How to Deal with Tension in Horses

doing before his anxiety level changed and try to find the cause. Perhaps the handler changed the way he asked for something or increased use of a whip or other stimulus. Or a change in the environment may have distracted the horse from his work. Whatever the cause it is impossible to proceed until the horse is in a relaxed state of mind. Only then is the horse likely to have a clearer understanding of what scared him and how he might be better able to handle it.
Some horses are so tense that they cannot find any comfort mentally or physically. These horses are often muscle bound. A shortcoupled horse very strong through the neck and with a powerful hind end may find it very hard to bend through the body. He is basically as stiff and strong as a board and it is not easy to bend a twobyfour!
Such a horse has amazing power but lacks the ability to deal with that power in a relaxed manner which can lead him to overreact. He then puts too much strength into his reactions and scares himself. This causes him to panic and he continues to build speed and anxiety until he is simply out of control.
In these situations I work with the horses body as I try to help him stay calm so he doesnt get away from himself as easily. The horse needs to learn to slow down and be comfortable he also needs to learn that if he does get out of control he can come back to a more comfortable situation. Trying to encourage him to bend through his body correctly is initially difficult but ultimately will help him become much more supple and relaxed. Though not easy its important to allow this type of horse to get out of control and not punish him so that he learn that he will not be hurt and that he can recover himself. I support the horse but do not protect him from giving it too much gas. He will eventually learn to moderate his power through a combination
of physical relaxation which will allow correct mechanics and a lower level of anxiety because he isnt anticipating being out of control. It is not always an easy task with a horse like this but without physical comfort he will never become relaxed and without relaxation it will be harder to find physical comfort.