Galaxy Equine Development

03/07/2024

Currently have four horses under my care who are progressing incredibly well and so proud of each of them.

03/07/2024

Here to help any problem you have on the ground and under saddle, the best version of your partnership is possible be it as a competitive duo or happy hack, find your groove and soar together. Is there something you feel you can be doing better or run into having issues repetitively? Lets work on it together!

03/07/2024

28/06/2024

03/03/2023

Yesterday I got to have a rare day off work, I went to the doctor for my mental health perscriptions and then went to see my boys! Both are doing well and I asked for some liberty work from both! Gallie offered me some beautiful lengthening and shortening at the beginning stages, teaching 'Bum' to give him a cue for scratches which he loves so much now. Dee had pulled his shoe (transitioning to barefoot slowly with him as he had 'corrective' shoes before which made him walk very on his heel in the front so now we are trying to help shape them correctly before going completely barefoot but the back is going swimmingly and our lovely farrier is very sure he will have corrected in no time!) So we just worked on recall today which I enjoyed a lot, he is starting to relax and understand he can just leave whenever he wants and come back when he is ready!

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03/02/2023

A very warm welcome to the newest member of the Galaxy Equine Development crew, Clash Of The Dragons!

Gallie will now have a lifetime companion to join him in his adventures in life and fufill his friendship needs all day!

A huge and special thank you to Noo Charter for making this all happen, you are one special horse mom! 💚

01/02/2023

01/02/2023

Empathy is not a weakness

Growing up in a traditional riding setting, you come to realise that showing empathy towards horses and an unwillingness to resort to certain measures is seen as a "weakness" or is a result of someone being a "bad trainer/rider".

Empathy is not a weakness nor is it a sign of bad horsemanship. Empathy is the key to creating a new positive partnership with our horses. Being able to give the horse 'the benefit of the doubt' (for a lack of a better word) gives us the opportunity to find the root cause of unwanted behaviours, it gives us the opportunity to find answers.

I would like to end this post with an exert from the book Equine Behaviour in Mind by Suzanne Rogers. Hope it gives you some food for thought.

"Ultimately, maybe the most ethical trainers are simply those who know when to stop. They understand that just because they can train behaviour, doesn’t mean that they should. Consequently, the repertoire of behaviours they can train may remain less extensive than that of trainers who are more focused on achieving behaviours using whatever means possible. We will all disagree on what we should train, whether we should ride horses, whether aversive training is justified and for what goals – and even whether we should train at all. We will no doubt change our minds as we go along, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing the amount of training in which we choose to engage. The most important thing is that we consider the needs and experience of the horse at all times, keeping his behaviour in mind in all the requests that we make and giving him the opportunity to choose" - Equine Behaviour in Mind 📖

25/01/2023

Crazy B*tch

Unfortunately the butt of many a joke is mares. More specifically Chestnut Mares, bonus points if she is a TB. We have all seen the Tiktoks and reels about mare's being aggressive towards other horses, while tacking up, while being groomed, while being fed the list goes on.

First and foremost many of these behaviours are closely associated with pain in the horse, hormonal imbalances also play a role and some are a result of anxiety and resource gaurding.

But is there a difference between mares and geldings, are geldings more pleasant/better to ride and work with ? Let's hear what science has to say.

A study conducted by Aune et al, "suggests there are some sex-related differences in behaviour between male and female horses; geldings are more likely to chew on rugs and lead ropes when tied, and mares are more likely to move away when being caught in paddock. However, there was no evidence of sex-related differences associated with behaviour when ridden which may warrant further investigation" (Aune et., 2020).

I have also seen the arguments that mares are just "sassy" and that is how she "works" it's "how she is" "she is showing off" and I would like to quote from a recent article from

"I think we also need to acknowledge that this is not a horse that’s showing off or full of herself. We tend to filter horse behavior through our own rose colored glasses. But horses don’t have the cognitive capacity to show off or be full of themselves. They do however have the emotional capacity for fear. If a horse behaves as if it’s afraid, it’s afraid."

I feel we should refrain from using these types of wording when we talk about behavioural problems in our horses, because it is not helpful when trying to find the root cause of the unwanted behaviour.

References:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/3/414
https://www.google.com/amp/s/horsenetwork.com/2022/12/lets-talk-about-that-kalinka-video/amp/

14/01/2023

Fact or fiction ?

The idea of the Alpha mare/stallion and asserting dominance is the pillar of some training ideologies. But does this hold any water ?

"Feral horses have no dominance hierarchies within bands, nor any need for them.The alpha leader mare is a myth. No single character initiates or leads marches or changes of activity. What provokes others to follow is determined, purposeful leaving. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that horses have a concept of authority. It is an entirely human concept" - Lucy Rees

Most of the social interactions within a herd is friendly and based on unity, it is a network of bonds based on family relationships and friendship. Expressing aggression is very rare and limited to specific instances including in**st avoidance and the rejection of inappropriate courtship.

Because of the widespread misconception of what "dominance" means, we should refrain from using it when working with out horses.
"The confusion between dominance, aggression and authority has occasioned more illtreatment of horses, to the point of sending them to slaughter, and more injury to people, than any other single point in equestrianism" - Lucy Rees

Resource:
Horses in company by Lucy Rees

03/01/2023

27/11/2022

This 👏🏻

Everything said here is why I am doing my degree in Equine Science (Diet, needs and health basics) and Psychology (encompassing behaviour very thoroughly) because I want to be educated the best I can to help myself, my horse and others!

*WHEN INTERACTING WITH HORSES CHOOSE SCIENCE*

Every single training *method* no matter what name it has can be easily explained with the sciencific principles. The constant emerging of the new *methods* makes it some times a little bit confusing for people to chose what's the best for them and their horses but also the fancy names that are given to many methods can be misleading.

Just because the methods use words such as "positive" "good" "emphatic" "liberty" to describe how they operate it doesn't necessarily mean that the method is based on what the words sell. At least not in the sciencific terms. And the same goes to the titles - just because someone calls themselves a psychologist or behavioursit it doesn't mean that they have the full understanding of equine behaviour and learning that is science based .

There is also many that don't subscribe to one method but pick things up from different areas and fit them in with what they believe will work for them and their horses - however what they chose to use in their interactions and training can also be often heavily influenced by their own personal believes, previous education and experience or assumptions - and sadly not always as kind or ethical as they believe it to be.

As horse owners , people should be careful what they chose to follow in their training journey. Science comes to help when we need to make these decisions. Learning about how horses learn as evidenced by science (learning theory) can make that choice much easier. We can make our decisions based on the research that has been there for decades as opposed to the fancy selling words that describe the method.

There is a movement happening in the equestrian world where more people question their own interactions with horses and seek to find a way that would be most beneficial for them and their horses, that is based on creating trust - not blind obiedience ; that proposes alternative tools to the aversive ones; that gives horses more control over their environment and their own bodies; that is minimising egoistic urges and puts the horse in the first place; that explains the behaviour in sciencific terms - not assumptions , biases and believes; that focuses on finding the root of the problems and not covering up the symptoms. This questioning and seeking often brings them to SCIENCE .

Exploring and understanding the science of learning and behaviour (and more ) will change your life. It will enhance your critical thinking skills and will help you make well informed decisions that can only contribute to yours and your horse's well being.

02/11/2022

15/10/2022

If your horse had the option between staying with their friends or coming to you and staying with you for training, which do you think they would pick? If your answer was their friends.. maybe we have something to talk about!

If your horse has access to their friends and they still seem to shy away from being seperated from them or you have to grab them and bring them to the arena to lunge or do ground work, let's dive into how we can get your horse to 'choose you'.

Something I am quite proud of is I can wait in the arena and offer a call or two to Gallie and wait as he picks some grass up on the way over to me and we can start our ground work. He never has a halter on and is allowed to leave whenever he wants .. so the question is how did I achieve this?

I started in a lunge arena/round pen (paddock is also perfectly good), with my trusty bag of shandy hay pellets (low value), some apple flavoured pellets (high value) and finally my target stick. I stood in front of Gallie and let his nose feel the texture of the ball/fabric/leather (All depends on what is the end of yours!) and made a distinct and clear noise (one you can make sure is consistent every time) then treated him, I did this a few times before making it a bit challenging by moving it slightly away and waiting for him to seek it out. After some puzzling he touched it and earned himself another treat, once this is perfected you can move on to moving it around and getting your horse to target different ways but once this was cemented and I felt he was ready we moved to the open space and... he stuck around, continued following instruction until I showed him my 'empty' hands (I still have treats on me but it has become my signal to show he has completed what I have asked) and off he went, rather reluctantly I might add since there were clearly more snacks to be had. 😂

This has become incredibly important when facing situations he finds scary as he now trusts me as a positive presence!

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14/10/2022

Consultations are open, 100% of the money is going to Yellowwood Park Stables , an NPO and my own home for my horse, would really appreciate the business to help this corner of the world!

12/10/2022

A perfect example of shaping behaviour!

Gallie has been taught that staying a distance and moving his head away is the appropriate way to ask for treats all by only using positive reinforcement!

The behaviour we are rewarding is staying a distance and moving his head away which ultimately discourages the head bashing and nagging behaviour we often see with horses who know their humans have treats and this is what I talk about when I say you can shape behaviours to make them safer for you and your horse!

12/10/2022

Today we worked on reassuring Turf that touch is a positive thing. Usually I wouldn't encourage this but adapting your approach to each situation is important! Turf has a lot of touch sensitivity and often reacts very loudly to it so I just worked on reinforcing touching my hand of his own choice rather then going forward and touching him and cause an unnecessary reaction that could harm us both. He was able to tell the difference by the shape of my hand, I kept one balled up and the one he was supposed to target was kept open and flat, making it easier to rub into.

You see me step forward and reinforce his step back to encourage his spacial awareness, NOT test his respect! This is important because the more aware he is of my movement makes him less likely to run into me and reinforce its okay to step away if I am too close.

He is also an excellent example of a horse who is a lot more 'pushy' as he is used to not have to puzzle solve for reward but grasps the concept very quickly.

Turf had touch sensitvity with anyone not his mother and was very reactive to having the normal approach of petting and reinforcing the pet so I decided to take a different approach and allow touch on his terms which will build trust in me when I begin to take the next step which will be the pet and reward. 🤗

Turf has been a very solitary horse until recently and is now 12 years old, he has been labelled aggressive and unable to recieve treatments anymore because of his reactivity, despite recieving all clears from medical professionals, his mom still wanted to get regular chiros and physio sessions to be extra safe, however the problem became too great and his sensitivity from previous pain and trauma likely unresolved from before he was taken over has finally been deemed too much of a problem for saddle fitters, chiros, vets and physios. He has become more friendly due to his change in being able to be out with other horses but humans aside from mom are still an issue.. It will be a long journey but he needs a chance and I want to give him that.

01/10/2022

If we put a looking glass over our horses' behaviour as much as we do on ourselves (when we look at our flaws and insecurities), you would be surprised what you would find.

I recently made an extreme change to our riding gear which is light 6mm thick reins since I noticed any weight was just ever so slightly annoying my gentle giant.

Now you might ask why I didn't simple just 'get him used' to the pressure and push him through it?

Right now I have very valuable two way communication with my horse. He has been rewarded for expressing discomfort or distaste for things and because of this, it has allowed him to feel safer and more secure in me as a comforting presence which builds trust. An excellent way to phrase how this affects everyday life with him is he has learned that he doesn't need to 'yell' to be heard which creates safety for myself and him when it comes to doing new things, riding or even scratches or grooming.

A horse who feels unheard is more likely to react dangerously to no fault of their own.

Sometimes this can be seen as quirks such as being too pushy, spooky, bucking or even just 'running through' things. Now obviously some things can be done in excitment and as with all things context matters so I will specify I am refering to continious or seemingly random outbursts.

The truth is every horse with these issues can be helped back to safety, it just requires time, dedication and the gentle ear of their owners or trainers.

If any of this sounds familiar, I am available year round in KZN to assist with any issues you might have with your horse. Whatsapp me on 27723546193 for a consultation 😊

05/09/2022

Something that we as humans need to keep in mind is this:

It is not our job to dictate when is okay for the learner (horse) to feel certain emotions or whether or not they’re justified in feeling them.

If we feel that their expression of said emotion isn’t safe, then it’s our job to help teach them how to find a safer way to express it or how to self regulate better and avoid getting so over threshold that they behave dangerously.

We cannot dictate how others can feel. This includes horses, this includes all other animals in addition to humans.

If we are supposed to be a support system, partner and teacher; we need to listen. We need to be understanding and patient, even when we may not fully “get” why they’re behaving a certain way.

The learner decides what is and isn’t too much for them, not us.

As humans, it’s easy to get in our heads and ignore the feelings of others, especially with horses being as silent and stoic as they are.

This is why it’s key that we remind ourselves to take a step back and put ourselves in others’ shoes.

How would YOU feel if you were scared and confused and the one person you trusted just yelled and punished you, instead of helping you understand?

How would YOU feel if you expressed your fear, discomfort, pain or anxiety to a loved one and they told you that you’re lying? Or simply ignored your struggle and forced you to keep doing what they wanted?

We lack emotional intelligence as a species but we also massively lack the ability to be compassionate towards animals based off of normalized industry practices removing that compassion.

It’s not about being right or wrong, it’s about being kind. It’s about being mindful of the feelings of people and animals around us and not being so self absorbed that we are more worried about being righteous or winning or our own personal desires than we are about the well-being of people and animals we love.

You don’t have to fully understand why your horse, your friend or your pet feels a certain way to be there for them and help them navigate in the way they need to.

You just need to care enough to put yourself in their shoes and figure out the best step forward for BOTH of you.

I think this is one of the hardest parts of working with animals and existing in the world in general: showing up for those around you even when you don’t fully get why they need what they do or why they’re struggling with things that may seem simple or may come easily to others.

It’s not our job to dictate what should and shouldn’t be easy for a learner. It’s our job to be mindful of the fact that EVERYONE learns differently and feels differently. Us having a different understanding or viewing something as unnecessary doesn’t mean we are correct. It just means we see it differently.

Relationships with the animals you train and the humans around will only improve if you pause and practice more empathy before responding with frustration or anger. Frustration or anger, in virtually any situation, is likely to make it worse. Pausing and being there as moral support for your learner will only improve things by lowering anxiety, having you be present and helping the learner feel like they’re being listened to.

We, as humans, need to practice putting our egos aside and just showing up emotionally for the people and animals around us.

Sometimes it is less about fixing a specific issue and more about being there to offer moral support during times of stress and knowing when to ask less.

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Check out my other pages:

Subscribe to my Patreon for behind the scenes, tutorials, training help and more: http://Patreon.com/sdequus

Check out my product line to shop products like the pictured western bitless bridle, sleeveless baselayer and hat: http://amoreequestrian.ca/pages/milestone

See my website for more info on me, my horses, training resources and more: http://milestoneequestrian.ca

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with me and my horses: http://youtube.com/c/shelbydennis

27/08/2022

Two years ago, I got to sit on Whisper for two minutes after my spine fracture was healed enough. I wasn't allowed to do anything else since I got told I had to wait a full year before actually doing any proper riding because if I did happen to fall, I would have to have surgery. Given how incredibly lucky I was to not need it at all, I didnt push it, but after 6 months I was allowed to sit on a horse as long as I didn't fall off so I sat on Whisper. He was the goodest boy ever after not having been ridden the entirety of my recovery he allowed me a sit and walk before getting off. Whilst we never had a serious connection, he really was and still is a reliable horse. You can have the worst day, be injured or whatever and he WILL take care of you. He has never given me anything I couldn't handle at the time and whilst many might know him as cheeky or the one who likes to stir nonsense with his friends, when it comes down to it, he is an incredibly good boy.

Whilst Gallie was my first 'proper' ride after the full year, this moment with Whisper is something I cherish for many reasons and while I have my big moose now, I really could not have started this journey without Whisper. In the past, I would have said that Whisper just wasn't for me but now being in a position where I am not hands on with him and can't take things personal, as I assist him with
I can see that many of my short comings were my unwillingness to accept I was doing something wrong and lack of understanding. I am grateful I found Bronwyn to take him on and allow me to help him with her because his transformation has been nothing short of amazing since then and it is all thanks to her hard work and dedication to him.

Most importantly I have learned humility and humbleness which assists me today with Gallie, instead of approaching every problem with a negative point of view, I look at it from their perspective and build from there.

I love working with horses and these boys helped me realize that, I only hope to continue working with more 💚

24/08/2022

Why is friendship important to horses? What benefits does enriching them with their basic need of socialisation come with?

Horses are incredibly social creatures, they depend on the herd for survival. Whilst domesticated horses do not have any predators, they have been domesticated for 5,500 years which is less time domesticated than dogs or sheep. Their behaviour has not changed to suit their domesticated lifestyle and it shows when horses exhibit symptoms of low or lack of mental stimulation and social groups like herds. In a herd, there is no leader, depending on the situation, the herd will co-ordinate and co-operate on how to best approach a situation or movement. That means every horse aside from foals have a hand in how everything is dealt with.

A horse who has a herd, sma or big, can learn confidence and problem solving skills by how his or her friends react. Think of it like a line of tension, if there is one point on the line recieving all the weight of a problem (one horse), the line can break very easily, verses if there is several lines supporting it, there is less likelihood of breakage, that is what the herd can do for a horse.

This is often why we see horses who do not have herd groups have very explosive behaviour seemingly out of nowhere.

A herd horse often means a more stable minded and relaxed horse which is why it is SO important to make sure your horse has this access to friendship!

14/08/2022

What is the term 'flooding'? What does it mean and how can you spot it?

"Flooding is the practice whereby a horse is presented directly with an object or stimulus they fear and no reaction is accepted by the handler except for total submission or apparent total relaxation." - Equaninity Equestrian Blog, Cheresa

Quoting as I couldn't have worded it better myself and the blog goes in depth quite nicely!

Now when it is said in this manner, a lot of us tend to thing that is a rather extreme way of presenting training and surely no one actually does that right?

Sadly, many people do use this method under the guise of natural horsemanship. Why, aside from the obvious problems, is this a bad training method?

Firstly, this method uses an outdated mind set which has been disproven by several studies, the dominance theory (The International Society of Equitation Science's position statement on dominance states there is little evidence to support the theory there is overall ranks on equine social circles.) In which people label the horse changing rein, bucking, head tossing or racing off during work/lunge work as a sign of disrespect when in actuallity these are signs of stress or discomfort.

Secondly, tied in with the first point, how these behaviours are dealt with as mentioned above are by chasing the horse until they are too exhausted to exhibit any of the undesired behaviours. However, it is important to note, chasing the horse in a lunge arena or round pen is not the only way people use this method. It can be done with for example, having the horse haltered with a lead and exposing them to a stressful object or noise and repeat it until they no longer respond. Many people believe this means the horse is no longer afraid but in actuallity the horse has learned that if they do not display their discomfort, the scary thing leaves.

The third, which has many people argue their method creates sound, bomb proof horses have in fact created something far worse: learned helplessness. What is learned helplessness? As mentioned above, the horse learns the best way to survive in their enviroment is to become for lack of a better term, 'bland' and 'easy'. The horses you can do anything on and they don't have the urge to react. Whilst in writing that sounds wonderful to some, the lack of reaction is entirely the opposite. (Please keep in mind when I speak of this, horses who have been trained correctly and are able to do nearly everything will still have body language in their face, tails and ears, the horses I am mentioning often have little to none of these and almost remian 'stone faced') This type of response creates horses that later in life become incredibly difficult to rehabilitate as they will no longer show discomfort or upset, this can even be towards injuries such as kissing spine, leg issues and mouth issues. Whilst it is possible to get them back to some sense of normalcy, it requires much time and consistency to work through.

Flooding and learned helplessness is becoming more common and it is scary to see. I hope you will look into your own horses behaviour more in depth and take care with who you choose to help guide you into companionship and beyond.

10/08/2022

Progress! Your horse knowing you will guide them with kindness and confidence is incredibly important.

Obviously I did not go in with the expectation today would be miles different from yesterday but it goes to show how the approach can effect the progress substancially.

Yesterday we hand walked and rewarded with all his tack on and today I thought I would put the ba****ck pad on with stirrups ( he knows ba****ck pad just means a plod around the place so the idea of low work wouldn't be in his mind ) so that the transition to using the saddle in my next ride would be a reminder both are supposed to be enjoyable for him and at his pace. Today he blew me away with not one head shake, however whilst that was an incredibly good sign, being responsible means ending it there with no more expectations. We did three circles on each rein, rewarding on each corner and half way to the corner for the calm head posture and then even had one of his buddies canter past, he fussed but then followed my cue to continue with the walk and was rewarded, I dismounted and untacked right there and let him have a play if he wanted which he decided to, again reinforcing the arena as a good place and my company as rewarding.

This went way better then I expected and couldn't be prouder. 💚