i like this a lot...i find t touch facinating. i love that the body is kept in balance and the stress is kept at a low learning level...the foal is given time to process info...would love to study this some day:)) Thankyou for sharing this video:)
The old British saying, "Keep a stiff upper lip," is often spoken when someone is upset and trying to hold it in. People, horses and dogs reveal their emotions through their mouths. People smile, frown, grimace, etc.; dogs tighten their lips, lift them to show teeth or even smile; horses' upper lips may grow long...
The emotional connection is consistent with our observations over the years of how many horses seem to relax with the mouth work. Mouth work also stimulates the salivary glands, which, in turn, trigger the relaxation-promoting parasympathetic nervous system. This quiets the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers the "fight, flight or freeze" response.
their mouths short or their chins tight when they are tense or upset. It has been our experience that by working the mouth, animals (people, too) often relax and, in the process, become more responsive and less reactive. When teaching in clinics, I often pose the question: "What do we do to a horse's mouth that is pleasant?" The first answer is usually, "We feed it."
From a very practical perspective, mouth work will give you a huge advantage. But there much more to it than simply having a horse accept these everyday stable-management practices. Mouth work actually shifts the behavior of a nervous, reactive, tense or flighty horse. Horses that are uncooperative, difficult to catch and don't seem to like people often change dramatically after a single session of mouth work.
I hope this gives you a good introduction to the TTouches you can use to help your filly and to help get your relationship off to a good start. Thanks for watching our UA-cam channel!
There is a great deal of science behind mouth work. The mouth is one of the closest connections to the limbic system, the portion of the brain considered to be the control center for the emotions and the gateway to learning. (To learn more about this fascinating field, I highly recommend the book Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, published in 1997 by Bantam.)
You've probably noticed that the roof of your horse's mouth has ridges in the soft palate. With your fingers on the top of the horse's nose, your thumb can do some TTouch on the palate. This will also give you a sense of how much room there is inside your horse's mouth. Does he have thick lips or tongue, or a low palate? This can help you to determine the thickness of bit that might be comfortable for him to carry.
Wow, this is one big answer! I didn't ask, but I found your answer very helpful (even without having a horse ;) ) and I can clearly imagine that his process is so very good and necessary for trusting in each other on both sides. It' speaks a lot for youself that you took your time and wrote such a detailed answer ;) Keep up the good work
To start working inside the mouth, you may find it easier to start with the lower lip. Place your fingers in the horse's chin groove and use your thumb to work the lower lip. You may start by lightly rubbing the lip or making circles with your thumb. Working the inside of the top lip can be approached in several ways. You can start with the side of your index finger, making contact with the inside of the upper lip, where the gum meets the upper lip.
Once you can lift the upper lip, keep four fingers lightly together and slide the side of your index finger back and forth over the gums between the front teeth and upper lip, leaving the thumb on the outside. If your horse's lip is tight, lift it up with the back of your hand. In some cases, it may be easier to start with your thumb. Tapping the top of the tongue is good preparation for getting your horse to accept a bit.
Since most male horses and some mares have a single (canine) tooth between the molars and incisors, use only two fingers to reach in to tap the tongue. With your free hand holding the halter, rest the thumb of your working hand in the chin groove, and use your index and middle fingers to reach in at the corner of the mouth and tap the tongue gently.
The outside of the mouth and chin is generally a good place to start. You may use Abalone or Lying Leopard TTouches around the muzzle, and Lying Leopard or Clouded Leopard TTouches around the chin. Pay attention to every part of the chin. Notice if it is soft and flexible, tight and hard or somewhere in between. Stroking the nostrils teaches horses tolerance, feels good once they have accepted it and prepares them for tubing, should the need ever arise.
Third, when venturing inside your horse's mouth, work mostly in the natural space between teeth known as the bars of the mouth. Finally, work the corners of the mouth carefully to avoid having your thumb pinched by the molars. Where you start depends on your horse.
@Sonialei77 The TTEAM leading exercises and obstacle work can help the foal to develop self-control, an attention span, and to learn that you are not a horse and must not be interacted with as though you are a horse. We need to teach all the young horses how to interact politely with humans. Today in TTEAM clinics, we teach mouth work as a standard way of dealing with resistance, nervousness and biting or nipping.
I've tried something similar, or should I say I "massage" my horses the same way but had never seen this till I read about it. I'd like to know what is a good way to get a foal to stop biting. I'm getting ready to start working with her and introducing her to the halter but she seems to be chewing everything, and immediately goes to biting the minute you're close enough... any ideas?
Hi I realize that my long reply may be difficult to read given the way UA-cam configures its post responses. Begin at the bottom and work your way up--in other words, read from the bottom up--backwards!
Makes sense, except that we just supply food, and the horse does all the rest. However, there are so many other things we do around a horse's mouth that may not be pleasant, such as deworming, putting in a bit, having the teeth floated or - with breeds that race - having the upper gums tattooed. If a horse had a choice about some of these activities, he might say, "No thanks!"
they discovered a noticeable shift in their relationship with their horse almost immediately. Still, a few safety ground rules will help you. First, whenever working the mouth, it is safest and usually most effective to hold the side of the halter in one hand while doing the mouth work with the other hand. Second, keep your fingers together to prevent being bitten.
Robin,
Great job becoming partners with this filly. I think Linda's methods are wonderful and you are truly in tuned with her. Thanks for sharing.
i like this a lot...i find t touch facinating. i love that the body is kept in balance and the stress is kept at a low learning level...the foal is given time to process info...would love to study this some day:)) Thankyou for sharing this video:)
The old British saying, "Keep a stiff upper lip," is often spoken when someone is upset and trying to hold it in. People, horses and dogs reveal their emotions through their mouths. People smile, frown, grimace, etc.; dogs tighten their lips, lift them to show teeth or even smile; horses' upper lips may grow long...
The emotional connection is consistent with our observations over the years of how many horses seem to relax with the mouth work. Mouth work also stimulates the salivary glands, which, in turn, trigger the relaxation-promoting parasympathetic nervous system. This quiets the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers the "fight, flight or freeze" response.
their mouths short or their chins tight when they are tense or upset. It has been our experience that by working the mouth, animals (people, too) often relax and, in the process, become more responsive and less reactive.
When teaching in clinics, I often pose the question: "What do we do to a horse's mouth that is pleasant?" The first answer is usually, "We feed it."
From a very practical perspective, mouth work will give you a huge advantage. But there much more to it than simply having a horse accept these everyday stable-management practices. Mouth work actually shifts the behavior of a nervous, reactive, tense or flighty horse. Horses that are uncooperative, difficult to catch and don't seem to like people often change dramatically after a single session of mouth work.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all animals were trained this way!
I hope this gives you a good introduction to the TTouches you can use to help your filly and to help get your relationship off to a good start. Thanks for watching our UA-cam channel!
There is a great deal of science behind mouth work. The mouth is one of the closest connections to the limbic system, the portion of the brain considered to be the control center for the emotions and the gateway to learning. (To learn more about this fascinating field, I highly recommend the book Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, published in 1997 by Bantam.)
You've probably noticed that the roof of your horse's mouth has ridges in the soft palate. With your fingers on the top of the horse's nose, your thumb can do some TTouch on the palate. This will also give you a sense of how much room there is inside your horse's mouth. Does he have thick lips or tongue, or a low palate? This can help you to determine the thickness of bit that might be comfortable for him to carry.
Wow, this is one big answer!
I didn't ask, but I found your answer very helpful (even without having a horse ;) ) and I can clearly imagine that his process is so very good and necessary for trusting in each other on both sides.
It' speaks a lot for youself that you took your time and wrote such a detailed answer ;)
Keep up the good work
To start working inside the mouth, you may find it easier to start with the lower lip. Place your fingers in the horse's chin groove and use your thumb to work the lower lip. You may start by lightly rubbing the lip or making circles with your thumb.
Working the inside of the top lip can be approached in several ways. You can start with the side of your index finger, making contact with the inside of the upper lip, where the gum meets the upper lip.
Once you can lift the upper lip, keep four fingers lightly together and slide the side of your index finger back and forth over the gums between the front teeth and upper lip, leaving the thumb on the outside. If your horse's lip is tight, lift it up with the back of your hand. In some cases, it may be easier to start with your thumb. Tapping the top of the tongue is good preparation for getting your horse to accept a bit.
Since most male horses and some mares have a single (canine) tooth between the molars and incisors, use only two fingers to reach in to tap the tongue. With your free hand holding the halter, rest the thumb of your working hand in the chin groove, and use your index and middle fingers to reach in at the corner of the mouth and tap the tongue gently.
The outside of the mouth and chin is generally a good place to start. You may use Abalone or Lying Leopard TTouches around the muzzle, and Lying Leopard or Clouded Leopard TTouches around the chin. Pay attention to every part of the chin. Notice if it is soft and flexible, tight and hard or somewhere in between.
Stroking the nostrils teaches horses tolerance, feels good once they have accepted it and prepares them for tubing, should the need ever arise.
Third, when venturing inside your horse's mouth, work mostly in the natural space between teeth known as the bars of the mouth. Finally, work the corners of the mouth carefully to avoid having your thumb pinched by the molars.
Where you start depends on your horse.
a pleasure to watch xx
@Sonialei77 The TTEAM leading exercises and obstacle work can help the foal to develop self-control, an attention span, and to learn that you are not a horse and must not be interacted with as though you are a horse. We need to teach all the young horses how to interact politely with humans.
Today in TTEAM clinics, we teach mouth work as a standard way of dealing with resistance, nervousness and biting or nipping.
I've tried something similar, or should I say I "massage" my horses the same way but had never seen this till I read about it. I'd like to know what is a good way to get a foal to stop biting. I'm getting ready to start working with her and introducing her to the halter but she seems to be chewing everything, and immediately goes to biting the minute you're close enough... any ideas?
Hi
I realize that my long reply may be difficult to read given the way UA-cam configures its post responses. Begin at the bottom and work your way up--in other words, read from the bottom up--backwards!
Makes sense, except that we just supply food, and the horse does all the rest. However, there are so many other things we do around a horse's mouth that may not be pleasant, such as deworming, putting in a bit, having the teeth floated or - with breeds that race - having the upper gums tattooed. If a horse had a choice about some of these activities, he might say, "No thanks!"
they discovered a noticeable shift in their relationship with their horse almost immediately.
Still, a few safety ground rules will help you. First, whenever working the mouth, it is safest and usually most effective to hold the side of the halter in one hand while doing the mouth work with the other hand. Second, keep your fingers together to prevent being bitten.
thats kindof awesome:)