Assessing Soundness and Functional Movement in our Horses with Ansley from AB Equine Therapy Part 1

Have you ever found yourself perplexed by your horse's behaviors, despite diligently addressing their physical concerns? Many conflicted equestrians grapple with the challenge of comprehending their equine companion's actions beyond the realm of physical ailments. Overlooking the intricacies of their psychological well-being can result in persistent training issues and hinder overall equine welfare. If you've exhausted various treatments without seeing the desired behavioral improvements, it's time to delve into the often-neglected realm of equine psychology.

Achieving a harmonious relationship with your horse necessitates a holistic approach that considers both physical and psychological aspects. While treating physical ailments is undoubtedly essential, neglecting the psychological dimension can leave a significant void in your understanding of your horse. It's imperative to recognize horses as complex beings, acknowledging the interplay between their mental, emotional, and physical states.

Understanding your horse's behavior involves more than just scratching the surface; it requires a nuanced approach. In lieu of clichéd terms like "unlocking their true potential," let's explore practical techniques that provide a deeper insight into their actions. Developing a keen observation of body language, recognizing behavioral patterns, and understanding responses to various stimuli are invaluable skills that can enrich your training methods and strengthen your connection with your horse.

Trust is the bedrock of any successful relationship, and the bond between humans and horses is no exception. We'll delve into strategies for building trust and confidence in your horse, establishing a solid foundation for increasing congruence and athletic performance. The common mistake most conflicted equestrians make is taking an exercise and asking “how can I make my horse do this”. The art of the equestrian is not in what we can make our horse do but in the quality of conversation we have with our horses in the process of asking them to do it. 

We don’t “fix” their personality. There is nothing to be fixed. We can support them through the inevitable challenges they are faced with in training and how each unique horse manages themselves through these challenges is different. How we support our horse through learning a new exercise is how we build trust, faith and confidence in each other. Giving our horses tools to overcome achievable challenges builds their confidence not only in themselves but also in us. 

Oftentimes when I’m teaching I’ll draw on my students real life experiences to help them better understand how best to engage their horses in training. Teachers can relate to horses like their students, parents to their children and children to their friends. Sometimes our horses give us behaviours that we don’t like and are scared of but that doesn’t mean the behaviours are wrong and they are being naughty. It can simply be that is a very normal response to their current situation and our job is to support them in making better choices.

What does a better choice for your horse look like? 

Why would your horse choose to do what you are asking of them?

How can you ask this thing from them so that they receive the invitation better and are more willing?

How could being ridden be of benefit to your horse?

Why would they seek the bit for direction and relax into bit pressure?

These are all questions that are not easy to answer and as an individual you will have to find your own way that feels right for you. We share our answers to this in our holistic equestrian program. When we are pressured into answering these questions with another persons perspective we lose sight of why we work with the horse and what we want from the relationship. You take on that other trainer/coach/instructors lens on life, their fears, their limiting beliefs, their concerns for your safety.

There is a sweet spot we can find in self regulated and co regulated relationship where we have the psychological safety to communicate what we need to achieve the task laid out. Inevitably we will be faced with our own fears, limiting beliefs, internal conflicts and we will have to negotiate them to find peace and congruence within ourselves before we ask it of the horse. 

That is why operant conditioning doesn’t work in isolation without being able to read the horses emotional response to the ask. The idea that any animal will just say yes because we escalate pressure or dispense treats sounds inviting but doesn’t work in reality. Hearing our horses communicate their need doesn’t mean that we won’t ask them to do hard things. It just means we have to learn how to listen and genty stretch the comfort zone. Accomplishing things that feel hard can be enriching, engaging and build confidence. The mistake we can make is asking things of the horse that both we and they don’t have the physical conditioning, understanding and emotional resilience to achieve. Then we are overfacing ourselves and our horses and lose trust, confidence and faith in each other. 

It can feel like a challenging space to navigate. And you can do hard things. Small achievable tasks, with an immense sense of task achievement. Finish on a positive note feeling like you could have done more.

If you’re finding yourself stuck on getting a body worker out on repeat to address the same issues make sure you listen to our interview with ansley from abequinetherapy as she shares what is feasible for your body worker to address and what you need to do with your horse between sessions to better support their soundness and physical and emotional well being because their body keeps the score of the quality of mental relaxation applied within their training program. Recognizing the dual significance of physical and psychological aspects, implementing practical techniques for a more profound understanding, and establishing a foundation of trust will pave the way for a more enriching and fulfilling connection with your equine companion that helps build soundness into your horses training (so you need the body worker out less!). Prepare to embark on a journey that transcends conventional training methods, unlocking the secrets to a more profound equine-human bond.

Love what you are reading?