Welcome to the Horsefulness Training podcast. I'm Karine Vandenborre, horse trainer, instructor, and founder of Horsefulness Training. In this episode, you'll discover three simple, yet essential steps to help your horse move from trauma to trust.
Before we dive in, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Karine Vandenborre. I'm a professional horse trainer since 1995. Yes, that's already a very long time because I already started professionally when I was only 18 years old, and since then, I've been into horses every single day of my life. My expertise lies in working with horses in liberty in the most natural way. And this means I don't use treats, tricks, or pressure, but I only work with how horses communicate and interact with each other from nature, with body language, awareness, energy, and freedom. So no round pens, no picaderos, but large open spaces like riding arenas and fields. And I named this work Liberty Connection Work.
I'm known for my work with traumatized horses, with so-called problematic and challenging horses, and I always start with liberty with those horses. So that's how I also start with a severely traumatized horse, a fearful or a defensive horse, because that is the most meaningful way for a horse to communicate and to connect. But I do the same with any other horse because it's a method during which we bond, communicate, and interact in a way that a horse recognizes and understands from nature. And Liberty Connection Work is how we always start, but then, of course, I also train horses in groundwork and connective riding, which is a logical continuation of the foundational work we do in Liberty Connection Work.
I'm also passionate about coaching horsewomen to be the best possible partner and trainer for their horse. Now, enough about me, let's talk about how you can help your horse move from trauma to trust. I know that many of you feel frustrated at times, and maybe your horse seems distant or stressed, and you long for a deeper connection. Or perhaps you have a rescued horse or a traumatized horse, and you think love will heal everything, but the past trauma is still causing problems. Or maybe you have other struggles in the relationship with your horse that leave you feeling unsure, or frustrated, or stressed. And I have good news for you because there is a way forward.
I have worked with many severely traumatized horses, and time and time again, I've seen how they can change and how the way I work with horses works. So I can show you a simple and yet fun way to work with your horse, and above all, a natural way. No treats, no tricks, no pressure. So today, I'm going to share three simple steps that anyone, even if you're a beginner, can start using right away to create a lasting positive change in a connection with your horse. And I can tell you these steps are easy to follow and you will see results.
Okay, so let's dive into the first important step. Many horsewomen don't realize how their own energy, especially nervousness or stress, affects their horse in so many ways. I know most of you know you should be calm. Most of you know that a horse can mirror you. But most of you don't do enough, if we are honest, to work with this. Horses are incredibly sensitive to energy, and even the slightest tension can create discomfort or distance between you. And that is even more so if you are dealing with a traumatized horse or a horse that's anxious, that's stressed, or in another way, out of balance.
So the solution is, and that is the first step, incredibly simple but incredibly powerful, and that is connect with yourself first by connecting with your breath. Because I always say, if you want a strong connection with your horse, you first need to be connected to yourself. And the first thing you can do for that, to feel connected to yourself, is becoming aware of your own breathing, to connect with your own breathing.
So when we feel nervous or stressed, sometimes by things in our daily life, like our jobs or you have too much to do, your breath can become tense, and your breath becomes shallow and fast, high up in the chest. And this is a vicious circle. Because you are tense, your breathing starts to change, and a wrong way of breathing, again, has an effect on how you feel and how you move. And so your body gets tensed even more. And as I already said, horses can sense this right away, and they see it right away that you have tension in your body.
So what do I advise? Before you go to your horse, take at least 2 to 3 minutes to focus on your breath. Breathe in and out slowly through your nose without forcing anything until you start feeling calmer and more centered. While you do so, relax your jaw, relax your shoulders, soften your whole body. And then when you go to the horse, for example when you enter his field or his box, stop for a moment, stand still, and take a slow, deep breath, and let the air come out naturally. You can close your eyes if you need to or if you feel like it helps you, and feel the calmness and the softness in your body.
And when you can be with your horse in this calm and soft way, they will feel your peaceful energy, and they can relax better too. And this is the first step to build a strong connection. Calmness, connectedness, and presence. Horses feel drawn to humans who are connected in this way. So make a habit of connecting with your breath every time you do something with your horse, like bringing them in from the field, feeding them, leading them from one place to another, grooming them, always or regularly tune in to yourself and connect with yourself.
Another common mistake that I often see is approaching a horse too quickly or being too intrusive, which can make them feel pressured or uncomfortable, especially if your horse feels tense around people or during interactions. So instead, let the horse come to you. If you've listened to my previous episode, where I explained that it's important that you don't choose your horse, but that your horse chooses you, you will understand this already.
So let your horse come to you. And this step is all about giving the horse the space to come to you. So instead of walking straight up to your horse, try standing still and be patient and let your horse come to you on his own terms. Now, why is this so important? First of all, it respects your horse's space and boundaries. Some horses don't like people to come to them too quickly or whenever they feel like it. They want to be given time for that and that they can choose.
Second, it gives them the power to choose to engage with you. And this builds a lot of trust, and it can empower traumatized horses who have fear for humans. And then when you are standing quietly and breathing calmly, like the first step that I just explained, you are already creating a safe, patient space, and that will invite your horse to approach you when you wait for them. And it's a gentle way to let your horse know that you are trustworthy.
So next time you're in the field with your horse, stand still, relaxed posture, breathe slowly, connect with your breath, and observe your horse. Not with hard eyes, just with a soft gaze. Don't call them, don't move towards your horse. Simply wait for your horse to come to you, and you will be amazed how much horses can begin to trust you just because of this simple way of being.
This is actually the first step of my Liberty Connection Work method. This method consists of eight connection exercises. And you can see this first one is called Bonding Time, which I also explained in my previous episode. During Bonding Time, you sit or stand in the field without interacting with the horse. But it's more than just sitting still. It's really a powerful connection exercise that helps you bond with your horse on a deeper level. And horses respond in many ways when they feel your calm presence.
Okay, so this was step two, waiting for the horse to choose you. And now let's have a look at step number three to help your horse move from trauma to trust. And that is work in a large space. Because horses can feel trapped or stressed when they're in confined spaces like round pens, where their freedom to move is limited. It's harder for them to make choices or feel at ease when they still have issues with humans. And I can tell you there are more horses that have issues than most people think.
So you have to know that horses need space and distance to be able to communicate in the most natural way. And when that space and distance is too small, horses can become tense, frightened, nervous. And if you have an aggressive horse, this horse will show more aggression. That's because in a round pen or picadero, if the human is in the middle, the horse can't get further away than nine meters. If you have a round pen of 18 meters in diameter and you're in the middle, the distance is only nine meters. And in a picadero, it's mostly 15. That's a square, if you don't know what it is. It's a square of 15 meters by 15 meters. So there, if you're in the middle, the horse is only at seven meters.
But many horses, especially horses that still need to build trust, need a lot more than that. They often need 20 meters or more to be able to feel 100% comfortable being with you. So work in a large space, in an open space with a difficult or a challenging horse, and in liberty. Horses feel more relaxed and free when they can move around without restrictions. And this gives them the ability to get out of your circle of influence, which is very important for some horses and which is vital for trust building.
So when you're working with your horse in a larger space, like a field or a riding arena that is minimum 20 to 40 meters, then you're allowing them to be their natural selves. This mirrors their natural behavior in a herd where they can decide whether to stay close or move away. And until trust is 100%, giving them this freedom is crucial.
Now, how can you implement this? So next time you work with your challenging horse, choose a large open area. If you don't have a big arena, you have to do it in your field. Don't force your horse into close contact. Simply let your horse explore and observe your horse's behavior. By being in a large space together, you will see and experience how they feel less pressured and more open to connection if you give them the time.
So the way I work with horses is not a quick fix method. If you like quick fixes, then you don't have to listen to my podcast episodes anymore. You have to look for something else because that's not the way to go with horses if you want a genuine, natural, and honest connection and bond. Be in a large space, and you'll notice that your horse will feel more relaxed and comfortable, because you are creating an environment where trust and connection can naturally grow. It will take for some horses a bit of time. But that's okay. Just enjoy this time.
To recap, the three simple but essential steps to transforming the connection with your horse and moving from trauma to trust, so helping your traumatized or challenging horse to trust you more, to feel more at ease, to bond with you stronger.
First step, connect with yourself by connecting to your breath.
Second step, let your horse come to you. Create a safe, patient presence that invites your horse to approach you when your horse feels ready. This is a gentle way to let your horse know that you're respectful and trustworthy. For many, many horses, this is very empowering because they experience autonomy. For many horses, this is actually the first time in their interaction with humans that they are given this autonomy.
Third step, work in a large open space. This is so underestimated. Please stop working in round pens or picaderos with horses, especially with anxious or traumatized or tense horses. To build a natural and true connection, horses need to feel free, and they need to be able to choose if they want to be in your circle of influence or not.
Working in a large space takes more time because this is not a quick fix method. But if you wait for the horse and you don't pressure the horse and you know how to communicate in the correct way, you will be able to help your traumatized horse. You just have to trust the process. I can tell you this is a proven method. I have helped so many horses and humans already. So I want to motivate you. By saying this, I want to motivate you to just try these three steps because they are essential to me. Also, I want you to know they're just the beginning of a wonderful journey.
While these three steps are very powerful on their own, there's so much more to discover and to deepen. The process of connecting with yourself, letting your horse come to you, and working in a large space can be expanded in ways that will create an even bigger impact on the bond with your horse and your understanding.
But that's for another podcast episode. For now, I truly encourage you to start with these three steps. Why not start today? Take this opportunity to connect with your horse in this new way and experience the magic of these first steps. Enjoy.
If you have a question, just hop over to my website, that's horsefulnesstraining.com, where you will find more info or simply email me at info@horsefulnesstraining.com
I'm going to leave you here. But before I go, I also want to encourage you to subscribe on iTunes or Spotify, and it would be so nice to hear what you think about this episode. Let me know in the comments, and if you have questions, put them there too. I'll be answering every single one of them. In the next episode, I will be talking about the treat trap, so listen to that one too. Till then.
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