25/08/2025
So much amazing insight and kindness from Trusted Touch Equine Wholebeing & Horsewomanship. This sort of training is for life, no short term fixes here
Recognising Nervous System Regulation in Whiskey🧠🩷
With each horse I work with, I will often journal behaviours, teachings and observations along the way to develop a good overall picture of what’s going on in their world.
I would like to share part of Whiskeys entry’s here, specifically in relation to what I am looking for or becoming aware of before introducing formal training.
Training is not something that should be separate from the whole of their experience, but it is so frequently the case.
Once the internal foundations are sound, often little training is required.
Here are some of the subtle but important signs beginning to emerge for Whiskey.
These signs aren’t just behavioural shifts but deep internal changes in his emotional state.
Signs of Nervous System Regulation~
💛Healthy digestion & settling of the gut-brain axis: Whiskey is eating and drinking well, and his manure has now normalised from loose, watery stools to well-formed and regular movements. This shift shows that the initial stress-induced digestive upset from his change in environment has now stabilised, which is an important marker of nervous system downregulation.
💛Calm presence with the float in sight: Where there was initially fleeing behaviour, fence pacing, stress yawning, and instant bowel movements at the sight and sounds of the float, Whiskey now remains calm but alert in his paddock when the float is opened and the ramp is lowered. This could potentially indicate healthy separation from triggers.
💛Environmental orientation: Instead of spiralling into blind anxiety, Whiskey can now orient to his environment, notice changes, and looks to the other horses to match states. This highlights the importance of calm and confident community and an environment made up of other healthy, happy horses and humans.
💛Choice-based engagement: Whiskey has begun to approach and ‘ask’ to be haltered in the paddock, rather than putting himself in the corner and avoiding contact.This shift from avoidance to voluntary interaction may show that he's feeling more emotionally safe and confident in making choices about connection.
💛Resilience to change: When another horse is taken out of sight, Whiskey is now able to return to grazing within a shorter period of time and settles more quickly, showing more emotional resilience and a growing ability to cope with change in a healthy way.
Readiness for Engagement and Learning~
💛Responsiveness in familiar contexts: I have spent time with Whiskey and his owner in his home setting prior so he has understanding and exposure to the connection style I work with. He is able to calmly follow familiar cues and tasks in the safety of his new paddock, indicating that he can access his thinking brain and is not being driven solely by survival responses.
💛Understanding of float-related cues and movements: Whiskey understands all directional feel and movement required on lead to load and unload from the float on flat ground in a familiar setting before being presented in front of the float itself.
💛Somatic release and physical touch: Yesterday Whiskey showed that he is able to release tension through somatic body mapping. Two days ago, he was bracing and disassociating against my touch, but now he is open to contact that helps him release tension and regulate through physical touch and presence.
💛Positive engagement: He actively seeks out interaction at feeding and mucking out times, which could suggest he is feeling safe and secure enough to be curious and social.
💛Interest in cognitive enrichment: Puzzles and treat balls now capture more of his attention than pacing behaviours, which supports a shift from survival-based coping mechanisms to playful, exploratory behaviours and the important shift from anxiety to curiosity.
💛Rest and recovery: Physical signs of deep rest and REM through observation of his coat and use of soft rest areas overnight.This shows that his parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest state) is now more accessible to him.
💛Groundwork confidence: He is now able to walk calmly from the paddock to the float without spooking or rushing, showing trust and reduced anticipatory stress.
Understanding the root issue~
In Whiskey’s case, through daily observation, it's becoming clearer that his floating challenges are less about the float itself, and more about separation anxiety.
His reactions appear to stem from a deep-rooted fear of isolation or detachment from important relationships and herd safety rather than solely the float as an objective experience. (In my experience this is a common occurance and something we can sometimes relate back to early weaning experiences or sudden traumatic detachment.)
This insight allows me to apply a more targeted approach to his continued training, addressing the underlying emotional need rather than just the surface behaviour.
The combination of physiological, behavioural, and relational signs all suggest that after 4 days with subtle interventions through re-shaping behaviours, a calm and healthy environment and the power of time has landed Whiskey's nervous system in a much more regulated and receptive state that is now optimal for learning.
A big thankyou to Whiskey's wonderful owners for allowing me to share this information publicly for the purpose of education, curiosity and learning.
I will continue to post updates on his progress for those interested in following.🐴
