There are so many horse owners that are able to have a close bond with their horse. Not just on the ground but under saddle as well. It seems that they can take their horse anywhere, and enjoy trail rides, horse shows, or even working cattle. Did their horse come that way or is there something special that they are doing? Unfortunately, there are many horse owners that are very fearful of their horses. They feed them, groom them, lead them around but they find a whole different disposition when they try to ride them. These horse lovers have tried everything suggested from their friends, vet, farrier, trainer, and the internet. Parting with their horse is not something they want but the pressure of owning a horse you are afraid to ride is weighing on your conscience. There are horses that have really good minds and are willing to do anything. There are horses that are very flighty and only care about protecting themselves, at any cost. Horses are not generally mean and dangerous by nature but they do have a very strong defense mechanism. This means that their priority is to protect themselves from pain. Some horses will completely shut down their mental processing to protect themselves from feeling the pain from being forced in a position that is harmful to their biomechanics. They ignore and ignore the pain until finally a lameness appears due to compensating of correct muscle use. Horses can disassociate their brain from their body, this is a strong defense mechanism that can sometimes lead to explosive behavior. Re – educating the ” problem horse ” to become an Ideal partner takes knowledge, patience and time. Since the horses mind will initially protect familiar muscle patterns, even if they are incorrect, the re education needs to begin with what soreness the horse is protecting. Behavior issues are always a sign of the horse beginning to speak of a problem it is having somewhere. Lameness is a sign of a dysfunctional coordination of the thoracolumbar spine. Injections mask the problem, evaluating the horses way of going and guiding the brain to proper coordination will help to dissolve the cause for abnormality. I will post again on evaluating your horses behavior so we can begin to help the horse seek comfort and this in turn becomes a relationship.
” Wellness does not create soundness” -Jean Luc Cornille
Remember soundness can refer to mind or body
-Kristie Cotton
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