Respect for the leader

Since the former leader is no longer around, the new leader (Trustful) is insecure during New Year's Eve. He runs back and forth, wanting to keep everyone together. When another horse experiences stress, he wants to be there. Because it's not practical for us to leave all horses outside, this is the only time of the year when a door is placed in the stable. Not all horses are inside, some trust in the new leader's abilities. They are just as calm as Trustful used to be.

The respect for the leader is huge on a night like this. Really huge! He truly earns an extra stripe on his uniform on days like these.

You shouldn't ask me, as a horse owner, what I think of fireworks if you enjoy setting them off ;) . I understand that people want to enjoy themselves from midnight until around 1 am. Most horse owners can handle that. But a whole day of fireworks and loud noises, no, that's not something I can swallow and neither can the horses, for that matter.... The stress this year was not funny at all! Thankfully, we use homeopathy, which helps the body release stress. This means there are no after-effects of the fireworks, thank goodness.

Mutual respect between the horses

In such a stressful moment, it's beautiful to see what a herd does together. How it works together and how everything is based on respect. Respect from and towards each other, from and toward us humans. The bond with your horse really does a lot for them. But the bond they have built among themselves may do even more ;)!

Respect for the horse's character

Legend, my daughter's horse, stays indoors during New Year's Eve because he becomes dangerous when he's fearful/stressed. When he had to be put in his stall this time, it was a close call and I almost lost my daughter. He has long legs that narrowly miss you in such moments.

Keeping him indoors is for his safety, but also for ours. This is also called respecting him and his stress. Yes, it sounds strange - calling putting your horse indoors "respect"... But we know that he can't control himself yet and that when he's cornered, he starts making crazy moves. Deep down, he's really sweet, so we help him avoid causing harm to his "mom" (because he adores my daughter). After the intense (in our opinion, illegal) fireworks that lasted way too long this year, Legend was allowed out of his stall at 2:30 am. It immediately became clear how much respect he has for the leader Trustful... and also... how much peace he draws from his presence!

Calm has somewhat returned now and they're eagerly catching up on their lost sleep at the moment.

Respect between species

I witnessed a beautiful example of respect this morning during a walk with my two beautiful Hovawart boys (dogs).

I let my dogs off-leash when I feel they are listening, but I also leash them when they are too focused on scents. The forest is home to deer and other wonderful scents, and although a Hovawart is not a hunting dog, they certainly have a great nose ^_^.

This morning they were leashed and I was walking through a dense part of the forest, so we couldn't see far ahead. I turn a corner and look a young deer, a male, right in the eyes. He's not even twenty meters away from me and my dogs. He looks to the side and I see a young female lying on a heather patch next to him. I crouch down a bit and turn slightly away from them. My dogs had also seen them, but because they were leashed (and know it's not allowed), they stayed by my side. I have seen these two deer before. I always give them space, call my dogs to me, and I'm sure they recognized me this morning.

As I walked down another path, I glanced back, saw the male let out a sigh, and he went back to eating! I was genuinely moved that they stayed put and didn't see us as a threat. It's wonderful that they remembered all the times I walked away from them instead of towards them, showing we are not a threat! There are wolves in this forest too, so they could have reacted differently to the presence of two large dogs!

So, giving respect also means earning trust <3.

Giving space, but with boundaries

In a way, respecting the deer is similar to how you treat your horse. You give them space, take care of them, but you also intervene when needed. For example, by keeping a dangerous horse in the stable. Allowing a lower-ranking horse to stay so it can feel safe, or placing it behind the leader. By this, I mean that the leader stands between the fireworks and the horse that ranks lower. Supporting the leader who feels insecure in a way that suits that horse.

In this case, I kept Trustful close by the halter. Running back and forth only made him more unsettled. Keeping him close, petting him, and even grooming him. Keeping him close made him feel safer. Usually, it's good when a horse can "work it out," but not always! Working it out can also end badly. You may have seen posts on social media where horses have run through all the wires in their stress. In such cases, locking them up is a safer idea for everyone's safety. It's so personal to each horse. Some horses develop laminitis from stress when they can't move (being confined in a stall).

Trustful needed help with his stress, and by touching him, he gained some confidence back. He always loves being touched. Even in calm moments. This shows that he can be helped in this way. A horse that never enjoys being touched will definitely not appreciate it.

Always consider your own safety when touching/grooming!!! In our barn, we have a place where you can stand without having to be inside the horse's space. This was/is really important when dealing with panicked/stressed horses. They can become (somewhat) unpredictable.

Look at the horse!

Legend, on the other hand, does not appreciate being touched at all, you can't even touch him in such moments. Ironically, Legend was as calm as can be when he was locked up at that moment! His friend Troy was calmly searching for the slightly tastier hay than usual in his hay net, and the Shetlands Koen and Jakie were dozing off in front of his stall. The mares were standing close together, and although one of the mares is quite temperamental, the other one is worth her weight in gold. All of them supporting each other with respect. Including from and towards us. After all, we are part of the herd too.

So look at your horse, know what can help them in times of stress. And make sure you respect their space/wishes/needs.