I see so many horses that are very obedient but carry inner turmoil because so much of what they do carries the burden of anxiety. Their obedience only exists as a means of escaping trouble.
Challenges Make For Better Relationships
If we truly want to develop the best relationship possible with a horse it does not come from protecting them from trouble. It doesn’t come from allowing the no-go areas of our relationship to linger. It comes from facing the things that create anxiety and stress in a horse and ensuring the horse comes out the other side with a good experience and feeling better. Then we look like the good guy and the best friend he could ever have. The best relationships are born from human and horse solving problems together.
Horse Making A Decision
Horses speak silently, but communicate loudly.
Some people believe horses do not process thoughts and make choices based on their thoughts. In this video I break down the decision making process my mare, Six experiences when making a decision. I hope it helps people become more aware of how busy their brains are and how to better read their thoughts.
Letting Horses Make Decisions
When I was first starting to learn about horses and horsemanship, my teachers all had rules that I was meant to follow. I was to mount from the left of the horse. I was to lead a horse from my right. I was to ask a horse to pick up its feet by pinching the chestnut. When there was a disagreement with a horse I was to always make sure I won. If a horse turned its tail towards me I had to always correct it. A horse should not be allowed to stop when it had a bathroom moment.
Spurs
Kids and Horses
The first horse that I belonged to was called Luke. Well, when he came to live with me his name was Sebastian, but I couldn’t let him carry that burden for the rest of his life. He didn’t deserve that. So Luke became the name he answered to when I called him for dinner or when he ordered coffee at Starbucks and when the bakery asked what name he wanted on his birthday cake.