It’s important to have a great trainer to learn the fundamentals of good horsemanship and riding, and also a good support team (farrier, veterinarian, et cetera) for a horse’s physical wellness. But what about a horse’s emotional wellness or spiritual connection?

Horses are great feelers. As sentient beings, they have emotions like we do, and feel love, joy, gratitude, and connection with each other and with us. They can also feel anger, frustration, fear, and sadness based on current life circumstances or past traumatic events.

As prey animals, we know they easily move between sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) states.

Clearing Stuck Emotions

As a trained animal communicator, I find it’s very helpful to be a part of a horse parent’s support team when it comes to enhancing their horse’s emotional fitness. We often focus on just the physical nature of the horse, and yet there is a great mind-body connection that also needs to be addressed.

I’ve found in many sessions that behavioral issues are linked to emotions that need to be acknowledged and released. I’m grateful for my training in various emotional clearing techniques that greatly benefit horses (and humans, too!) when they are used in communication and healing sessions.

Horses can have stuck emotions such as “lack of control” or “frustration,” and can be more governed by fear and past traumas rather than feeling grounded and connected to current reality.

When I first adopted my horse, she was guarded and had stuck emotions around abandonment that I helped her to clear, and then our bond grew through trust.

All animals, like humans, can also have heart walls. This is something Bradley Nelson, D.C., discovered in his Emotion Code work. These can prevent horses from receiving and experiencing the good that is here for them now. Sometimes horses also need to release emotions they still have from old barns and owners where they used to live and weren’t happy, so I’ve helped them release the past and start with a clean slate.

In addition, horses are often seen as incredible spiritual beings because they spend a lot of time in a meditative state and can be very still and loving. Many people feel safe crying around them and feel that they evoke awe and wonder.

A Voice and a Choice

These spiritual components are another part of good animal communication, and we can delve into what our horses truly want to be doing in their lives and with their humans. Some want to be great athletes and enjoy physical exercise and competition with their humans; some want to be teachers and healers in equine-assisted therapy or coaching; and others would prefer to be companions without specific work.

We can learn their unique preferences and purposes when we learn to speak with them. It helps them to feel understood, honored, and content when they are allowed to have a voice and a choice.

Many times, horses want to know our expectations for them in our riding relationships. They want to know if and when they will be moved or transported, and if a herd member will be coming or leaving.

They want to express their thoughts about the other members of their support team, such as their vet, farrier, trainer and rider. They also want us to know what bothers them and how they are feeling. All of that information can help their emotional fitness once we are able to understand them better and meet their needs.

What many horses love to communicate is their heart’s desires for their life (their “purpose work”) and how they want to help their humans. They want their humans to know how much they are loved and often want to share how they see their humans. They can have great guidance for how their humans can heal and improve all their relationships.

When animals can get messages across, it makes both their lives and ours easier. They can ask for what they need and want for themselves and for us as well. We don’t need to guess or become frustrated; we can learn how to be helpful to them.

Time after time, I have witnessed a horse’s relationship with his human grow stronger immediately after a session because he finally feels like he was able to fully express himself.

Try It Yourself

In addition to hiring a great animal communicator to be a part of your support team for your horse, you can also learn how to become one yourself. Whether you want to become a professional or you just want to use the skills personally, there are many benefits to animal communication.

At the core, it comes down to a horse feeling seen, heard, valued, and appreciated. Here are some of my top tips and tools to begin horse communication.

1. Permission: Ask your horse if you have permission to chat. I’ve found they always want to talk, as long as it’s a good time and they are in a restful state and not in the middle of playing with friends or taking a lesson, et cetera.

2. Space: Create a specific time and place where it’s quiet and you can bring a journal and really focus on listening and practicing.

3. Intention: Set an intention to connect from your heart space to theirs. You can even put one hand on your heart and the other on your horse’s heart and breathe for a minute. Feel how much you love your horse, then set an intention to receive information from him. Start with simple questions, such as, “How are you feeling today?” and “What are you enjoying today?”

4. Surrender: Let go of attachment to an outcome by staying curious and having fun. Keep it light, simple, and flowing. Assume you already know this skill and can do it! Stay open to how you might receive information, as we are all a bit different with our intuitive skills.

For instance, I am more clairaudient, so I hear what the horses say. If you feel and sense a lot, you may be more clairsentient, and if you see pictures or images, then you may be more clairvoyant.

5. Receive: Keep your body posture open and stay in your heart space. Breathe. Don’t overthink. Smile if you find yourself in your head. Go back to how much you love your horse. And allow your imagination to lead. Just write down whatever comes forward.

6. Gratitude: Thank yourself for trying and being willing to experiment. Thank your horse and share why this practice matters to you. Set another time with your horse for consistency and to improve over time.

How to Clear and Ground

In addition to communication, healing work is also important to offer horses. Equines are often at their safest, for themselves and others, when they feel grounded to their space and land. They feel their best when they are in their own energy signature and not carrying stuck energy.

Clearing: One of my favorite ways to help a horse is to clear his energy field by gently clapping around his body. First test the clap to make sure he doesn’t startle, then move around his body with the intention that stuck energy will leave. Watch to see how your horse likes this and if he is receiving (for example yawning, blinking, nodding, getting sleepy). I have a video demonstrating this on my YouTube channel.

Grounding: You can also put your hands around a horse’s hoof by the coronary band and gently press and imagine your horse connecting more fully to the ground below. Ask for healthy Earth energy to come up into your horse as well. Do this on each of the four hooves. This is great to add to a hoof picking routine or to do before you ride.

Enjoy these new experiences with him and you’ll grow your human-horse-heart connection. Your horse will thank you!

This article about using animal communication for a deeper connection with your horse appeared in the October 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Using Animal Communication for a Deeper Connection with Your Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Reason for Respect

Trainer Mike Brashear states that you’re training your horse every time you’re near him. While your horse may not be aggressive or mean, stepping into your space when he isn’t invited can lead to accidents.

Imagine walking into your horse’s pen to put hay in a slow feeder. Would your horse stand at a distance and only approach once you finish loading the feeder, or would he move forward into your space and steal a mouthful of hay as an appetizer?

If your horse is the type who would come to you and grab a snack, you may be in need of Brashear’s training tips so that your horse doesn’t accidentally munch your fingers, bump into you and cause a fall, or put you in a vulnerable position if multiple horses are in the feeding area.

“When you walk in the pen any other time, you want your horse to come to you,” he says. “Your horse learns that if he comes to you, he gets pets and gets loved on. So when you enter with hay, that’s what he’s going to do as well, unless you teach him something different. You may look at grabbing hay as disrespect, but the horse looks at it as, ‘This is what is allowed.’”

Ideally, Brashear says he wants his horses to wait. He works to put “wait” on his horses wherever and whenever possible so that they tune into his cues.

At feeding time, he wants horses to stand at a 3- to 6-foot distance and wait for him to set down and move away from the hay or grain. Brashear uses the following steps to teach a horse when he can come into your space (to get the food) and when he should respectfully keep his distance.

Teaching “Wait”

Make sure your horse has had his usual meal so that you aren’t training a hungry horse. Also make sure you have time to work with your horse without being rushed. Brashear suggests making this the groundwork that you do before you ride.

Outfit your horse with a rope halter and a 12-foot training lead attached to the halter with a knot. For now, leave the food in the barn. You’ll teach the cues without temptation present first. Only after your horse is doing well and obeying your request to stand and wait should you attempt it at feeding time.

“It’s always better to start with a connection with your horse so you have some control and can send him back out,” says Brashear.

1. Start by facing your horse and stand about 3 feet in front of him. Mimic the distance you’d like to be from your horse when you feed him in his stall or paddock.

2. If your horse moves into your space, shake the lead rope to encourage him to step or rock back. If he doesn’t move, shake harder. Make sure to keep your feet in the same place. You don’t want to chase the horse away or act aggressively. Instead, you’re just teaching him to respond to the rope correction and stay in place as you asked.

“I don’t want to walk to my horse or act mean,” says Brashear. “I want to teach him to wait. When the horse steps back, all my energy stops, and I stop moving the rope. That change of energy is the release.”

You may add a verbal cue of “get back” to remind your horse to stand still in a calm way. If your horse will stand still and not move into your space, back up and see if he will come into your space. Your moving back will invite the horse forward.

If you step forward, he should move accordingly, too. If you stop again, make sure that he will stand still. Practice this again. When you want your horse to move closer to you, step back (while still facing your horse) and take slack out of your lead rope.

As you work without feed present, think about how this same skill will work at feeding time. Think, “You can’t come up to this feeder until I’m back out of the stall door. If I turn my back and walk away, you can come up, but you can’t come up on me on your own accord.”

Add Feed

Next, set up the same scenario (standing in front of your horse and expecting him to stand respectfully), but have a pan of grain at your feet.   

Brashear says that now it’s time to ask your horse to move in and out of your space on command while the food is present. First, ask your horse to stand 3 to 6 feet away from you and the feed. Allow him to wait for about 30 seconds.

Ask your horse to come into your space by slumping your shoulders and stepping back. This change will invite your horse to move forward to get a bite from the feed pan.

“Horses will usually take one bite of grain, then lift up their heads to swallow,” he says. “Once your horse has taken a bite, ask him to step back and leave the feed again. Step forward and stand tall. Ask him to stand and wait until invited in again.”

Practice this over and over.

“Every bite of grain that my horse gets is dependent on me asking him to come into me,” says Brashear.

If your horse is responding well to your cues, practice again with a web halter. You want to know if your body language alone is enough to tell your horse to back up. With a “lighter” halter, you can tell if your horse is listening to your cues but still have some connection to him.

Finally, it’s time to test your horse without a halter. Work where you would feed your horse, but when he isn’t waiting for a meal. Take the halter off altogether and try the same setup.

If your horse stands and waits, notice if he’s looking for your cues.

“If he looks like he’s wondering if he should move to the food or not, he’s watching you,” says Brashear. “Make him wait and stand for about 30 seconds. Then, step back and away and allow him to get the food. Your rocking back draws him to you and allows him to get to the grain.”

Keep in mind that you may have to move back to previous training steps if your horse isn’t listening without the halter. Ask him to move away again when he picks his head up. Step forward and increase the energy in your body, then move your hands up and away just like you would have while holding the lead.

If he doesn’t respond, increase your energy until you get a change—without yelling or appearing angry. If your horse won’t move away or listen, go back and work with the rope halter and lead.

At Feeding Time

After you have practiced sending your horse away from the grain during a practice session, it’s time to do the same work at feeding time. Make sure that you have time and aren’t in a rush.

When you walk into the pen, carry the hay to the feeder and make sure that you’re aware of your horse’s position. If your horse comes up to you and you’re focused on filling up the feeder, put the hay down and focus on the horse just as you did in the last “no-halter” training session. Put your arms up and calmly tell your horse “get back.”

When you remind your horse of the training you did with the halter, he should learn that you expect the same behavior any time you are near him—including at feeding time.

This article about improving a horse’s behavior at feeding time appeared in the October 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Improve Your Horse’s Feeding Time Behavior appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Like dating, finding the right horse can be an extensive search to find The One. The quest will most likely involve endless scrolling and comparing online listings to find your potential match. If you’re looking into adopting a horse, you just might find some extra information in that profile to make the hunt a little easier.

For example, your search to adopt a Steady Eddy could lead you to a listing for a horse named ARH Banana for Breakfast. While the palomino pinto gelding may have a silly sounding name for a senior gentleman, according to his online profile, he’s steady as they come, up to date on his vetting, an experienced trail horse, and a been-there, done-that kind of guy.

Checking Off the Boxes

How do you know? Anyone wanting further evidence can see he checks off a lot of boxes in the solid equine citizen department through the Basic Behaviors Profile (BBP) posted with his listing on myrighthorse.org.

Thanks to this handy tool, potential adopters of this seasoned steed know that he has demonstrated that he can be approached in turnout, calmly haltered and led through a gate, allows his feet to be picked up, stands calmly tied and to be brushed, fly sprayed and blanketed, and various other behaviors on the 14-point checklist of common groundwork skills.

While it’s just one part of the information on a horse’s resume, and there will be more questions, conversations, and hopefully a meet-and-greet to assess a match, the BBP has proven helpful to streamline the evaluation process on both sides.

“The Basic Behaviors Profile has helped create a standardized evaluation process for adopters,” says Cailin Caldwell, ASPCA Right Horse Program Director. “When they visit myrighthorse.org, they can quickly see the skills each horse has and which ones they still need to work on, helping them better find their right horse. Many adopters appreciate the information and transparency the tool lends to the adoption experience.

“On the other side, the Basic Behaviors Profile helps adoption organizations more efficiently identify training opportunities and then leverage that information to make happy, adoptive matches for their horses. Many of our partners now use the tool regularly when bringing a new horse into their facility, which has made the training and evaluation process smoother for both their staff and adopters.”

Origins of the Basic Behaviors Profile

The BBP was created, designed and field-tested by a team of equine experts and behaviorists to help improve the adoption process for the ASPCA Right Horse Program. Since its introduction in 2018, it has been used by ASPCA Right Horse partner organizations and is available free online for anyone to use, including equine adoption organizations, trainers, and individual horse owners.

Knowing what a horse knows is useful information. No matter what type of horse you’re looking for, ground-handling skills are essential for all horses, and the BBP provides a standardized way to assess how a horse responds to these requests.

“The Basic Behaviors profile is a series of 14 tasks that are ideal for any equine to be able to complete throughout their life,” explains Kylie Solís-McGarity, equine behavior and training specialist at the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC) in El Reno, Okla. “They’re things that are going to be able to support [the horse’s] health in the long term and his ability to be seen by a vet and farrier. In an adoption space, it’s a way for us to be able to look at his skillset and assess the training state on all of our equines.”

A Good Starting Point

The BBP isn’t a training method, nor does it promote any specific training technique. Instead, it’s an evaluation tool that helps assess ground manners and handling. For trainers, it serves as a useful starting point to form a training plan.

“A lot of horses come in with what I call ‘swiss cheese’ training,” says Solís-McGarity. “They know some things and they’ve got some holes in other places. This is a really great way to know where they need additional support in their training.”

Solís-McGarity holds a bachelor’s degree in equine science as well as a master’s in animal behavior and welfare from Colorado State University. She applies those skills at ETAC, where services reach over 100 horses annually; of those, about half will go through some sort of behavior or training work before rehoming.

By no means do these skills need to be completed before a horse can be adopted. Instead, Solís-McGarity notes that it’s a useful way to communicate clearly with an adopter and pass on information about a horse’s skills and knowledge.

The BBP is one of the first steps for horses coming into ETAC.

“We do this before a medical exam because we’re going to be looking at things like, can they be haltered?” she says. “Can they be led, can they stand tied, can they pick up their feet, are they able to receive oral medications? What are their reactions to these very common and low-type stressors? Once we do the behavioral profile, we can much more easily inform our vet as to expectations with medical handling as well.”

Solís-McGarity is very specific about not doing any training while she is doing the profile.

“It’s not a time to train a horse, but to take in information on whether he knows it or not and what his reactions are,” she says. “And then if he can’t complete a task, we just move on and will focus training efforts during a different time.”

Tracking Basic Behaviors Profile Score During Training

Once a horse starts full-time training, Solís-McGarity likes to complete the profile every two weeks to track his progress, and again when the horse is adopted, right before he leaves.

The BBP offers a numerical score of completed items on the list. It’s not pass/fail; items are simply noted as complete or incomplete. Solís-McGarity explains that a low BBP score isn’t a reflection of a horse’s trainability. Instead, it’s a helpful way to get the conversation started, gather more information, and get to know the horse.

“It’s a great way to start getting to know the challenges, good and bad, of each horse, because no horse is going to be perfect,” says Solís-McGarity. “Since it’s a complete/incomplete, the range of reasons why it’s incomplete could be very minimal, or it could be something that’s going to require a lot of work in the future.”

For example, if someone is looking for a great trail horse, the fact that he’s fussy about deworming may not be a big deal, while a skill like tying well is of higher importance.

Useful for Any Horse Owner

The BBP is also useful to try at home with your own horse for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it creates a safety net.

“More than anything, all of us want our horses to have a secure and safe future,” says Solís-McGarity. “And if there ever comes a point where you have to rehome your horse, if you have gone through some of these skills and given the horse a really good foundation so he knows how to be a good citizen, it really helps him find wonderful, loving homes in the future.”

It’s also good to keep skills current to avoid getting into a tough spot, such as trailer loading for a vet emergency or evacuation during a natural disaster.

Especially with young horses, or if you have a lot of horses and it’s hard to get to them all, Solis-McGarity recommends adding the BBP to expand your tool kit outside of the normal “go out to the barn and ride” routine.

Reducing Time to Adoption

At ETAC, the proof is in the numbers, with a reduced length of stay—the time a horse spends at the facility from intake to adoption.

“It has significantly reduced length of stay for us because we have a goal of getting it completed, and we get tons of information on a horse from doing the profile right off the bat,” says Solís-McGarity. “And the more info we have, the more we can pass to adopters, and the faster we can get them into their right homes.”

It worked for Banana for Breakfast, who was quickly adopted.

The BBP is available at aspcarighthorse.org/basic-behaviors-profile. To browse listings of adoptable horses, including many with the Basic Behaviors Profile, visit myrighthorse.org, the ASPCA’s online adoption platform for equines.

This article about the Basic Behaviors Profile appeared in the September 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Evaluating Horses with the Basic Behaviors Profile appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

This article outlines the six equine characteristic criteria, of varying degrees of importance, that are used in the ECAT and can be considered as part of your decision-making process when assessing a new horse. While each horse is unique, there are common traits that can help in assessing all. 

When considering a horse, in addition to seeking soundness, conformation and paces suitable for the intended purpose, there are characteristics that can be considered when matching mounts with riders. These criteria emphasize the level of challenge a particular equine trait may represent from a rider safety perspective.  

Level of Sensitivity

Sensitivity is extremely important to consider when selecting a horse. Sensitivity is both genetically inherent and experiential. Experiential sensitivity can be increased or decreased, according to ongoing handling as trainers sensitize and desensitize to specific stimuli. However, a genetically Highly Sensitive Horse (HSH) will always be that. While it is possible to increase tolerances for specific experiences and situations, the HSH will always present a greater challenge.  

High sensitivity is far more than physical in nature, but it does include the physical. HSHs can present with a very low pain tolerance threshold but in fact, they feel pain more intensely.    

In addition to physical sensitivity, the HSH has a heightened mental-emotional sensitivity. These horses are hyper-alert, making them aware of subtleties in their environment that others are not. This can lead to them being overstimulated and overwhelmed.

Beyond the heightened five senses, HSHs are quite intuitive. These horses are acutely aware of what the rider is feeling and are deeply affected by rider fear and stress.  

HSHs do not do well with change. Change could be as simple as schooling in a new place or something even more benign. There are many techniques for helping HSHs succeed, but they are not well understood even by the best trainers.

The horse that is merely physically sensitive will prove more challenging for the novice rider, but the Highly Sensitive Horse should be considered significantly more challenging for all.

Temperament 

Temperament is a very important consideration in assessing a horse. Horses are generally categorized as hot, warm or cold. Hotter horses, like Arabians and Thoroughbreds, tend to be more reactive with high energy. Colder horses, like drafts, are more laid-back and slower to react. Warmbloods aim to combine the athleticism and stamina of the hot horse with the more passive disposition of the cold horse. 

Temperament is important, particularly when combined with other character traits. For instance, a hot horse with a strong fear trait will more easily exhibit flight responses and bolt in unfamiliar or stressful situations. If this hot horse is prevented from running off in that instant, explosive bucking or rearing is more likely than with the cold horse. A cold horse may buck or rear, but he is much more likely to give it up quickly as it takes too much energy. A cold horse with the same strong fear trait is more likely to stop and may even freeze, giving the rider an opportunity to dismount. 

A hot horse should be considered more challenging and when combined with other challenging traits, the horse can be unsafe for less experienced riders.

Level of Fear

Fear is another very important consideration. Like sensitivity, fear can be inherent and experiential. For the experiential aspect, a horse may have been traumatized or made more fearful with improper handling.

While thoughtful handling can help even the genetically fearful horse build confidence, each time a new idea or challenge is introduced, the fearful part will likely emerge. For some horses, even moving a familiar fence to a different spot can be considered a new challenge.

The fearful horse should be considered more challenging.

Previous Experience and Training

Previous experience and training is important to consider. A horse that has successful experience in the intended discipline will be less challenging than one trained for a different purpose. For example, transitioning a racehorse or barrel racer, trained with explosive speed, into an easier-going hunter or dressage horse requires skill and time.  

When the previous training and history of the horse is unknown, as often is the case in an auction, assume the horse will be challenging. Some horses have suffered abuse and trauma and will carry those wounds until a skilled and caring human can help them heal.  

Retraining a horse into a different discipline or retraining a horse that suffered abuse and trauma can be considerably more challenging.  

Dominance 

Dominance is another important aspect to consider when selecting a horse. This is not just resource guarding. Horses are wired for a level of dominance. An alpha dominant’s large-and-in-charge way of going is not hard to spot in a herd. 

The alpha dominant horse is more likely to attempt to assertively express his desires over that of the handler/rider. If the alpha dominant horse is also easily overwhelmed, as in the case of the HSH, he will more often offer resistance and try to take charge.

Other horses will have dominant qualities and take advantage of opportunities to move up the pecking order.  

The dominant horse will likely be more challenging than the submissive horse.

Gender 

Gender may be an important consideration. A stallion can be more animated and may often have another agenda, primarily the proximity of available mares. At the show or on the trail, it may be more challenging to get his undivided attention.  

Mares go through hormonal cycles that can affect consistency. There are times during her cycle when she may be experiencing discomfort.

A gelding is most likely the best bet for a Steady Eddy.

Stallions and mares should be considered potentially more challenging than geldings.    

Key Takeaway

This information is generalized and only intended to be a guideline when evaluating a horse to determine the probable level of challenge that horse will present to a rider. There are always exceptions. The best course of action, when looking for a horse, is to seek help from an equine professional and your equine veterinarian.    

A single criterion may be enough to help you decide against owning a particular horse. However, when deciding in favor of a horse, the best analysis is done when considering the combined criteria.   

Incorporating the identified criteria into your equine assessment and decision-making process could help you choose the right horse. 

Try the online Equine Challenge Assessment Tool (ECAT) here.

This article about using the Equine Challenge Assessment Tool (ECAT) when choosing a horse is a web exclusive Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Choosing the Right Horse Using the Equine Challenge Assessment Tool appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

As herd animals who are also prey animals, horses instinctively feel safer in a group setting with room to flee from danger.

Of course, many domestic horses don’t live in such an environment.

Some are turned out on pasture or even a dirt lot with other horses, but many spend most of their time alone in a stall or corral. These arrangements may be a necessary part of life, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s not natural for the horse.

Even though horses can adapt, many common management practices can unintentionally ramp up their stress level. Ongoing stress can end up causing health problems, which are often seen in the form of gastric disturbances, including colic and stomach ulcers.

Are you making your horse’s life stressful without realizing it? Take an honest look at your daily routine while considering these common causes of stress. Then take a look at how you can make changes for the better.

1. Inconsistency

“If you watch horses in a field, they have a routine,” says Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., an equine nutritionist who works with Kentucky Equine Research. “They often graze in certain parts of the pasture at certain times of day, and rest at certain times. When we become their provider, it’s helpful to them if we put them on a routine because then they know what to expect.”

She notes that without a routine, horses may develop stereotypies, such as cribbing, stall walking, and pawing.

“Horses are creatures of habit and do a lot better with a schedule, [where] you’re feeding and turning out at the same time every day,” says Sam Crosby, DVM, an equine veterinarian since 1994 who maintains his own practice, Crosby Veterinary Services, in Arcadia, Okla.

Crosby often finds that when he examines a horse that is losing body condition and weight, or has gastric ulcers, that horse has not been on a consistent routine.

2. Confinement

Confinement is an ongoing stress that constantly triggers the nervous system. When your horse lives in a stall or in a small corral, regular exercise and/or daily turnout is vital. Making sure other horses are visible also reduces stress.

Whether your horse is stalled or in a dirt lot, hay should be available most of the day and night. Use of a small-hole hay net or slow feeder makes it last longer, so the stomach doesn’t have a long period without forage.

Ideally, a horse should eat at least 1.5 to 2 percent of his body weight in forage daily.

3. Herd Dynamics

If you’re fortunate to have your horse in a pasture setting, keep him in a compatible group. In boarding situations where horses come and go, this can be challenging.

“Horses have a natural pecking order and have to establish that, but if one horse is a bully, you have to separate them,” says Crosby.

Once you have an established group that gets along well, it’s best not to change it.

Changing herd dynamics, such as moving from one pasture to another and being with different horses can be enough to trigger ulcer development.

Feeding in a group setting is also asking for trouble. It puts horses lower in the pecking order at risk of not getting their share of feed or even getting injured. The safest option is always to separate horses at feeding time and then turn them back out together. If this is not possible, spacing hay piles or grain feeders quite far apart with one more pile/feeder than horses is the next best option.

4. Lengthy Periods Between Meals

“The gut pays the price for stress,” says Crosby. “When the GI system reacts to stress, it lowers the immune system and puts the horse more at risk of contracting respiratory disease and other illnesses.”

One of the biggest stresses to the GI tract is going without forage for hours at a time.

“If your feed routine is first thing in morning and then early afternoon, you’ve got 8 hours between the first feedings, but 16 hours until the next one,” says Crandell. “The longer the stomach is empty, the more acidic it becomes and the more likely the horse is to develop ulcers.”

Because horses are hind gut fermenters, their GI system functions best when fed small amounts of forage throughout the day.

Crandell points out that in the 1500s to late 1800s, when horses were used for work and transportation, it was unheard of to feed less than four to six times a day. Horses were routinely given breaks to graze or eat hay.

Space out feedings evenly so you aren’t feeding large amounts of grain at once or going long periods with no forage intake. This may mean feeding three to four times a day instead of twice.

5. Changing Hay and Feed

Buying whatever hay or feed is on sale and frequently making changes is stressful on the horse’s digestive system.

“Abrupt changes in feed can cause serious changes in the gut,” says Crandell. “If the gut is healthy, the immune system functions optimally; 70 percent of the immune system is in the gut. It’s all about the balance of the microbiome.”

Beneficial bacteria create a mucous layer in the small and large intestine, offering protection from digestive juices and large molecules.

“The beneficial bacteria maintain this mucous lining, but if you disrupt the good bacteria, the mucous layer breaks down, and this is what allows pathogenic bacteria to get through the gut lining and into the blood stream,” she adds.

Changing feed abruptly imbalances the microbial population and can result in damage to this protective mucous lining, making the horse more susceptible to gastric upset and leaky gut.

Always allow a week to make feed changes by adding one-quarter of the new feed or hay to three-quarters of the old. Then gradually add more of the new while tapering out the old. This allows the gut microbes to gradually adjust to the new source.

6. Travel

Transporting horses is common, but travel is a high source of stress, so take practical steps to reduce its impact.

Keep hay in front of horses during travel so they don’t have long periods with an empty stomach.

Don’t tie so short that horses can’t drop their heads at all.

When traveling longer than five or six hours, plan for stops of at least 15 to 20 minutes to encourage horses to drink and urinate, as many won’t do so while the trailer is in motion. On longer trips, schedule overnight stops, or at the very least unload long enough that horses can walk, stretch their legs, and lower their heads, which is important for clearing the airways.

Both Crosby and Crandell recommend supplementing with probiotics for overall gastric health, particularly during travel and competition.

To help prevent ulcers, it’s also beneficial to use a proven medication, such as UlcerGard, two days before, during, and right after travel.

7. Weather Extremes

Living in tornado alley, Crosby has treated many horses after being injured in tornadoes. He’s found that extreme weather can do more than cause physical injury.

“When a horse has been through a big event like a tornado, it has a lasting effect on the psyche,” says Crosby. “These horses will generally be spookier afterward and have problems coping. It’s a common happening and is like PTSD in humans.”

Although major weather events are totally out of your control, be aware that they can cause significant stress in horses.

If you live in an area with extreme weather, such as tornadoes or hurricanes, have plans in place so your horse is in the safest possible situation. This may mean evacuating ahead of a storm or turning out in a large field instead of keeping the horse inside a barn.

8. Barn Atmosphere

The atmosphere in and around the barn either contributes to stress or reduces it. This includes feed, exercise, and training routines, how horses are handled, human personalities, and even the noise level.

“Your barn should be calm; if it’s not peaceful, the horses will feel it,” says Crosby, who often treats horses whose stress and anxiety is directly related to their daily environment, routine, and how they’re handled.

Do everything you can to promote a stress-free barn atmosphere. On occasion, this may mean moving to a different boarding facility, but if it makes your horse’s life less stressful, it’s worth it.

This article about causes of stress in horses appeared in the August 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post 8 Causes of Stress in Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

If you’ve ever wondered why your horse behaves a certain way, or why you’re having trouble solving an equine behavior challenge—from trailer loading to simply catching your horse in the pasture—you are not alone. According to Emily Weiss, Ph.D., an applied animal behaviorist, it’s the top question she hears all the time, and it all boils down to one simple thing.

“The answer to all behavior, whether you’re a flatworm, a human, a horse, orangutan, or dog is the same: why we behave the way that we do is because it feels good,” she says. “Or, it feels less bad than the alternative.”

Weiss should know—she has worked with species of all kinds, including lions, orangutans, elephants and Komodo dragons, as well as many dogs, cats and horses. While it all comes down to “feeling good,” we have to first figure out what that means.

Think Like a Horse

Sometimes this requires an objective look at the situation, and being observant to best understand why an animal is behaving a certain way, says Weiss.

“Oftentimes we can’t help but think like humans about the things that we would like or what feels good to us,” she says. “We have to be able to take that hat off and think a bit like a horse.”

For example, consider trailer loading.

“Walking up into a horse trailer, for a lot of reasons, doesn’t feel good for horses,” says Weiss. “One thing we often don’t think about is the change in light. Going from a very light area into a horse trailer, which is quite dark, can be incredibly off-putting and frightening because horses can’t see it very well. To set up a horse [for success] while you’re training him to get on a horse trailer, one of the things you might start with is getting the trailer [well] lit so there isn’t that change in light.

“Thinking like a horse can be really helpful to figure out what might be motivating this particular animal to behave in this way at this time,” says Weiss. “And then, what do I have in my toolbox to be able to modify and change that?”

A Trainer’s Toolbox

As a behaviorist, Weiss’ preferred tool is positive reinforcement, which means you give a reward, or something that feels good, when the desired behavior happens.

Typically for horses this is food, but other rewards may include touch, such as scratching a favorite spot. By giving the reward, you increase the likelihood of the horse repeating the behavior.

Traditional horse training, using the concept of pressure and release that most equestrians are familiar with, is known in learning theory terms as negative reinforcement. Folks associate the term “positive” as good and “negative” as bad, but the terms here are referring to giving and taking away, says Weiss.

“Negative reinforcement just means you remove something when the desired behavior happens: I apply pressure, my horse moves to the left, and I release that pressure,” explains Weiss.

One of the benefits of positive reinforcement is that it can increase confidence (in both horse and human) and trust. Many routine horse care and handling tasks can be easily trained using this technique.

Both methods require good timing.

“When you apply pressure, you need to release it at the right time for the horse to learn ‘this is the behavior you want me to do,’” says Weiss.

Tweet & Treat

Thankfully, Weiss says, most domesticated horses are incredibly food-motivated, and some animals, including the horse, can be incredibly touch-motivated. Even the ones that are not comfortable with humans are pretty food-motivated, and that can serve as a powerful starting point.

When working with positive reinforcement using food, it’s important to have a signal that says “food is coming,” says Weiss.

This is typically a sound and is often called a “bridge,” or a marker, because it marks the moment a behavior occurs, and bridges the gap until you can deliver the reward.

At the moment the desired behavior occurs it tells the horse, “Yes, that’s what I want you to do, food will be coming,” and then gives you time to be able to take the food from your pocket or wherever it is and give it to your horse.

“I use a whistle, so I call it ‘tweet and treat,’” says Weiss.

Step one is to pair the sound with the delivery of food. Tweet (or whatever sound you use) followed quickly by treat. Pair the delivery several times and then observe what happens when you tweet. If the horse looks toward the food location, you have successfully paired your sound!

There should be no food visible during the training process, says Weiss. You’re teaching the horse “If I do X (behavior), I get Y (reward).”

How to Use Positive and Negative Reinforcement

There are lots of different ways you can train a horse to pick up his feet. The traditional method uses negative reinforcement, where you run your hand down the leg, apply pressure when you’re closer to the hoof, and then increase that pressure until the horse lifts his foot. Once the horse lifts his foot, you release the pressure. You then have to shape the behavior from there.

Using positive reinforcement can take a little bit of patience in the beginning, but it’s quick and quite effective, as Weiss outlines:

Begin by bringing the horse into the space in which you’d normally work with his feet, placing either a stick or your finger on his leg, waiting for any movement at all and then reinforcing that, using Weiss’ “tweet and treat” method or similar, so that the horse understands that when he moves his foot, he gets a reward.

“Once the horse now understands that touch means ‘move my foot,’ you can progress from shifting the weight and moving the foot to holding the foot for a second (tweet and treat); lifting that hoof (tweet and treat); and then holding that hoof and doing what you need to do,” says Weiss.

Weiss adds the pairing of a verbal cue so that the horse lifts without the handler having to first touch the leg.

“Done correctly, this takes a couple of sessions for most horses to learn to hold their feet,” she says. “For horses that have had a lot of negative experiences, it can take longer.”

Techniques of positive and negative reinforcement can also be used in combination, adds Weiss. The use of positive reinforcement is just one tool in the toolbox, and can be woven into more traditional pressure-and-release training.

Variable Reinforcement

If you’re worried about what happens when you run out of cookies and carrots, or becoming a nonstop treat dispenser, Weiss says that’s where variable reinforcement comes into the process: the horse gets a treat for the behavior sometimes, but not every time.

“When we’re first teaching the behavior, the horse gets a treat every time because he needs to learn it and is trying to figure it out,” says Weiss. “We have to make it consistent so that the horse understands if I do X, and I get Y.”

Once established, you can move on to variable reinforcement to make the behavior “stick.” You might use a little scratch or a verbal reinforcer if he finds that to be something that feels good to him, but he doesn’t have to get food every time.

“If he doesn’t expect to get the reward every time, he’s going to continue to do that behavior and it will remain consistent so long as he gets reinforced every once in a while,” says Weiss. “Think about playing the slot machines in a casino. Most of the time, people don’t win anything. But every once in a while, they do, and this keeps them coming back and pulling the lever.”

Key Takeaway

Positive reinforcement is a valuable addition for any horse handler.

“It’s all about finding the right tools in your toolbox for a particular situation,” says Weiss. “And for a lot of horses there’s a frustration point, where you haven’t quite been able to get the behavior that you want. Removing the negative reinforcer and replacing it with a positive reinforcer can be just the ticket to completely change the horse’s perspective and make it much easier for you to get the training done.”

This article about training horses with positive reinforcement appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Training Horses with Positive Reinforcement appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Regardless of the evasion, horses who are difficult to bridle can make the process of tacking up an exercise in frustration. Brittany Malinoski of Brittany Lee Performance Horses in Lebanon, Tenn., offers this advice on how to correct these issues.

How Horses Become Evasive of the Bridle

Horses can develop these evasive tactics for any number of reasons.

“It could be that they never truly learned how to bridle correctly,” says Malinoski. “Or, it could be that they have had previous dental problems that caused them to lose trust in the bit or the hands of the rider. Finally, it could be the process of how the bridle is removed.”

Malinoski says that lesson horses, due to inexperienced handlers, are often prone to having their bridles removed too quickly.

“The students don’t slowly drop the bit down out of the horse’s mouth,” she says. “Instead, they may pull the bridle over the horse’s head and the bit gets caught on his teeth. The horse can panic or get scared, losing trust when the bridle is lowered.”

To help prevent issues with bridling from developing, Malinoski advises correctly training the process from the beginning, promptly addressing any dental troubles, and taking the time to make sure that the process of putting on and taking off the bridle is done slowly and correctly to avoid banging the horse in the mouth.

But prevention aside, what can you do if the problem with bridling is already well established?

Selecting a Location

Before beginning, Malinoski advises choosing an environment where you are setting up the training session for success. But the perfect location can vary, depending upon the method the horse uses to evade the bridle.

For example, she says that an arena can be ideal for a horse who actively backs away, while other issues, such as a horse who raises his head too high or one that refuses to accept the bit, may be better addressed in a more enclosed area, such as a grooming stall. As for equipment, Malinoski says that a simple rope halter and your horse’s bridle are all you need.

Steps to Lower the Head

For milder cases where the horse may simply be raising his head out of reach or refusing to take the bit, Malinoski begins the retraining process in a grooming stall with the horse wearing nothing more than a rope halter. She then introduces the idea to the horse to lower his head on command.

“This is accomplished by placing your hand on the horse’s head and applying pressure to his poll,” she says. She describes the process of holding the lead rope in your left hand and standing near and to the left of the horse’s head, then placing your right hand on the horse’s poll.

“When the horse lowers his head, you release the pressure,” says Malinoski. She elaborates that after getting the horse comfortable with his face and ears being touched, this process can also be useful when working with horses who are head or ear-shy. Malinoski does not introduce the bridle until the horse has become confirmed in this skill. Depending upon your horse, this may be in the first or later sessions.

Moving on to the Bridle

When the horse is ready, Malinoski explains that she repeats the process, this time using the bridle.

TIP: She says that while it is not necessary to have a certain bit for the retraining process, she advises having a bit that fits the horse properly. However, she says that practicing with a smaller bit, like a snaffle, can help regain trust.

After giving the command for the horse to lower his head from the direction of the poll, use your right hand to gently guide the bridle up into position while using your left hand to position the bit into place.

While she generally waits for the horse to open his mouth for the bit, if necessary, this can be encouraged by placing your thumb and middle finger on the bars on each side of the horse’s mouth and softly applying pressure.

TIP: Malinoski acknowledges that while some trainers use gimmicks such as applying products to the bit to make it taste good or holding a treat for the horse in the same hand as the bit, she is not a fan of these methods. This is mainly because these items may not be accessible when you are at a show or on a trail ride, and you can easily get into trouble if your horse won’t bridle without them.

With the bit in, the bridle can then be softly pulled up and into place. Once on, she lowers it back off, taking care not to bang the horse’s teeth with the bit in the process. She tries to do this a few times before ending the session.

Due to the extra space, Malinoski prefers the arena for working with horses who back away from the bridle. While she will still start the retraining process by teaching the command to lower the head when it comes time to put on the bridle, she then moves to the arena.

If the horse attempts to back away, she simply walks back with him until he stops and lowers his head.

“When that happens, I release the pressure,” she says.

Length of Retraining

Malinoski says that while the retraining process can take time, with patience and understanding, progress can happen in a relatively short span.

“If you work steadily at it, you should be able to make progress in about a week,” she says.

When the bridle goes on smoothly, release the pressure, and the horse has the reward of you taking it off. Malinoski explains that session lengths will vary by horse.

This article about bridling a horse that evades the bridle appeared in the May 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post How to Bridle a Horse That Evades the Bridle appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Cribbing is considered a vice, as it can be destructive to property, wear down the horse’s incisors, develop undesirable under-neck muscles, and reduce the value of your horse.

Cribbing is often mitigated by collars, sprays, electric fence wires, and sometimes by reducing stomach acid. Collars may need to be so tight to work that they potentially cause damage to the skin, nerves and airflow.

Reducing stomach acid may temporarily decrease cribbing, but it may also be contrary to the needs of some horses.

Common causes of cribbing are understood to be boredom, stress, anxiety, diet and habit. Below we’ll bring to light another cause, and a remedy for it.

Three Cribbers, Two Solutions

Over a couple of decades, I have had three cribbers—all off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). The first two horses completely stopped cribbing with diet and lifestyle changes that effectively removed the physical, mental, and emotional discomforts that caused their anxiety and addressed boredom. (Those specific changes are highlighted later in this article.)

A third cribber presented a greater challenge. The diet and lifestyle changes that worked for the others were not quite enough to address his issues of discomfort. I noticed that certain foods and treats caused immediate cribbing, so I eliminated some of the triggers. Basically, any treats (apples, carrots, cookies, et cetera), complete feeds, and ration balancers all caused immediate cribbing.

Wrong Answers

I begrudgingly put a collar on him. The collar worked initially—until it didn’t. I tightened it. It worked a little longer and then it didn’t. I tightened it once more with the same result.

When swelling under the horse’s jaw began, I removed the collar and let him crib at will. Electric fence was used in places to avoid him self-soothing in those locations.

It was clear this horse was cribbing to seek comfort. The question was, why?

I tried reducing his stomach acid by using Omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). It reduced the cribbing to some degree, but is not a good long-term solution for physiological and financial reasons.

Light Bulb Moment

One day, my sister was talking about her heartburn and how her throat was on fire and that sucking air in helped cool it, if only for a moment.

I immediately thought, “My horse has GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and is trying to alleviate a burning in his throat.”

Heartburn, or GERD, is the result of stomach acid ascending into the esophagus, resulting in pain or a burning feeling. Heartburn usually occurs after eating. If your horse always cribs during and/or after eating, this may be his problem, too.

Stomach acid gets up into the esophagus because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly. The common cause of this malfunction is low stomach acid. Therefore PPIs like Omeprazole or antacids like Tums and even baking soda being given to lower stomach acid may contribute to cribbing or windsucking. Long-term use of stomach acid suppressors may make it more challenging to recover proper function of the LES.

While some publications found online will indicate PPIs as appropriate for the treatment of GERD, other online articles and videos implicate low stomach acid in reflux. The latter anecdotally proved true in my barn.

The Solution

My horse’s cribbing has been reduced by well over 90 percent by addressing the discomfort he was experiencing with GERD, along with the diet and lifestyle changes that resulted in stopping the other two other horses’ cribbing.

The GERD discomfort was mitigated by adding three dietary ingredients mixed into his feed to coat his throat and esophagus. Those ingredients (listed below) were all organic; however, non-organic might work as well. Initially, this was done twice per day, and eventually added to just one feeding per day.

NOTE: Competitive riders should check with their sport’s governing bodies to ensure all things ingested by their horse are permitted, or if a period of withdrawal is needed for any single ingredient.

These are the dietary and lifestyle changes that helped conquer cribbing in my barn.

Dietary Changes for Cribbing

First, I provided three kinds of quality hay, as horses eat more with variety. Each horse always has access to hay and/or grass. Hay kept on hand usually consists of one first cutting and two second-cutting grass hays.

Next, I cut sugars and other unwanted ingredients proven to trigger cribbing from the horses’ diets. Thus far, I have only found one feed (Cavalor Strucomix Senior) that doesn’t induce cribbing, and unfortunately it’s cost prohibitive. So, I am still mixing my own feed daily. Of course, trial and error of individual ingredients for cribbing reactions followed by formulating and mixing feeds to ensure a diet complete in all nutrients is time consuming and not feasible for most people.

Finally, I began adding 1 teaspoon each of licorice root powder, marshmallow root powder, and slippery elm bark powder mixed into feed. (This step is likely only effective for some horses that crib during and/or directly after feeding.)

Lifestyle Changes for Cribbing

As mentioned before, lifestyle changes alone were enough to stop cribbing in two of the three horses. Here are the changes I made to their management:

1. Ensure as much freedom and movement as possible. All are afforded freedom to walk out of their stalls at any time and into paddocks as weather permits. The only time they choose to stay inside is during bug season.

2. Maximize turnout with at least one well-suited pasture mate. Having horses across the fence during turnout will not suffice for some horses.

Not every horse owner will be able to implement all the changes outlined here due to their facilities or other constraints. Not every horse will need them all. And still others may have an unknown discomfort that needs to be addressed.

If your cribber is most active during and/or after eating, that may be a clue of discomfort caused by GERD. Addressing physical, mental, and emotional discomfort and boredom may eliminate cribbing or at least greatly reduce it.

This article about cribbing appeared in the June 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Solutions for Cribbing appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

How the Study Worked

Using hidden speakers, the researchers played recordings of animal sounds and human voices talking gibberish to four species: domestic horses (Equus caballus), Przewalski’s horses (Equus przewalskii), domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica), and wild boars (Sus scrofa).

The study tested 12 pairs of domestic horses from 14 different breeds and 12 pairs of domestic pigs of the same breed in Switzerland, along with 12 groups of Przewalski’s horses and 10 groups of wild boars in various wildlife parks throughout France and Switzerland.

To prevent domesticated animals from reacting to specific words they had previously learned, the researchers hired professional voice actors to mimic positive and negative emotions by talking in a nonsensical way.

They would first play positively charged sounds (two to six sounds, depending on the species and the sound duration), pause for 1 minute, and then play negatively charged ones, or vice versa (in a random order).

Two important measurements of the animals’ reactions were valence (ranging from negative to positive) and arousal (ranging from calm to excited levels).

All sounds were played at the same intensity, ensuring that the differences were only in terms of species, valence, and the order of valence (positive or negative sounds played first).

To determine whether the animals had the ability to distinguish between positive and negative sounds, researchers recorded their behavioral reactions, including ear position and body movement.

How We Speak to Horses

Their results showed that both horse species had a stronger reaction to negative sounds than to positive ones; domestic horses would respond faster, and Przewalski’s horses would spend more time walking and less time standing. Such reactions were the same, regardless of the playbacks produced by their species, closely related species, or humans.

Speaking to Pigs

Pigs, just like domestic and Przewalski’s horses, could tell the difference between positive and negative sounds from their own kind, closely related species, and humans. However, wild boars reacted more to positive and negative pig calls than to human voices or calls from other wild boars.

Although all four species reacted less and were less attentive when human voices were played compared to calls of their species, they still showed some response. This might suggest that horses have some ability to distinguish whether you are talking positively or negatively to them.

The findings here also indicate that the evolutionary history and domestication of animals may have influenced their ability to understand and respond to emotions.

A Similar Study

This study ties well with another one from 2019, which showed that horses associate individual human voices with previous experiences they’ve had with them.

For example, when hearing voices they had positive previous experiences with, horses would react with increased attention and indicate a positive emotional state (hold their ears forward; their left brain hemisphere would get activated).

When they heard voices associated with previous negative experiences, horses would react negatively (hold their ears backward; their right hemisphere would get activated).

Such reactions are the result of the way horse brains work. Using the left eye and left ear activates the right brain hemisphere, which is responsible for processing sounds expressing negative emotions (like sadness or fear). Similarly, horses will use their right eye and activate the left hemisphere to process vocalizations expressing positive emotions (for example, happiness).

This research not only showed that horses can recognize different human voices, but can also remember the valence of past experiences with these voices. So, when they hear a human voice, their reaction is also influenced by the valence (positive or negative) of their prior interactions with that person.

The Takeaways

Both of these studies show that positive interactions with horses create positive expectations and a favorable attitude in animals. In contrast, negative experiences result in negative emotional states, and horses become less willing to interact.

If you approach and speak to animals in a more positive, friendly way, they should react less and become calmer and more relaxed around you.

This, of course, should be everyday practice, but these studies still provide an intriguing insight into the emotional intelligence of horses and gives interesting perspectives on communication between humans and animals that affects their welfare.

This article about how we speak to animals appeared in the May 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post How We Speak to Animals appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

These emerging approaches—also sometimes called “emotional horsemanship”—seek to prioritize horses’ emotional worlds in our relationships with them and make space for plenty of equine agency. And the people who engage in and share them range from dressage trainers and saddle fitters to equine-assisted learning facilitators and bodyworkers.

If that sounds broad, it’s because it is. Through the lens of what I will refer to as trauma-informed horsemanship, horses and humans process emotions similarly, and this includes manifestations of stress in the body.

In turn, all of this emotional and physical baggage affects health and behaviors of both horses and humans in our relationships. By opening new channels of communication and seeking to truly listen to ourselves and our horses, these approaches have the potential to give equestrians new insights into why their horse might be uncomfortable or acting out.

The Feedback Circle

Colorado-based dressage trainer Nahshon Cook describes the human-horse emotional relationship as a feedback circle or an energy loop.

People often carry unresolved emotions as tension or even injury in their own bodies. This, in turn, affects how they move on the ground or in the saddle. Perhaps your hips are tight and your horse is unable to move his back freely. Over time, this can lead to both emotional stress and mechanical injury for the horse.

A horse “acting out” in response may trigger fear and more tension in the rider.

“Horses balance their behaviors—often unwanted behaviors—on stuck emotions in our bodies,” says Cook. “They are protecting themselves from trauma in the life of that person.”

Similarly, equines often carry their own history of emotional and physical trauma. And because horses are flight animals, they tend to internalize any resulting distress, regardless of the source.

Distress Due to Trauma

Claire Aitken, a South Carolina-based saddle fitter and equine massage therapist, sees this every day in her work, and must adjust accordingly for truly beneficial results.

“From a therapeutic perspective [before working on a horse], it’s important to take all of their history into account because these traumas that so many of them have, they hold in their body,” says Aitken.

This stoicism, combined with horses’ general tendency toward generosity with and forgiveness of the humans in their lives, makes it easy to miss early signs of discomfort. When we fail (even unintentionally) to respect their subtle attempts to communicate distress, such as opting out of work, for example, you may be driving your equine partner to escalate to behavioral issues that will be heard.

To interrupt this cycle and rebuild it as one with space for recovery, we must learn to listen better to what the horse wants and needs.

Acting with Aggression

When Kim Hallin, the founder of equine facilitated learning company Unbridled, LLC brought her horse Tempo into the world, it was with the intention of having a sport partner.

But the spunky filly was about to challenge everything she thought she knew. From birth, Tempo was not interested in passively following someone else’s path for her. And after a major injury early in life, the stress of recovery led her to develop severe aggression toward humans.

“Horses are flight animals, and [Tempo’s] flight was taken away,” says Hallin.

She explains that Tempo’s injury required frequent, often invasive, treatments and drastic reductions in her physical freedom. It didn’t take long for the young mare to connect humans with a loss of autonomy.

And although Hallin was trying to help Tempo heal, “[I was] the one opening that stall door every day but [not] letting her out. She came to associate humans with a loss of control over her body.”

Even after Tempo regained access to turnout with the herd, she retained her aggression toward humans, charging the fence whenever someone approached. And despite Hallin’s natural horsemanship skills, the situation did not improve. They made progress during training sessions, but interactions outside of those controlled environments triggered her aggression.

“[Training] wasn’t healing our relationship,” says Hallin.

When Hallin recognized Tempo’s behavior as resulting from trauma rooted in unmet emotional and instinctual needs, she was able to ask the horse what she needed and take steps to give her more choices. That is when she started to see real change.

From Shutting Down to Autonomy

Indeed, the fundamental take-home lesson for all of us, regardless of discipline, is probably the importance of autonomy, or providing the opportunity for our equines to consent.

Cook has earned a reputation as someone who works wonders with a horse whose body has shut down—a horse that may not have many options left. The first time he met the 21-year-old horse we’ll refer to as Zeus, the horse reared and struck at him as soon as he stepped into the arena.

When the horse stopped fighting and stood still for a moment, Cook was struck by his physical condition. Zeus’ medical history includes polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) and completely degenerated suspensory ligaments, among other problems. His pasterns were parallel to the ground, and he was unable to flex to the left due to a large knot at the base of his neck.

Despite this, Zeus had likely spent a long time stoically performing dressage movements for his human before his will and his body finally sent up a vehement protest.

“That was his expectation of what a trainer in the arena was,” says Cook. “He had to protect himself. He did not feel safe in his lessons, so he’d started to turn his body off.” That was what had led his humans to Cook.

It took a year before Zeus was ready for a lesson. But when he eventually opted in, he easily executed a Spanish walk, and happily offered piaffe, both movements that unlocked tension in his back.

“In that moment, he guided me to movement that felt good in his compromised body,” says Cook.

Trauma-Informed Horsemanship Requires Listening for Consent

Trauma-informed horsemanship teaches us that consent is essential, even if we aren’t asking horses for such active engagement or performance.

Hallin sees a need for better consent practices in the world of equine therapy. It is too easy for a horse to shut down in those settings, and that will have negative consequences for horse and human alike.

“Are we re-traumatizing people when we’re having them participate in or observe nonconsensual therapy sessions with the horses?” she ponders.

Aitken is also careful to begin every therapeutic or saddle-fitting assessment by focusing on connection.

“Oftentimes, if there’s a horse that hasn’t been listened to in a while, just being there and listening to what he’s saying is a huge deal,” she says.

The variety of techniques available to modern bodyworkers allows Aitken to adapt to the horse’s wants and needs, whether that is simply synchronized breathing or energy work or physical manipulation of some sort.

Key Takeaway: Finding a Path Forward

As essential as consent is, it’s often just the beginning.

Trauma-informed horsemanship doesn’t stop with just horse or human. Professionals like Cook, Aitken, and Hallin have embraced the approach more as a philosophy than a methodology, using it to shape a holistic lens that considers the whole emotion-body cycle and makes space for healing in horses and their people.

“You don’t have to do anything but honor what [the horses] tell you,” says Cook.

But first, we have to get better at listening.

This article about trauma-informed horsemanship appeared in the October 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post What is Trauma-Informed Horsemanship? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.