Ep 51: Deactivating a Horse’s Defense Mechanism
Horses are naturally programmed with a defense mechanism that causes them to react in situations that they believe to be threatening.
As trainers, we must constantly work to reprogram our horses’ minds to default to trust and confidence rather than fear.
Throughout a horse’s life, we work to build trust and respect with that animal. We work to build their confidence so that they are less likely to produce a reactive response in a stressful situation. No matter how much we have prepared them to face these challenges, there may still be times when the horse responds reactively to a situation.
For this reason, we always have to be aware of our horse’s thought processes. Our goal is to be able to manually flip the switch from the reacting side of their minds to the thinking side.
I had a horse in training this week that had a reactive response to the saddle. The saddle was not yet cinched up, and the horse saw something that triggered its defense mechanism. The horse pulled back, jumped forward, and the saddle fell to the ground.
At this point, I had the choice to immediately pick the saddle up off the ground and try again, or, I could be patient and help the horse calm down before attempting to saddle him again.
If I went and immediately grabbed the saddle and started desensitizing him, the horse’s defense mechanism would have still been engaged. Therefore, he would still be in a reactive state of mind. If I did not take the time to provide comfort to that animal and calm him down first, I would only be adding to his stress level. I had to take the time to help the horse flip that mental switch first.
When working with any horse, there will likely be a period of anxiety and frustration that you have to work through before you achieve trust and respect with that animal. The things that trigger reactive responses in our horses aren’t going to go away tomorrow, next week, or even next month.
This is why we have to work daily to build trust, confidence, and respect. Over time, we will have earned enough respect to reprogram our horses’ minds to default to trust and confidence instead of instantly engaging their defense mechanisms.
Learn more about the colt starting methods discussed in this episode in Phil’s signature Foundation and Fundamentals Colt Starting course.
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