by penny | Nov 14, 2024 | The Horsey Life
There is an endless list of things to remember regarding your horse. The need for clean water, good feed, a safe environment, regular vet and farrier care, what to do if he gets colic, (and steps you can take to limit the risk), that he doesn’t like umbrellas but he’s fine with tarps, he prefers apples to carrots… like I said – the list is endless.
But the most important thing to remember about your horse isn’t on this list.
He is a prey animal.
There are several shared characteristics of prey animals:
Flight, fight, freeze
Horses are primarily flight animals – their first instinct is to run from danger. This is a deeply ingrained instinct – when something restricts their freedom, the option to flee has been removed. This is why they can panic if tied, but as soon as they break free, they’re fine – the option to flee has been restored.
Being aware of his instinct to flee danger can decrease the chances of you getting trampled. Even the best-trained horse is still a horse. While they may respect your personal space and be extremely well-mannered during normal circumstances – he comes from a long line of prey animals – he’s alive today because his ancestors knew how to run away a million years ago.
Try to avoid standing directly in front – if he jumps forward, you don’t want to be in the landing zone. I always use a breakaway ring when I tie my horses. If they panic, it will give. On the rare occasions this has happened, as soon as the pressure was released, the horse stood still. They no longer felt trapped. It wasn’t so much a case of them needing to run away, but rather them needing to know they could.
Vision
Prey animals have eyes on the side of their heads, giving them, nearly 360-degree vision allowing them to be on alert for predators. When startled, they’ll raise their head so their body blocks less of their rear vision. They will often trot forward and turn, again, giving them a better look at the perceived threat. That’s why when a horse is relaxes, he’ll often lower his head – he’s allowing himself to be vulnerable.
With his eyes on the side of his head, it’s important to remember that horses can’t see directly under their noses. You may notice how he’ll hold his head low and stretch his nose out a bit if he’s approaching a strange object. He does that so he can scope it out while it’s still in his range of vision.
The other important factor is that he can’t see directly behind his body. If you’re approaching him from the rear, always do it from the side and talk to him so he knows you’re coming.
A good way to see exactly where his “blind spot” is is to stand behind him (at a safe distance) and walk from his left side to his right side. Notice when you can see his eye and when it’s blocked by his body. Any time you can’t see one of his eyes, you’re in his blind spot.
Another tip for working behind horses is either to stay very close to his body or far enough away that you’re out of kicking range. If something startles him (or he gets stung by a bee, trust me, I know this for a fact) and he kicks out, you can get a nasty reminder of just how powerful he is if you’re within kicking distance. If you stay very close to his body, you’ll get more of a shove from his hip than a kick at the full extension of his leg.
Hearing
Horses have acute hearing and their ears are very mobile. According to Iowa State University’s Extension and Outreach “Using ten muscles, a horse can rotate each ear independently, up to 180 degrees, to locate, funnel, and magnify sounds. This allows the horse to position itself towards the sound that is making the noise. Horses hear sounds over a wider range of frequencies than we do.” This is one reason horses are more spooky on a windy day – there is more white noise making it harder for horses to isolate the location of possible threats.
If you don’t fully understand the effect being a prey animal has on your horse’s behavior, you (and he) are more likely to become injured, or at the very least, have an unnerving experience.
Why are all of these characteristics important for you to know? One word – safety.
By understanding that his reactions have been developed over several millennia, you’ll be more likely to remember that, no matter how well-trained he is, instinct is instinct.
Oh, and the second most important thing to remember? Humans are predators. Remember how much trust he has in you the next time you go for a ride.
by penny | Oct 30, 2024 | The Horsey Life
You Did Your Best When you try your heart out and things still don’t have a happy ending, there’s always some well-meaning soul who says, “You did your best.” They believe it, and probably if you asked a dozen people familiar with the situation, they would agree. So...
by penny | Jul 9, 2024 | Find Yourself on a Horse, Foundation, The Horsey Life
If you are the sole horse person in your family, you may find that the flack about riding you get at home makes your horse time less enjoyable. If riding plays a large part of optimizing your physical, mental, and emotional health, constantly having to deal with this conflict eat away at the joy you feel at the barn.
I was lucky – my parents knew nothing about horses (except food goes in the front end and fertilizer comes out the back end (my dad had a huge vegetable garden).
I met my husband, James, while I was at the Talland School of Equitation in the UK getting my British Horse Society Assistant Instructor’s certification. He was also at Talland working on his BHS Intermediate certification, so I don’t have a non-horsey husband.
I know I’ve been lucky, but I’ve had many horsewomen come to me close to tears because she had family members who constantly complain about her horse time.
While I can’t promise that your family will suddenly become ubër supportive by tomorrow, here are some strategies to help turn the tide in your favor.
Be prepared. Consider the complaints they usually voice, and think about how you can address them. Don’t get defensive! If you know there are a few trigger words or situations, really take some time to try to understand your loved one’s side of the story. Do they have concerns for your safety? Are they upset that you don’t spend as much time with them as you used to? Or are they resisting change because it will shift some of “your” responsibilities onto them? (I use the quote marks because, as women, especially midlife women, we (and everyone else in our household) typically see household duties as our responsibility.
Choose an appropriate time Don’t try to have this discussion with them right before you’re ready to walk out the door and head to the barn.
Practice active listening. Be certain you are understanding your loved one by using phrases like, “What I hear you saying is that you’re afraid I’ll fall off and get hurt. Is that correct?” (For more on active listening, Positivepsychology.com has a great explanation).
Once you’ve taken the time to evaluate their more typical complaints, it’s time to think about why you value your horse in the first place.
Explain why it’s important to you. Are you less stressed from a crappy day at work if you get some quality horse time to help you decompress? Your family probably doesn’t want you to bring home that negative energy… Have you wanted a horse since you read horse books by Walter Farley or Marguerite Henry when you were a kid? Perhaps you have friends at the barn and enjoy some social time, or you like the fact that riding keeps you active, and pay more attention to your fitness. The trump card? You’re just a better person when you ride. You’re less cranky, less tired (although that may sound counterintuitive), calmer, and just happier in general. You can learn a bit more on finding your “why” in this post.
If your “why” isn’t resonating with your family, it might be time to draw some boundaries.
Setting boundaries. We hear about it in all of the self-care blog posts and instagram stories, but how the heck do you even know where to start? Make a list.
I’m not a counselor, but I’ve worked with many students over the years who had assumed positions and responsibilities with their home and family (and job!) by default (I know I sure did!)
Do an inventory of all of the activities in your typical day or week. Everything from throwing a load of laundry in the washer before you head to work, to making appointments for the dog to get his vaccines, to being the one responsible for your family’s menu. I don’t know about you, but I finally got so irritated with my husband answering, “Oh, I don’t mind” when I asked him what he’d like for dinner, I told him, “I’ve never heard of ‘I don’t mind’. You find it at Food Lion and I’ll cook it.”
Once you’ve written down your responsibilities, take a good hard look at what you can take off your plate. Are there things you’re doing that are completely unnecessary? (I know a woman who used to iron her baby’s socks!!!) Are there responsibilities you can hand off to other members of your family? Can you hire someone to do some of your tasks more quickly and better than you? Are there things you simply hate doing? Get it all written down. Once you’ve evaluated how you spend your 24 hours each day, brainstorm ideas about how you can reshuffle your day, and probably make your life run a bit more smoothly.
The hardest part of having your family complain less about your horse time is likely going to be to set and stick to your boundaries. You won’t be perfect, your family won’t instantly jump in to take over unloading the dishwasher or taking the dog to the vet (or suggest what to have for dinner), but you and your family may just be able to work out some compromises that let you spend time with your horse, and your family spend more time with you.
I hope these ideas will help you navigate the challenging waters of family expectations. Drop me a comment below if you’ve tried any of these, and how they worked out!
Until next time, love your horse, love your life, and love yourself!
by penny | Jul 19, 2021 | Find Yourself on a Horse, The Horsey Life
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by penny | Jul 5, 2021 | The Horsey Life
If you’ve been working all day, whether it’s at your job or business, working in your garden, or keeping up with the housework, you may find yourself pretty tired at the end of the day. And if you typically ride after work, you’re likely to be wiped out long before you put a foot in the stirrup.
I’ve been there and it’s no fun! I don’t know about you, but I want to feel calm because I’m centered and grounded, not because I’m so fatigued I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.
There are thousands of ways to revive your energy – (just type a “how to get energy” in the Google search bar. I came up with about 2,450,000,000 results (0.79 seconds). Don’t feel like scrolling through several thousand articles? You’re in luck! I’ve done some of the searching for you.
The three types of exercises I chose are quick, simple, and free, (and none of them involve heading through the Starbucks drive-through on the way to the barn!)
Breathing
You might think I talk about breathing a lot, and there’s a good reason for that. It’s because I do. Using your breath in a mindful way can help you feel energized, calm, confident, or peaceful. The value of breathing exercises can’t be overstated – it goes with us wherever we go, and it’s even free!
Why it works: Deep breathing, which is also called belly breathing or abdominal breathing, brings more oxygen into your body. According to an article by Dr. Mehmet Oz on sharecare.com, Nitric oxide is drawn into your lungs when you practice deep breathing. Nitric oxide opens up airways and blood vessels in and around your lungs. Put better breathing in, and you’ll see improvements in your energy and overall health.
The links below take you to a few different sites with breathing exercises. I usually recommend that my students and clients try out a few different exercises. Try to remember to do the exercise 2 or 3 times a day for at least a few days. That will allow you to decide if you like the exercise and if you feel like it’s helping. If you try an exercise you absolutely hate, move on to the next one. (I’m sure you’ll find something that works in the 54,600,000 results that Google pulled up for me ( in 0.65 seconds) when I searched “deep breathing for energy”.
Gaiam, a well-respected wellness site, suggests a one-minute breathing exercise that’s based on yogic principles. Very effective, and it can be done simply, easily, and quickly!
Dr. Andrew Weil is a very well-known doctor of integrative medicine. Three of his breathing exercises can be learned here.
A quick explanation of Integrative Medicine given by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) “Integrated medicine (or integrative medicine as it is referred to in the United States) is practicing medicine in a way that selectively incorporates elements of complementary and alternative medicine into comprehensive treatment plans alongside solidly orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment.
“Integrated medicine is not simply a synonym for complementary medicine. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that may be used as adjuncts to conventional treatment and are not usually taught in medical schools. Integrated medicine has a larger meaning and mission, its focus being on health and healing rather than disease and treatment. It views patients as whole people with minds and spirits as well as bodies and includes these dimensions into diagnosis and treatment. It also involves patients and doctors working to maintain health by paying attention to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, quality of rest and sleep, and the nature of relationships.”
Integrated Health is becoming more mainstream in the United States as patients and doctors seek ways to treat the person as a whole entity, rather than dozens of specific parts. Deep breathing is good for the whole body, not just your brain, or lungs, or heart.
Move
Not the “hire a U-Haul truck, pack up all of your furniture and head across the country” sort of move, more like the “let’s go for a walk, or dance in the kitchen (or clean stalls, groom, ride, etc).
Paradoxically, we’re often dealing with pain that limits the very thing that will make us feel energized – movement.
I am not, I repeat, I am NOT a doctor or other medical professional. You need to speak with your health care provider before you embark on any new exercise program. Be ready with specific questions on what exercises would be beneficial, and which to avoid to keep you strong, keep you healthy, reduce your pain, and ramp up your energy. You can speak with your doctor or physical therapist about what exercises can actually improve your pain while they give your energy a boost.
Hydrate
I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot like it is here in Virginia at the moment, I drink a LOT of water. I have 2 quart-size water bottles as well as a 20-ounce one. They’re stainless steel and double-walled so they don’t leave damp rings on my desk as I work. They also go with me when I go to the barn, work in the garden, or take any drive that’s more than 15 minutes.
According to an article in cnet, water can make you more energized.
“Drinking more water gives you more energy to do anything from strenuous physical feats to staying awake at your desk after lunch. Many studies have shown that dehydration lowers athletic performance, making you feel sluggish and off your game. It can also cause you to feel tired or sleepy, so if you’re getting enough sleep but can’t keep your eyes open, you may need to just up your water intake.
One study suggested that being dehydrated hurts physical performance for any activity longer than thirty seconds. Even if you don’t work out for hours on end, short flights of stairs or walking around the city you live in will feel much easier if you’re hydrated.”
I tend to sweat a lot, so it’s important for me to stay hydrated. I keep track of how many bottles I’ve consumed during the day by putting colored elastic bands around my bottle – 1 for each bottle I’d like to drink during the day. So if I want to drink 4 quarts, I’ll put 2 elastic bands on the lower section of each quart-sized bottle. When I finish a quart, I just roll the elastic higher on the bottle. When all of my bands are near the top of the bottles, I know how much water I’ve had during the day.
So now you have a few things to do during the day that can help your energy levels, and also improve your overall health – helping you be the owner your horse deserves for many years to come.
Until next time, Love Your Horse, Love Your Life, Love Your Self
