For this episode, Maddy talks with West Taylor. West runs Wild West Mustang Ranch in central Utah and has been a Best Horse Practices Summit presenter twice. He has scores of videos on his site as well as on YouTube and Facebook. Check out his 2018 and 2019 presentations in the Best Horse Practices Summit video library. West specializes in work with wild horses and uses what he knows about brain science to optimize the experience for these mustangs, through, essentially, maximizing relaxation, releasing pressure, and – as you will hear – more strategies involving polyvagal theory, something Maddy writes about in her new book, Beasts of Being: Partnerships Unburdened. He said that the three main factors required for better downregulation or engaging the parasympathetic nervous system (which is a way of talking about relaxation) is 1. Feeling safe, 2. Social engagement and 3. Reciprocity. It’s pretty nifty that he’s working on that with horses and we are working on that with the podcast. A very informative session.

It was great to reconnect with West and we think you’ll find what he has to say enlighting and insightful.

We thank Lucerne Farms and Pharm Aloe Equine for their sustaining sponsorship. Lucerne is a forage company based in Northern Maine. Forage is chopped hay. It’s decidedly not grain and has been shown to be an excellent option when you can’t have your horse on pasture. Pharm Aloe offers aloe pellets and gel and other products to support horses’ GI health, immune system, and other processes. They have profiles of the quality of their products here.

We also thank Redmond Equine, Kate’s Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Stay tuned for a review of the new women’s ranch jacket from WorkWear. It is as stylish as you can get for a hard-working horse owner’s layer.