Understanding a horse’s self-preservation instincts is a key part of the horsemanship journey. Reactive responses, such as anxiety in the trailer, pawing when tied up, fighting the bridle, or bucking, are each an extension of a horse’s natural survival instincts. When a horse demonstrates these reactive tendencies, the goal is to turn these trigger points into safe spaces.

On this episode, I am discussing a few examples of how to reduce your horse’s anxious tendencies by using the release to your advantage. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podcast.