disregard your personal safety and get on hazardous horses. In fact, I used to be surrounded by such a horse culture. Folks who wore a badge of pride for their ability to survive sitting on the "craziest" or most dangerous, or behavioural horses on the farm... and live to tell the tale.

I remember one horse who was so grossly ill-matched and poorly prepared for her job, that to be mounted, three people had to hold her still while her rider took a running leap off a nearby hilly mound, and there were no brakes on this mare. It was baptism by fire, jigging and snorting and stamping and levading all day. This mare was in high distress. And her "riders" were only permitted to be "confident" riders, and would come back from those rides with a smug look of survivor arrogance on their face.

It was so, so, so gross to me.

These days I do not classify that as confidence. But Youthful Hubris, Pride, Arrogance, Carelessness, Irresponsibility.

You know what is the most confident thing you can do?

Say No to riding a horse who is clearly demonstrating that they are not safe, happy or comfortable for what you intend to do with them.

Hello? Am I getting through to us? Let me yell with capitol letters.

PEOPLE LITERALLY DIE RIDING POORLY PREPARED AND UNSAFE HORSES.

THEY DIE.

BEING WILLING TO FLIRT WITH DEATH WITH A HORSE IS NOT SYNONYMOUS WITH CONFIDENCE

And enough with the toxic gaslighting of people who demonstrate logical, clear, grounded awareness of their safety and then labelling them, grossly incorrect as;
"You're a Nervous Rider."

Well if being "Confident" by the definition of some people means we must disregard our safety, and the well-being of the horse, skip steps in training and Git On With-it, then I would rather be a Nervous Rider everyday of the week. Because I like my life. I love it actually. And I love horses. I love happy horses. I love over-faced horses only because I love horses, but I don't love that horses are over-faced and we call that "Ok." Or call an over-faced horse an "Advanced Ride". Bu****it. The world is upside down. FFS.

Here is what confidence is: it stays with you forever. Whatever you have, when all your arrogance, youthful hubris, fear conditioning, gaslighting, irresponsibility leaves you. That is what you are confident about.

And most of the people I know, are very confident. They are very confident, that they don't want their love of horses, and horse riding, to result in an early or painful death. Or egregious bodily harm.

That's confidence.

Also, having the confidence to say "No" to the toxic equestrian mislead culture as we know it, and to actually spend the time to educate a horse thoroughly, so they are prepared for the activities we lay out for them. To take the time to get to know horses before we ride them. To not ride horses unless we can make a pretty good check-on them, that they have the skills required to work under saddle safely.

Of course accidents happen. I could go outside and get hit by a meteorite. But that doesn't mean it is a good idea for me to go ride a comet. They are not the same probabilities. Not even close.

Speaking of confidence, remember that mare I described a few paragraphs of rant ago? The one who was an "Advanced Ride" only, who was hugely distressed in her work, grossly unprepared and very dangerous to handle?

I was once invited to ride her. They presented that to me like it was some sort of honour. Like they had decided I was skilled enough to go ride the comet, like I was now qualified enough to go risk my death.

Now I loved this horse. Because I love horses. I could see the potential in her, to be educated, to be safe, to be happy in her work. And I felt like I could do that with her in the right context.

I asked:
"What sort of ride is she scheduled for?"
"Well, you would guide a Day-Ride off of her. With a group of five clients behind you. You would ascend to 1600m above sea level, stop for lunch, and return via the National Park."
"Ok. And what is the level of the riders booked."
"Beginners. Walk only."..
"I would love to work with this mare. But not in that context. That sounds like su***de."

And for that I was labelled as not confident enough. I agreed with their assessment from their point of view. I am certainly not unscrupulous enough to do that.

29/10/2024

Anyone else hear about the lady who got kicked in the head by her unhandled horse while coercing it to eat from a pan between her legs? Yeah. Watch this video from Marina, she explains it really well. The horse was actually tried to communicate to the woman twice before kicking, yet the comments say the horse is a psycho. What do you guys think? 🤔

Read this book 👉🏼 Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses: Recognition and Application by Rachaël Draaisma Learn how to safely work with horses & must...

28/10/2024

Just saw another trainer had this on her website and had to make one too! For anyone feeling generous, let's remember I run on caffeine and cuss words 😉🩷🐴

More caffeine = more horse training content!

Emma provides horse training, massage therapy, pre-purchase evaluations, and tons of other services to help your equine companion stay happy and healthy!

24/10/2024

Yesss 🙌👏🙌👏

Dominance theory was a terrible mistake, that even the scientist who cataloged it, regrets doing. The deep level of misunderstanding that happened based on inappropriate studies just spiraled out of control into a culturally accepted excuse to train and work with animals with force and punishment.

Dominance theory was the idea that animals, horses included, have a linear dominance and set roles within the herd. The idea that there is a set leader, a decision maker, who controls the other horses' behaviors through threats and the other horses love this horse as their leader. The idea that horses have a linear set hierarchy that determines who's in charge and only changes if overthrown by someone stronger. These deeply flawed ideas have lead people to believe that they can be the leader horse by mimicking equine behavior, they misunderstood, justifying their use of forceful physical control and punishment to train behavior. All under the idea of being a "good leader".

The thing is, science is constantly growing and self-correcting. As we spend more time actually studying horses in various scenarios and environments, and each species individually, their family units, their herds, packs, groups, etc... We have learned this concept of dominance is wildly inaccurate and deeply unhealthy, only seen in extreme, inappropriate environments (like old overpacked zoos with many unrelated animals, as the original studies were based on).

What's really going on then? What is Dominance really? Do we need to be dominant?

Horse herds really work in a much more fluid and dynamic manner, it's not a linear hierarchy. Horses make decisions based on need, if someone has a need, they satisfy that need, the other horses stay with them out of social bonds and safety in numbers. A secure, confident horse will be more likely to make decisions that lead away from the group, while insecure, nervous horses might be less likely to make decisions, sticking more closely to the center of the herd. This isn't leadership or dominance, just confidence, in themselves and their world. This changes constantly. A confident horse may be more clingy and insecure if they have a pain problem, if they're pregnant, or if they're sick. This dynamic is constantly flowing. Who makes the decision, is up to how much the individual wants something. Who stays or goes in the herd is based on social bonds, friendships, familial relationships, and resource needs.

What was frequently mistaken as "dominance" was actually determined roles of priority access to resources. If a resource is limited, the herd knows who has first access, usually the bully. This varies by resource, my sweet itch mare has priority access to the shelter, while she doesn't care about defending food resources. She may shove everyone out of her way for shelter from bugs, but someone else may shove her out of the way for food. A group of 2 might pair up to move off a single horse who would typically move either of them individually. This access to resources is determined with little squabbles, but usually is limited to just some body language threatening gestures. It would be unhealthy if the herd were to compromise each other in fights over resources, when they have the bigger threat of predators they need to remain safe for. We only see extreme linear resource guarding in domestic settings where resources are limited. If hay is fed in limited supply one horse may always get priority access. If there isn't enough shelter, one horse may not let the others in it. This isn't dominance, but resource guarding. This isn't leadership, but the opposite, a horse who is deeply insecure in their resources, in their safety, violently defending themselves. If one horse resource guards excessively, most of the other horses avoid them, ignore them, don't want to groom with them, and don't want to risk dealing with them. They're like a human child bully, so insecure in themselves they act out against everyone else to try to soothe their need.

Ethology has also shown that horses do not think humans are horses. Even if we mimic their body language, they do not equate us as horses. We don't have a place in their access to resources, because we aren't sharing their resources. We are their PROVIDERS. We are the ones giving them their resources, it's our job to understand herd dynamics and ensure our horses have adequate resources in appropriate ways so there is no need to fighting, insecurity, or herd stress. It's not our job to challenge our horses for access to the very resources we are giving them! We are their caretakers.

Dominance and access to resources has nothing to do with training, only knowing how to provide care and management without creating unhealthy or dangerous equine interactions.

Training should be done with a compassionate understanding of behavioral science and how to apply positive reinforcement. It has nothing to do with herd dynamics or dominance, or even strong leadership, but rather clear communication, compassionate care and gentle behavior training.

Additional resources
https://www.awla.org/uncategorized/alpha-dogs-dominance-theory-fact-or-fiction/

https://www.clickertraining.com/node/2297

https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/dominance-when-an-outdated-theory-wont-go-away

https://news.asu.edu/20210805-discoveries-myth-alpha-dog

https://journal.iaabcfoundation.org/horse-dominance-1-28/

https://www.thewillingequine.com/post/dominance-leadership

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/debunking-the-alpha-dog-theory/

https://positively.com/dog-training/article/ethology-why-pack-theory-is-wrong

https://www.rover.com/blog/alpha-dog-meaning/?msockid=323ef8c5489068da23bbeaa549916988

https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/dominance-when-an-outdated-theory-wont-go-away

20/10/2024

👻 Desensitization 👻

Desensitization can be a daunting task for some horses. There are many ways to get a horse used to a new stimulus, but what is the best way? The most popular methods are flooding, habituation, systematic desensitization, or my favorite: counter-conditioning.

Flooding is a repeated representation of a fear-provoking stimulus in a context where the individual cannot escape. For example, chasing a horse with a plastic bag while they are stuck in a round pen or at the end of a lead rope. This rarely actually works. It presents a lot of mental pressure which leads to fatigue. This gives us a horse who first becomes more sensitized to the stimulus before shutting down and entering a state of learned helplessness. Therefore, the use of flooding is not only unethical, but it actually does the opposite of what we want.

Habituation is a form of learning in which the individual’s original response to a stimulus decreases slowly over time after repeated presentation. For example, a plastic bag blows into a field where a horse is grazing. The horse is able to run away and watch the stimulus at a distance before deciding on his own terms whether he would like to investigate it or not.

Systematic desensitization is when you expose an individual to a weaker version of an unpleasant stimulus in order to increase their tolerance of it. For example, balling up a plastic bag in your hand and letting the horse sniff your hand first before loosening up the ball slowly, allowing the horse to sniff it and get comfortable each time the "size" of the stimulus changes, until eventually the horse can see the entire full-sized bag.

Counter-conditioning is when a horse is in a situation where there is a fear-provoking stimulus present but you can create a distraction to get him focusing on something else that he already has a positive association with. The goal here is to transfer that positive association to the new stimulus all while keeping the horse under their fear threshold. An example here would be having the horse target a traffic cone while you turn the hose on ever so slightly and repeat until you can increase the amount of water coming out of the hose and eventually allow the water to contact the horse. A horse who already knows he gets a reward every time he touches his nose to the cone will be more focused on getting food than how scary the sound of the hose is. Targeting a cone can be swapped out for any behavior your horse already knows how to do with +R; as long as this horse is already familiar with this cue and knows that this task yields a reward, he will be able to calm himself by focusing on what you are asking.

See the full blog post here! https://www.emmaleehorsemanship.com/post/systematic-desensitization