Body vs Brain

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.