NOVEMBER 2022 THE RIDER /27 Confident Horsemanship:


okay there, and you only want him to stand there while you groom him. So why has his behaviour changed? Then you remember that was the


spot you had him that time he was star- tled by the cat jumping down from the cupboard beside him. Research has shown that it only


Anne Gage for The Rider - November 2022


Your horse doesn’t want to go stand


in that particular place in the barn. He gets stressed and resistant. He used to be


takes one negative experience for a horse to associate a person, object or place with a negative event and fear. (Léa Lansade, PhD, of the French Horse and Riding Institute and the National In- stitute for Agricultural Research’s be- havior science department, in Tours, France) That response is triggered in an an-


cient part of the brain called the amyg- dala. In fact, every creature with a vertebrae (that includes us humans) has an amygdala - the prehistoric part of the brain that runs the fight/flight fear re-


Managing Fear - Horse and Human


sponse. Which is why our fear response is


no different to that of our horses’. If you have had a scare from a bad ride, a fall, or an injury, and you find yourself feel- ing nervous about riding a particular horse or in a particular place or doing a particular activity, your reaction is just as natural as your horse’s fear. That fear is being controlled by the emotional part of the brain. (sometimes referred to as the unconscious). That fear has been learned and the


good news is that anything that it can also be unlearned. A new response can be created to that situation. For your horse, positive reinforce-


ment training is a great way to give your horse a positive association to that per- son, object, or place. Using the place in the barn example, start with where your horse is comfortable and as you walk to-


wards the “scary” spot watch for signs that he’s beginning to feel anxious. Stop there and reinforce him for standing. Then turn him around and walk away until he shows signs of feeling calm. Keep repeating that process, being care- ful not cross your horse’s fear threshold. It may take several sessions, but you’ll soon find that your horse is able to stand comfortably in the old “scary” place as he now associates it with something pos- itive.


You can take a similar route for


your own fear by building positive ex- periences. Start with doing something that you are comfortable with then ex- pand on that just until you feel slightly nervous. Be careful not to go over your fear threshold or overwhelm yourself. Go back to your comfort zone. Repeat moving between your comfort zone and that slightly nervous zone always ending


Annual Equine Industry Symposium features Horses in Human Health and Learning


Oct. 25, 2022 (Guelph, Ont.) - The annual Equine Industry Symposium, hosted by the University of Guelph’s Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management - Equine Management degree program, returns this year for its 7th edition on November 21 – 23, 2022. This year’s theme, Horses in Human Health and Learning, featuring Nina Ekholm Fry from the University of Denver and five guest speakers, will focus on the roles horses have when part of human services. This year’s Symposium aims to educate horse


enthusiasts, human service providers and anyone with an interest in the power of horses to improve people’s everyday lives. Attendees will gain an un- derstanding of different types of therapies and learning services where horses are included.


Monday, Nov. 21. The first evening will pro-


vide an overview of horses in human health and learning. Featured speaker, Nina Ekholm Fry, from the University of Denver and Dr. Katrina Merkies, equine behaviour researcher from the University of Guelph, will discuss human-horse interactions in various services and current research. Tuesday, Nov. 22. This session will focus on


therapy services which include horses. Dr. Katy Schroeder, a mental health professional, will dis- cuss how equine interactions are incorporated into the process of psychotherapy. Sarah-Michelle Senecal, an occupational therapist, will give an overview of how equine movement is incorporated into occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology.


Wednesday, Nov. 23. The final session fo-


cuses on learning services where horses are fea- tured. Lynn Thomas, CEO of Arenas for Change (ARCH), will discuss ways that interactions with horses can contribute to social-emotional learning and personal growth. The session also tackles the confusing topic of adaptive (therapeutic) riding where Hayley Edwards, CanTRA senior instructor, will explain what adaptive riding is and is not. The annual Equine Industry Symposium aims


to expand our knowledge about horses and facili- tate crucial industry relationships. At the end of the 2022 Symposium, we hope attendees will continue the conversation regarding horses and their in- volvement in human health care and learning serv- ices.


Registration is now open and free of charge.


Learn more here - https://bit.ly/3Doj7fV - and be sure to stay tuned to @equinesymposium on Insta- gram and Facebook. Learn about previous Equine Industry Symposium sessions on the BBRM Equine Management YouTube channel. About Equine Guelph: Equine Guelph is the horse owners’ and care


givers’ Centre at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for academia, industry and government - for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further information, visit www.equineguelph.ca.


in the comfort zone. If you want a faster way to resolve


your anxiety about riding, hypnosis gets you there very quickly. Often, you’ll have great improvement in only one ses- sion. Hypnosis works by connecting di- rectly with that emotional part of the brain (the unconscious mind) to release unhelpful, unnecessary negative emo- tions like anxiety and fear.


Author Bio: Anne Gage, The Horse Riding Confidence Coach, shares advice and tips for horse riding women of a cer- tain age. From managing riding nerves and anxiety, understanding your horse's behaviour, building a deeper partnership with your horse, and more. Whether you're a lifelong horse rider, just coming back to riding after time off, or just start- ing out, learn more at www.rideconfi- dent.com


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