I believe one of the most difficult aspects in working or educating horses is for humans to control their emotions!  It is very difficult for humans not to take issues, with their horse, personally.  I have been told by a clinician or two, over the years, to not take things personally when it comes to horses.

Believe you me…it has been difficult for me, as well, but I am here to say it will always be difficult for anyone if they cannot learn to control their emotions.  When humans allow their emotions to show through…their horse will certainly feel it.  If we allow emotions such as anger, frustration and fear to appear when working with our horses…our body language changes which changes our energy in a negative manner towards the horse.  Listening to our horses is greatly jeopardized which impairs our timing and feel.

The sooner you can learn to control your emotions…the sooner your relationship, with your horse, will have a chance to improve!  The next time you find your emotions getting the best of you…sing a song or laugh…this will help you keep your emotions from getting out of control!  Try it sometime…you might be surprised!

Every horse is different when it comes to settling into a new facility.  A change can be hard for any horse!  I have seen a great number of horses move into our facility and overall the majority of them have settled in quite well.  I have seen a few, though, that had a bit of a difficult time adjusting.

I know most people want to bond with their new horse…you both are new to each other.   I agree…but don’t look at it as bonding from a human’s perspective but from the horse’s perspective.  This is the mistake that I often see.  If by chance your new horse is one that is having a more difficult time adjusting to his new surroundings…don’t humanize the situation when the horse is in your presence…it does not give him the right to be disrespectful towards you.  Remember your horse learns in the moment…it can either be a negative or positive learning moment…I prefer a positive learning moment.

I am all for a horse if he really feels the need to move his feet but I would strongly suggest to the horse that he is not allowed to move his feet in my space…especially in a negative manner.  I would start by introducing the groundwork that I often discuss in my blogs.  I would do just enough until the horse learned where his boundaries were with me.   This process, alone, can help a horse get focused on you and not on what has caused him to worry.    If your horse can start to show signs in a positive manner…meaning understanding where his boundaries are by stopping his feet (out of your space), looking at you in a relaxed body posture and if you are lucking with some licking and chewing…then I would reward the horse with a good rub at that moment.  This can help your horse find a good spot or comfort with you.  You have redirected his thoughts of fleeing which is the horse’s natural self preservation instinct.  You have now helped your horse switch from his reactive side to his thinking side of his brain.  In this moment (and it might not last long) he will realize he is not in any danger.  Your horse needs a new leader in his life.

Now by saying all of this…it might depend on how your horse is used to being handled by previous owner, what type of surroundings he used to live in, what type of turn out situation he had (if any), what his nutrition was and etc.  This list is endless…I just named a few…BUT most importantly how the horse was handled/educated by the human(s) he came from!

Here is a video from Buck Brannaman on Lateral Flexion.  He breaks it down in three elements.  Lateral flexion is an area that I see riders getting confused and asking incorrectly.  I, often, witness riders over exaggerating their lateral flexion.