A Stable PATH

06/22/2014

This made me smile :)

06/16/2014

Seems like common sense to me but I'm glad someone is studying this and bring attention to it.

One researcher says horses' negative emotions can be a direct result of how they are trained and managed.

06/01/2014

Yes! Training does not need to be a battle and should not be stressful for the horse.

Horse Myth #1, Busted

"If you are trying to do something with or to your horse (deworm or vaccinate him, cross a creek, load in the trailer etc.), and he doesn't want to, you can't quit if he resists, or you'll let him 'win'."

A commonly held belief is that if you start something with a horse, you have to finish it or the horse will think he's won, and won't need to do it in the future. Let's bust this myth once and for all.

If you are trying to do something with or to your horse that he finds unfamiliar, aversive, unpleasant, or scary he may indeed try to escape the situation if you advance too quickly for that horse. Who wouldn't? Self-preservation is strong in all animals, humans included, and fleeing a situation is often the horse's first course of action. If a horse is trying to flee a training situation, fight against the trainer, or freezes, it is often a good indicator that training is happening too quickly, or with too much physical or psychological pressure.

What usually happens in these situations is that the person then resorts to greater levels of physical or psychological pressure to get the horse to comply. Some people call this course of action 'making the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy'. They put pressure on the horse when he isn't doing what they want (the wrong thing), and take the pressure off when he is doing the right thing. Put yourself in your horse's shoes: You are unsure of what is being asked, or you are scared to try. How is getting yelled at or hit going to make you feel about both the situation and the person training you? You might comply, just to make the pressure of the situation stop, but it's highly probable that you will feel scared and mistrustful of your teacher after it's all over.Compliant horses aren't necessarily confident horses - they are just doing what they're told, because they've learned that any resistance is futile, painful, or scary.

Training that happens while a horse is in an elevated state of fear can also result in the horse associating that feeling of fear with the trainer and future similar situations. A horse may start to try to escape or struggle when met with the same training situation in the future, because the horse has learned that what is about to happen is likely going to be unpleasant, scary, or painful.

This type of training is also a bit of a double-edged sword: It is common, because it appears to work. Remember that learning is a two-way street, and if the trainer's actions result in what they perceive to be successful outcome (achieving the goal), they will repeat their actions...not understanding that such an approach can have fallout for the animal.

At the crux of this myth, is the simple fact that it DOESN'T NEED TO BE THIS WAY. Horses can very successfully trained without the need to 'win the fight'. A pleasant side-effect of this approach is that the horse isn't being conditioned to associate training with fear, resulting in greater confidence, and willingness to try new things when asked.

Next time you hear someone speak of this myth, please BUST IT!!

05/23/2014

05/09/2014

Brian and I will be presenting at the Holistic Horse Fair next weekend! The Fair is May 17 and 18 that the Horse First Farm in Brooklyn, WI. check out their website for more info. www.holistichorsefair.com. Hope to see you there!

The Chi of Horsemanship combines the principals of Qi Gong and Natural Horsemanship to create an authentic partnership between horse and rider. Instruction focuses on teaching you how to relax and be...

05/07/2014

People with Alzheimer’s become calmer, happier after grooming horses.

05/06/2014

Horses and Autism from Dr. Temple Grandin

Autism Guru, Dr. Temple Grandin believes that animals and individuals living with autism think visually. In this video, horses are used as teachers for individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome to learn how to read body language and non-verbal social cues.

04/29/2014

For years, scientists have known about conditions that seem to influence stress, but far less is understood about what interventions work best to keep it in under control or improve responses to it.

03/13/2014

Yes! Focus on what you can do, not on what you cant do.

Different, not less.

03/02/2014

Very interesting and well written blog about the concept of resistance in horses and resistance within ourselves.

Listening to the horse's perspective

02/27/2014

This looks like a great documentary about the human-horse relationship. Cant wait to see it.

Horse Medicine explores the profound human-horse relationship reconnecting our hearts with the power of the horse and Mother Earth.