Superhero Rescue Horses prove the value of a life once thrown away by transforming them into the Superheros of the horse world.
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Follow their journeys here as well as highlights of other service horses (police and therapy careers) after being rescued.
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Maddie Sedita aboard Teddy doing a demonstration for Superhero Rescue Horses with the EQUUS Foundation at the The Hampton Classic Horse Show Adoption Day event, 2024! This beautiful boy is only one living example of the value of ALL horses and how, when given a chance, they can all be champions!
What an amazing weekend with Maddie and our two unicorns!
Canāt wait for this wonderful event showing the power of the vulnerable horse to heal and begin again , then go on to change lives as service horses š¦š
Thatās how we feel about people and our horses! Itās the heart that determines how far you will go!! Just Believe!
āšæ Repost from : is lettin it be known that he rose above all things and made it to the top of his career & so can you ā¤ļøšŗšø ! āš¾:
When I accepted Jupiter in my program, my main goal was to create a horse that was happy just being a horse, feeling safe in the world around him, free of anxiety in a stall, turnout, with friends, and to heal all of his physical maladies. I wanted him to be able to be a horse. I didnāt have any expectation that he would even be able to be ridden because he had had so many issues of being fearful of his environment, trembling like I had never seen, and much stress caused by day to day human handling. Every day, he never ceases to amaze me, remind me of the horseās ability to metamorphosize and forgive, and for that I am so grateful. Every offering of trust and try is such a gift.
Confession and apology to the horse.
Being honest with ourselves and them repairs through showing congruence. Self reflection is so important, to evaluate where our own ājunkā comes into the dance between two beings.
āThank you for being my teacher. Reminding me that unless I provide a feeling of safety and refuge within myself, you cannot navigate finding that on your own when we are together. How could you feel safe if I am not. The other day I responded out of fear and defensiveness when you scared me, but it was you who first felt that fear and defensiveness. I didnāt help you with my own projection of safety. I was not responding from a place of feeling grounded and present, showing you the way to a peaceful place. We should not have skipped our ground check in session to feed the ego that a ride offers on a beautiful day. I cannot meet your scarcity of safety with my own lack and bring us both to a place of harmony. ā
Consider that if our horses donāt feel safe and balanced in their own bodies physically and mentally when we ask them to do harder things like trust us and we donāt produce that feeling of safety within ourselves to help them regulate on the ground before we ask them to do anything more challenging, there is no way they can respond in true relaxation. The horses primary need is safety. Nothing feels more unsafe to the horse than being directed by a non present being who is stuck in their own survival.
The harmony we seek to create within the horse, always begins within ourselves. šš¼
Dear fellow equestrian enthusiasts and professionals. I invite you to review these images and share your thoughts on the physical state of this horse. A veterinarian of high standing has evaluated this animal, and I will soon reveal their findings. Please refrain from disclosing any specific information about this horse if you are familiar with its history.
The ability of a horse to heal and become like new is something that marvels me every day.
I fully believe that the transformation awaits them and thoughtfully chip away at it daily, yet it still surprises me in the end.
When you finally present to them what they need, just a little hand holding to find peaceā¦it feels as though they have been just waiting for someone to get it right as they step into their new selves. For me, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift of their trust and healing.
The sweet boy had a level of nervous system dysfunction so great that I didnāt know if the tools that I have could fully repair that and certainly imagined it would take years. I had never seen anything like it before when Jupiter would go over the threshold into a stress response, and his entire body would get hot, lathered with sweat, and he would tremble uncontrollably. He had to have experienced some real trauma in his past to produce such an extreme response with such a light trigger to it.
He was like the cowardly lion, a defeated posture, afraid of the scary world.
I didnāt know if the tools that I had would be able to help him wash all of that away but my goal was to bring out the fullness of life in him so he could feel safe and empowered to face life with the best physical and mental wellbeing that I could cultivate for him. I thoughtfully crafted a training plan having no expectations, just intending to add to his wellbeing. I wasnāt sure he would ever be relaxed enough to become a riding horse when I brought him home, but in just a few short months later, here we are. My brave little toaster.
Here we are.
I am not perfect. I make a lot of mistakes with horses and people. Sometimes my ego gets in the way. Sometimes I am grumpy. I can be selfish. My horses are not perfect at all, but I make a commitment to show them that I will always be consistently trustworthy and not traumatize and damage the relationship in the training process. I wonāt sacrificing the relationship for any competitive goal anymore.
In the end, this is whatās important to me to feel this horses heart shining bright every time I rub his beautiful eyes, hug his head, and remind him that he is safe and that I love him.
I donāt need anymore blue ribbons to feel satisfied with my horse journey anymoreā¦ this is what it means the most to me now.
New year, new goals and adventures with my unicornsā¦
Freedom šŗšøand Pumpkin š will be competing in the Trail Champions Challenge š on March 2nd at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg, PA. We are 3rd and 27th in the order of go. Hope to see some friends there, let me know if you plan to attend.
Superhero Rescue Horses
Omega Alpha - Equine
Mare Goods
Green Valley Tack
Starrider Equestrian
The Making of a Superhero:
Mental Presence and a healthy neutral posture and itās relationship to the regulation of the nervous system. If I canāt tap into this posture, I canāt add any forward or training on top of it. Itās the beginning and the end. I facilitate finding it and reinforce it with all modalities of training and physical therapy.
Learn more in the videos below:
https://youtu.be/gLU7aPDkd64?si=nI8mMi9_sFzrBE58
For a deeper dive with a more challenging horseā¦
https://youtu.be/1sZFEXYHgFU?si=eR6EfWlY3q9e9K5M
Learning to rest in neutral for Liberty on a cold windy day for a 6yo OTTB mare
The making of a Superheroā¦
Some internal elements and subtle elements of working together and connecting before the ātrainingā
āļø Regulated Breathing, Reiki
š Aļæ¼ Projection of safety and peace within our own bodies
šāāļø Matching Steps
šŗļø Encouraging Curiosity and exploration
š Liberty and obstacles
š Drive and Draw
āPositive Reinforcement
š Cheerleading
ā®ļø Passive/Protector Leadership
š Positive Affirmations
The following 2 videos are just examples of a quick session with Liberty and I didnāt have a lot of time to spend and it was a yucky rainy day. The next day when I rode her, she was phenomenal and I believe it was a result of this subtle connection work that we did the day before. These are just examples of part of my sessions but show some of the valuable elements I spend time on, most of which are self improvements. ā®ļøšļøš§āāļø
https://youtu.be/EYRdgIrTrT0?si=CvIm2zRsAP0MaGFt
https://youtu.be/L-HyVipUkIc?si=RVs_6HYiiWcFfP0d
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The making of a Superheroā¦
Check out Jupiterās progress!
Itās so easy to love this sweet boy š
Setting the foundationā¦
HEALTH choices.
When horses donāt feel well, they canāt learn well. The inner imbalance is a distraction and sends the alarm bells off producing adrenaline and a posture of tension, and anxiety.
They wonāt play joyfully, they can be resistant of any work and unhappy in close interactions such as grooming and tacking.
Horses donāt owe us anything. They didnāt choose to join us as partners in sport, we chose that for them and expect them to do their part in the partnership and discipline that we chose for them. Caring for them well is a duty and an honor. We must listen and be open to what they are saying as they speak silently to us. All that they try to tell us about how they feel through their behavior and movement means something and we owe it to them to listen and wonder/search for what it means.
Upon Intake of a horse to my program, immediately their basic health needs are checked by the highest level of professionals that I can afford even if they had quality care before because things can be overlooked or not tended to well enough by the professional hired to do them in the past. (Ex: dentals are a big one, even if the prior owner says they were done, I check anyway)
Some needs may be glaring due to present visible injury or illness, however there are basic needs that must be addressed well. Some of the tasks I consider highly important to address with urgency are:
šDental, Farrier, F***l Sample/Deworming, wellness Vet check and bloodwork: CBC Chem/Vit E/Selenium/Lymes titer/EPM titer.
šUlcer treatment (Omega Alpha - Equines RegenerEq) and their Biotic 8 probiotics
šAnti-Inflammatory/Diet overhaul- meaning forage based carrier, for my horses being alfalfa pellets and beet pulp with Custom Equine Nutrition, LLC products to balance the forage based diet (Vermont Blend/Copper Zinc/ Omega E) and Vitamin E.
šAccess to free choice high quality forage
šTurnout: as much as possible given your farm setup and additionally, I pair a new anxious horse with a very confident herd leader friend, to give them an anchor of support. I find that they model their partner in their exploration of the field and handle little upsets (something spooky occurs) and they model their partnerās response and resilience. Itās another way to help them learn to regulate the nervous system. Of course, if the horse is here for the long term, I will integrate them into a bigger herd if possible.
šChiropractor. I request the assistance of an amazing chiropractor immediately to use as a diagnostic tool for me to see where all of the underlying problems could be coming from aside from a great adjustment and accupuncture. They can help me unpack what is a compensatory symptom and where is the cause? I have had really great success this way as a roadmap of where to go with rehab and further vet inquiries/treatment. Ex: their evaluation can indicate that I should check for ulcers, Lymes, EPM, further blood tests, X-rays, or rehab.
š¦ The sooner I can bring out the best physical wellbeing in the horse, the closer I can get to having more mental wellbeing as well as a partner who is feeling healthy enough to learn, try, and move joyfully. š¦
Tremendous thanks to our Superhero Rescue Horses sponsor Omega Alpha - Equine and Jeffrey Grimes who sent a massive care package of all of my favorite supplements to help Jupiter heal his stomach from his ulcers and improve his appetite. RegenerEq is the best ulcer treatment and appetite stimulant I have ever come across and I notice a huge positive change in the horses immediately. All of the horses in my program, upon intake, receive 1-2 months of daily RegenerEq for diagnosed and suspected ulcers as well as any horses exhibiting anxiety. Our other favorite products are the Gastra FX and Gastra FX Ultra which I use when traveling overnight with horses to events, before lessons, trailering, vet, or other stressful experiences. Biotic 8 is a daily staple for all of my horses as well as Equi Body Glo to bring out the best in their hair quality. I am seeing a huge difference in just a few weeks, we thank you so much! Horses who donāt feel well can not learn or be joyful so getting them healthy is imperative from day 1 before any training can take place. All of the Omega Equine products are human grade natural products and actually work. I have so much gratitude for them in their support of police horses and rescue work. š
The MINDSET of the horsemen is the first element of training these rescue horses that is crucial for the success of transformation. Before even picking up the leadrope, you can set yourself up for either āthe sky is the limitā or failure.
š Ask yourself: what would be a win today in this environment with this particular horse? Setting the horse up for repetitive small successes is very valuable in shaping confidence because if they feel like there is safety in trying and get praised for it theyāre going to keep trying. It sounds simple because it is simple. ļæ¼
š„āRelinquish attachment to outcome.ā
How often do we say, āhe never does this. He knows better. We did this yesterday. He is just giving me a hard time.ā Being mentally connected to what we think should happen or how the horse should act or what they have done before is being inflexible with what is happening in the moment, creates a lot of tension, a mental block to finding solutions, blocks the curiosity to understand why things arenāt going well, and is simply a negative mindset. Simply take a step back to some thing much simpler, even groundwork and produce an easier win to ļæ¼do the best you can to deal with the situation that you have at hand and not violate trust and connection in the process. Control is a side effect of connection, so prioritize it. I always tell my horses āitās you and me, in this together. I am not leaving you so donāt leave me (referring to mentally disconnecting into survival behaviors.) We are in this together.ā Saying this keeps me connected to the horse and manages my own fears/defensiveness.
āPositive affirmations.
Commit to only speaking positive about the horse and make a point to acknowledge all of the characteristics and qualities that you do admire. I like to call horses ā a big ļæ¼brave warriorā and like to pump them up. When you believe in them, they can believe in themselves. If they are struggling with something just label it is that they are āhaving a hard timeā and this is a great opportunity to build trust and connection in the process of problem-solving. Consider: Can you make smaller approximations? Can you show it to them a different way to shape the behavior you desire? Can you break it down to very simple and easy to then slowly build back up to the original ask? Is there a physical reason they are having a hard time with this task ? ļæ¼
š Commit yourself to wanting offer the horse everything that you have of value. Your presence must be valuable to the horse to look forward to your presencļæ¼e. Give/add to them (instead of taking away from with big demands) all the time is necessary to put money in the relationship bank account. What can you do together that is just simply adding to the horse.. such as scratching them with their favorite curry comb, doing physical therapy/massage, ļæ¼hand grazing, and matching steps.
šš¼If you arenāt mentally present, aware of your own breathing, and able to regulate your own nervous system then youāre going to contribute in a negative way to the horse by creating a lack of safety with you. In order to help them be at peace, you have to first be able to find it in yourself.
āļø I commit to bringing out the best in them whatever that is for that individual with all of their unique physical qualities/ limitations. Sometimes we become too committed that they are going to be a certain discipline or at a certain level and then give ourselves (but also mostly them) a hard time when it is the wrong fit (round peg square hole.)
āļø The goal should be to bring out the absolute best in the individual. āļø
š§ Often just the right mindset makes all the difference in the progress of the horse. Can I commit myself to kindness as I offer consistency, safety, and clarity? Remember, if you BELIEVE in the horse, they can believe in themselves š
"If all you have in your toolkit is a hammer... everything starts to look like a nail"... The 'Dangerous Horse' fallacy;
In my career so far, I am yet to meet a horse displaying "dangerous" behaviour, that is not exhibiting one or a combination of the following:
Pain - potentially overt, easily observed lameness, or perhaps something more insidious and less recognisable.
(Statements like, "they've seen the vet and they're fine" really don't wash for me - prove your horse is not in pain - how can you really tell?)
Anxiety around human interaction - maybe you have not recognised the horse's behavioural indicators, maybe you have not set them up for success in a training situation (I often find myself saying if you make stupid choices, you get stupid consequences), maybe the horse feels fearful, maybe you are not predictable in your behaviours...
Ethological needs have not been met - lack of adequate forage, lack of time with conspecifics, inappropriate housing... etc.
What I come across, with what can only be described as a scary regularity, is the horses which have been deemed "dangerous" and as such have been exposed to a very niche - but apparently popular - training methodology:
A training methodology whereby aversive methods are used to 'fix' undesirable behaviour(s).
But what might be worse is that the label "dangerous" is used as an excuse for the aversive methods. A sort of "you've left me no choice but to be unethical" mentality.
A scapegoat if you will.
Where the trainer in said situation will likely adopt anthropomorphic verbiage - they will describe the horse's behaviour using human descriptors (your horse is being vicious/lazy/rude/ignorant).
These descriptors will be used to justify the methodology of choice.
It will not consider equine ethology - and if the trainer references it, it will likely be outdated (dominance hierachy, here's looking at you!)
The methodology puts negligible importance on the human end of the bargain outside of applying more pressure/force/aversives. And comes with a side salad of really poor coaching!
And off the back of this training methodology, maybe you end up with a compliant horse,
But can you honestly, in good conscience say:
You got to the root of the issue? - Does pain go away with aversives? Do aversives meet your horse's ethological needs?
Your relationship is better because of it? - Does the use of aversives make you a safe entity to be around? Is obedience a value in a relationship?
And then finally, the methods you used to "fix" your horse - would you do the same to your partner? Or a child? Or a dog?
It's my life mission to ensure that ethical practice becomes an industry standard - because determining the root cause of an issue is a lot easier when the horse isn't also completely traumatised by poor training ā¤ļø
In working with the horse who struggles with disregulation of the nervous system whether shown through anxiety or dissociation, my philosophy is to greet the horse with the servants heart.
To the horse: I embody a feeling of gratitude for the ability to be with you and that I am here to offer things of value to you so that in my presence, you can feel more physical and mental wellbeing which can carry on after I have departed by the empowerment of inspiring a posture of relaxation, the ability to find joyful movement through play, the clear understanding of how to learn and try with positive reinforcement as the reward system, the clarity of how to respond to pressure with clear release and time to process between requests, and through the healing of all known physical/internal distractions (dental, hooves, ulcers, Lymes disease, injury/illness, joint pain, etc)
What I do with the horse in the moment is determined by what they need right then from me. The arena is much like a laboratory sprinkling in classical in hand work, Masterson method, play, positive reinforcement target work, obstacles to encourage the engagement of curiosity, and work on their focus/attention. I have a mental menu to choose from keeping it light and positive.
As the horse can maintain longer periods being mentally present and find peace in their body through guiding a healthier neutral posture, learning how to play and tap into that posture through play, and are able to solve puzzles, understand the connection/communication, and āwinā over and over, their bright light comes out, they inflate from joy, and they resemble a different creature who is confident in their own skin. These horses are my ethos. I consider myself truly blessed to be with them and help them find this better way of being in the timeframe that they choose it.
On Superhero Rescue Horses I am going to try to write about each specific element that I sprinkle into my work with the horses. Believing in the value of the life and their ability to transform then the showing up every day with the offering plate of ālove in actionā is the journey.
Amanda Diefenbach Photography -
November 19th, Thorncroft Equestrian Center hosted me for a horsemanship workshop. I worked with veterans, first responders, and staff members. We had an incredible experience together and the horses and people learned new skills to have more mental and physical wellbeing. Therapy horses are the Superheros of the horse world and our veterans and first responders are our real live Superheros. To support them all is deeply rooted in my purpose. Everyone received a Mare Goods Believe band who participated. I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I know to help others. Itās the secret to life. Thank you Kim Longo for treating me like a queen and for trusting me with your crew. When Kim told me that, āEveryoneās feed back was: one of the best horse and human interactions and learning I have ever had!ā It shows me that I am on the right path and itās always with it. š
The last 3 months have been a whirlwind so I havenāt been updating on Superhero Rescue Horse Liberty as frequent enough. Her training has come along well. Liberty, jumping, riding in the field, trail obstacles, our dressageā¦all progressing well. We have been on some adventures together and she has made big progress in her physical transformation. Here are a few photos of the journey over the last few months, in the making of a Superhero!
Liberty has had a lot of physical therapy lately to help her feel like the athlete she is. The painful past is shedding away like layers of an onion. Thank you so much to Denise Love of Starrider Equestrian for being so invested in this rescued mareās ability to have a beautiful and capable future!! Team work makes the dream work!!
Liberty:
This sweet Gerdas Equine Rescue Inc. mare is looking and feeling great and coming along well. We just had our first real liberty session and she did tremendous. We have been laying the foundation and language for it all the while so it was a fun session to put it together and see her understand the basics. She is being trained under saddle and aside from normal OTTB challenges of learning to balance for the right canter lead departure, she is progressing quickly for 15 rides! I canāt thank Custom Equine Nutrition, LLC enough for your nutritional consultation and the Vermont Blend supplement that has improved her hoof quality, healthy coat, and created a big shine!
Denise Love of Starrider Equestrian has been so dedicated to her physical rehabilitation and has put a lot of effort into her body work and coaching us on how we can follow up on the days in between sessions. My assistant, Maddie Sedita is pictured below riding Liberty, and has a great bond with her. Together we make the dream work. Rescue transformations take a collaboration between many hearts for the good of one unicorn! š¦ ā¤ļø
Liberty, Ride 8: Every day we progress tremendously. We start inside the indoor and then head outside to ride in the enormous outdoor arena for the second half of the training session. I had spent a lot of time on the ground: building confidence, relaxation, and proficiency of how to move in balance in a productive posture. So now the riding is easy! She knows the answers to the questions I ask from our ground work. Love this Superhero Rescue Horse! Thank you to the members of my team who make the dream possible to create a beautiful future for this mare.
Gerdas Equine Rescue Inc.
Custom Equine Nutrition, LLC
Starrider Equestrian
ļæ¼Gerdas Equine Rescue Inc. ās Liberty is making huge progress. We spent a long time building a solid foundation in relaxation through groundwork, obstacle training, and classical in hand work. On her 6th ride, she went on an off-property field trip and rode with other horses and was nothing but a professional and good girl. She is so special!
Liberty Update:
When I first started working with Liberty in-hand a few weeks ago (when she was physically strong enough and had gained enough weight to ask her to do anything), I honestly thought that she may never be truly confident and relaxed to lunge as she was so emotionally disregulated, frantic, cross cantering jumping in the air, rearing and distracted. She has come pretty far in the last few weeks and I am working to develop her posture for carrying a rider and her ability to stretch before getting up there and asking for it. I truly believe that the horse has to be able to stretch, collect, understand how to move their body parts individually and in the right posture and pattern of movement, and learn lateral work on the ground FIRST before riding. I want to give her all the answers before I ask her the questions.
Gerdas Equine Rescue Inc.
Thank you to Custom Equine Nutrition, LLC and Denise Love of Starrider Equestrian for helping Liberty look and feel her best in her rescue transformation! She is now ready for her under-saddle training to begin!
When Liberty arrived she was weak, underweight, body sore, and living in survival mode exhibiting dissociative behaviors/āshut down.ā To bring her to feel her best self, it has taken a lot of body work and therapies, nutrition, groundwork/liberty, curiosity building with obstacles, and a daily practice of building trust and safety. Today was her first (post race track) ride and it couldnāt have gone any smoother and more peaceful. Only up from here! Gerdas Equine Rescue Inc.
Thank you Maddie Sedita for being my wing man. Maddie has a strong bond with Liberty so she encouraged and rewarded her for every effort on the ground, to make a smooth stress-free transition.
Thank you to Custom Equine Nutrition, LLC for getting her feeling her best by gaining the weight, topline, and shine.
Thank you to Denise Love of Starrider Equestrian for her body work to help her feel confident in her body again!
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Just a little bit of our transformation from day 1 through the following few days. #themakingofasuperhero #clydesdalesofinstagram #ibelieveinyou
Just about the time we started to head out for a training session, it started raining today. Hitting the treadmill instead! Superman is an old pro now!
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