Inspired by the book " Horse brain, human brain" from Janet Jones, Ph.D.
and "Understand horses" :courses.understandhorses.com/courses/understanding-the-equine-brain
and several videos,  articles and other books I read about this.
 
This is the start on the journey of the horses brain and how it is similar, but also very different to our human brain. I am starting this journey here with some interesting facts.
​Hopefully, these facts will give you some "oh "effects and will be helpful for you to understand some behaviour of your horse better. Enjoy the journey to your horses brain. : )

So here are some facts about the horses brain you may not have heard of:

• The brain of a horse is actually not the size of a walnut: Its about the size of a grapefruit and weights about 750grams to 1kg. Pretty big walnut...haha
• Equine brains are engineered to sense, and interpret the equine world. Means: Where is the best grass? Where is the water? Is it safe here to lay down? What's that noise? How is the rest of the herd doing? is the alpha mare concerned or still relaxed?
• These brains are not designed to take in and interpret our human world, but we always ask them to do so. We also expect them to understand US.
• The equine brain has evolved millions of years ago and there are lots of things that horses can learn and the brain can be "modified" or " shaped" to their domestic life now, but there are certain instincts that we cannot train out of them. Just modify or adapt these instincts to the tasks we asks them to do.
• Brains are changing physically throughout adulthood through daily learning ( just like in humans) 
• Every time you and your horse are experiencing something new or important, new connections between brain cells are formed. With repetitive use these connections become persistent in the brain. You can imagine this is important to know for the learning of new things: It takes time!
• Within the evolutionary changes in the horses body ( if you look at the origin horse in the picture below from www.cavalloinc.com) the brain had to adapt the sensory organs. Means the vision, hearing, smell etc.

I hope you gained some useful information from these facts. Next time I will start with the senses of a horse. There is a lot to know about their eyesight, hearing, smell etc. that will help to understand why they behave the way they do in certain situations we all have experienced with our horses quite often. 

More understanding results in better and more horse orientated communication and training.
For more happy horses and riders!
For the love of horses,
​Britta

We all have good intentions when working and managing our horse,
but often our thoughts are somewhere else.
We think about duties we still need to do, what we cook for dinner, thinking about work.. etc.
Observe yourself, how often you think about other things when with your horse. ; )
What that means is, we are always either in the future or in the past with our thoughts.
We are worrying about something that MIGHT happen, or being unhappy with something that HAD happened already.
Our world is so scheduled and busy, its hard to escape and settle down, or take a real break for a moment.

The good news is: You can learn to become more present and be in the moment with your horse. You just need to practise it, like you train a muscle to become stronger.
I have experienced this process through Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation and also when just hanging out with my horse. That was kind of my meditation in the past. 
These days I like to be in nature such as the ocean/ beach or in the beautiful New Zealand bush to meditate. Just watching the waves and listen to the sound, or walking to the bush and noticing the different types of trees, hear the birds singing...
Meditation is when you are PRESENT in the moment, when you are REALLY noticing what is happening RIGHT NOW. Everyone can learn that. And it is very beneficial when we are with our HORSES,
but actually it is very beneficial for our health and well- being in general to slow down a bit from time to time...

I am interested to hear, what your experiences are!
​Please let me know. And don't hesitate to contact me, if you have questions about this or need a little more guidance with this. Happy to help!
If you want to know more about this, have a look at my NEW option " Equestrian Yoga and Mindfulness coaching " here on my website.
For the horses...
In gratitude,
Britta

Does the picture touches you? This picture shows CONNECTION.
Well, that moment was very special for me and my Paint Horse mare SUNNY back in Germany. She purely engaged with me ( look at her face...) and I was fully PRESENT with her ( and my coffee...:)).
How can that happen? And how can that happen to YOU and your horse as well?
Well, Sunny was my first "own" horse after I have been ridden and cared for other peoples horses for years.
Because that was so special and I got her as a foal I spend lots of time just hanging out with her.
I even did that, when she became older and I was already riding her.
So, I visited her and her mates in her paddock, sat down and just watched her what she was doing.
Next time, I took a book with me and was just reading, while with her. No plans or expectation when I visited her.
I just wanted to be with her and I was curious what she was doing through the day. One time, she even laid down next to me, put her head onto my lap and fell asleep. Her snoring was VERY cute :)
WOW what a gift from my horse to me! I can tell you, my legs were aching after a while BUT I did not move. It was such a touching moment!
Every time I spent time in her paddock,  SHE engaged with ME, although she had her mates there and I did not give her any treats to make her come to me. I was just PRESENT, and she knew.
We developed a very strong bond over the years, which was awesome.

So why does CONNECTION changes your horses behaviour to a positive respond to teaching and training ?
Connection happens when you built up a positive relationship with your horse. That happens before you even start actively training/riding your horse. It is the FOUNDATION for learning, successful training and in the end for a good and safe performance with a happy horse.

The science behind it, is the function of the nervous system, especially the vagus nerve ( the study about it is called Polyvagal Theory). It is part of the autonomic nervous system, present in all mammals. If you want to know more details and dig deeper into the science have a look here: 
https://equusoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-Polyvagal-Theory-Horse-and-Human-2019-A4.pdf​
https://equusoma.com/the-polyvagal-theory-and-horses/​
Horseman Warwick Schiller applies this knowledge into his way of training. See a YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/r63jG_1hRvE

Short form:
The Vagus nerve is kind of the super highway between the gut, heart and brain. It is the social engagement system. We know that horses are social animals, living in a group or herd to guarantee their survival against predators in the wild. They survive, because the herd or group members are PRESENT in the moment and aware what's going on. That makes the herd feels safe and relaxed. So, on the body function side of it, everything is slowed down ( heart rate, digestion,...) and the horse is in a relaxed state.
That changes, as soon as they don't feel safe anymore. They are more alert, tensed and ready to either fight or flight. Even the domesticated horses still have that instinct within them.
So, what can you do to make your horse feel safe and built up a CONNECTION?
We know the basic stuff, we need to meet the basic horses needs such as food, shelter, space, fresh air, water and companions. 
BUT the other part to make them feel safe is when are felt seen, heard, felt and gotten. Means: When they notice that we notice their worries, concerns etc. and give them time to adjust. Because then , they know WE ARE PRESENT and AWARE and they can feel safe. And we are safe too, because we notice signs of facial expressions, tension in the body and body language much earlier when we are present with the horse, not thinking about dinner, work or the kids.
The 5 simple ways of making your horse feeling seen, heard etc. and built a connection are: 

• simply TOUCH your horse, feel the temperature in different areas, the fur, notice scars etc. (and I don't mean when you are grooming them to prepare for riding), take your time and really FEEL it
• MASSAGE your horse with either your hands or a rubber brush, whatever you have handy. Use the amount of pressure your horse likes, have a play with it, try different things (circling, scratching....)If you need ideas there are lots of videos on the web for massage examples.

         As long as your horse enjoys it, its fine ( look at what your horse is showing you with his language)

• I can recommend the Bladder Meridian technique from the Masterson Method 

​https://mastersonmethod.com/the-bladder-meridian-technique-from-light-to-the-core-video/

• spend time with your horse just watching and joining him on the paddock, with no intention or plan, just BE with him ( like I did with my horse Sunny)
• ​take your time and feel the breath of your horse (hands son the ribcage and feel the rip cage expanding when inhaling) and watch your own breath at the same time, what do you notice?
  

I hope you enjoy exploring these options, maybe you are already doing some of it. Great, keep doing it!
If this is new for you, try it, explore the world of your horse from the ground and develop a strong bond. Its worth it and you will notice the difference in the behaviour when they feel SAFE and SEEN.
If you have other ideas or great experiences please share them here in the comments. Like always, if you want to know more, or need some help with how to become present, contact me. 
In the next Blog I will write about BECOMING more PRESENT and AWARE with your horse to avoid misunderstandings and danger in training/riding/handling. 
If you have questions about that, please message me. Always happy to help! 
For the horses!!
 

​





Through my equine bodywork I come across a lot of horses who have stomach ulcers (either diagnosed through a vet or as a thought of their owners, because of sudden behaviour changes in their horse).
I am quite surprised and also shocked how many horses suffer from stomach ulcers.
How do stomach Ulcers develop?

• When the horse has an empty stomach( longer than about 60min), or acid in the stomach due to stress, that acid may splash onto the inner wall of the stomach, especially when exercising. That, as you can imagine, causes a lot of pain. As a prey animal a horse mostly has just the response to fight (means e.g. biting when being tacked up, kicking when asked to bend to one side etc.) or flight ( running away under saddle, or other behaviours to " escape" the pain)
• stress, dehydration, and dietary issues (including high sugary diets)
•  non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use

"A fact is that prevalence of ulcers varies with breed, and the type of exercise the horse does.
In thoroughbred racehorses, rates of 37% of spelling horses and 80-100% of horses in training have been reported. Rates of 54% in pleasure horses and 64% of sport horses have also been found in some surveys. The lowest prevalence was 11% in horses being ridden at home and not competing.  Ponies who are on feed restriction for weight loss are at a high risk if they are not able to chew continuously." Read the whole article here :
https://www.horsehospital.co.nz/Resources/Gastroscopy+and+gastric+ulcers.html​

I want to summarise the most important facts and signs of stomach ulcers here for you, so you can consider this as a possible reason for a sudden behaviour change:

• Looking back at or nosing the abdomen behind the shoulder, on both sides of the body. The coat might be ruffled where the horse nuzzles repeatedly;
• Acting anxious or restless in combination with clusters of behaviours suggesting physical discomfort (weight-­shifting, rotational headshaking, kicking up at the abdomen, tail-­swishing or -slapping, lip-licking, tongue extension, and chewing motion when not eating);
• Food-aggressive behaviours around feeding time, such as rushing to the feed bucket, pawing, threatening neighbours, and kicking the wall;
• Reluctance to perform;
• General grumpiness with herd mates and/or caretakers;
• Rough hair coat;
• Weight loss 
• Girthiness;
• Mild colic episodes;
• Intermittent eating patterns (leaving feed for a time and then returning)
• Lack of energy
• Decreased water intake
• Stretching out as if needing to urinate;
• Lying down more than normal
• teeth grinding or nibbling wood (fence)
• “Just not looking or acting right.”

Certain management tactics can help ward off gastric ulcers and their accompanying negative behaviours:

• drugs prescribed or recommended by your Vet
• don't leave your horse for more than about an hour without access to some sort of roughage ( their digestion system is made for constantly grazing and walking, with just short 30min breaks in between)
• if they are , they begin to rummage around and may lick walls or chew on wood
• Take advantage of pasture turnout
• Minimize stress and fulfil their natural needs for safety, companions, space etc.
• Get the horse (out of the stall and) into a social group he gets along with
• maintain stomach health in the face of travel stress: Bringing hay from home, encouraging water consumption, have regular breaks and give the horse time to adjust to the new environment at a clinic, competition etc. which again comes to reduce stress 

Conclusion:
When addressing ulcer issues, the more natural environment the horse lives in, the less stress he’ll experience as a whole. To avoid chronic ulcers, you do need to address the horse’s environment and make sure your horse is pain free (pain causes a lot of stress in the body...).
Consider the WHOLE picture, not just nutrition. Unfortunately, stressors of all types appear to contribute to ulcers, and ulcer discomfort itself is stressful, a vicious circle....
While some horses are simply predisposed to ulcers, if you manage diet and stress, you can help minimize your horse’s possibility of getting them. And that effort is totally worth it, right?
For more happy and healthy horses!!!
The full article:
thehorse.com/139378/hard-to-stomach-equine-gastric-ulcer-syndrome/
​