Explosive Horse Was Kicked Out Of Top Dressage Barns 

Yeah… and he was turned out 24/7 once he got to our place so we weren’t taking him straight out of the stall with this. So nice you have gotten positive results too!

I was going to say. Perhaps he didn’t have a proper foundation and was asked to do too much of advanced stuff that he didn’t understand because lack of foundation so that’s why he was high energy and anxious. I think he could benefit with good ground work as well.

@@brookiebb4483 Yes, based on his behavior when he came to us, and how quickly we turned it around it is safe to say he wasn't handled, trained, or managed appropriately in those previous training barns. It was so lucky he finally came to us and found a new way. We did plenty of groundwork, that is just not what this video was about.

I was just going to mention his ears!

The first thing on their training pyramid is actually relaxation. I’m more surprised that this guy had trouble. He must’ve been under some awful trainers.

Thanks so much! I’m glad you found it helpful. It’s what we do! Feel free to check out the website and contact us to see how else we can help. Dressagenaturally.net

Thanks! 😍🤩

Also rode a couple QH's who had been pushed by " trainers " to make them " 90 day wonders " . 😒 Stalled / turned out by my quietest horses , a few days of just hanging out w/ them in the indoor , then started as if never ridden w/ light lunging , then first rides just walk , big loopy turns , stop , dismount . Everything done in " slow motion " w/ lots of soft voice & neck rubs . The reward was to eventually see , hear & feel a big sigh of relief from the horses when they realized someone cared about & understood them . Went on to be calm , sweet western pleasure show horses . 💙

Dressage training scales followed correctly have kept my horse sound and fit for 20 yrs ! now 23 and doing adv medium music so why is dressage cruel, please explain

And I dont use a whip on a horse that need destressing and calming

@@joannecroft5831but you use tight neck flexion most assume?

If you read in the video description we found a ‘forever human’ for him and he is her dream horse. He is so happy with his lovely amateur rider.

it was over more than one session... the video shows progress over a couple weeks 🙂

Did you notice the video at the end where we were riding with the bit? The problem was absolutely not caused by the bit. However many horses don’t like bits which is why I always do bitless during training. Then when the horses is OK we re-introduce it and see what happens. This particular horse was fine with the bit (as you can see). To think this change was only about taking the bit off would be to miss the point. Humans tend to focus on equipment. I strongly doubt that if the previous trainers had merely switched to bitless he would have been perfect. The problem was much deeper than that.

WE, for sure, weren’t blaming the horse. I dont think anything in this video gives the impression that we think it’s the horse’s fault

@@KarenRohlf Title of video: 'Explosive horse..........' That phrase is blaming the horse.

@@gerrycoleman7290 , no, that describes what he did, in the words the previous people used... did you even watch the video?

@@KarenRohlf Attention grabbing title attempt. Implying it is the horse's fault. Typical in the horse world to blame the horse instead of taking personal responsibility.

@@gerrycoleman7290 did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today or are you always this righteously grumpy? The title states the facts. You are in control of your own attention and where you put it. If you don't approve, feel free to keep scrolling. Or perhaps watch the video. It's a happy ending. It might cheer you up.

He is lusitano. Yes his teeth were checked. He had trauma from old training. We needed to do things differently. As a rule i start all my horses bitless anyway, so it is normal for me to take the bit out and eliminate one source of problems. You may enjoy this blog. blog.dressagenaturally.net/69-to-bit-or-not-to-bit

I also wondered if he was Spanish bred. Beautiful horse, they are very smart and learn quick. Great work done in this session.

Remember this is an excerpt of a full video which is still just a fraction of the time spent riding him…. So is not an accurate indication of time spent rising vs sitting across all the time he was ridden. Every horse is different and we found that when he was especially ‘squirrely’ in the beginning stages when sitting we could give more of a consistent stable message which was what we wanted. The reality was he needed more information rather than less. But the question of when to rise and sit is definitely a factor with every horse that must be considered and tested, for sure, to see which works best to help them understand and do what we are aiming for in that moment

he goes great in rope halter, bridle, and this bitless so no need to look further shop.dressagenaturally.net/collections/home-page-featured/products/riding-halter-bitless-bridle

Yes, he became fine in the bridle. The bit was never the problem, but we took it off for a while just to make his experience different than previous.

@@KarenRohlf Thank you! That's fascinating. My mare had a similar episode at the end of last year. We worked through it - using techniques similar to yours, actually - and she's fine now, but I'd love to know what caused it in the first place. It was clearly tension and a feeling of claustrophobia, just as you say, but I've no idea what from.

@@profe3330 it’s difficult at any time with Horses to know exactly what caused things. What is important is where we go from the present moment. That is the only thing Horse cares about anyway :-) most horses are naturally claustrophobic. Some need more help to overcome it.

@@KarenRohlf That makes sense. :) Anyhow, I just subscribed to your channel, and I plan to watch more of your videos. Thank you!

I realize this short video does not tell the whole story… he did get to go through fields etc. however i disagree with ‘emptying the gas tank’ as a general strategy for horses like this. Too much energy is not the problem. fear, confusion, and tension were the problems. As the video showed, when the fear and confusion were dissolved, the energy was positive. Too many people use exhaustion as a training technique. I do agree horses need to be allowed to move freely. Re: bending til the feet stop - i know that technique, a classic NH shut-it-down method… but it was the wrong one for this horse. He didnt need control to stop, he needed to find relaxation thru aids during movement And every horse is different. This was an interesting case hence the video about it. The horse was helped just fine and for years has had an amazing new partner. A total success story.

As you can see in the video we did take it away. Later also as you can see he accepted it and it is used in a refined way. In daily life then it can be used as best for each horse. You may enjoy this in-depth blog on the subject blog.dressagenaturally.net/69-to-bit-or-not-to-bit

The same thing he was eating a week later when going so well. Minus the “calming supplements” the previous owner was throwing at him

@348Tobico Did you watch the video and read the description? This was a success story. Or are you using this video to talk about some other horses?

He’s not afraid of the stick. It’s easy to touch different parts of his body to bring awareness. The first step and using any tools is to make sure the Horse is not afraid of them first.

Did you watch the video to see the results within weeks? Did you read the description of the rest of his story? Do we need to list his whole medical history? Post his joint xrays, dental history, saddle fit? How much extra information would you like?

Yes, exactly. This is what we gave him when he came to us. This is a short video demonstrating a specific technique to change the relationship he has with the aids. Why on earth would you assume that all we did was "work work work" inside an arena, particularly when the majority of even this short video takes place outside an arena, and he obviously became more relaxed. Take a look at the description/information below the video - it was a complete success and a very happy ending. (PS: Also don't assume all horses find trails relaxing).

Such a confident response that misses the whole point. Consider making fewer assumptions and actually watching the video and reading the description.

What makes you think we only worked him? Did you watch the video to see the difference?

Yes his past experiences were hurtful. Thats why he ended up with us. This is not a video about hoof care but since you asked he had shoes when he came and often horses need time to acclimate and heal before being sound barefoot so we didnt rip them off and risk causing him more discomfort. Believe it or not we do think about such things. All my horses are barefoot. This short video does not tell every detail. When you don’t have all the information perhaps trust that we did not do the worst by him and perhaps we made some good decisions. You may enjoy this podcast dressagenaturally.net/podcast-library/ep151-suspending-judgment/

As I write in the video: Our first priority was that felt safe in his environment and felt our attitude of partnership towards him... so to answer your question: Yes, of course... he had time to just hang out and be with us.. but that was not his issue... the issues showed up with riding. (yes, we evaluated him physically, etc etc). the real healing came not from avoiding the riding, but by this nuanced difference in how aids were applied...That is what THIS short video is about.... In my humble opinion, we were quite successful. Without the WHOLE story, try not to assume the worst. ;-)

@@KarenRohlf You're doing a good job. He's lucky to have landed with you.

Higher level, Dressage is not necessarily torture. The key is to monitor each individual no matter what the sport or discipline. I have met plenty of horses who are quite anxious on trail rides. If you watch the video, you will see how much he changed. And if you read the description, he will note that he since found a wonderful amateur rider as his forever human and he is her dream horse so I would say we were successful. Whether or not he goes on to higher levels is up to him

Somebody was pushing him too far, too fast, and with no sympathy. Have been in a competitive dressage barn, and have seen that happen, plus worse. Include unnecessary surgeries as well.

I’ll guess that was a real question… I realize a short video can’t tell the whole story but when he arrived our intention was not to ‘fix’ him but to understand him and see how we can lessen his fears. His problems were human-caused and perhaps we could show him a different way humans could be with him. I have done this with other horses where the answer was to stop riding. This horse quickly relaxed on the ground and riding. He changed very quickly when he understood we wanted him to trust and relax…. But if we never rode him differently he would not know he could that. Of course if this idea hadn’t worked quickly we would have gone to plan B, adapting to what he showed us I’m not sure of your experience with such situations but to make such big changes with just a few rides over a couple weeks is quite dramatic. We found a forever home with a sweet amateur rider and he continued to be relaxed. Not sure if you read that part of the description. If you look at only the beginning of the video i could see how you could choose to make that assumption that he hates being ridden. If you don’t know me and what i do perhaps you could assume i only fix and force horses to do things they hate. OR you could see the end of the video and how relaxed he is… and entertain the idea that i do care about relationships trust and relaxation with horses. You can go to dressagenaturally.net to learn more…. Or not.

If they don't deal with his problems, if someone doesn't address what is bothering him, then there is no future for him. IE it's a fast track downhill, and possibly ending up some day in a slaughterhouse. Horses have to have jobs, and they have to be competent or trainable in those jobs. If not, their future really is at risk.

Yes and… training shouldnt cause it. Training should help them release their fears and gain understanding and build cooperation. That is the whole point of the video.

@@KarenRohlf I agree, I see it all the time :(

Uh huh. *popcorn* 😄 @brucerivers criminal lawyer.

@@susantunbridge4612 I think she was labeling what her comment is.😉