Location: Leslie Nichols Relaxation Program

Discussion: Relaxing horsesReported This is a featured thread

Category: Discussion Forum / General Discussion
Showing 8 posts
LNH
LNH
Relaxing horses
Jul 2 2008, 2:24 PM EDT | Post edited: Jul 2 2008, 2:24 PM EDT
Without a doubt, the most incredible work that I do with people and their horses is to help everyone relax. The relaxation work came out of my work several years ago with a handful of VERY challenging (dangerous!) horses. Now it is the staple of all that I do.

Let's get the conversations started about how to relax horses, why we want them relaxed, the challenges that you may have relaxing when you are with your horse, what you've experienced and more! 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
Keyword tags: None

ibaa@fastq.com
1. RE: Relaxing horses
Jul 30 2008, 4:30 PM EDT | Post edited: Jul 30 2008, 4:30 PM EDT
"Without a doubt, the most incredible work that I do with people and their horses is to help everyone relax. The relaxation work came out of my work several years ago with a handful of VERY challenging (dangerous!) horses. Now it is the staple of all that I do.

Let's get the conversations started about how to relax horses, why we want them relaxed, the challenges that you may have relaxing when you are with your horse, what you've experienced and more!"
I agree that relaxing horses is so critical. It helps them to be able to 'think' and have more confidence in what they do. I've found my horses perform best in shows when (after a short warm up), I just focus on relaxing them and massaging them. By the time their class comes up they are not stressed and anxious and tired, they are relaxed and happy and and little pockets of brace in their body seem to melt away. I do have one problem you may be able to help me with, though. I gelded my stallion at age 10. He is now 13. He has had a mild case of stallion self-mutiliation syndrom his entire life, which is one of the reasons I gelded him. He's a great performer except for how bracy he gets in the hind end, which I firmly believe is due to the syndrom (which did not fully go away after gelding). The brace actually travels throughout his body all the way into his mouth. It's very difficult for him to disengage his hind end or do flying lead changes and if I push him harder, he starts to melt down mentally. I'm now rubbing and massaging his whole body with special attention to his flank area. When I began, he had such a hard time dealing with it he would look around and let me know he could bite me, then he would grind his teeth and start to paw the ground. I've been spending time rubbing him daily and have seen great improvements, but I'm not sure I'm actually DOING it correctly. Any advice on specific methods to help him learn to relax in his flank area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Do you find this valuable?    
LNH
LNH
2. RE: Relaxing horses
Jul 30 2008, 6:21 PM EDT | Post edited: Jul 30 2008, 6:21 PM EDT
Thank you for your reply to my thread. If you know of anyone who'd like to "listen in" on our conversation or join in, please forward this thread to them.

Now, onto your gelding. When a horse is bracing through his entire body, the hindquarters lose their elasticity and the ability to move laterally (Think 2 X 4). Begin with muzzle and massage this area to release tension and then work on the jaw (I have an article written on that in the list of articles on this page.) Work on the jaw A LOT, days even weeks until it is feeling like a rubber band in your hands. From here you are going to lower your horse's head and do the following: With the head down & jaw released laterally, ask your horse to yield his shoulder away from you (we're on the ground at this time), see the photo of me with the beautiful gray thoroughbred on this same page. When he can do this maneuver softly with this head lower and lower (this could take weeks.... sorry!), then you will add the hip over, but this time, your horse will be in a long and low frame which rounds his back which allows his hips to move under freely. Do 1-step over then walk off, do not ask for repeated steps as this will cause him to brace. Think slow & sloppy. Now, here's where patience really comes in (like you haven't been so far), you must spend weeks loosening up the hips, treat them like the stiff muscles that they are. You can do these exercises under saddle only after he is getting very soft in your hands otherwise he'll revert back to his brace-y ole self.

Let me know how this works out for you!!

Leslie Do you find this valuable?    

ibaa@fastq.com
3. RE: Relaxing horses
Jul 30 2008, 10:13 PM EDT | Post edited: Jul 30 2008, 10:13 PM EDT
Thank you Leslie, I will follow your recommendations. I appreciate the advice. You are spot on with this horse. Years ago I spent months working on the brace that started in his face and jaw. He got better, but I didn't follow up with it as often as I should have to keep him pliable, so the brace is back in his face and jaw, albeit not to the extent it was when I started. I intent on following your advice, but I was curious if there is anything I would do differently because of the syndrom that plagues him. He can stay pretty relaxed in the jaw, face, head and neck area and give to me freely without worry when I spend some time in those areas, but soon as I either massage his flanks or administer any cues that involve the hind end, his entire body turns into a 2x4 and he mentally starts to fall apart. So along with following your advice starting with the jaw, I wanted to ensure that when I get to the flanks I'm not making any mistakes. If I should continue to massage that area to desensitize it I want to ensure i administer the massage properly.If Do you think I should add anything to the routine for this part of his body? I don't want unintentionally make the situation worse. He's very 'left brain' about most things, calm and rational, but move into that zone 3 and he turns into a 'right brained introvert' where emotionally he crumbles and his brain shuts down. I've had a few stallions, but he's the first with this syndrom and apparantly it's going to be a life long struggle for my poor sweet boy. Do you find this valuable?    
LNH
LNH
4. RE: Relaxing horses
Jul 30 2008, 11:49 PM EDT | Post edited: Jul 30 2008, 11:49 PM EDT
For now don't massage his hindquarters- when you can cause him to lower his head, release his jaw, round his back a bit, then ask for the hip over, you will be hands off. When I work horses on the Yoga for horses exercises (that's what these are called), I set up several poles 4-5 feet apart to create several corriders, I ask the horse to release his jaw and bend his neck around when we do a "U" turn out of one corrider and into another (doesn't have to be the one right next to it, you can skip a corrider on really long horses), when they get this idea, then I ask for the same "U" turn, this time moving the hips over. I do this to add purpose to the bending and suppling. Your guy might benefit from ANYTHNG that gets his mind off of what you are actually asking him to do. Also, when his "long and low" is really good, gently back him in a circle (assuming he backs easily on-line backing up can cause a brace in any horse), When you back him in a circle, you can ask for either of his back legs to "lead" the circle- but slow and fluid is the key because you are trying to increase flexibility not create tension. I don't do this backing up with all horses, they must be VERY relaxed for this to have benefit... but it could help your guy.

Please note that my relaxation work takes weeks and week to really supple the body... if you rush things, you will get the opposite of what you are looking for.

Good luck!

Leslie Do you find this valuable?    

ibaa@fastq.com
5. RE: Relaxing horses
Aug 2 2008, 12:22 AM EDT | Post edited: Aug 2 2008, 12:22 AM EDT
Thanks Leslie,
I've gone back to step one and am massaging his face and jaw, it's so hard for him. One thing I did not ask you was the massage technique I should use. I've just been doing circular movements. I would starve as a massage therapist so I'm not sure, but guessing that the type of massage is important as well. I could probably use some one-on-one with you for the technique. Are you, by chance, in Arizona?
Thanks!
 Do you find this valuable?    
LNH
LNH
6. RE: Relaxing horses
Aug 2 2008, 10:13 AM EDT | Post edited: Aug 2 2008, 10:13 AM EDT
Yes I am in Arizona, Phoenix. Where are you? I'm scheduling Relaxation Clinics for September & October, maybe there will be on near you.

When I massage the muzzle, the emphasis on releasing tension. There are 2 things that I do- I put my hands on both sides of their muzzle, just on top of their muzzle and rub this area gently in circles. Then I put my fingers in the corners of their mouth, one or both sides, until they start to "lick and chew." Then I remove my fingers. For a few seconds, their entire mouth & muzzle area will relax. Let this happen, and when he tenses up again, do this again. Later on when you work on his jaw (see my article on this subject), the fingers in his mouth will do wonders for releasing the tension in his jaw.

Let me know where you live.

Leslie Do you find this valuable?    

ibaa@fastq.com
7. RE: Relaxing horses
Aug 2 2008, 1:25 PM EDT | Post edited: Aug 2 2008, 1:25 PM EDT
Thanks Leslie,
I'm happily surprised to learn I may be doing this mostly correctly. At this time, he won't lick and chew, he grinds and chomps and sticks his tongue out the side of his mouth and chews on it. I think that is a form of brace. He lets me flex and lower his head, but his brace is deep inside.

I'm in far East Mesa by Apache Junction. I'd love it if you'd be in this area some time. I could probably even get a core group of people together for a clinic if you let me know the minimum number of folks you need. Also, let me know if you do 1/1. My e-mail address is 'ibaa@fastq.com'.
Thanks again, Leslie,
-Sue Do you find this valuable?