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Wrangler Jayne's Horsemanship with Heart

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December 21, 2009
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A Reunion

During the colder months of 2010, student Steph and I went to help a thoroughbred (ex-racehorse) brood mare and her foal, a gangling, scared, wide-eyed creature whose prey animal instincts were so strong that crashing headlong into a gate was preferable to being near a human. The mum wasn't much more confident either, and this is why we guessed she was wearing an ill-fitting old leather headstall, that looked like it had been part of her head for some time. The pair tore around that muddy, sodden paddock, fear written all over them, as we stood quietly, waiting for them to relax. It took awhile, with lots of approach and retreat, for the trembling mare to accept our approach, (and I removed the headstall) though her terrified offspring hung behind her, head high, tail high, poised for instant flight at the slightest attempt for us to come close to her. You may have followed the subsequent story of how we came to trust and know each other on my Facebook pages; it was a slow and em...
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Mutual Trust

Standing behind your horse, in their blind spot, requires that there is some mutual Trust, Confidence and Respect in place! We've always been told not to 'go behind' the horse and for many people, it is an instant heart-racer when they go 'back there'! Years of conditioning have caused people to feel fear, which of course the horse can sense. And when a horse senses fear from his human, he doesn't necessarily think the human is scared of him (he doesn't think he's scary!), he could be wondering what is back there in his blind spot that has his human so terrified! Fear will cause him to potentially move his feet, which means he will shift his hindquarters to see what's going on back there, and sometimes this movement can be sudden, which of course scares the human even more! I spend lots of time at the rear end of horses. It's a demonstration of 2-way trust, confidence and respect. To prepare yourself and your horse for this (please do not...
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Variety is the Spice of Life!

You've heard the phrase, "A Change is as Good as a Holiday" ... (then I take a lot of 'holidays'!) ... it is healthy and natural to embrace change as part of life! Horses of course, are creatures of habit, and get into their routines. Upsetting those routines too radically can result in them become a bit disorientated, or worried and confused. (Like us!) However, if we always stay with the familiar, the comfortable and the 'safe', we will not take opportunities to grow and experience new things. Another useful phrase to remember when considering change, is "if you keep on doing what you're doing, you'll keep on getting what you are getting!" - and "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result!" (I love that one!) Including some variety in your relationship with your horse is a positive thing. You could change the place where you usually go to play with your horse, you...
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