Fear and anxiety in horses and how to manage them successful

I want to start with letting you know some facts about fear and anxiety in horses:

• The horses brain is driven by fear, thanks to evolution, to survive as a prey animal. Fear is probably the strongest emotion of all in mammals.
• Horses do NOT have the connection within their brain structures (as humans have) to evaluate fear and make decisions that reduce risk. 
• Horses can only use their knowledge -  gained through training, observation, trust and memory- but they do NOT have the ability to assess fear in the moment
• Anxiety is related to fear, it happens when afraid of something that has not happened yet, but it might ( the sound or movement in the bush on the other side of the track MIGHT be a tiger...)
• Anxiety varies across different horse breeds, personalities, their background and training
• Fear and anxiety of the horse are often mirrors of your own fear/anxiety - You see a person who is going to open an umbrella close to you and your horse and you get anxious your horse MIGHT spook....Your heart rate rises, your muscles start to tense up. Your horse notices ALL of this and gets nervous too. As a herd animal they respond to a change in other herd members energy/tension, in this case :YOU!
• Reducing fear and anxiety in horses are almost the same " techniques" we use in the human world
• These techniques base on RELAXATION, CONSISTENCY, PREDICTABILITY

How can you make a horse relax?
It all starts with YOU as your horse relies on YOU as part of his herd.

• ​Breath slow and steady in and out, it will lower your own heart rate. It is scientifically proven that the human heart rate and the horses heart rate connect, so if YOU lower your heart rate through conscious, slow breathing, it has an effect on your horse. 
• Soften your muscles, especially shoulder and back muscles that tend to tense up first when in stress. 
• Soften your eyes and face in general, relax your jaw and shift your eyes away from the horses eyes
• Use a low, slow voice
• stroke the horses shoulder region as he relaxes
• allow the horse to chose a body position

How do you know your horse starts to relax?
Your horse will start to lower his head, extend his neck outwards, relaxes his ears and let them slightly fall to the sides, his muscles will loosen up, the tail will unclamp and the eyes will soften a little so that you cannot see the white anymore ( as you might have seen in the moment of fear). Another obvious sign of relaxation is the big long exhale with the snorting sound. Congratulations, you helped your horse to relax!

Why is predictability and consistency important?
Consistency provides boundaries, a frame of rules that are always the same. If you let your horse nibble on your shirt one day, but the next day you tell him off for that, it is confusing. Confusing what is right or wrong. One time you let your horse graze with the bit and saddle on, the next time he wants to eat the grass or bush on a ride he is not allowed to. Just as an example...
Consistency provides security for your horse and makes you a reliable herd member for your horse. Consistency makes him feel safe and protected when with you, because you are predictable and consequent with what you do and "say". A safe haven.
Prediction is very helpful for your horse if it is nervous or get stressed easy.
Developing routines in feeding, tying up at the same place in the same way, grooming and tacking up in the same order/way, building up a routine when entering the arena, even riding the same track for a while. After about 2 weeks of this routine, your horse will relax more when being tied up, it can predict what comes next when you groom it, it feels comfortable with you when hacking out.
Whatever routine you chose, stick to it for a while and your horse will calm down and settle.
It will trust you! Then you can open up your routines bit by bit, if your horse trusts you, he will be able to deal with changes more easily.

Conclusion:
Horses rely on us, they depend on us. It is our responsibility to understand their nature and why they might be fearful or anxious in situations that might not be fearful at all from our HUMAN ( brain) perspective.
Through RESPECT and CALMNESS we can help our equine friend to overcome the fear.
An umbrella, plastic bag or tractor might not be fearful to us, but we need to understand that our horse sees, smells and hears the world in a different and more intense way than we do. Our human opinion about it is not helping the horse. In case you feel fear as well, use your breath to calm down.
Breath deeply and conscious, start to relax your body. Let your horse feel how YOU relax, and it will start to relax too. It might not happen in 10seconds but if you practise CONSITENTLY it will become easier and easier each time. 
Start practising and learn to relax in normal situations ( practise breathing when grooming your horse, doing the dishes or waiting for the bus...), so you can built up a routine. Then you will be able to use your " breathwork" in stressful situations with your horse more easy. Other options to learn how to relax are Yoga and Meditation, Mindfulness practise or any type of body awareness orientated sport ( e.g. Tai Chi, dancing, Pilates,...)
Relaxation is the key!
For the love of horses,
Britta

Inspired as always from the book " Horse brain, human brain" by Janet Jones