It seems that more and more I’m having these types and f conversations with my students and clients. Empathy is key when leading horses or human. Thank you for bringing further clarity to this topic!!
One of my geldings was in a pasture which backs up to a state park. One morning, early, I was refilling his water and fluffing up his breakfast hay while he was eating his alfalfa mash and all of a sudden he alerted me that there was something or someone weird in the woods behind the paddock. He moved left his tasty meal to stand in between me and the forest. He squared up and stomped several times. He waited in that position for a few minutes and stayed until he relaxed and felt safe enough to continue eating. Another time he refused to go down the trail we almost always went down. Most of the time he would automatically turn (that’s how often we used this particular trail.) This one day he refused so I trusted him. He’s a spectacular horse and I chose to go an alternate route around the woods. On our way around, we came upon a bunch of cops accompanied by a dive team… apparently a rapist had chased a woman into the woods and he was hiding along the trail that my horse and I usually ride on. They will absolutely protect us. I do t expect them to and I feel that we should be the o es to protect them, but God created us all with different strengths and weaknesses and horses have such incredible senses they are willing to share with us. All we have to do is listen to them. Thank you you Lord for horses. ✝️🕊️💝
There is nothing sadder than a "shut down" horse. And often a horse like that performs its tasks with stoicism is thus considered ideally trained. I think the former feedlot/teamroping horse I once owned was one of these. I wasn't really looking at his passivity as anything other than a personality quirk. Conversely, I'm sure I missed cues from other horses that were willing to bond, but yes, it does require a nuanced and attentive view. Hopefully discussions like these will benefit many, many horses and their people in the future.
I just watched the replay. I got a yearling that was sharing a stall with another yearling and introduced her to my 2 aged horses. There was mutual grooming with one, who eventually went back to her owner and my other old fellow isn’t really interested in interacting with her. I did a lot of connection work with her maybe too much because now she looks to me as someone to play with. I don’t want to not bond with her but she does rear, nip and kick up her heels near me. How do I create a safe space but still invite bonding?
I had a trainer with a degree in animal science come help me with my mare. She grabbed the lead rope and was going to tell my mare what to do and my mare tried to come to me. I said did she just try to come to me? The trainer said no! she was trying to go in the barn because she didn't want to be told what to do. This just lets me know that my gut was right in that moment. I will NEVER be asking a trainer for help with my horse again. I've had a total of 3 trainers help me with her and I am left to fix what they did to her.
I just watched the replay. I’m curious, I have a young horse that I’ve had since she was born. I sent her to a trainer for a couple months this past summer. I went every week to visit her and see her progress. Most of the time when I pulled in she was tired to the fence. She always reacted as soon as I pulled in, nickering at me. Would you say that is bonding behavior or just because I’m familiar to her in an unfamiliar place?
It seems that more and more I’m having these types and f conversations with my students and clients. Empathy is key when leading horses or human. Thank you for bringing further clarity to this topic!!
One of my geldings was in a pasture which backs up to a state park. One morning, early, I was refilling his water and fluffing up his breakfast hay while he was eating his alfalfa mash and all of a sudden he alerted me that there was something or someone weird in the woods behind the paddock. He moved left his tasty meal to stand in between me and the forest. He squared up and stomped several times. He waited in that position for a few minutes and stayed until he relaxed and felt safe enough to continue eating. Another time he refused to go down the trail we almost always went down. Most of the time he would automatically turn (that’s how often we used this particular trail.) This one day he refused so I trusted him. He’s a spectacular horse and I chose to go an alternate route around the woods. On our way around, we came upon a bunch of cops accompanied by a dive team… apparently a rapist had chased a woman into the woods and he was hiding along the trail that my horse and I usually ride on. They will absolutely protect us. I do t expect them to and I feel that we should be the o es to protect them, but God created us all with different strengths and weaknesses and horses have such incredible senses they are willing to share with us. All we have to do is listen to them. Thank you you Lord for horses. ✝️🕊️💝
There is nothing sadder than a "shut down" horse. And often a horse like that performs its tasks with stoicism is thus considered ideally trained. I think the former feedlot/teamroping horse I once owned was one of these. I wasn't really looking at his passivity as anything other than a personality quirk. Conversely, I'm sure I missed cues from other horses that were willing to bond, but yes, it does require a nuanced and attentive view. Hopefully discussions like these will benefit many, many horses and their people in the future.
I just watched the replay. I got a yearling that was sharing a stall with another yearling and introduced her to my 2 aged horses. There was mutual grooming with one, who eventually went back to her owner and my other old fellow isn’t really interested in interacting with her. I did a lot of connection work with her maybe too much because now she looks to me as someone to play with. I don’t want to not bond with her but she does rear, nip and kick up her heels near me. How do I create a safe space but still invite bonding?
I had a trainer with a degree in animal science come help me with my mare. She grabbed the lead rope and was going to tell my mare what to do and my mare tried to come to me. I said did she just try to come to me? The trainer said no! she was trying to go in the barn because she didn't want to be told what to do. This just lets me know that my gut was right in that moment. I will NEVER be asking a trainer for help with my horse again. I've had a total of 3 trainers help me with her and I am left to fix what they did to her.
I just watched the replay. I’m curious, I have a young horse that I’ve had since she was born. I sent her to a trainer for a couple months this past summer. I went every week to visit her and see her progress. Most of the time when I pulled in she was tired to the fence. She always reacted as soon as I pulled in, nickering at me. Would you say that is bonding behavior or just because I’m familiar to her in an unfamiliar place?