HORSES THAT DON’T LIKE MEN by Don Jessop
To be clear, this horse, in this picture, at this time, is afraid of everyone, not just men. But I thought the picture fitting.
Have you ever heard someone say, “My horse doesn’t like men.” or “My horse is afraid of men?”
The truth is horses aren’t afraid of just men. But they can be afraid of masculine energy. Masculine energy has a tendency to push in and drive too fast, which seems more predatory. Horses like passive energy. It makes them feel safer. But that doesn’t mean, as the horse owner, that you should avoid the firmer types of energy with your horse. Because in reality, horses can be afraid of farriers and vets too and they often project more masculine energy. You can’t always avoid those guys.
If you have personally ever said… “my horse hates men.” It’s time to teach your horse to be okay with men. Don’t avoid your horse’s problems like some people who never allow masculine energy anywhere near their horse. Instead, Engage with your horse in a process to help them. You can’t and shouldn’t always try to fix the people that show up or avoid those people’s problems altogether.
In the early stages of training with a new horse, when a new person shows up at my barn, I ask them to show a slower, more passive energy, but within a few sessions, I invite them to show more excited or assertive energy to test the horse’s ability to cope. If the horse can’t cope, then we know a training program must be written to train the horse to cope with other types of energy. The horse won’t learn if they never get exposure.
If the exposure you give is coordinated and planned, the horse’s experience can be one of learning rather than pain or fear. The bottom line is… don’t avoid the problem. Address it.
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