Bold Horse Behavior LLC

03/29/2025

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆

A few thoughts on building a relationship, creating safety and taking time. This even more essential for horses or dogs that have had a difficult start or experienced a frightening or traumatic event(s). How building a relationship and creating safety will look varies from horse to horse or dog to dog and will depend on their needs and comfort level which may vary depending on the day or even moment to moment. It also helps us to read them and understand how they behave when tense or stressed versus when they calm or relaxed. Time frame and deadlines may also impact this but integrating even short periods of observation in a range of contexts including with or without equipment is helpful. Even simply ” being” with your horse or dog is of benefit. This then makes moving on to more challenging tasks or even more structured training easier on our horse, dog and us.

Whilst paying attention to triggers ( stimuli such as a sights, sounds, smells or sensations that act as reminders for previous trauma or distress) often leading to fearful or distressed behaviour ) is vital, equally paying attention to safety cues sometimes called ”glimmers” ( these are the opposite of triggers) a term coined by the trauma therapist Deb Dana is also useful. An awareness of our horses or dogs glimmers can help us to support them to feel safe and lower their level of arousal. A glimmer could be anything from a specific word we use to indicate that they are safe or doing something such as tacking up or putting a headcollar on in a certain order such as draping the lead rope over their neck before proceeding to put the head collar on or to give them a scratch. The latter provided your horse enjoys touch promotes safety and social engagement. Promoting curiosity and linking this to a particular scent such as peppermint or camomile can also foster positive emotions. Paying attention to our own levels of stress and emotion and behaving in a safe and predictable way also helps our horses and dogs to feel secure in expressing how they feel and allows them to develop autonomy and a sense of agency. This allows for the relationship to deepen. Horses and dogs who have experienced trauma may find it hard to discriminate safety from threat.

You don’t get to decide what your horse or dog finds frightening and traumatic . You also don’t get to dictate the speed of their healing. If you wouldn’t want someone to set a recovery timeline for you if you had or have undergone trauma please apply the same grace to the animals’ in your lives. Your need to do things like go to shows , ride or do what you choose should not trump your horse or dog’s needs !!



References and Resources

Dana, D.A., 2018. The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology). WW Norton & Company.

Liberzon, I. and Abelson, J.L., 2016. Context processing and the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder. Neuron, 92(1), pp.14-30.

McGreevy, P.D., Henshall, C., Starling, M.J., McLean, A.N. and Boakes, R.A., 2014. The importance of safety signals in animal handling and training. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 9(6), pp.382-387.

https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/

©️Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

03/29/2025

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Books promoting animal welfare through better management practices, behavior science, and training.

11/23/2024

You get what you train.

And that is with respect to the muscle groups you target, the emotions you practice and the nervous system state you operate from.

If you practice sitting hunched at your desk like a shrimp, you will lay down muscle to support you there.

If you are always operating from an upregulated nervous system, your body will try to adjust its physiology so that this becomes the new homeostasis.

If you spend your life practicing negative thoughts, this will become your default setting.

This means that you will develop into wherever you spend the longest time - irrespective of what you *think* you are working on.

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"Tell me 3 things you love about your horse"

I was working with a lovely lady, who cares very deeply about her horse and was diligently helping him to feel better in his body. And yet every session started with all of the ways in which he still wasn't quite right, or was doing things she didn't want him to do.

Frustration was radiating from her body.

She looked at me, a little derailed by my question.

"Do you want me to tell you 3 things I love about your horse?"

She nodded

"I love the black tips on his ears. And the way the markings on his muzzle look like a love heart. And the way his black stockings make him look really classy"

And then she got excited and told me all the things she loved about him... as he stood there yawning, licking and chewing, releasing the tension in his neck.

And as her energy changed towards him, his energy changed towards her -

And in that session he moved like a totally different horse, flowing in a way that we had never seen before.

The exercises were the same, though the output was totally different.

-

My initial training taught me about targetting the musculoskeletal system and that, if you repeat the exercise enough, with an appropriate amount of progressive loading, you develop the body.

And this isn't wrong at all.

But I subsequently learned that the emotional and nervous systems run the show.

We can do all the right moves, but if the nervous system and emotional association to the work aren't in alignment then you will be perpetually putting a stick in your bicycle spokes.

This provokes topics for discussion -

How do you show up to your horse? They can feel that energy and it has an effect on how safe they feel.

If your horse does not feel safe, the quality of their movement will be compromised. And let me tell you that their own personal safety is their opinion based upon their perceptions - not yours.

Though we do need to give them coping strategies to feel safe in a chaotic human world.

What does your horse perceive of the work? The exercise might be appropriate for their muscles but if the emotional association is poor, the output will be too.

Whilst the body may benefit, if their amygdala-hippocampus relay is perpetually assigning the work with negative emotions, its never going to feel nice to them.

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📸 before & after of stripping the tension out of this guy's neck by helping him to find safety in some very simple movement patterns combined with very gentle upper cervical mobilisations ❤️

10/25/2024

When we dismiss behavior because "mares are like that", we risk ignoring underlying issues affecting our horses.

Something I've noticed about my own mare is that when she displays the certain "mareish" behavior some people might disregard as normal, it's a sign she's uncomfortable.

In the past, I kept my mare like many other people keep their horses - inside a stall, with limited turnout, and fed in brief infrequent meals. As I transitioned to providing my mare with a more species appropriate lifestyle (abundant turnout, other horses for companionship, slow fed forage) I noticed a big difference in her behavior. Resolving underlying discomfort related to hoof pain played a role as well.

Over the years I've worked for many stables, some of which kept horses in box stalls for the majority of their time. Mares were automatically put on Regumate for "preventative reasons" and treated more harshly than geldings to prevent obstinate behavior. When people around me would joke about "mare face", what I saw were horses whose stress signals and pain were ignored.

Stereotyping mares harms their welfare. We can help promote wellbeing in mares by taking their behavior seriously - by providing them with a supportive lifestyle - and by pushing back when our fellow equestrians dismiss behavior and use sexist language. We should monitor our own words as well; would you say it about a female friend? If not, don't say it about your horse.

Treating mares with empathy and compassion will result in more mares who are happy and healthy. More happy and healthy mares will result in less stereotyping and could help reduce the industry-wide preference for geldings.

Mares and geldings may have different hormones and some small differences in behavior, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss mares when they're expressing that something may be wrong.

09/17/2024

I have some updates to share with you all ⬇️

R+ LESSONS/TRAINING
As of this month, my schedule is full and I am not accepting new clients for lessons and R+ training for the fall/winter. I have updated my website to reflect that there is no availability for new lesson clients at this time.

BEHAVIOR CONSULTING
I will continue to take new clients on a limited basis for behavior consulting cases. I offer in person and remote consulting services for resolving problem behaviors. Prospective clients can contact me to see if I have availability for their specific situation.

Related, I am working on developing a course focused on a trauma-informed approach to resolving problem behaviors in horses. My dream is to offer this as an on-demand course owners can take to improve their horse's welfare and their relationship with them. I hope to support more people than I can with consulting services through this offering.

PERSONAL CHANGES/TIME OFF
It's no secret that at this time, running a profitable equine-based business is more challenging than ever. For this reason, Bold Horse Behavior LLC is my passion but currently not the sole source of my income. I've decided to take October off from lessons/consulting to focus on a new position I recently accepted, and adjust to the change it will make to my schedule. I appreciate my clients' flexibility and understanding at this time - as well as your enthusiasm for this exciting development for me.

With change in the air, I am reassessing a lot of things - like the role of social media in my business and my life, what learning opportunities in animal behavior I want to explore next. I've been dipping my toes into cat behavior consulting and excited about where that may lead as well. I adore those who have guessed as much and already have sent me inquiries about cat behavior or expressed support.

Thank you all for being here 🙌🏼

09/17/2024

Apologies for the lack of activity on this page recently. I write posts when I feel inspired, and lately I've been in a period of rest, recuperate, recharge. Alula moved fields at our barn the other day and has also been enjoying a little time off.

I will be back on soon to make some announcements for the winter.

09/12/2024

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

You cannot train your way out of a behaviour issue . This is completely different to teaching a healthy animal a new skill set. If we want animals to learn well then all of the below need to be in place prior to training and then you may not even need to train. Obedience and training do not fix everything .

Punishment certainly does not . The risk of fall-out is huge. Learning theory has its limitations . What you can do instead in no particular order

🐴🐶 Ensure their species specific needs are met .

🐴🐶 Ensure their individual needs are met.

🐴🐶 Meet their emotional needs and ensure they have good relationships with other animals and humans. This can take a fair bit of time depending on the individual .

🐴🐶 Ensure they are physically healthy or that pain and disease are identified and well managed.

🐴🐶 Ensure their diet meets their species and individual needs.

🐴🐶 Recognise an individual who is struggling whether that is with fear, anxiety, frustration or another emotion that what they need is support not simply to have their behaviour made more acceptable .

🐴🐶 Your own fears and anxieties are not the sole contributors to your animal’s emotional reactions. Behaviour is complex and multufactorial. You are doing your absolute best.

🐴🐶 Seek support for yourself . Your experience is as valid as that of your animal.

I will put references in later

©️ Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service