Day 7 – Connection Introduction
Day seven
connection introduction
Today I’d like you to think about the different nervous system states according to Polyvagal theory.
When you get stressed, do you know what your default state is?
A. Fight
B. Flight
C. Freeze
When your horse gets stressed, do you know what their default reaction is?
Fight
Flight
Freeze
The next question I’d like you to ask yourself is:
Do either of us have the tools to de-escalate those states when they are activated?
Hopefully after going through the Human Factor course, you have a few ideas of how you can utilize Breath, Movement and Touch to help yourself back into a Socially Engaged, relaxed state. You may not have put any of this into practice yet or maybe you are someone who is very well versed in the methods and it comes as second nature to you now. No matter, knowing that there are 2 of you in this relationship, you must become aware of how your state influences your horse’s state and as much as possible, come to them in a social engaged state.
After this course, we are hoping to have given you several tools to help get your horse to regulate their nervous system. Once you get through the 4 basic exercises we are willing to bet that there will be some positive changes. That is why the video library is such a great resource because we will never stop giving you more information on how to integrate this into your training.
So, before you go out to hang out with your horse again, I’d like you to first do something inside of the practices portion of the Human Factor course – whether you pick Orienting or Breathwork or even meditating – do this before you present yourself to your horse. Then, when you are with your horse, do another – with them. Breathe with them, maybe do the eco-meditation (this is on the Human Factor playlist of the video library) with them. See if getting yourself into a different state first influences your horse in any way.
This is where you are invited to just bring your curiosity in, no judgment or expectation, just curiosity if showing up in a different way has any affect on your horse.
Remember how to navigate this course? Just click on the topics below under Lesson Content. Then at the bottom of each topic, there will be a button to move you to the next topic. If you click on Next Lesson at the bottom of this page without going through all the topics, you will feel lost! LESSONS = DAYS and the TOPICS = What we want you to learn about that day.
Today I sat outside the stable of my beautiful horse who is usually bitey and angry at me when I’m anywhere near his stable. He seemed unsettled for a while, getting hay and then coming back to the door to look at me. It was cold so I was wrapped in my equicoat, reading a book. After about 10 minutes I heard him blow a breath out. I stayed another 20 minutes. I then fed him and there was no anger or bitey behaviour. He seemed very settled. As I quietly left his stable he put his nose to the back of my neck and gently nuzzled me 😳 what the heck happened there? 😭
You didnt buy into his normal bitey energy, and so he got to find peace around you. Great work.
Is it possible to alternate between TWO default states?
My husband has always said I have two ‘sides’.. one side is my rational side, the other my wildly emotional, artistic side…. Each of my two horses mirrored or were complement to one or the other of those ‘sides’
Now I have the mare who gives me wings, and a mule that is mostly unknown so far.
ME… I vacillate between ‘flight’ and ‘fight’…I will step into any conflict I think I might win…. and run when I am certain that winning would take too big a toll on me.
Ruby Jewel (sheza mule) has chosen ‘flight’ since I’ve had her… but today she realized that I won’t punish her for fleeing for a minute or two… That Matching Steps thing really, really helps. And waiting for engagement before Doing A Thing (like, haltering)
Am I on the right track?
Oh yes, thats what say the flow chart does, is teach you how to respond top them whichever state they may be in at the time
I went to hang out with my mare in her pasture. We breathed together, just relaxed, did some shoulder scratches. She laid down right then and there! So I got on the ground with her and just hung out while she dozed. It was such an amazing feeling!
How do you connect with a horse with 2 other horses in the pasture 24/7? My horse is outside, and he’s always grazing and not paying attention at all to me. I spent a lot of time hanging out in the pasture, scratching him, matching step… But he looks like he doesn’t care at all of my presence, and all your video are in a sand field… What are your advices?
“I spent a lot of time hanging out in the pasture, scratching him, matching step…”
Are you communicating your awareness of his changes in focus when scratching him?
Today I went out to hang after doing the Eco Meditation. I just sat under the tree with the horses 10 metres away at the trough. My horse kept glancing over at me so I was cool with this. Both horses were yawning alot more than usual but I think I was too after about 30 mins I approached and offered scratches with my grooming gloves. Today he was more engaged with his muzzle sniffing me and gently grabbing my clothes with his mouth. I feel like there was a line I had to draw with the behaviour as lovely as it was with his interest and I used energy in my body and arms to ask him to step back, he didnt at first just pressed more into me. I felt uncomfortable and that he could inadvertantly bite me. Was this the right thing to do?
Id say if he is grabbing your clothes with hismouth, I’d rather your hand made it to that spot first.
Hello Warwick, I have a almost 3 year old stallion and he has the tendency to bite and nip a lot. Now i have practised engaging with his muzzle and I pay good attention that he doesnt come in to my space. At first i did the hanging out excercise outside his stable. This went really great. Hè is curious likes to engage for a bit and than he does his own Thing. When I put the halter on in his stable he is also very good. But the moment I take him out his stable and pick his feet he starts nipping a lot. So again i start to engage with his muzzle but i feel that he gets a bit more maybe frustrated?. I noticed that there is a difference when he is engaging with his muzzle in his stable or when I take him out of the stable to turn him out in the paddock. Maybe it has something to do with picking his feet, but at the barn he lives we need to pick there feet out before entering the paddock. And then when I take him out the paddock he Will try to bite in the halter also. Besides hanging out with him on the outside of the fence is also going great. I really starting to see some change that is Amazing! I would like to hear your opinion.
” But the moment I take him out his stable and pick his feet he starts nipping a lot.”
So you meet his need to engage in the stable, but you havent done it outside the stable. Either do that outside the stable, or pick out his feet IN the stable. This is the “change one thing at a time ” principle
Thank you for the feedback! I will work on it.
Hi Warwick,
I had some troubles with my mare so I started the 30 days jumpstart from the beginning. It looks like that I really have a connection “challenge”. So I sit in the paddock a lot, doing breathwork and meditation. This is really good for us both. My mare is standing together with my other horses in the paddock. And it really is remarkable that my other horse (from 3 years old, without no training history) is connecting a lot. Would you recomment to start with him, as he is (almost) asking for it (in a possitive way).
I thought that if I give the hanging out some extra time with my mare, I could do some Creating Connection Through Change in Focus with my other horse (which I was not planning to do)?
Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks! Kind regards, Lise
You didnt say what your “connection chanllenge” is.
Hi Warwick, oh sorry. She is easely going into shut down (as I see it now). So she could do the groundwork but without connection. So we need to build our connection and work on the shut down part.
I also asked a question after seeing the video of Sherlock. I think we need to give her some time to work on that.
Regards Lise
I am a bit confused. Where are the 4 basic exercises mentioned above? Maybe yet to come but I dont want to miss anything!
https://videos.warwickschiller.com/groundwork/intro-to-groundwork/the-4-basic-groundwork-exercises/?playlist=2660