Understanding the Connection Between Horses Emotions, Horse Behavior, and Health
Emotions are energy in motion and are a result of your or the horse’s state, psychology, thoughts, and feelings. Emotions have the power to create or destroy and we have the option to choose which. As horse owner’s we can help our horses do the same. Sometimes we unconsciously encourage or promote negative emotions and patterns in our horses which can result in less desirable horse behavior and can cause horse health concern and issues as well.
There are other factors to consider that can influence your horse’s emotions and patterns.
- Innate characteristics they were born with. Example: If their mother or even in later life, herd mates are skeptical and distrusting of people, this can affect the horse’s feelings, thoughts, and responses to people.
- The environment can play a part as well. What they have been exposed to and even the energy or condition of the surroundings.
- Learned behavior and thought patterns. Whether they were from training methods, events, performances, handling, or lack of handling, etc.
How Do a Horse’s Emotions Relate to Horse Behavior and Health?
To understand the connection we need to know how the brain handles emotions. The answer lies in the limbic system. The limbic system is considered the center of emotions in the brain, it has a direct connection to the olfactory nerve which is responsible for the sense of smell. Have you ever had a smell bring back memories or strike an emotion? This is why.
The limbic system does not just connect and communicate with the olfactory nerve though. It receives input and signals from the entire body and senses. Because of this, a horse that has a pattern of pain maybe with a poor-fitting saddle or experiences pain at every performance can associate the event or object with pain. This can have a noticeable negative effect on the horse’s behavior and cause the horse to form unhealthy emotional patterns.
Often times even if a pain or stress trigger is removed, the emotional response or pattern can stay, having a negative impact on the horse’s health, wellness, and behavior.
Learning to help the horse’s process through negative emotional patterns is something all horse owners can learn to do and should, to promote the overall well being of their horse.
How to Change Horses Emotional Patterns and Improve Horse Behavior
You change patterns by changing a horse’s state, energy, and thoughts. This can be done by understanding horse behavior and psychology. While working with a horse you can influence and break patterns by “asking questions” which with horses has to do with directing a horse’s motion, thoughts, and energy. Combine these efforts with the use of essential oils and you can help cleanse and reprogram negative emotional and behavioral patterns with positive ones that will support the horse’s physical, mental, and emotional state.
How Can Essential Oils Help? Therapeutic grade essential oils can break the blood-brain barrier and access the limbic system. They can help increase the frequency of cells which can trigger a pattern interrupt and can help access and release emotions that sometimes other options and methods can’t.
Don’t Allow Health Problems To Linger Under The Surface-
Some emotional concerns stem from health problems, or the horse simply does not feel good! In my content, I share the story of supporting my mare through health concerns, naturally, after traditional methods had failed and euthanasia became the only recommendation veterinarians had for her. Part of our mission has to do with the success I had in helping her and wanting that for your horse… That’s exactly why I want to offer you a copy of my book Healthy as a Horse, click here to reserve your copy now. 
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Life is better when you’re horsin’ around!
