Lesson 2: Tension

2. Understanding Tension

Horses can be worried about human energy and what we may ask of them.

I want to show you a horse called Henry who is a typical horse that I see a lot at clinics. He is very wary of people – he’s had a lot of education under him – but it was education that didn’t allow him to release tension. Out of our entire educated herd, he’s the one that clearly is not comfortable around people. The other horses in that herd had a very different education – and you can see how much more comfortable they are hanging around me.

He’s not shut down – as I explain the video. But he carries a lot of tension; and is likely to shut down under work. These are the sorts of horses that I help all the time. 70% of horses at my clinics are shutting out or shut down. Helping these horses opens them up to feel much happier – both in their paddock and when they are around you, whether that’s on the ground or under saddle.

Summary:

• Horses can be worried about human energy
• Horses can carry tension or anxiety
• Education can be so stifling to a horse that they stop searching – which can lead to frozen, semi-shut down or shut down horses
• Know what anxiety and search looks like
• Tension can lead to an unhealthy mindset
• It is important that our horses can connect with us and also that we can educate them in a way that helps them to stay in a healthy state of awareness

Your horse might show some of these signs, and they might only show them sometimes.
If you haven’t noticed how much your horse breathes or sniffs the air around you, it’s one to notice from now on.

Definition of Shut Down horse

Typically appear dull and unresponsive. A horse that goes inside it’s self, retreating from making decisions or having curiosity. They mentally withdraw and also physically become less sensitive – they are stiff, rigid, may have a lot of freeze, and lack perpetual motion. They may just stand there. Senses are withdrawn, typified by shallow breathing, hard eyes, lack of sniffing, tight face, braced muscles, and a tight rib cage.

Definition of a Shutting-Out horse

These horses are often more active than a shut-down horse. However they may not be aware of their immediate environment, appearing to ignore what is happening close by in preference for focusing on what happening further away (long, gazy thoughts) or the last place of safety. They can be quite unaware of what is happening to them. They hold tension in their muscles and aren’t soft.

Both types are prone to exploding.