Light and Energy

 

The second lesson from Eason wasn't a new lesson at all, but a confirmation of what I had done for years. Thanks to Wendee Walker I had a name for it: Reiki energy.

 

We were in the round pen, and she was anxious. The gardeners were pruning the bushes and dumping the prunings on a long-bed open trailer. To make more room for new prunings, they were climbing on the trailer and bounding up and down, half hidden by bushes, but loud and flashy. Eason was concerned and had left her scent exploration tarp to stare fixedly in the direction of the half-hidden trailer. I stood at the far end of the round pen and consciously breathed deeply into the depths of my center. I imagined that breath as calming energy, centered like a ball within me, growing and growing. As I breathed out, I imagined my light-filled energy surrounding Eason and calming her.

 

And Eason took a breath, walked back to stand beside me for a moment, and then went to the tarp and started exploring.

 

I've never been known as a patient person. My daughter's father always said, "Patience is not in the Irish dictionary." But I've always been patient with horses, and that patience has paid off. I watch. I listen. And I breathe. Horses like that. Before I learned about Reiki, I knew that my energy could sometimes calm horses, could help them relieve tension, but I didn't know how it was happening, or why. Now I know. Thank you, Wendee!

 

The pictures are from Eason wandering about grazing on the weeds afterwards, and I'll be sharing video of what I observed in that moment in my next post. I challenge you to notice what you see from those images. What stands out? Can you see what I see?

 

 

Scent Exploration vs. Scent Tracking (Response to Wendee re Scentwork)

 

I've not started the actual tracking, although I did order the scentbag and it's ready for use. From my reading, size of property isn't a huge deal (to begin with, anyway,) because you start with laying really short "trails," 30cms on the first one, for example. You can bury the bag in arena sand, so for the first trails I plan to use the arena. You start with straight lines, then add curves as you add distance.

 

Horses take a longer time to switch from visual tracking to scent than dogs, so I think you have to spend the time to help them with that. My sense is that the scent exploration work I do on the tarps to start with helps them switch. At first horses don't know they can find treats inside things. They will seek out the visual treats. Once they switch to using their noses, they will knock over cones, open bags, shake water bottles to dump out pellets. It allows them to control the environment, problem solve, and have fun.

With Lily, I would take her out on little trails and let her lead the way. I have a "your turn/my turn" signal, and with Lily (who is naturally cautious), it helped her a lot with learning to be curious and brave.

 

Eason has a lot of levels of anxiety, so we are doing tarp exploration at the edge of orange zones right now. She's ready to move into a new spot, one that was a definite red zone before.

 

If you're interested, here's a video of a sequence I did to get her more comfortable with being in new places with a lot of activity going on. The arena and round pen were red zones for her when she first got to the farm. The pasture was a green zone, which is why I started there. I then moved to the part of the arena that was closer to the barn (edge of orange zone), and then moved up to the scarier parts (used to be red zone). When we got access to the round pen (red zone), it had become an orange zone and she was able to relax there, so the clip is a few days ago. I've had her just over two weeks, so the change has happened in the space of two weeks. 

 

The scent exploration has made a huge difference to Eason's levels of anxiety and I plan to start tracking with her for fun, but I don't have any practical experience with it yet.

https://youtu.be/nNIB8bcTv_4

Breathe. Wait. Observe: The Value of Patience

 

1. Breathe. Wait. Observe.

I went to get her from her pen and when she saw me she walked away from me. Usually horses wait for me, or if they're at a distance, they head my way. When Sadonis was feeling good, he used to spin and gallop to me (unless it was hot and he was feeling lazy or he was in pain, and then he trotted or walked). Yet there was Eason, heading for the far end of the pen. I felt that nerve-jangling sense of rejection, a momentary sadness. And then I breathed. And I waited. And I watched her stand in her bathroom area and relieve herself.

She's a tidy mare. She has declared the far end of her pen the bathroom. It's as far away from her food (and the gate to the run in) as she can make it. No pooping or peeing on hay for this girl.

When she was done, she headed my way and dropped her head so I could put the head collar on.

There was a time I would have headed after her, irritated that she was making me "chase" her. Now I wait. I've spent years deliberately observing rather than assuming, and every time I take the time to watch, I've learned.

Grateful for the powers of observation.

2..... to be continued.

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Scentwork for the Win: How it Started and Eason's Journey

 The more I read, the more sure I am of the immense value of scentwork to horses. Eason has been a wonderful teacher to me as I seek out ways to help her find comfort when she worries.

I've added a couple of videos here for those interested in our journey.

The first is a general one with some background information on scentwork. It shows the horse who started it all (thank you, Val!) as well as tells the story of Kevlar, a young horse who's not yet comfortable with tarps and who is beginning to explore on his own. It ends with the inimitable Sam, my scentwork guinea pig (thank you, Ellen!) who loves to topple cones and upend buckets as he seeks out his favorite goodies.

The second one is a video of Eason as she progresses from the first day she arrived, when she had a panic attack out in the Shadow Rose "outnabout" (an area of little trails behind the dressage arena), to recently, where she showed some significant self-management in the round pen as gardeners pruned in the background and even leapt up and down to compact cut shrubbery on a big trailer to the side.

Also, I apologize for my awful video editing skills. 😬 I'm working on figuring out iMovie.

 

Eason's Journey: First Few Days

The day after Sadonis passed, Jamie, a woman I had met at a clinic a few months earlier, messaged me and asked if I wanted to care lease her mare, Eason. A few days later, I drove to visit Eason. She was a small, sweet mare, a TB of 15.1 hands or so, with some obvious physical issues. Her feet were a mess because she'd had a bad trim job from a new farrier -- something Jamie felt terrible about. Getting good farrier and veterinary care is one of the challenges of living in rural areas, and Eason's feet were a mess as a result of the bad trim. She twisted her left hock in particular when she walked, had a big hay belly and no topline, and showed anxiety about being touched, especially near her hind end. She also carried her tail somewhat clamped. But she had a kind energy and I don't have a dedicated horse of my own, so after a trip to California I returned for a second visit and decided that I would bring Eason home and see if I could a) learn from her and b) help her.

Jamie explained that Eason doesn't like her mane pulled, is fearful of touch on the withers and has a somewhat reactive personality, though she is often brave in surprising ways. Despite her anxiety and that fact she had never been in a straight load trailer, the little mare led to the trailer, went in with just a few small questions, and hauled back to Shadow Rose farm calmly to unload without drama. She went into her pen without anxiety or pacing, at a good dinner, and seemed remarkably calm as shown in this first day picture. As soon as she defecated, I took a sample to send in for a fecal, something I do for all "my" horses. I don't want to worm horses with chemicals if they don't need them.

The following day, I decided to take her out for a walk in the "outnabout," a tiny trail area behind the dressage arena. She was calm till the neighbor's dog started barking, then froze, her head giraffe-high and her heart beating so hard it shook her entire refined frame. In that moment, I remembered Jamie had warned me she might have issues with dogs: "I don't know what she'll do around dog" she had let me know.

When Eason's shoulders started shaking, I realized the intensity of her anxiety, so we walked back to her pasture and I put her out. I decided to try a little scentwork, so I brought out a tarp, anchored it with two blocks and scattered some treats on it. She showed no fear of the tarp and ate the treats unperturbed.

Later that afternoon, I brought her into her run in and attempted grooming her. I already knew she had anxiety about being touched and that she had a skin condition I would need to care for, so I used clicker training to help her stay calm as I groomed her and picked out her feet. Given that she had a history with farriers and didn't like her feet picked up, I was pleased at how quickly she accepted me lifting her legs and picking out her hooves. As I suspected, she had a bad case of deep sulcus thrush, especially on the right front. I dressed it, then worked on her giving me her hind legs without snatching or threatening to kick. 

When I went to brush her mane, she threw her head in the air and ran backwards, so I spent a few minutes clicker training her till she allowed me to run the brush through a small section of her mane exactly twice, using the flat back of the brush, then click treating a few times before I turned the brush over to lightly brush out the bottom of her mane followed by a click-treat.

Then next day, I moved the tarp onto the trailer ramp, threw treats on it, then let her explore the treats and go into the trailer and back off in her own time. She did well, and offered to go fully into the trailer and stand quietly--definitely a win.

Later that day I tried scentwork in the arena, but the distractions were too much for Eason. The "horse in the mirror" was terrifying, the neighbor's horse, half hidden by a fence, kept rustling around, and the unfamiliar sights and scents kept her on high alert. While she had no fear of the tarp or the items on it, she struggled to focus on finding the treats. After a few minutes, I brought her back to her pen where I groomed her and dressed her feet using clicker training again.

Day three I brought her into the barn. Stephanie had her young horse in the cross ties for a PEMF treatment, so I soft-tied Eason to the stall door and worked on her feet, grooming her, getting her calmer about having her mane brushed (this time she allowed me to brush it all lightly as well as spray her tail with a soothing spray to ease the itching she felt there). She was less twitchy when I touched her on the hind end, and I was able to cut a bridle path behind her ears.

Afterwards, I took her out to the arena, and this time she was able to accept the horse in the mirror and do some light TRT work without escalating her anxiety level. I called that a win and put her out in the pasture for the afternoon.

Clearly she's going to need a lot of work to fix her physical issues and to release whatever emotions she has going. This will be a journey of patient and careful experimentation, but at her core, she's a sweet mare who wants to please. Whether her current physical challenges will allow her to be a riding mare, I don't know, but I'm up for the challenge to see if I can get her there.

For the record, here is a list of the issues I'm working on:

• Feet: All four are different shapes. She has mild high/low in front and deep sulcus thrush especially on the right fore. Her anxiety about having her feet picked up points to a pain issue elsewhere. I've contacted Mike to see if he can fit her in before Aug. 1.
  
• Neck: It clicks when she turns it. Her anxiety about being touched on the withers and having her mane brushed indicates potential pain in the neck.
• Right knee: Mild swelling.
• Lumbar spine: No topline and slight roaching in the back.
• Abdomen: Significant belly (the fecal was negative for worms).
• Hocks: Twisting of the hind legs, especially the left.
• Tail: Anxiety about touch, as well as itchiness. Tends to carry it a bit clamped.
  
• Ovaries: She went into instant heat when she met the other horses. There's an indication she might have ovary issues. Jamie said she had her on Regumate for three months. 
  
• Emotional: Anxiety about changes, being away from the other horses, new experiences. Can go from 0-60 in a second when she sees a trigger.
• Nutrition: Needs to avoid soy. I've ordered the Vermont blend for her. I need to find soy-free horse treats for her. I've also added raspberry leaves to see if that helps with the ovaries.
• Potential ulcers or hind end tension: She has the "ulcer line," worse on the left.
   

Scentwork with Horses

Scentwork provides multiple benefits for horses. Horses have the same number of scent receptors as the average dog, and thus being able to smell their environment is important to them. Since the olfactory nerve goes directly to the limbic system -- the seat of emotion and memory -- activating the sense of smell can help evoke positive memories or defuse negative ones and moderate emotions. Rachael Draaisma, author of Scentwork for Horses, suggests one way to use scent to help horses emotionally is to provide the vet with a small towel to leave at the clinic for a few days, then put that towel within smelling distance of the horse's living quarters. If he ever has to visit the clinic, he will already be familiar with the scent, so the experience will be less nerve-wracking for him.

 An easy exercise for young or worried horses is to teach them to play with objects on a tarp. With my friend's horse, Kevlar, the first day I introduced him to the scent games (which sadly I didn't video) I put treats on the very edges of the tarp because the tarp worried him. Since he was free in the round pen and I wanted him to figure out the treats himself, I didn't direct him in any way. He could see and smell the treats on the tarp and wanted his owner and me to get them for him, whereas I wanted him to learn to manage his own emotions rather than relying on us, so we moved out of sight. At first he got emotional, but soon he realized he needed to solve the puzzle himself. After a bit, he was willing to reach from a distance to grab the cookies from the edge. 

The second day, as soon as he saw the tarp in the round pen, he was eager to get to it. This video shows him going right to the cookies and reaching further over the tarp to get ones placed further in. He scared himself at one point, but after thinking about it went back for more, demonstrating that he was already learning to manage his emotions without help.

I didn't get a chance to work with Kevlar again on the scent work since he belongs to my friend who is out of state, but Sam's video shows what scent work can lead to after a few sessions. In this case, Sam is familiar with searching for treats that have been hidden. He can shake out towels, knock over buckets and cones, push aside blocks, unfold bags, shake pellets out from water bottles and so on. I love this video because he is so systematic and thoughtful (though I've sped it up a bit for your viewing pleasure), and because when he's done unfolding the bag and finding the treat, he very deliberately tosses it to the side. 

Rachael Draaisma notes a long list of benefits to scentwork when done on average twice a week:

• A decrease in fear and aggression responses with regard to known stimuli
• A decrease in fear and aggression responses with regard to new stimuli
• A decrease in impulsivity
• A decrease in overreactions and tension
• A decrease in frustration (which had been caused by not being able to execute natural seeking behavior)
• A decrease in boredom
• A decrease in the development of chronically elevated stress levels
• A decrease in the chance of developing "shutdowns," learned helplessness, depression and lethargy
• An increase in impulse control
• An increase in the amount of time in which a horse can concentrate
• An increase in problem-solving ability, or an increase in displaying problem-solving ability
• An increase in generalization. If he understands a logical concept, he can link comparable concepts to it. A horse who generalizes and is used to a long-haired black dog will more easily become accustomed to a short-haired gray dog because he is familiar with the dog concept. A horse who does not generalize has to get used to the short-haired gray dog all over again.
• An increase in long-term memory capacity
• An increase in happiness and joy in life
• An increase of calm in the horse's behavior and nature
• A healthy immune system and a lower chance of developing stress-related ailments
• Better body control
• An increase in seeking out and maintaining social relationships
• An increase in engagement with the rider and/or handler. It improves the relationship between horse and human from the horse's perspective
• An increase in comfort with regard to the presence of other poeple
• An increase in willingness when it comes to the tasks people ask him to perform because of the development of reciprocity 

(List taken from Scentwork for Horses by Rachael Draaisma) 

Currently I'm working with a little Thoroughbred mare with significant anxiety. After I got her home and realized the depth of her worry, I decided scentwork would be a great way to help her relax. I'll track her progress in the blog. Here's video of her in her paddock, doing her first scentwork on a tarp in a place that's familiar and comfortable for her.

I love teaching owners and horses how to use scent work to enrich their horse's daily lives, and to develop deeper bonds with one another. Contact me if you want to explore a wonderful way to connect with your equine partner.

Welcome to Balanced Equine Energy with Shannon

 

Welcome to Balanced Equine Energy with Shannon. I combine bodywork, energy work, movement integration, affirmative training and scent work to help your horses feel their best. My approach is multidimensional and individualized to each horse.

I started riding in Ireland at the age of eight and earned my B rating in the Bray Hunt Pony Club. Over the years I’ve been with and without my own horses, but my passion to learn with and from them has never abated. I’m horse-centered and love to help our equine friends develop comfort in their skin and find a deeper connection with their human partners.

I’ve earned my foundation massage certification from the Northwest School of Animal Massage and am working on my licensing for Washington State. I’ve worked with affirmative training for both dogs and horses for seven years, studying with Susan Signor of Dog Dilemma in Yakima. Susan opened my eyes to the power of clicker training in dogs, and helped me transfer my skills to horses, including introducing me to Karen Pryor’s work with dogs and Alexandra Kurland’s with horses.

As I practiced bodywork on horses, I noticed two things:

First, horses have huge energy fields. They can sense us in ways most people cannot sense them, and we can connect with them to release muscle tension and stress both hands on and hands off. This can allow us to access the body in a gentle way that avoids the brace reflex and encourages horses to integrate what they are learning about their muscles and posture.

Second, once tension has been released, many horses drop their noses to the ground and start a sniff-fest with the same enthusiasm as your canine partner checks out p-mail on the local fire hydrant.

Recent research, as shared in Rachael Draaisma’s wonderful book, Scent Work with Horses, reveals the reason. I now incorporate scentwork into sessions as horses request it.

My sessions with your equine partner will combine the old and the new, feel and science, touch and energy, and it will allow the horses to have a voice, to tap into their often unrecognized primal needs so they can find a sense of peace in our demanding human world. Body and mind are interconnected. Horses need to be in their parasympathetic nervous systems in order to learn, and they need to move in order to integrate the changes wrought by body and energy work. Bodywork helps horses tune into their often ignored need to smell the world around them. Scent exploration and tracking ignites horses’ curiosity and play drive, resets their posture and movement, and thus integrates bodywork at a deeper level. By combining modalities based on the horse’s needs, I can help them not only physically but emotionally. In the process, I can provide you with tools to help deepen your relationship with your horse.