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Overcoming trauma from being started under saddle

September 14, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

Overcoming trauma from being started under saddle

Starting a young horse under saddle is not an easy feat, no matter how easy-going your horse is. It always takes time and a gentle approach.

But what do you do if during that process something happens? What do you do if your horse has a traumatic experience?

Meet Simone and her four-year-old mare Ocamilla, the horse that “couldn’t” be started under saddle.

Step #1: Realize why your horse is uncertain

First off: no horse is impossible to start under saddle (barring any medical issues, of course).

The first thing to think about is that no horse wants to feel tense. Tension, anxiety, and fear are all unpleasant instinctual responses that we think we cannot control.

These uncertainties are not part of your horse’s personality. It’s because they simply do not know better. 

And that’s something we can train. Through groundwork and recreating environmental pressures, we can teach our horses what to do with themselves in case something happens.

Watch that process in the video below:

Step #2: Rewrite your horse's story

There are many steps I take in order to safely start or restart a horse under saddle and we won’t be able to show them all here, but one of them is girth pressure. It’s a really important part of the process.

Often, when presenting a young horse with the girth and saddle for the first time, we’re overly careful. We’re trying to be silent, to be gentle. That works, right up until something undoubtedly happens and suddenly the girth isn’t silent and careful and the horse explodes, leaving a negative memory.

The key to overcoming trauma is to explain the elements involved with girthing, like pressure, sounds, and movements.

Discover my process here:

Step #3: Teach your horse new skills

A known issue with Ocamilla was that she panicked when getting on.

So we paid extra attention to how she was presenting herself to the mounting block. Teaching your horse to present themselves so you can get into the saddle is not only beneficial to you, but also to your horse.

It’s a physical confirmation that they’re ready to follow your commands and they’re expecting you to get on. In this way, you eliminate any element of surprise and you make sure you and your horse are as comfortable as you can be.

Watch the process here:

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How to safely put on fly spray

June 30, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

How to safely put on fly spray

Summer heat, long days, and many flies and bugs. How do you protect your horse if they’re afraid of fly spray?

It’s all about teaching your horse the elements that are involved.

Step #1: Give your horse the right foundation

Before you approach with the spray, it’s important that your horse knows how to relax. I use the TRT forms to teach my horseshow to release tension in their body. 

Step #2: Train touch, approach and sound

Fly spray is challenging to horses because it’s a combination of three elements in our human environment that horses can find scary. With the tools, I can introduce each individually and teach my horse how to respond. The TRT forms will guide your horse back to relaxation. 

Step #3: Introduce the spray bottle

Practice the motion of stretching out and pointing the bottle towards your horse without actually spraying. This is also the moment where I touch my horses with the bottle, looking for sensitive and least sensitive spots.

Step #4: Simulate fly spray

Practice the motion of stretching out and pointing the bottle towards your horse without actually spraying. This is also the moment where I touch my horses with the bottle, looking for their most sensitive and least sensitive spots. In those, I simulate the spray by exaggerating the approach and the sound of spray.

Step #5: Spraying!

Repeat all the steps and guide your horse into the TRT forms to release any tension in their body. Soon you’ll be spraying your horse all over!

Watch the video to find out more:

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Three steps to prepare for a relaxed summer swim

June 26, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

Three steps to prepare for a relaxed summer swim

We’ve all seen them: videos where horses leap into a body of water, hauling their rider with.
 
But how do you teach your horse to step in confidently, without pressure? I’ll explain all the steps so you and your horse can cool down happily  this summer.

Step #1: Simulate the water

Before we’re heading to actual water, we want to simulate the different elements involved first. I use a tarp as it’s not only visually but also audibly a challenge for horses, just like water.

I then send my horses out on the circle from a leading position. You don’t want to feel like you’re chasing your horse towards the tarp.

Step #2: Reward by going away

What you want to achieve in the early stages is your horse showing interest in the water.

This means that as soon as your horse starts to lean towards the tarp in an interested position, you actually take your horse away.

The more times you can do this, the more your horse believes in his body and believes he can take himself over.

The aim is that your horse consciously chooses to step on the tarp and that he’s not pushed. 

Step #3: Repeat this process

As soon as your horse has found the “yes-posture”, the posture for success, you can ask him to move over the tarp. 

When your horse is confident on the ground, you can move up to work in the saddle, leaving the rein long so your horse can find the right posture.

When you’ve perfected that, the only thing left to do is to go to the water!

Approach the water just like you did the tarp and your horse will confidently take your through!

Watch the video to find out more:

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The do’s and don’ts of entering a competition ring

June 8, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

The do's and don'ts of entering the competition ring

We’ve all seen the dressage disaster videos where a dressage rider enters the ring and the horse spooks and exits stage left.

It’s a situation no one wants to be in. But how can you resolve it? What can you do to ensure that your horse is confident, no matter the pressures in the environment? 

Step #1: Take the leg off

That’s the single most important thing. It’s vital that you’re not pushing your horse towards the scary thing.

Instead, the horse has to feel that they are confidently stepping towards the scary thing. Your horse has to believe he’s taking himself there. 

Often we’re afraid our horse will stop, but if that happens, you do the following:

Step #2: Open the front legs

By opening the front legs, as explained in the video below, your horse goes into what I call the “yes-posture”. 

When a horse leans back he goes into the “no-posture” which even becomes worse when we put the leg on to push the horse forward. 

Instead you want to open the front legs by guiding the front legs to the left or right with your reins. 

Of course, this is something you want to practice at home before going to a competition. Doing this during the test will give you lower scores than trying to hide the tension by pushing your horse forward. 

 

However, in the long run, if you want your horse to be able to give his best, he needs to feel confident and relaxed in the arena. 

Watch the clinic to find out more:

Working with a horse with only one eye

May 11, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

Blacky: A horse with only one eye

How to work with an insecure horse

Blacky is an eight-year-old gelding. His eye had to be surgically removed due to moon blindness.

What used to be a very steady and easy horse, was turned into an insecure and sometimes really spooky horse ever since his eye was removed.

He is particularly sensitive to sounds when riding. The left side where he can still see is the most sensitive one.

It's as if somebody you really care for has been in a car accident.

If you’ve got a horse that has lost one eye it can be a very dramatic experience for the both of you.
 
And trauma can cause insecurity to get even worse. So to get rid of that both you and you’re horse have to let go of the trauma and fear.
 
If you don’t let go, chances are you will handle your horse differently in a way where you don’t give him enough space. It’s as if somebody you really care for has been in a car accident and you’re always worried and concerned.

Instead, let your horse be a master of himself.

The worst thing you can do to make your horse more insecure is to keep him to close to you, by holding him or restraining him.

The right thing to do is is to give your horse his own place in the space of conversation, where he can stand on his own four feet.

Make your horse aware of his own body.

If you have a horse with only 1 eye, he has learned to deal with this by overcompensating on the side with the eye he still has a vision with.

This causes his body to become unbalanced. And that makes him even more insecure.

The first step you can take to reduce his uncertainty in this is to rebalance his body.

You can achieve this with the awareness exercise, in which you make your horse aware of his own body and senses.

The right order of movement.

When moving the hind legs, you are teaching your horse a good order of movement.

A good order of movement means that your horse knows where he has to put his feet to stay balanced.

You can achieve this with the moving the hind legs exercise. 

During this exercise, and especially when your horse is mastering it, you will find that your horse becomes more and more focused an in control of himself. 

Watch the full training.

Do you want to know how I got to the point during this training where Blacky became completely relaxed and in control of his own body?

I explain it all in the Types Of Horses Module, which is part of my Reduce Tension Course. Click the link below for more information!

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Teaching your horse to stand relaxed in cross ties

March 31, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

Teaching your horse to stand relaxed in the cross ties

There are many horses that feel tense and uncomfortable in the cross ties, who don’t want to enter the space, who struggle, who protest.

The anxiety can also be disguised – impatient pawing on the floor, weaving or even whinnying.

For some horses, the cross ties can be a very claustrophobic space, a place where they’re held and controlled; trapped, even.

This doesn’t mean that your horse can’t feel confident and relaxed when tied up, it just means that you need to show your horse the bits and pieces of the information that he is currently missing.

I worked with a very shy mare, for whom the cross ties were a very uncomfortable space that she’d rather just rush into, to get it over with.

But by letting her rush in, she also rushes past all the steps she needs to take to feel comfortable in such a tight and restraining space.

Before we start to work with the cross ties, you need to find a spot where your horse feels comfortable. This will be your spot to return to so your horse has a place where they can drain the built-up tension from their body.

I explain more about this first step in the video below.

Once you’ve found a good position to fall back to, it’s time to control the approach.

Every step forward will be a step towards the pressure zone. It’s important that you help to remind her to ground herself; lowering her head and relaxing the muscles in her body will subsequently relax her mind too.

For this mare, the approach is a set blueprint.

She knows she needs to turn around when being put in the cross ties, so you can see her thinking: “Okay, I got in, I now need to spin around because we always do so.”

It’s important that you break through that chain of thought and change it into one that’s way more relaxed.

At this point of the training, I again remind her of the relaxing and grounding methods, until I feel like she’s more relaxed in the space she’s in.

I let her look and feel until her thought changes to: “Oh, I am in this scary space, but I don’t feel like I have to turn around. I can actually explore a bit!”

That’s the moment I back out to her position of rest.

Building those steps further and further will eventually mean that you can move the position of rest.

Your horse will feel more comfortable in places closer to their place of pressure, in this case the cross ties.

It’s in moments like these where I like to reward the horse and remind them that we’re doing this to help them, not to argue with them.

I like to do that with a little pet and a break. Once you feel like your horse is ready, you can get back to your training.

You will notice that the progress is not gradual. You can take a step forward, but you’ll also have to take a step backward. It’s because you’re trying to change a horse’s way of thinking, a mental thought process that’s been established a long time ago.

It will take time and patience to rewrite that thought process in a way that’s more comfortable for the horse.

I want to press to your heart that it’s not about the end-game.

Your horse will only stand calmly in the cross ties once they understand what they’re doing there and don’t feel like they’re trapped for an indefinite amount of time.

Don’t rush through the steps, but take your time to explain to your horse why you’re doing the things you do.

Make sure that, at any given moment, you can let your horse take as many steps back or forward when you want them to.

That control will tell you that your horse feels balanced and comfortable in the situation you’re working in.

Standing calmly in the cross ties will be one of the many positive outcomes of that approach!

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TRT Podcast #8: The horse I would pick if I could choose any horse

March 30, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

TRT Podcast Episode 8

Q&A with Tristan Tucker: The horse I would choose if I could pick any horse

I was asked this question during a FAQ in the latest episode of the TRT Podcast.

When answering this question, of course, my thoughts went to all the horses that have inspired me. And there are quite a few of them!

Wondering which horse I chose? Then listen to the podcast via the link below!

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I'm curious which horse you would choose if you could pick any horse in the world.

Let me know in the comments below!

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TRT Podcast #7: The one thing I would change in the equestrian world

TRT Podcast #7: The one thing I would change in the equestrian world

“What’s the #1 thing you’d want to change in the horse world?” That’s the question I received in my latest Q&A podcast. How would you answer that question? Sure, there are a lot of things that I would like to change. But, to be honest, I also believe there are also a lot of good things happening around us already.

Read More


TRT Podcast #6: Will Rogers – Liberty in the Swiss Alps + Working hard + Our Mentors

TRT Podcast #6: Will Rogers – Liberty in the Swiss Alps + Working hard + Our Mentors

    TRT Podcast Episode 6 Will Rogers - Liberty in the Swiss Alps +

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TRT Podcast #5: Riding with spurs ok or not?

TRT Podcast #5: Riding with spurs ok or not?

People notice that I never use spurs anymore. Therefore, one of the frequently asked questions I often receive is: ”What’s your opinion on spurs?” In this episode, I will tell you all about it.

Read More

Applauding when the horse is still in the ring?

March 27, 2023 /76 Comments/in /by

Loud Music and Applause

Entertainment or Needless Anxiety?

I was at the Dutch Stallion Show watching the ‘VSN Cup’, a dressage test for stallions, where they had added quite a remarkable element to the judging of the test. 

At the end of each test, the audience got the opportunity to rate it by applauding. The organization recorded the decibels and the rider who had gotten the loudest applause would get another prize. 

As you can imagine, that resulted in a LOT of noise while the horses were still in the arena.  Want to know what I think of this? Then keep on reading.

''It's a human thing''

We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something. 

It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.

The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse. 

''It's a human thing''

We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something. 

It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.

The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse. 

''It's a human thing''

We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something. 

It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.

The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse. 

''What does it mean for the horse?''

While our entertainment can be pretty exciting for us as humans, what we may not realize is that our applause might cause immense panic for the horses. 

Horses are built with an instinctive fear of loud noises and bright lights. All those things are completely foreign to a horse and also incredibly threatening.

At a show of this nature, all of those things come together all at once.

''You're basically putting them in their own horror movie.''

And the other factor is, nobody is preparing their horses for those things. When your horse doesn’t have the knowledge and the information on how to handle situations like that, you’re basically putting them into their own horror movie.

The shows are getting bigger, the music is getting louder which is all the more exciting for us humans. But at the same time, the horses are not having more education about how to manage such environments. 

The horses these days are more expressive, more sensitive and more athletic. And what comes with that is a higher level of natural instict. 

While the development of technology rapidly increases and our shows naturally become more impressive in a way that to us humans seems normal, or horses are becoming all the more traumatised.

''You're basically putting them in their own horror movie.''

And the other factor is, nobody is preparing their horses for those things. When your horse doesn’t have the knowledge and the information on how to handle situations like that, you’re basically putting them into their own horror movie.

The shows are getting bigger, the music is getting louder which is all the more exciting for us humans. But at the same time, the horses are not having more education about how to manage such environments. 

The horses these days are more expressive, more sensitive and more athletic. And what comes with that is a higher level of natural instict. 

 

While the development of technology rapidly increases and our shows naturally become more impressive in a way that to us humans seems normal, or horses are becoming all the more traumatised.

''The internal instincts are telling them to get the hell out of there''

These days you often hear: ”Oh yeah, the horse was running a bit, but the rider could get him under control, it was nothing.”

But I wonder if people realize that when a horse puts his head up and flees the scene, or is pumping out 5 laps of extended trot, or passaging like a cat on a hot tin roof, in reaction to the pressure in the environment, that there is an internal panic in that horse. His heart rate and physical reactions are relative to a natural last resort survival situation.

When a horse is going into a tension-contraction reflex through a moment of stress, the internal instincts are telling them to get the hell out of there.

''Now we're putthing them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing''

If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the brid flew up and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s momentary. 

Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing. 
Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments. 

We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfair and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses in situations where they are forced to be in a very stressful traumatic experience.
 
So I believe it’s better to not reward our horses with applause.

''Now we're putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing''

If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s only momentary.

Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant state for long periods.

Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments.

We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfare and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses into situations where they are forced to endure a very stressful and traumatic experience.

So I believe if we are not spending the time to prepare and teach our horses how to manage them selves in such extreme environments, we should definitely rethink they way we run and the way we celebrate at the shows, that is in the best interests of the horse.

''Now we're putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant thing''

If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s only momentary. 

Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant state for long periods. 

Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments. 

We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfare and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses into situations where they are forced to endure a very stressful and traumatic experience.
So I believe if we are not spending the time to prepare and teach our horses how to manage them selves in such extreme environments, we should definitely rethink they way we run and the way we celebrate  at the shows, that is in the best interests of the horse.

What do you think?

I am really curious about your perspective on this topic. How do you experience this? 

Let me know in the comments below! 

TRT Podcast #7: The one thing I would change in the equestrian world

March 7, 2023 /26 Comments/in /by

TRT Podcast Episode 7

Q&A with Tristan Tucker: The #1 thing I would CHANGE in the HORSE world

How would you answer that question? And curious about my answer? Watch the video below!

Play Video

Let me know in the comments what your opinion on this is!

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Every horse can be confident and relaxed in every situation. It’s all about giving your horse the right tools.

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Recent Podcasts:


TRT Podcast #8: The horse I would pick if I could choose any horse

TRT Podcast #8: The horse I would pick if I could choose any horse

I was asked this question during a FAQ in the latest episode of the TRT Podcast. When answering this question, of course, my thoughts went to all the horses that have inspired me. And there are quite a few of them!

Read More


TRT Podcast #6: Will Rogers – Liberty in the Swiss Alps + Working hard + Our Mentors

TRT Podcast #6: Will Rogers – Liberty in the Swiss Alps + Working hard + Our Mentors

    TRT Podcast Episode 6 Will Rogers - Liberty in the Swiss Alps +

Read More


TRT Podcast #5: Riding with spurs ok or not?

TRT Podcast #5: Riding with spurs ok or not?

People notice that I never use spurs anymore. Therefore, one of the frequently asked questions I often receive is: ”What’s your opinion on spurs?” In this episode, I will tell you all about it.

Read More

TRT Podcast #6: Will Rogers – Liberty in the Swiss Alps + Working hard + Our Mentors

February 5, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by
 

 

TRT Podcast Episode 6

Will Rogers - Liberty in the Swiss Alps + Working hard + Our Mentors

My guest, Will Rogers, does incredible things with horses. He’s an inspiration to me and someone I have a great amount of respect for.

Because our journeys have been so intertwined and we’ve learned so much from each other, it felt very fitting to have Will on as my first guest.

We talk about his adventure in the Swiss Alps, where he made a film about doing liberty with his horses. We also talk about working hard, having a vision and our mentors.

Play Video

Follow us on Youtube and Spotify and never miss another TRT Podcast!



Youtube




Spotify

50% NEW YEAR discount will end in...

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Get access with 50% off!

Every horse can be confident and relaxed in every situation. It’s all about giving your horse the right tools.

Get a huge discount and Lifetime Access to the entire TRT Method training package.



Get ACCESS with our NEW YEAR discount!

Recent Podcasts:


TRT Podcast #8: The horse I would pick if I could choose any horse

TRT Podcast #8: The horse I would pick if I could choose any horse

I was asked this question during a FAQ in the latest episode of the TRT Podcast. When answering this question, of course, my thoughts went to all the horses that have inspired me. And there are quite a few of them!

Read More


TRT Podcast #7: The one thing I would change in the equestrian world

TRT Podcast #7: The one thing I would change in the equestrian world

“What’s the #1 thing you’d want to change in the horse world?” That’s the question I received in my latest Q&A podcast. How would you answer that question? Sure, there are a lot of things that I would like to change. But, to be honest, I also believe there are also a lot of good things happening around us already.

Read More


TRT Podcast #5: Riding with spurs ok or not?

TRT Podcast #5: Riding with spurs ok or not?

People notice that I never use spurs anymore. Therefore, one of the frequently asked questions I often receive is: ”What’s your opinion on spurs?” In this episode, I will tell you all about it.

Read More