Fear has safeguarded equines against predation for millennia, but it’s an unwelcome guest when you have plans in which your horse is too afraid to participate. The good news is he doesn’t have to be a slave to his autonomic impulses. He can learn to respond to frightening situations less reactively and more rationally, resulting in a safer more enjoyable horse for you.
These force-free techniques will reduce your horse’s anxiety in stressful situations, build his confidence, and make positive long-lasting changes to his behavior.
Pay Attention: Notice the moment your horse starts focusing on something he’s unsure about so you can nip the fight/flight response in the bud. Wide eyes, pursed lips, a tense neck, elevated head, flared nostrils, halting breathing, or ears stiffly pricked forward indicate he’s heading toward the deep end of the fear pool. Left unchecked, his brain will release chemicals that prepare his body for battle or hasty retreat, leaving you with a horse that is emotionally unstable and more risky to handle. The faster you can interrupt that process, the quicker and more easily you can help him calm down. The better you get at turning it off, the less your horse will depend in it as a survival tool, and the weaker the response will become.
Dale Rudin is a CHA-certified riding instructor and clinician with a mindful and balanced approach to horsemanship and riding. www.un-naturalhorsemanship.com
Dale Rudin is a Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA)-certified riding instructor, welfare-centered trainer, rehabilitation specialist, saddle fitter, and certified equine nutritionist. She is a founding member of Force-Free Tennessee, an animal advocacy organization that promotes humane, low-stress training and handling of all animals. Dale's No. 1 goal is to create joyful experiences for horses and the people who love and care for them. She uses compassionate, reinforcement-based training methods that reduce stress and benefit the horse both emotionally and physically, and specializes in restoring health and wellness to horses with mild to severe physical, emotional, and behavioral issues. Dale offers instruction and consultations in person and online. She accepts horses for training and rehab at her farm, Lyric Valley Ranch in Santa Fe, Tenn., which is also the home of Pure Joy Horse Haven, a sanctuary for traumatized and abused horses (purejoyhorsehaven.org).
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