 Bravo showing his concern of being in his new environment. His new owner Christina is explaining to me how she wishes I could help Bravo and her to make him more comfortable in his new environment. I recently got a promotional email from Warwick Schiller containing an article about desensitizing horses called A Polyvagle View of Desensitising. (Horse Deals magazine in May 2022.) www.horsedeals.com.au/news/a-polyvagal-view-on-desensitising-with-warwick-schiller The article was a great description of the mammalian autonomic nervous system, how it functions, and what happens to it in horses during an evolution of approaches to desensitizing them. The first approach is the old-school way of snubbing them down and sacking them out, which causes them to switch on their sympathetic nervous system response and freeze because they can not flee or fight. This kind of training causes shutdown horses or ones who become problem horses because they can no longer normally regulate their nervous systems. The last example in his article is his most current and refined method, which he sees as noticing the littlest changes in the horse’s expression (eye blinking rate, ear position or head position) as the flag approaches them and then pausing the minimal pressure he has applied with the flag until the horse shows even the tiniest sign of relaxation, he then removes the flag (pressure). While doing this, he holds the horse on a loose lead, allowing it to move if needed. In this case, he feels he keeps a horse well under threshold where they can train their nervous system to be able to regulate the little bit of stress he has created and also stay soft enough in their mind to notice that Warwick is profoundly aware of them and can remove the pressure for them once they have started to relax. The Pressure Box Warwick sees this last method not so much as desensitization but rather as the horse building trust and interest in connecting with him. Warwick is aware of the horse’s concern and has helped him to overcome it by noting his concern and then removing the pressure as soon as the horse has relaxed a tiny bit to the presented pressure. He says the whole demonstration is so subtle people think he’s doing nothing but see that the horse is becoming visibly more relaxed. This last method that Warwick describes is the one he has found works best for him. He describes it as being about the connection, not the desensitization, as a connected horse will tune into you when something scares him. Connection is far better than desensitization. However, even with this effective and refined method of “helping” a horse gain trust and confidence, Warwick is still working in the traditional box of pressure and release when interacting with the horse. Warwick has to create a concern for the horse to react to. He applies pressure with the flag, though very minimal, and the horse responds subtly. Warwick notices immediately, stops the pressure, and the horse begins to relax again; Warwick notices right away and removes the flag (pressure). The Trust Technique: The New No Pressure Box There is, however, another box, a whole new way in which no pressure has to be applied to the horse to deepen the connection, one in which we can offer the horse a down-regulation (lowering) to its nervous system through a form of mindfulness instead of having to apply pressure to create an up-regulation (raising) to then regain a down-regulation. Through the Trust Technique, we can offer horses a sense of calm and then listen to them to understand and become aware of what is bothering them in the moment, thus being able to help them let go of their concerns and find their peace. For example, with the Trust Technique, instead of having to wave a flag to create a worry that we can then help the horse get over, we can work with the horse to help him feel calm by entering a meditative state and then regarding him as he goes through a process of letting go of his worry. We can just be there to be aware of what is genuinely causing him his unpeace and then we can offer him the space to become peaceful. This method creates a true sense of connection and builds a durable bond of trust between the horse and the human. The Trust Technique looks even more like nothing is being done by the practitioner as it often appears the practitioner is just standing by the horse with a big loop in the lead rope. Still, the results are evident, as seen by watching the horse move into a peaceful state. The Trust Technique is built on two main principles. The first is that people and animals share feelings. Second, all mammals’ perception of things and situations is affected by their thinking levels. Thus, if one is in a panicked state, one can not be open to experience, whereas if one is in a calm state, one can be open, curious and capable of learning new things. Since people and animals share feelings, the state of the human mind is also very important in the partnership with animals. The Trust Technique helps people learn to take responsibility for their relationship with their animal, in this case, their horse, by lowering their thinking levels first. Since these feelings are shared, this, in turn, reduces the horse’s thinking levels as well. The Trust Technique is a very effective method of reducing the thinking levels of both the horse and the human to promote trust and confidence not only for the horse but for the human as well. James French and Shelly Slingo founded it. As I have already described, the Trust Technique does not use pressure. It works by lowering the nervous system. It offers tools for doing this. It presents a way to let the horse know you are aware of him. It is a healing tool that can help a horse or any other mammal let go of their genuine stressors. This way offers true mental and physical help for the horse as it meets him where he is and helps him to become peaceful. To learn more about the Trust Technique, here is a link to The Trust Technique website: https://trust-technique.com/product/messages-of-trust/tt/316/. To learn more about me and the Trust Technique services I offer as a practitioner, visit my webpage: www.consideringanimals.com/the-trust-technique.html. For a more in depth article on the Trust Technique follow this link: https://www.consideringanimals.com/saddle-under-the-stars/the-trust-technique-a-simple-and-effective-way-to-build-trust-confidence-and-connection-with-animals.  Here, using the Trust Technique, I am mindfully regarding Bravo and listening to his concern of all the new stimulus in his life.  Later in the same Trust Technique session, Christina has helped Bravo to relax down. If she does this every day for a while Bravo will learn not only that he can feel relaxed in his new environment but also that Christina has helped him to do so, which will strengthen their bond.
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 Working with Bravo and Joy Baker at R.E.I.N. Rescue. Bravo was my last horse before becoming a certified practitioner of the Trust Technique. He was carrying the trauma of bad past experiences, but you could really feel his desire to move beyond them. Big news from me. After four years of researching, on my own, about trauma in horses and studying the Trust Technique for two years, on February 29th, I became a qualified and certified large animal practitioner of the Trust Technique. The Trust Technique allows people and their animals to learn to be mindful. It is a gentle and extremely effective way to work with animals to overcome their fears and anxieties. It can help an animal's well-being both physically and mentally. It is also a great way to teach them new things easily by reducing their thinking levels enough to put them in a curious and learning mind frame. As of this writing, I am the first certified, equine practitioner of the Trust Technique on the East Coast of the USA. I am sure there will be many more soon, as this wonderful method is growing rapidly. I want to thank all the wonderful people and animals who gave me the opportunity to work with them while I was studying. I'd particularly like to uber thank my husband, Bernie Harberts, for filming all the sessions and being so supportive. To find out more about the Trust Technique and my services as an equine practitioner, please visit me at www.consideringanimals.com/the-trust-technique.html  Endearing clients Kona and her mother Silver Bells. Working the Trust Technique with a very young animal is interesting, as there is almost no past experience to present as stress instead there is everything new to process.  Chilling with Will and Duke during a Trust Technique session.  Mr. Jones the horse was my first client. Working with him taught me so much about the benefits of the Trust Technique in helping an animal in physical pain. |
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