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Imagine a human walking up to you and you are a little uncertain. Maybe they have ‘big energy' or maybe they walked a bit fast, or took the lead a bit too briskly. Maybe you just have a bit of ‘stranger danger’ going on. In any case, the uncertainty makes you a little worried in the mind and this is then reflected in your body -- You lift your head and maybe get a bit straight, or a bit tense. The human doesn’t really notice your worry and so they asked you to move in a way that is challenging for you. Not because you can’t do it, but because the tension in your body has caused brace in your front legs. So you are kind of ‘stuck’. The human hasn’t figured this out and so, ‘increases phases’ because you are being ‘disrespectful’. You’re actually worried, braced and trying, but your body is so tense you can’t move it, and the increased pressure is making you more worried and defensive. You pull away (flight) and they pull back, forcing you to stay. You then rear or bite (fight) and they punish you for that. You are stressed and cannot think what they are asking and why. You become overwhelmed and freeze; go still. They keep the pressure on and you lose balance, taking a step, and all of a sudden you are told you are a ‘good’ horse. You don’t know why they said that, and you know it sure doesn’t feel good.  NOW.. Imagine a human walking up to you and you are a little uncertain. Maybe they have ‘big energy' or maybe they walked a bit fast, or took the lead a bit too briskly. Maybe you just have a bit of ‘stranger danger’ going on. In any case, the uncertainty makes you a little worried in the mind and this is then reflected in your body -- You lift your head and maybe get a bit straight, or a bit tense. But the human notices. She steps out of your space to give you a little more room. She doesn’t try to touch you, in fact she just gently observes you for a moment. This helps a little. She then offers you a walk -- Not too close to all the people, but getting your feet moving makes you feel so much better. You take some deep breaths and find the rhythm of her movement. It’s not too fast or too slow. It’s not frantic or high energy. It’s just easy and rhythmic. It feels good. She finds a good spot away from the crowd and tells them she is ‘offering me a stop’. I kind of like it and am happy to stand for a minute. I look at her, she looks at me. She holds her hand out in a greeting, and I really like that she isn’t trying to touch me. I reach out and touch her hand with my nose. We breathe. She takes her hand away and then offers it again, and then asks if she can touch me. I’m feeling relaxed with her now and so I am happy for her to stroke me. She talks to the crowd a lot (she talks a lot), but it’s calming. She turns and adds a feel to my halter, and I follow it by bending and then stepping. She tells me I am a good horse, but I already knew that, because it felt good. 
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Here at Holistic Equine Education we are excited to welcome to the team, ‘Angel’. Angel will be my (Tanja’s) horse, and will be brought on slowly to start sharing and eventually taking over Boogies responsibilities (I cannot believe that Boogie is 15! It’s time for her to spend less time travelling.) I knew about Angel and agreed to buy her before we met. She is a well bred little horse who had a little trouble becoming overwhelmed when the breaking in process was started. So the process was stopped, and she went to a friend of mines to go back into a herd until her future could be decided. Seeing how I was looking for a new addition, don't mind the challenge of a horse that has struggled, and she is the right age (turning 4 in August), I decided to take her on. We met for the first time in March and I was able to share the importance of that interaction with the boutique clinic participants. First impressions definitely count, and I was very mindful in how I interacted with her. Like they say, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and seeing how she had already had some training which she didn’t handle well, it was even more important. I really wanted to communicate to her a number of things from the start. Things like; 'You are safe’ , 'You can trust me', 'You can tell me, and I will listen', I speak quietly and I hold space. I started with Angel at liberty, but not in the traditional or expected way. I did not ‘send’ her or ‘chase’ her in any way. I also didn’t ‘beg’ her, or ask her to come with me in any way. I just let the conversation start, and then I let it flow. She talked, I listened. I talked, she listened. It really was quite unremarkable from a spectator standpoint, but from a connection standpoint it was miles above previous experiences that I would have facilitated in the past, in a misguided attempt to establish ‘respect’. The truth is, by allowing her time and space, and simply holding my own time and space, this developed an organic and genuine respect in both of us. Horses want to connect with us, we just have to give them the opportunity.  For our horses, their legs are vital in their self preservation. Because ‘flight’ is a primary defensive mechanism, if their legs are compromised our horses can feel pretty threatened. For young horses this can be as simple as a human trying to pick up their feet. For our older horses this can be the panic that sets in when caught in a vine or a fence. All of our horses are taught to; Pick up their feet (they pick up their feet to give to me, not me pulling on their legs). Confidence building around ropes around the legs. Hobble training. Yes there is a kind and confidence building way to hobble train. Subsequently, all of our horses are pretty confident when it comes to their legs. This memory came up from 5 years ago which prompted me to write this post; 1st day back after 6 weeks away from home and cooper and I are back into it. We just did some light riding, but once again he showed me why I teach what I teach and build the horses confidence. Not only was he fairly ‘up’ as Phil and I were riding in his paddock, but his girls were all trying to show off to George (Phil’s horse) as well which was distracting. He stayed pretty focused on what I was asking though and we did some lovely work. Then on the way home the girls decided to stay behind resting under a tree -- so he was fairly reluctant to head up the paddock. When we were almost to the top gate he came to a complete stop. I knew that this stop was more than just reluctant behavior, or about his girls -- it just felt different. I looked down and saw that somehow he had walked into barbed wire and it was wrapped around his front legs. Cooper patiently waited for me to dismount and untangle him, unwrapping the wire from around his legs. Not only did he not spook, panic and make it worse, but he kept his head. Despite wanting to call out to his girls he kept his feet still until I asked him to move them 1 by 1 to get him out. It made me reflect on all the foundation work we do -- not only for the physical benefit but for the mental soundness of our horses, and how in situations like that it all pays off. Invest in your horses mental health -- it may save you, or him one day. Train with us; Foundation clinic March 31 April 2 & 3. Boutiques April Eungai Creek 12 & 13  Often when it comes to partnership we consider only the benefit that we get out of the relationship. In actuality, partnership is about both parties not only holding up in their responsibilities but stepping up and filling in the gaps when someone isn’t able to bring their half to the table. This is also how we build a partnership Horse -- by filling in the gaps when they’re unsure or struggling with what is being asked or the situation at hand. We spend many years in this phase -- support, filling in, breaking things down, explaining, and when done with compassion, kindness and empathy, our horses grow into amazing partners that trust us, and that we can trust. I have a broken collarbone at the moment, and while I have had a few weeks off I am back at work teaching with Boogie. I can lead her, load her and ride her with one arm, and more importantly during demonstrations I can call on her to fill in the gaps for me, as I’m not bringing what I usually do to the table. This is partnership Train with us March Coffs Full Eungai Creek 2 & 3 Coutts professionals 14 & 15 Gold Coast 16 & 17 Taree 22 & 23 Glenreagh Foundation 31, 1 & 2  |
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