HFH Blog 1: The stressed human and the stressed horse
At Horses For Hope, we have the privilege of learning to understand and work with both humans and horses who have experienced trouble, trauma and challenges in their lives.
Often these horses who have experienced the world as unsafe are the horses that people might label naughty, bossy, nasty or dangerous – and it is these labels that people assume are not only correct, but also deeply embedded traits of that particular horse that are fixed and unchangeable.
For those who have experienced early difficulties in life, challenges in their family of origin or adverse experiences that leave them distrustful of people, it is common to develop defense mechanisms. These behavioural adaptations help people feel safe in the world; however these behaviours can become unhelpful in the long run and end up becoming the dominant story about who we think we are.
We know how damaging these labels can be for humans.
The behaviour is not necessarily a true reflection of who that person really is underneath all that conditioning. It is the same with horses.
Like humans, horses have a nervous system that moves them from a survival state (fight, flight, flee & freeze) to a restful and calm state (rest and digest) depending on their environment. This nervous system has kept horses and humans alive for thousands of years.
We are not so dissimilar in many ways:
Some ways to notice when a horse is stressed
Hypervigilance
Struggling to be still in the body
Tension around the mouth, eyes and neck
Easily startled
Some ways to notice if a human is stressed
Hypervigilance
Struggling to be still in the body
Tension in face, shoulders, and jaw
Easily upset
Shallow breathing
Ways humans and horse can co-regulate their nervous systems and calm the survival response:
Breathing: Taking deep, slow breaths that are equal in length of inhale and exhale (eg: 4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale).
Grounding: Actively relaxing our shoulders, neck, and body – dropping our energy and eyes down towards the ground.
Body awareness: Moving slowly but deliberately around the horse, like you are moving in slow motion with awareness and steadiness.
Listening to the horse: When the horse lifts its head (hypervigilance) take a step back from the horse, give it some space and take a very deep breath and relax your entire body. The horse will know you’ve seen their concerns and you are listening to them.
Ways horses let us know they have moved from survival (fight, flight, freeze) to restful and calm:
The horse lets out a big sigh or a snorts.
They lick and chew with their mouth (when the nervous system moves from one state to another, a signal in the horse’s brain is connected to their jaw, which releases their stored survival energy).
Yawning, stretching, and having a shake of their whole body.
Hanging their head nice and low (no need to look around anymore!), with relaxed eyes.
The aim of every session we do is for both participant and horse to move from any feelings of tension or concern, to feeling open, relaxed, calm, and focused. The end of each session sees both human and horse co-regulated and attuned to one another, settled in the present moment and in a gentle state of mind. Next blog will focus on how we link the experiences in the horse yard to the therapeutic process we use in our discussions before and after horse work.
Stay grounded,
The Horses For Hope team
