Showing posts with label horse learning. Show all posts

Horse Progress: Ready for challenging tasks?

Progression in the Horse's Education

Horse Education

Evolving the Ask

By Samantha Harvey, Founder — Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach

"How do I get my horse to be okay with ___?" (trailer, the scary corner, saddling, the farrier, fill in the blank.) Usually, someone is describing the big scenario, and the horse is already overwhelmed by it.

When I start with a horse, I'm not focused on the "final outcome". I'm presenting tiny segments to help him learn how to think through a scenario (rather than fixate)... to search (offer more than one try without getting emotionally triggered) for an answer instead of waiting to be driven or pushed... to try... and just as important, to let go of a thought (anticipation, fixation, concern, worry).

horse standing ground tied in a roundpen

Most horses I meet have never been taught this nor is there a differentiation between directing their thoughts from their movement. Too many horses in their initial training learned to tolerate, comply, shut down (offer no physical resistance), or get bigger (to make the human go away). This leaves them unable (and overwhelmed) the more that is asked of them.

Once the equine learns these skills, I present small scenarios to practice the Conversation. Not "load in the trailer," but "how do you feel about walking toward, around, away from it?" I observe his feedback during the interaction, and especially after. Is there a look away, a held breath, a stiff jaw, a step back, is his tail swishing... all of which is him telling me where/if there are concerning aspects. He's not being "naughty" or "testing" me. He's giving me feedback.

Rather than mindlessly repeating to "just getting through it," as I address each concern, I'm also assessing the quality and effectiveness of my communication. By presenting scenarios in smaller segments, it allows me an opportunity to pause and recognize if the horse is becoming defensive towards my aids- and I can address that aspect. It also gives him time to process- his concern and my communication. Then I may ask for a little more.

Here's what people don't consider... the more often a horse is supported by the human to learn how to work through and let go of his concerns, the more the person is "proving" themselves to the horse to be trusted, and the increase in his try will follow. By the time I present something much larger, it isn't "a concern" to him anymore, because he's been prepared with each segment presented along the way, and he is offered relevant communication.

If the horse falls apart when you ask for more, the "why won't he do it?" is ignoring the "what did I miss in the preparation?"

How do you know he needs help or is ready for more?

Your horse will "tell you" in subtle feedback, before he does something dramatic. The trick is noticing the behavior that most of mainstream society teaches you to ignore, because when it is, (or critiqued rather than addressed) it evolves into the potentially dangerous responses.

He's telling you there's a concern when you see him...

Looking away or fixating on something else when you step toward him
Holding his breath, or short, quick, labored breathing despite not having physically exerted himself
Tightness in the jaw, wrinkles in the muzzle, worry lines around the eye
Head up, neck shortened and braced, "ballooned barrel," or "hollowing" of the back
Tail swishing or clamped
Ears hyper-flicking back and forth or back and rigid
Tripod-like stance, braced knees/hocks
Constant shifting away, or stepping backward
Freezing in place (this one gets mistaken for "being good")
Fidgeting, pawing, or hurried movement
Getting pushy, crowding, or leaning toward/at the human
Eyes dull and "checked out"... shut down- i.e. "no response" at all

Even if he has displayed the above behaviors and still complied, does not mean he is "ready" for more- and it is usually when he is asked to offer more- that the horse "suddenly" shows dramatic resistance.

He's ready to move on- or for you to evolve the ask- when you see...

A deep breath out, or a sigh that shows up on his own
Real-time mental processing- soft blinking, gentle chewing, rhythmic breathing
Jaw, lips, and eye softening
Head and neck held at a natural height, without skin tension or twitching (such as when touched)
Tail softly hanging, ears relaxed or one tipped toward you
Shifting a hip, or standing balanced without mentally bouncing all over
Brain and body in the same place... he isn't looking around with anticipation
Curiosity- softly looking toward/inspecting something (without imposing/pushing/trying to bite it), perhaps offering a small, soft step toward the unfamiliar/scary thing
The same quiet response several times in a row, without anticipation or rushing
Willing to be mentally directed "away" (not physically moving his feet away) from the concerning area- without having a flee, increase in tension, or a fixation on the thing he is unsure of

As you are assessing, remember that a one time soft response doesn't mean he's fully worked through a scenario. Experiment with one small change, and observe his mental and physical responses. Even if not yet fully confident, if he stays "available" and thinking, he's ready for more. Adapt with how you offer a release- which may be just mental, or mental and spatial. Sometimes, it takes literally moving the horse away from a scenario to "pull the release valve" and then you see the full body shake, blowing, yawning, passing manure, etc. in his let down of tension as he mentally processes.

If during any "segment" a concern reappears, that tells you what hasn't been fully addressed to help the horse mentally let it "go."

A final thought... When just observing the horse, notice what the difference is in your perception of what equine behaviors you'd classify as a "quiet," relaxed, or shut down horse.

— Samantha Harvey, Alternative Horsemanship™
The Remote Horse Coach

Horse Training Help- Segmented Learning

The Positive Influence of Segments

By Samantha Harvey, the Remote Horse Coach
Alternative Horsemanship™

I've been back in the US for the last three weeks, teaching Private Clinics across the western States. Some things taught included working on preparing a young horse to accept a rider, re-educating one that had previous trauma associated with being ridden, riding in areas that were once "scary," (re)introducing saddling, hoof handling after farrier trauma, interrupting quiet patterns of fixation, building confidence, or teaching the humans to offer real-time adaptability in how, when, and where they offer supportive communication, to simultaneously build the horse's try and trust.

I thought I'd share a post from earlier in the year, reiterating the importance (to the horse) of why presenting/asking reasonable segments is crucial to evolve the partnership.

P.S. I'll be heading up the East Coast in November and still have a few days open, visit Private Clinics for details.

Underrated Human Skills to Improve our Horse Time

"I have a plan"

"I want to work on x, y, and z"

"I need to practice for the upcoming event/competition/trip"

"I just want to try one more time"

These are the often taught ideals- meaning if you the human are "focused enough" the horse should and will comply... and then you show up and your horse is .... pacing, calling out to the neighbor, doesn't want to be caught, willing to be caught but anticipative and pushy, etc.

So what do you do?

Get annoyed?
Offer critical communication?
Get lost in the story of wondering "why" the horse is reacting as he is?
Compare what your horse does versus "theirs?"

Or do you...

Adapt?
Break down what you're asking of your horse into smaller segments?
Address the horse's distraction (without criticism)?
Let go of your original intentions and "meet the horse in the moment?"

How one perceives the horse's behavior often reflects their skill set- the more one has learned how to interrupt and redirect the horse's thought, help him drain (literally) physical tension, and are able to separate out asking him the focus from his movement, the more options a person has to help the animal work through a troubling scenario, let go of it mentally, and be available to willingly participate.

But, for a lot of people, they either don't realize how few options they have in their "toolbox" (how they communicate")- until the day the horse is "suddenly" reacting or offering new responses or behaviors...

Rather than thinking of your horse time as "training for the moment"- if you shift your focus to creating a common language- (see the how, what, when, where post I made last week,) and then refining your understanding of how the horse's thought and movement is connected, what patterns occur when he is triggered, teach him how to think through scenarios versus physical compliance, the more "options" you have for presenting anything, anywhere, at any time- whether or not you've practiced a scenario before.

Catching and teaching the horse to lead - i.e. having the horse willingly participate without using food, coercion, or patterns of familiarity- requires more than 50% of the skills you'll need for everything that follows... yet for most people- catching is how quickly will the horse comply to be in close enough proximity without too much physical resistance that they can physically get the halter on...

Most horses I observe "tell me" everything I need to know about their perception of the human experience based on their behavior during the catching.

Work with Samantha

Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach offers horsemanship clinics worldwide, distance horse coaching, equine re-education and rehabilitation, colt starting, and lessons. I'll be heading up the East Coast of the USA in November, and still have a few days open. Message for details.

Email to learn more

7 Questions to Improve Time with your Horse

Horse and Human Help

Improve Time with your Horse

Samantha Harvey- Alternative Horsemanship ™ the Remote Horse Coach™

I believe people can learn from many different forms of shared horse knowledge (even if it is what not to do,) BUT I find without a clear foundational basis, the constant barrage of "dos and don'ts" that drastically differ in shared horse training approaches, theories, and methods can be exhausting for the student to filter through.

Horse Learning Help - When we Stop Powering Through

Horse Help from Irrelevant Influences

Horse Learning Help

When "Powering Through" Quits Working

By Samantha Harvey founder
Alternative Horsemanship™ The Remote Horse Coach

I had remote coaching students on multiple continents this week- and the general theme was discussing breath... The students' backgrounds were drastically different, as were their ages, and horse experience.

Yet, along their individual paths of raising self- awareness to improve the relationship with their horse, each had come to the conclusion of how much "work" it was to intentionally breathe.

It sounds funny as the most basic instinctive need to survive is to breathe- and somehow, here we are as human beings, rapidly "losing" the connection between breath and our mind, emotions, and body.

Of course, this isn't just a "horse people problem," but it is magnified for those who spend time with, around, or riding the incredibly sensitive animals.

The cliche of "your horse reflects you," is an understatement.

Breath affects the human's mental, emotional, and physical state. It directly influences the quality, specificity, timing, and effectiveness of communication with the horse.

It is not something that can be brushed aside as a, "I'll work on that someday..." if the goal is to evolve the quality of one's relationship with the horse.

I've had various students describe trying to re-learn how to "breathe naturally" as:

*Feeling like their chest was being compressed by boulder
*The deeper the intentional breath, the more they found themselves gasping for air
*The more they focused on their breath, they realized the tension in their muscles increased
*They couldn't "focus" on their breath while doing any other activity
*They could achieve softer breathing, but then as soon as something distracted them, they'd "lose" the rhythm

I'll be honest, it is very uncomfortable to reach a moment of recognizing how disconnected we have become from our bodies. Once you realize patterns in yourself, even if you don't have the energy to address them now, the awareness is a "burden."

For a lot of years (decades actually,) much of western society's "norms" have wreaked havoc on the human nervous system; unrealistic demands, distractions, expectations, time urgencies, etc. have contributed to deregulated states as the human loses any natural sense of physical awareness they are born with.

From mobility, to breathing, to intention- for many people, what came naturally as a child, dissipates the more "societal influenced" people become as they unintentionally drift away from what was once instinctive responses.

When I first started teaching, I had intentionally titled one of my web pages: "Back to Basics"- people HATED the name. HATED the reference, and I eventually gave in and changed it.

The problem with the name, based on the feedback- was people who'd spent years with horses, didn't want to have insinuated that they needed to "go back" (society's "what have you achieved by now") or that they were still needing to learn "the basics," (society's hurry up, do more, multitask, result drive outcomes need to "prove" the time/money/effort was worth it.)

I specifically created the title because so many people were coming to me with "problem horses," but themselves were missing fundamental basics in understanding, awareness, and skills-and instead were wanting to "fix" things (symptoms,) rather than recognizing or acknowledging that to help the horse, it started with their self-awareness and availability to learn. Including, inconsistent breathing.

Society rewards the mindset of "powering through" or "making something happen," which doesn't work with horses... I mean, it may temporarily appear to get desired results with a certain type/personality of horse, but then one day, "all of a sudden..." it doesn't.

So much presented societally, socially, media wise, etc. is about using literal or figurative strength to force things to occur or comply. This also doesn't work with horses... which is why you are reading posts shared on this site.

So, coming back to the idea of breath... Think of someone who lifts weights at the gym, unintentionally more often than not, they end up holding their breath as they try to engage their muscles. The personal trainers will remind them to breathe, instead, you'll see braced, tight, rigid behavior as they anticipate engaging in the activity.

It is no difference to what I see people do ALL the time with their horses. Even if not literally thinking they are "powering" through something... whether hopeful, passive, avoidant, or trying to be "believable"- they often hold their breath.

When emotions are engaged, they hold their breath... the same goes for when someone is lacking confidence, distracted, or carrying stresses from other aspects of life.

So remember... it starts with awareness.

Don't impose self-critique or judgement once you realize what your current "norm" is.

Do see every opportunity to "reset" as retraining your brain and body- which helps in all aspects of daily life, not just your horse time.

Don't expect sudden changes in yourself if you've been doing something unintentionally for decades.

Do only attempt a minute or two at a time (I'm not kidding) of intentionally breathing... initially, you'll be mentally exhausted.

Imagine all the potential positives that could occur if you treat yourself with the same kindness as you'd offer others ...

Horse Learning Help & Tips

Horse Learning

Irrelevant of where in the world one is, there is always learning opportunities... Even if "just" from the horse's communication and behavior.

Chasing the Horse Dream

I meet horse people wherever I go in the world, whether or not I’m traveling for work or by random happenstance. More often than not, I hear stories of how they chose to leave the mainstream rhetoric/perceptions of working/thinking/interacting with horses to explore and develop their individual quality long-term equine relationship.

Improving Horse Rider Balance- Raising Awareness

It all starts with Awareness

I just finished doing a 12 hour drive drive. I encountered horrendous fog, hail, pelting rain, light snow, sun, strong wind gusts, and just about any other weather you can think of.

Throughout the drive, I would audibly exhale, reset my fingers on the steering wheel, notice the tension in leg muscles from the incessant shift through the high mountain, twisty road climbs, and "open" my toes in my shoes, I'd observe if I was "hard" staring at the road or if I could zoom in and out at various degrees on the details of the surroundings. I "checked in" with my shoulders- if they were scrunched up and together toward my neck, or if I could rotate the muscle onto the scapula and "open" my chest to have a soft breathing. I noticed if my tongue was "stuck" on the roof of my mouth or rested without tension...

Hurried horse behavior problems

A lot of humans anticipate "what will happen" when with their horse.

There is a fine line between being aware of your surroundings and things that are occurring at the moment, but also not fixating on potential unwanted outcomes.

I suggest that folks notice their own thought patterns. Whether it is occurring before they are with their horse or in a moment with the equine, to learn to notice when their mind gets "stuck on a thought."

Horse Learning without Guarantees

The only consistent thing I have found to be true is humans ARE seeking connection.

Repeatedly, social media videos that “do best” show the horse that is willing to interact with people, offering an emotional connection. The promise gives viewers hope, triggering interaction… A great motivator for change, or to “activate” people- whether to react, sign up, or buy into a belief system- is to engage the human emotion of hope.

I'm very aware that this time of year can stir up a particular kind of mental static. It’s the inner critic, tallying up the "not yets" and the "I should haves" with your horse.

Let's name it: Horse Guilt. It’s that feeling that you didn't do enough, "fix" enough, ride enough, or progress enough.

Guilt is not a motivator; it is a paralyzer.

“Understanding Before Expectations”

Have you ever driven a vehicle that suddenly started drifting, pulling, or moving in a way you didn’t want?

If that happened, would you stop the car, get out, and try to physically force the wheels into the direction you wanted them to go?

Of course not.
You’d start by troubleshooting:

What is the condition of the tires?
Is there an issue with the axles or brakes?
Are the fluids low?
Is the steering column misaligned?

Even if you didn’t understand the mechanics yourself, you would look for or seek guidance to find the root cause of the problem.

Why don’t we do the same with our horses?

In traditional training, when a horse shows unwanted behavior, the common response is:

Add more equipment
Use harsher aids
Try to force compliance
Speed up the training
Push/drive/chase the horse through his resistance

But all that does is magnify the holes—
in the horse’s education
and in reflect a lack of human understanding.

When we mask symptoms instead of addressing root causes, unwanted behaviors don’t disappear…
they simply morph into something else.
Balking becomes bolting.
Tension becomes spooking.
Resistance becomes shutdown.
And owners are left wondering what the horse will do next.

Alternative Horsemanship™ is not about controlling the horse.
It’s about understanding the horse—
their communication, mental state, and natural responses.

Instead of reacting to problems,
we learn to see the early subtle signs of worry, anticipation, or defensiveness.
We teach the skills to learn how to recognize and address the root cause before it becomes a unreasonable or potentially dangerous behavior.

This approach focuses on building a foundation through:
✔ Clear communication
✔ Observing the horse’s communication
✔ Understanding how to influence the horse's mind to create changes in equine behavior or natural instincts
✔ Awareness of your own mindset, emotions, and habits
✔ Interactions that create a safe space for learning to build trust—rather than demanding fearful compliance or forced submission

Whether you realize it or not,
you are always teaching your horse.
Your energy, timing, clarity, and intention is reflected in the horse's responses.

If you’re tired of:

Fixing the same problems over and over
Hoping for “good days”
Wondering what your horse will do next
Feeling like training is a guessing game

Then it’s time to build a foundation based on understanding rather than reacting.

Because the quality of your horsemanship isn’t measured by:
❌ fancy equipment
❌ how quickly you get results
❌ what someone else can make your horse do

It’s reflected in:
✔ Intention
✔ Commitment
✔ Adaptability
✔ Clarity
✔ And your willingness to help the horse in front of you

Alternative Horsemanship™ branched into becoming The Remote Horse Coach to help you virtually learn how to create a relationship that’s not dictated by fear, dominance, or performance pressure—
but by communication, confidence, and calmness.

If you're ready to replace hope with understanding,
reactiveness with clarity,
and frustration with confidence—
learn how Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach can help you on horse journey.

Let’s begin building a partnership founded on awareness, curiosity, and mutual respect.

Visit the Individual Virtual Horse Coaching or the Horse Learning Video Catalog