Get Grounded Equine

08/24/2026

Flow States and Mental Flexibility
Our mental well being is connected to engagement in flow states. I propose the ‘work’ that we choose emphasizes finding mutual movement, curiosity, and emotional stability. Practicing flow states rather than ‘working our horses’ improves our well being. It lowers stress, quiets rumination, and releases reward chemicals in our brains. It is the antidote to both internal and external criticism. Finding flow states requires us to be flexible in the moment, drop rigid patterns and analytical processing to make room for creative processing.
The lines that extend from the horse to me can be repurposed for flow state engagement. Rather than using them to direct the horse, I can use them to feel the horse, connect with his movement and choices. I can focus on maintaining my movement with him through this feel and reserve my interruptions to my personal boundaries.

08/23/2026

The discipline of long reining can be a rich faceted practice that can elevate our horsemanship in a dynamic way. I have found it to be the most valuable modality for deepening understanding for both horse and human. Contact me if you are interested in learning more about long reining horsemanship. In person single and group learning options as well as virtual.

08/20/2026

Hard Tying - New Light on Youngsters and Pull Back Injury
(Cranial bones don't fuse until around 6 yr. and cervical bones can take even longer.)
Well I definitely dodged a bullet on this one, especially since the bulk of my work involves raising and training ones under the age of 5yrs. I always thought it was fine to start hard tying a youngster once they showed an understanding of the concept. I've always been opposed to the 'patience pole' mindset, never leaving young ones unsupervised, alone, nor subjected to flooding/'deal with it' methods. I most likely avoided a lot of pull-back episodes, but realize now the vulnerability of a young horse being hard tied.
In comes a 4yr. client mare: insecure, limited in connection, seemed to be distant, slow to respond, aloof, and not really engaging her senses compared to other youngsters.
Within 60 seconds of assessing this young mare by an equine osteopath, she could see the reality of what I had a gut feeling about: pain and tension. The osteo found points of immobility: ribs, head, and neck. Being familiar with these signs, she indicated the mare had at least one, possibly multiple hard pull back episodes. It most likely limited her sense of smell, her vision, and definitely her range of mobility.
We never want any horse to have a pull back episode when hard tied. But it is especially concerning for the young ones that are not fully developed.

08/03/2026

True desensitizing involves gradual, safe exposure that builds understanding and processing in the nervous system. If your learner is confined and not taught how to communicate they are ready, you risk the nervous system handling things in an unhealthy way.

This is a session with a 4yr. gelding who is clicker savvy and is beginning to offer a reliable default stand. Now we can build confidence and understanding in him through a practice of him telling me he is ready by offering the default stand. He is not confined and knows he will not be punished if....

07/17/2026

Multiple Marker Points To Build Positive Impressions
Horses can be really good at keeping track of multiple reinforced behaviors together. This clip shows 4: moving into a default position, turning head to open his right side, standing while I shuffle on his right, return to me after a startle. You will see he was understanding when I shuffled my feet, but startled the 2nd time when I did a little hop over the pole. (sound will show you the 4 click points.)
The Goal: to shape facets of understanding, helping this 4yr. old comprehend that what I do is reliable and safe.
The Concern: During introductions to long reining, this fella expressed some concerns when my body was moving, making noise behind him and on his right side. The noises made by lines brushing against objects and my feet moving behind him were not fully understood. Being at liberty here allows him to give me more accurate feedback, showing a preference to keep me on his left side. Learning this at liberty is very important.
The Approach: Breaking down aspects of the experience (deconstruction), working on them bit by bit and slowly putting them together. I establish a base line of predictable behavior with my body and reinforce his proper response to that.
This clip shows a part of the process, where I am connecting bits of the whole picture. Horses are really good at paying attention to multiple points of reinforcement (click/marker points). Eventually it will all be put together where each cue becomes the reinforcer for the next behavior.

07/15/2026

In hand obstacle work is the core of how we learn together. They see us and we see them. It helps us understand how they use their bodies, how they think, and how they understand themselves.

07/05/2026

Should we settle for recipes that result in something that looks right, but doesn’t ‘taste’ right. Do we really want our existence to be defined by a framework of predictable environments. Allowing scenarios where we have to focus on our own adaptations helps build our confidence and resilience.

06/28/2026

Offering the Default Stance
This 4yr. old has been learning a default stance via positive reinforcement in the arena. I was thrilled to see him come running when he noticed my entrance into the pasture, circle around and come into offer the position in a different context. There is no doubt positive reinforcement builds rapport through consistent and reliable patterns.

06/20/2026

Embracing vs. Containment
If this looks boring to you, I know I’m on the right track.
This is because introductions should be more about reconciling the energy going on internally: the emotions, the processing, the thinking, the physical feelings, the connecting dots, the co-regulation and self regulation…rather than the fabricated performative energy that is externally demanded and visible on the outside.
Embracing seeks to understand the learner, values their perspective, and their guidance in the learning process. Lydia is seeking these things with Heath and I can tell they are feeling and supporting that internal energy. The first 90 days should have emphasis on these internal workings where readiness is formed on the inside before it can manifest on the outside.
Did you know emotional readiness is a fundamental part of learning to walk for a child? Do we force children to walk before they are ready? Containment is rigid, emphasizing compliance in a manufactured time line that subjects the learner to narrow minded expectations, often ignores the time needed for this pre-requisite internal work.
As a trainer for others, it was nice for me to be on the other end as the client. Due to a set back with a knee injury, Lydia was able to introduce Heath’s first 30 days of moving under saddle for me. Superficial observations may lead one to think not much has been accomplished here and think it rather boring, waste of money and time. As I have come to see it, the first 90 days are best spent showing the horse the supportive, patient, trustworthy parts of ourselves that are committed to staying out of their way of making true progress. I look forward to continuing this work that Lydia Scott Equine Services has begun.