Helping to open up a shut down mistreated horse by reconnecting & listening to him
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- This is a paint horse who has been badly mistreated throughout his life. He carries a lot of anxiety. He is partly shut down and very robotic. He is also particularly frightened on his right rein (partly due to his connection and confidence on this side and also previous punishment from making mistakes).
(Find out more about me & learn from my online training videos at: www.MarkLangle...)
When I say "shut down", I see him as a horse that doesn't seek people for help and won't connect with them. He does what he has to do but with anxiety under the surface.
Prior to this video being taken, I was trying to help the owner to steer him better to the right, and flex, look and think better into his turns. He was very braced on both reins under saddle and in particular his right rein. When he bent a little bit too far, he would suddenly spook out. Interestingly he could do a reining spin, but he couldn't look into a turn.
I put this down to him not being able to communicate and confidently look at someone out of his right eye. He has probably never been allowed to search. His body and feet have been ridden; not his thoughts.
To improve his steering and his overall confidence with us around him, I went back to getting him to communicate with me and open up to me and his owner. This video shows me working on the side he would commonly block people out and be very frightened on.
Earlier on I walked in and out similarly to how I approach a wild horse - when I saw a thought change (curious or tense) I stepped back to acknowledge it and give him space. Then I pressed his bubble a little as shown in this video. What I like is that he starts to hold his focus on me on his right side - you can see it more clearly when his whole head turns to the right. When he sniffs me, this is a really important moment - he is starting to make a decision to see if I am safe, rather than just shut me out. Sniffing and acknowledging are important connection signs. You can get a horse’s focus; but if they haven’t sniffed and acknowledged you I don’t think you can truly have a connection.
When he drops his head, this wasn't to do with submission, it was to do with him connecting with his right eye and letting go of a really troubled thought. Dropping his head is a release of tension and an acceptance of feeling safe with me there. I could see his whole eye shape and facial tension change. The owner was in tears because she had never seen him so relaxed like this - ever. And it was on his troubled side.
It may look like small steps - but it is a big change for him; and an important step in his new foundation of re connecting with people and becoming confident in his own decisions.
The horse world needs this change in thinking... The whole world does. Connection. That is what is needed between all beings.
Completely agree! Horses are great at teaching us this as they are such a mirror. I believe working alongside horses can really help us discover what we as humans can be capable of.
This is what people need to learn, subtle and sweet.
Thank You for your compassion ❤️. This country needs you!!!
So beautiful to see the horse being helped to find peace and a life that is more comfortable for them
This approach helps a lot with my rescue Ollie. He panics when approached on the right and it is a big thing for him too, to gradually learn to control his fear and enjoy himself.
Thank you for sharing your approach. I saw this video and you make a point about how anxious horses can act obedient while they are actually stressed on the inside. And I want to connect this to a podcast I listened to resently (in Danish unfortunately) featuring a Danish scientist and expert in horses, Janne Winther Christensen, and she is working on getting a grant to do research into the connection between curiousity, anxiousness and learning ability in horses. And while horse rearing has generally favoured curiousity and a calm demeanour puls readings in Icelandic horses show that the calm horses are not less anxious just less reactive. I find it very reassuring to see you working with and also teaching others this awareness.
My mare is fine with me out in the pasture or barn, as long as I dont have a lead line and am not asking her to do anything, she LOVES me. Comes up for butt scratches and searches me head to toe for carrots. She's a very affectionate girl.. Until I put the lead line on and try to walk her around the field. She is being treated for EPM so im tryihg to get some physical therapy in but she totally shuts down and will not move. Her expression goes from kind and loving to depressed and in despair. I dunno what else to try
Thank you so much!!! I am so glad I found you.
Great Video , Mark, Thank You!
Hello, I realized that one of my horses (purchased a few years ago) was shut down and have been working through it with her based on your videos and Warwick's videos. She is almost always in real-time now, but as a result, she shows her anxiety (veering away from scary things, blowing, small spooks) even when I would consider the environment to be everyday (3/10, 4/10). She seems to be more anxious at a base level than other most other horses, and it just takes longer to work through new environments with her.
I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm working with a 4 year old constantly (she is 11 years old, with a LOT of experience). Is there something to be done to lower her base level of anxiety at this point? Do you think she was susceptible to shut down because of this base level of anxiety?
👍👍
Subbed.
I could watch paint dry..