​As a flight animal The horse always looks for security in the group. The larger the group the better, because more horses mean more attention and a better chance of survival. Each herd has a leader horse, usually an experienced older mare. She has proven her trustworthiness and strong character by being able to assess dangerous situations, and so the other horses trust and respect her leadership.

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This is where you come into play. You take your horse from his herd (or his safe environment at home) and lead him down an unfamiliar path with lots of new smells and sounds. It could be other horses or mules, or just the wind blowing in a different direction and your horse is looking for safety. You are to be his security, his experienced and trustworthy leader with a strong character who he can trust in this new frightening situation. But is that how you feel when you're sitting on your horse jumping around, snorting and jumping all over the place?

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Well, if you're like most riders, you expected this scenario, and when you got your horse out of the trailer, your horse noticed your fear and nervousness, because that's what's in his sensitive survival genes. You're tense, adrenaline is coursing through your veins, and you're trying everything to stay calm and relaxed and calm your horse. The horse immediately senses your tension and smells the adrenaline you are releasing. Even though there is no real danger, your horse recognizes your fear and also becomes nervous and anxious. Now it's your turn again. You think: I knew it, this always happens, and that's why I have to avoid situations like this.

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Comfort Zone

Look what happened. You were outside your comfort zone where you felt safe and in control. You were afraid of losing control, entering the fear zone and your horse sensed it. Your confidence was gone, you were afraid of what the other riders would think and the excuses you would have to present to the other riders about the behavior of your horse flashed through your mind. I've been there and experienced that.

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Here's what to do:

Look, this isn't your fault. You were raised to avoid all dangerous situations and to avoid all situations in which you have something to fear. But this has left you unable to deal with fear. Now fear is an indispensable survival tool for horses, but also for us humans. And being afraid is not a bad thing. It sharpens your senses and allows you to concentrate. It puts you in survival mode. And your horse can smell it from a distance.

How do we solve the problem?

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Take on the responsibility

Dealing with a flight animal means you have to face your fears. You can't change the horse or its genes. But you can become the strong and trustworthy leader your horse needs to feel comfortable. And you can do this in small, simple steps. And it all starts with your mind and a decision you make. When you understand that you and your fear are the problem and you decide to do something about it, then you enter the learning zone.

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From the comfort zone to the learning zone:

There are always situations in everyday life that we would rather avoid. Things that challenge us. And now it's up to you to make a change. Will you avoid the situation again or will you face it? Will you avoid the challenge or will you meet it? You don't have to climb Mount Everest right away. You can do that later. But the little challenge that you think you could overcome if you really tried, that's the one you want to tackle. You dare. You will succeed. And if not today, then tomorrow. And you will be proud of yourself. Your self-esteem will grow. And the same challenge is no longer a challenge because you have overcome it. But now it's time for the next bigger step. Write down the situations that scare you. Rate them based on their scariness. Tackle the ones that are easy to deal with. Your confidence will grow and your comfort zone will expand. You will learn new skills and set new goals.

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Working with the fearful horse:

Pat Parelli said it: Work on yourself... play with your horse... Or it takes two to tango. One leads, the other follows. While you are working on your own comfort zone....and by the way, life begins when you are outside your comfort zone...you can also work on your nervous horse by teaching him to calm down, if it is with you. Again, you start with a single problem and make it the easiest to deal with, just as you would with your own challenges. Let's say your horse doesn't stand still when you hold him by the bridle.

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Now it's important to understand that while we can have a hundred ideas a minute - our brains are capable of this - horses are much simpler and only deal with one idea at a time. So keep your brain quiet and focus on that one idea or task you want to tackle with your horse and stick with it until it is completed to your satisfaction. To do this, you need to have a clear picture in your head of the result you want to achieve. You want your horse to stand still. Point. Hold it by the bridle and don't let it move. Neither head nor hoof nor body. Any attempt to move will be corrected immediately. Pet your horse when he stands still for a minute. But don't let it move until you release and reward it.

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Three things are happening here at the same time. First, your horse learns to stand still. Second, you learn to focus on a single problem. And thirdly, but not least, your horse will understand that you are serious. That you are consistent. That a no also means no and a yes also means yes. That you can be trusted as a leader...

 

You have seen it or even experienced it yourself. The fearful horse that finds everything scary and jumps around like a hunted rabbit. You own a fearful horse. He is afraid of the rock on the side of the road, frightened because there is a dog nearby. If you have problems like this and don't know how to get your horse over it and the situation scares you, then you need to read on. I will try to explain the reason for your horse's behavior and how you can gain control over it.

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The anxious horse and how to calm it...

There are horses that remain calm even when shots are fired nearby or a tree collapses next to them... and others who have a panic attack because of the little flower on the side of the road. It could be the breed, it could be the training, it could be the way your horse is housed, but most of the time it has to do with the rider or the horse's owner. Sending the horse to a trainer to calm him down or changing the environment he lives in can help, but let's talk about the rider and the owner and how their behavior most affects their horses.

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Difference between horse and human:

Horses and humans are both mammals. Our brains may not be the same size, but they are almost identical in structure and function. So why can our brains look so similar, but our behavior and sensitivity to the world seem so different? The area in the image that is highlighted is the prefrontal cortex or the (PFC). Its job in humans, horses, dogs, dolphins, elephants, cats, mice, rats, all mammals and even birds is to perform "higher executive functions" such as:

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• Problem-solving

• Decision making

• argumentation

• Risk assessment

• Forward planning

• Impulse control

• Intention

Obviously, these executive functions are more advanced in humans than in other types of mammals, but this part of the brain plays a crucial role in higher levels of learning beyond primitive behavior and learning survival skills. So why don't we see these higher executive functions and behaviors in horses as strongly as we do in dogs, dolphins, elephants and even birds?

Ultimately it's about safety!

The latest neuroscience research suggests that when the brain feels unsafe, it triggers the body to produce stress hormones, and these stress hormones cause the PFC to go "offline." This means that subcortical regions of the brain (deeper parts of the brain) such as the more primitive brain (also known as the limbic system, survival brain, flight/fight brain) completely take over to increase the chances of survival.

Feeling unsafe causes the feeling of fear, and it is fear that triggers this reaction.

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Behavioral patterns arise in 2 brain areas:

1. The PFC, can be interpreted as problem-solving skills, reasoning, impulse coordination and partnership.
2. The more primitive brain performs reactive survival behaviors. This brain does NOT do impulse control, forward planning, problem solving, etc. It simply reacts to the world. This brain relies heavily on pattern and consistency. This brain causes freeze/flight/fight behaviors such as shutting down, bolting, biting, climbing, humping, kicking, pushing, etc. In which brain does the domesticated horse spend most of its time? In the more primitive brain! This is why we don't see their full intellectual and cognitive potential because domesticated horses perceive their world in some fearful way most of the time.

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We can help our horse here:

 

Feeling anxious is the OPPOSITE of feeling calm. If we want to help our horses access their PFC, we MUST do everything we can to help them feel calm. ONLY when a brain feels calm can it slow down to develop TRUE confidence. Only when the brain feels confident will it access TRUE cognition (PFC). We must first understand that “bad behavior” from our horses is not intentional, naughty, or rude. What you are seeing is either a horse simply reacting to the fear he is feeling, or he is executing his "coping mechanisms" in response to the anticipation of fear. Try to remove the expectation that your horse “should know better.” “Knowing better” implies that all behaviors come from the PFC and there should be some impulse control and reasoning. Unless your horse is feeling calm, he cannot access the PFC to "know better"

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This is written by Charlotte Moore and if you want to learn more about her method go to her website.