@zenbear
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I initially found Anna in her book “Stable Relations” shortly after it was published. I was SO IMPRESSED with that woman’s grit as she made the transition from city to country. I was going through a similar transition at the time I was reading her book, relocating to the country to live with my horses. So I felt an affinity for her experiences as well as so much appreciation for her wit and her humor. Then the book led to reading her blogs, and thankfully, subsequent books ! I had the experience of auditing a clinic here in central Texas, and was so pleased to find out she is the same in person as she is in her writings. Her level of authenticity as a human being overall, and specifically as a horse advocate is impressive.
Her teachings and philosophy have made so much difference in my “horse work” and understanding their communications/calming signals. When I asked her how I might deal with my horse’s nippy behavior, without punishing him, she said he should be checked for ulcers. I felt sure she was wrong. MY HORSE DOES NOT HAVE ULCERS I thought. Well, a scope revealed that he did, and we then went down a rabbit hole of treatment for his ulcers as well as an even more serious condition. I will forever be grateful to Anna for the advice on potential ulcers, which in turn allowed my horse to feel better and for me to see how sweet and willing he could be when he feels well. I just have to add that not any of the horse trainers, body workers, holistic vets, etc even mentioned ulcers as possible etiology of his biting at people. Anna is a gem, and I’m sure glad to know her !
I think the piece that is MISSING for all of us is a track system. Our domesticated horses simply do not move enough compared to the 26 miles average of a wild horse. They move out in the wild to forage. I would love to build a track system at my place that keeps horses moving, and I have seen them and they really do. But in a boarding situation that’s impossible unless property owners support it, and even with my own acreage, financial constraints….so that is a variable to consider as well.
Hello everybody ! I’ve just now figured out how to make a comment on this particular conversational thread or I would have said hello earlier. Participating in Anna’s Barn is stretching my technical skills ! Who would have guessed that would happen. I have been mostly on the Facebook group which is easier to navigate. But I wanted to connect with you here who aren’t on Facebook.
I was first exposed to Anna’s affirmative training through reading her books and blogs, and auditing a clinic here in central Texas, and have from the first resonated with her words, on many levels.
I am 67 years old and got back into horses after a decades long hiatus. I grew up in the mountains of VA and we always had horses on the farm, called pleasure horses there, gaited is what we would call them now. Some of my earliest memories are of riding the big draft horses back to the barn after they had been used in plowing or some sort of work on the farm. .. and as a toddler riding behind my grandfather or father hanging on to their belt loops.
I live on 3 acres, very rocky, in the Hill Country of Texas with my 2 walking horses, Cash and Zen Bear. I am not currently riding either of these horses due to some health issues in my main riding horse. We had been making good progress together when he became ill But making lemonade out of lemons by focusing on what I CAN do with them: BUILD RELATIONSHIP, learn to listen better. I love “horse keeping” and brainstorming about how to best take care of my geldings.
As was noted above by someone, I am struggling with my own confidence level , which seems to have declined significantly with age. But I think that is probably normal. But hope to be back in the saddle again before too long.
I forgot to mention I have been providing free choice around the clock for about 3 years now. I can’t imagine I would ever go back to any other way. It’s a win-win all the way around.
HI there… I have my two horses on free choice- 24/7, coastal hay. I keep hay nets with very small holes out all the time. They LOVE the nets, and actually prefer eating out of the nets to loose hay. Go figure ! I guess the netting probably stiumulates gums, releases endorphins. I buy my nets from a company in New Zealand and they typically stand up very well despite being chewed on, occasionally stomped, and lying around on rocks. My place is very rocky. They usually last 6 months to a year. I have various sizes of nets and hang them here and there around their horse pen and around the property to keep them moving at least some.
I had HOPED they would self regulate at some point, once they realized they would not ever run out of hay. And that may be happening to some degree but not as much so as I had hoped. I have a horse with a history of ulcers and also has inflammation in his stomach so it’s important he have access to forage all the time.
BUT both my horses have become amazingly adept at getting the hay out even from holes that are small, so they can blast through a rectangular bale in 12 hours and it used to take 24. AND they have both gained weight this past winter. I have tried various slow feeders, am not familiar with the ones you are trying. I’ll look them up ! I like the portablity of the nets. If you ever want name of company I buy them from let me know. They do hold up over time.
A friend constructed a slow feeder some years back for me that had a metal grate . It was lost in a flood but I didn’t rebuild because I read the grate could eventually do damage to teeth. But I think the nylon ones i have are fine.
I think to slow my horses down even more I need nets with even smaller holes. The ones I have are slightly over an inch. Nonetheless they are clearly overeating as both are slightly overweight.
Elaine, I want to add that i went through a 5 or 6 month period when my horse Zen Bear was nipping at me, didn’t want to be haltered or anything else. .. this after a period of 2 years of being relatively willing. in reality he was being stoic and putting up with pain and me. I don’t know why your horse is inclined to nibble fingers, but it turned out my horse had ulcers and inflammation in tummy. So I just left him alone while treating his condition, and the nipping went away when he felt better. But when something HAD to be done with him during that break, like going to the vet, I would just forge ahead as politely as I could.
Good question, Elaine ! I struggle too with this. At this phase of my horsemanship, I do have an “idea” of what I would like to do with my horses when I go out, e.g. leading from behind or getting a video. Some of my “missions” are about providing care like treating a hoof with thrush. I guess I’d have to say I TRY and ASPIRE to have a balance between my “mission” and what emerges in the conversation. For example, if Bear expresses concern about being haltered, I may just halter on-halter off, after getting his “yes,” and then walk away, giving up the mission I previously had in mind.
Sometimes i don’t work with the horse ( of the two I have) if the other horse seems to want to interact with me, and the one I thought i would work with seems not as interested. Maybe I’ll work with the intended horse later.
Recently I had an experience of working with a friend on getting blankets on my horses for a cold night and we had limited daylight time, wind was blowing, etc. We were very “determined” and firm about GETTING THE JOB DONE. We got blankets on but I felt we had “wrangled ” the horses into their blankets despite their obvious “concerns” and expressing a need to go slower ( calming signals). . The next time blankets were needed I was alone, BREATHED A LOT, went much much slower, stayed more in the moment vs focus on outcome.. and things went very smoothly. Mission accomplished ! Interestingly, it seemed I was going slower when alone but it only took a few minutes, whereas with my friend and a determination, it took LONGER in actual time.
I have been taught two different ways of handling this dilemma you have expressed. One, was to keep my mind on the mission, be clear, firm , and get it done no matter what. Maybe like when you were working on your trot. And now with Anna’s method and a trainer I worked with right before Anna, I don’t go to the next step until horse is comfortable and agreeing with one just prior to that. But I confess that sometimes the circumstances require moving ahead to something new despite some “issues’ that emerged in the conversation. My horse Bear was nipping at me for awhile, making haltering a difficult task for us, but many times I just went ahead, as politely as I could. Hope all that makes sense.
Hi,
This is Sarah here, in Driftwood, Texas. I live on a small property ( 3 acres) with my two geldings ( Cash and Zen Bear) and 4 cats ( Maggie, Marley, Gusto, and Woodrow) . I am a clinical psychologist, and during a phone consult with Anna one day, I realized that affirmative work with horses is similar to the therapeutic interventions I prefer in my work with humans. That was a great relief to me . Anyhow, I am 67 years old ( gasp, how did that happen?) and I would love to get a little more disciplined about writing about what I call my “horse journey.” I am in a period of some despondency because I cannot ride either of my horses currently, but hoping for a change.I would very much love to hear what others have to say in their writing and how they use that in their work with horses or their own personal journey in life.
Thank you, Anna, for creating this space for members !!
