Zealous Equestrian

05/28/2022

Shelby is an incredible horsewoman. Give it a listen!

05/23/2022

“I want my horse to be in this for me, not for the food”⁣
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👆This is a really common concern for people when they contemplate trying out positive reinforcement🥕⁣
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Let’s take a closer look at this from a scientific lens 🧐⁣
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If you have not been using any food in your training, and you’re interacting with your horse in a standard way (haltering, leading, grooming, riding, groundwork, etc)…⁣
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What’s the motivation for your horse doing what you ask?⁣
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Is it truly “for you”… or is he *responding to the release of pressure?*⁣
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Of course, horses can absolutely enjoy aspects of their time with people. But even so, the primary motivation for performing numerous tasks that expend lots of energy? ➡️ Seeking a release of pressure. We’re not saying this is wrong or bad… we’re saying objectively, that’s the motivation.⁣
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Now, when positive reinforcement in the form of food rewards is the primary motivation, things start to change drastically in ways you may not think to expect! 💫⁣
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Using food rewards, your horse is gaining something that HE wants on an instinctual level. Food is a primary motivator based on physiological needs 🐴⁣
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When the horse gets something so desirable out of his time with you, something magical begins to happen ✨ well, it feels magical anyway! But in reality it makes total logical sense:⁣
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He begins to offer you even MORE than you’re asking for.⁣
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When you use pressure and release, the horse essentially must do what you want in order to experience relief. ⁣
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Whereas with positive reinforcement, he has a *choice* and the opportunity to get something he wants.⁣
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When the horse WANTS to do something, he starts going above and beyond. He starts to offer more effort and energy, and loves participating in training 🌱⁣
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Kind of like how you may do the bare minimum at a job you need, just to pay the bills… But you’d put in longer hours or more creativity into a passion project that fulfills you deeply 🌸⁣
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As much as we’d like it to be true, horses don’t do everything just for us. They have their own wants, needs and desires. When you give back by motivating him with something he wants, you’ll find that both of you are more fulfilled ♥️

03/27/2022

Working equitation obstacle play day. The goal of the day was to make it a low stress, positive experience for both horses. Despite insane wind gusts and a chilly start, I think we accomplished that. These mountains and these horses have my whole heart

03/22/2022

Third time sitting on this lovely girl. The first two times we mostly worked on mounting and dismounting oneither side, so I didn’t sit for too long. This time I was able to sit up there for longer, let her figure out how to move a little with me up there, counterbalance me, and feel me move around. I couldn’t be happier with how she’s taking to a rider. I’m always on cloud 9 after these first few sits, especially when they’re as CHILL as this.

BORING 👏🏼 IS 👏🏼 THE 👏🏼 GOAL

Some cute video coming soon 🥰

03/22/2022

You know those scary corners in the arena where your horse thinks all the monsters hide? We’ve all been there. You can teach your horse to yield off your leg and into the scary corner and he may do it, but do you feel the tension rise when you approach that corner? Do you see an ear or two prick forward (at those scary monsters!)? Does their gait quicken? Do you feel like you have to push them into that scary corner and then hold them there with the leg?

We can make our horse do the scary thing— often times very successfully— but if we don’t address the underlying emotional response of the horse (corner = scary) you’ll likely continue to struggle. Eventually the horse will bolt, buck, or spook again. This just reinforces to them that yes, in fact that corner is scary and there is a reason for them to feel tense on approach.

In engaging them in the training in a different way, building confidence, and changing the emotional response they have when they approach that monster 👹 corner, we can mitigate this “bubbling over” that tends to occur. Change the association with that scary corner, make it fun, teach them that good things can happen down there, and the monsters will be a thing of their past (and YOURS).

03/22/2022

This is how I want a horse to interact with something new. Aware, engaged, and curious.

It’s normal for horses to be wary of novel things, but how we introduce those things has a big impact on how they will react to other new things in the future. If the new thing rushes in and starts touching them all over, while their movement is restricted by the handler, they can’t move away, investigate, or process what it happening (especially if they’re in fight or flight mode). Most horses will then start moving or running in circles to try and escape it. Only when they finally stop will the scary new thing go away. Personally, this is not how I’d like things to go when I introduce something new.

Instead, I want them to WANT to explore it. I want them to be curious, maybe still cautious (that’s ok! That’s evolution), but curious. Not ready to bolt. Not shut down like a ticking time bomb.

This little mare, while wary at first, chooses to investigate my inflatable T Rex. She’s free to explore it or move away from it. Choice can be empowering.

After a few short minutes, she’s comfortable with it moving around her and touching her, so T Rex went for a little ride. She’s aware, engaged, and yet still relaxed with this foreign object laying on her back, a very vulnerable place for a horse.

At the end of the session, after I turned her loose to return to grazing and munching on hay with her friends, she waited by the gate for me to come back instead. That’s the kind of experience I want every horse to have with desensitization.

02/01/2022

Let’s talk about pressure and release 😀

01/22/2022

A kind and talented person created this for me, somehow capturing Aesa’s expression and the details in her face perfectly. Thank you (again) for giving me something to remember her by. I just ordered a canvas print and I can’t wait to hang it in my office so I can see my sweet girl every day🦄 She will forever be the face of Zealous Equestrian

01/21/2022

I know not everyone can do it all, but I'm a firm believer in proactive care and maintenance, rather than only providing reactive medical care. Whatever amount you can do is better than none, but the more the merrier.

It's better if you go for the whole shebang...

Excellent farrier, fancy dentistry, bodywork and chiropractic that approaches things from the level of the nervous system. Tack that fits well and is checked frequently. Rider awareness lessons. Training and riding that starts with a foundation of a relaxed horse that is straight, aligned, and free in the body. Quality nutritional support. Ample turnout with a balanced herd.

If you're going to do it, do it all (I'm sure I missed listing things too). The horse is a whole, made up of many important pieces. Having one missing piece can have far reaching impacts on all of the others.

At first glance, it might look like this huge investment of time and other resources. In the end, I think it actually saves you a lot of both. Not to mention setting your horse up for a lifetime of soundness and longevity!

Below, Spike is enjoying his Bemer session 😊 a staple around here!

- Terra