BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS - A HOLISTIC APPROACH

How often have you heard a horse referred to as aggressive, nasty, evil, moody, ignorant, stupid, devious, stubborn or worse by their handlers? Often these perceptions have been clouded by a lack of understanding of the horse's nature and it is true that many of us are guilty of anthropomorphism. However the horse does not think as we do - we are each a unique species, programmed differently at base level as prey and predator.

It is important when looking at our horse's issues we understand the motivation for what we perceive as the undesirable behaviours and that we understand the animal's needs that we are dealing with.

If a child moves home losing contact with the familiar places, routine, friends and family we would sympathise, we would be considerate and expect the first day at a new school to be a potentially traumatic experience. We might expect the child to be down, a little depressed and tearful missing friends and the security of the old life. Yet this is something that we frequently do to our horses, we move yards with little or no preparation of thought, we sell them and rehome them and then do not always understand if these changes bring a difference in character. Companions are sold, moved or sadly put to sleep, foals are often cruelly separated suddenly from their mothers - we ask them to accept all we impose without reacting, remaining the same horse they have always been.

Likewise if we look at a child that has suffered physical abuse we may reasonably expect that child to be angry, resentful, defensive and scared. The same could be expected for a horse in the same situation - they too may lash out feeling a need to protect themselves.

Wand Wiping is a TTeam technique which stimulates the CNS

These are difficult situations for a behaviourist, the horse has valid reasons to behave in this way, counselling is not an option - a good cry is not possible and the horse can only communicate its pain, fear, distrust etc in a limited way. Often the subtle signs that are our first clues are missed and it is only when the "clues" become more extreme do we realise we need to deal with an issue and seek help. My focus is to identify and address the cause, help with building the relationship / trust and dealing effectively with the symptoms.

The problem cannot be tackled in isolation; there are so many facets to every individual set of circumstances that this approach can only have limited success in my opinion. By looking at the history (if we know it), the management and other areas of the horses behaviour and personality we can build a programme with the most effective approach for that individual. This may include holistic remedies (such as the Bach flower remedies or aromatherapy - for horse and rider if required), perhaps some bodywork and the most suitable training method for both your and your horse. We all learn differently and we all have our own preferences to the way we work, when helping you and your horse I consider not only with what method your horse is comfortable working with but also yourself. The idea is to build a great partnership and to do that you must be both relaxed and happy with the way you are working.

Interaction between you and your horse should be as positive and pleasurable an experience as possible - by using a variety of techniques including TTeam, TTouch, holistic therapies, clicker training, shiatsu and Natural horsemanship I am confident that you will enjoy the sessions as well as learning skills that you can use and apply to the future.

YOU DON'T NEED A PROBLEM TO BENEFIT FROM A CONSULTATION
If you want to learn more about your horse, improve the relationship you share, or just fancy having a go at something different and would like some ideas then a consultation would be time well spent. If you are fed up with schooling on those dark winter nights but want to spend some quality time with your horse why try something new?

Other situations include educating youngsters to give them a great start (ground manners, clipping, foot trimming, loading etc) or helping a horse to cope with box rest (there's lots you can do to keep them occupied!).

You may be interested in how you can improve your horse's management routine to be more " natural" or if you or your horse lack confidence and need some help to start enjoying your riding again then call for a chat about how I can help you.

WORKSHOPS
If you would like a workshop at your yard please get in touch, it's a great way to get friends together and have a fun day learning new skills.