Redefining Equine Online Course

Redefining Equine Online Course

by | Nov 30, 2024

Have you found yourself wondering why you might relate to horses the way you do, why you react in certain ways, or carry certain beliefs or understandings? Do you feel a desire to change the way you relate to the horses in your world? To heal and repair this relationship? To shift your story with horses?

This was my journey with all my mares, but especially my mare Diva, as I carried my baggage, my traditional beliefs, my entitlement and my rigidity into our relationship. This course brings together many of the big lessons we learned together on our 21 year journey, and prompts every horse person to look deeper, to explore and to open up the path to a different relationship with horses.

Whether you own horses or not, ride or not, this course is for all people who love horses and want to learn to love them better.

This course has 11 videos strategically positioned throughout, filmed with the assistance of my mares Diva and Raven. These videos are in-this-moment snapshots of the rewrite process I’m in with my relationship to horses, something that will no doubt deepen and shift as my awareness grows (looking back through my past videos for the first version of this course, it was eye-opening to see how much my story with horses has shifted in the past 6 years). Watching the videos, especially for visual and auditory learners, is a powerful way to implement the shifts and really feel like you’re a part of the action! 

The exercises and reflective processes in this course are designed to take you deeper into your experience and amplify your learning and growth – it is my hope that the journaling questions will prompt key insights into your relationship with horses – past, present and future – especially when you commit time and space and endeavour to answer as honestly and openly as possible.

The prompts serve as a great way to engage with the material, find out where you are right now when it comes to horses, where you’d like to be in the future, how your past has influenced your current experience with horses, and what needs to shift to rewrite your horse story.

This course is not for the faint of heart, but if you are ready to move forward in a meaningful and powerful way in your equine relationships, this is the journey for you!

Here’s everything you’ll receive as a part of this online course…

  • Over 2 hours of video support from Alexa, split into 11 videos, plus additional support
  • Lifetime access to online course content
  • A printable PDF of journal prompts
  • 5 minute brain-balancing technique to get you in the “zone”
  • Grounding visualization MP3 with Alexa
  • Email access to Alexa for questions

Ready to get started?

Sign up here

Alexa’s course Redefining Equine does just that, it redefines how we view our horse. It changes your relationship for the better. It is no longer about domination and submission. With the help of the journal entries, the team of you and your horse becomes just that — a team. It’s amazing to understand what your horse can communicate and what you can communicate to your horse. As a farrier, taking the time to connect with the horse before working on the hooves makes it a different experience. Many horses deal with pain and by asking instead of taking, they will try their hardest to work with you. Thank you Alexa for guiding me to a more grounded relationship with horses.

Christiane

I first participated in the Redefining Equine course when my mare and I were going through a lot of changes, both as individuals and as a partnership. I had been feeling quite overwhelmed with trying to manage our needs at the same time as becoming acutely aware that commonly accepted ways of working and being with horses really weren’t feeling very good for me any more. 

The course really helped me to navigate my way into a more aligned, supportive and peaceful way of being with my horse. Something I’ll always be grateful for as it made a huge difference when it was really needed. 

It’s not all sunshine and roses…a lot of difficult feelings can arise when you’re examining mindsets and practices that now don’t seem at all right. But this course really understands and supports with this.

The sense of knowing you’re part of a community of people who are on a similar path is invaluable as well, and I know I will continue to revisit this course again and again! 

Siarrad, UK

Are you ready to rewrite your story with horses?

Register here

Meet your Instructor

For over 20 years, Alexa Linton has been supportive in the healing process of thousands of horses and humans as an Equine Sport Therapist, Animal intuitive, Facilitator, Author/writer and most recently as an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner. She has taken extensive continuing education in horse care, keeping, training, herd dynamics and integration, equine facilitated learning, personal development, trauma-informed care and relationship dynamics.

She believes that when we know better, we do better, and that many of us, like herself, came from horse traditions that did not prioritize the voice, care and needs of the horse. It is her life’s work to share what she has learned, to teach, write and be a model of care in the horse industry and beyond.

This course comes from this desire – to support horse lovers to unpack what they have known, to look closely, and to let go of what is not working – rewriting their story and moving forward in a good way with the horses in their world.

Alexa also has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, an Equine Sport Therapy certificate, is an author of a book of navigating pet loss, host of the Whole Horse Podcast, and is a osteopathic manual practitioner for humans.

Navigating the final transition with your horse

Navigating the final transition with your horse

by | Nov 22, 2024

By Alexa Linton, BSc, DOMP, EST (originally written for Horse Journals Magazine)

I’ve been writing articles for quite a few years now, and have wanted to write this one for a long while, but couldn’t quite bring myself to it. The fact is, talking about death and dying is hard, even when a part of your career is focused on it. I literally wrote a book about it, and work with animal lovers all over the world to move through this transition more easefully, and it’s still a challenge to go there. So I’m going to make my best attempt here to write on this tough topic, acknowledging that it is emotional, often triggering, and just plain hard to look at, but in my experience is made easier by awareness and preparation, rather than not facing it. 

When I wrote my book, Death Sucks: A Straight up Guide to Navigating your Pet’s Final Transition, I was thinking not only of the countless animal lovers that I had met who struggled with death and dying, but also of myself, and specifically of my relationship with Diva. I had never felt so connected and “in love” with another animal (and if we’re being real, at that time, any person) and it terrified me to think of losing her. I grappled with this fear while writing my book and since, and I can’t say that I’ve released it fully, but I’ve definitely found more peace, in part because I allowed myself to be fully with the reality that someday, she will make her final transition and I will be the one supporting her in it, universe willing. I have talked with hundreds of people about death, witnessed their pain, their confusion, their shock and their fear, and often, their guilt. Through it all, one thing became clear – death can be a minefield when we are unprepared and under resourced, and an experience of grace when we are prepared and resourced. Either way, like my book says, it’s going to be hard, and there’s no avoiding grief if you felt care and love for your horse.

I want to start this conversation by saying that the passing of horses, I believe, can be more challenging than other pets. I say this in the spirit of preparation, and to support you to know what to expect and plan for. Horses tend not to die of old age, or of their own volition, but rather, assisted via euthaniasia because of colic or other digestive issues, unresolvable/debilitating pain, injuries, fractures, choke, or disease. Some of these situations we can prepare well for, and many we can’t. They are big animals and as such, their death, even by euthanasia, can be hard to witness, and the choices for their bodies post-life are not always ideal. When we are considering timing, we need to think about things like the weather (can my aging horse thrive through another winter?), the state of the ground (if you plan to bury, frozen ground is a big consideration), sleep patterns (can they still get up and down? Are they sleeping?) and hooves (can they still pick up their feet for a farrier?). And often, it is on us to make a final call about euthansia, which can be a heavy burden to bear during and after. 

This is not intended to scare you, but more so to allow you control over what you can control, and to process this information now, rather than when it is happening and you are not in the space to manage logistics and details. The reality is that most of the preparation we can do is actually emotional, building our emotional bandwidth in order to allow the movement and processing of emotions in the healthiest way possible, to allow us to be with our fear of death now so we can love our horses with our whole hearts and enjoy our time together to the fullest extent. 

There are three main parts of this process that we need to prepare for: before, during and after. All of these parts are unknown and unpredictable, so preparation actually looks a whole lot like accepting what is, being with our emotions in each moment, taking care of our herd, ourselves and our health, asking for help, and connecting with your horse communities well in advance about specific logistics in your area. I will tell you this straight up, preparing for a sudden or shocking passing is almost impossible, and this is where resources like good friends, vets and counselors are essential. You’re going to need people to support, love and care for you through your grief and shock, so you can show up for your horse, your herd, and yourself. 

I know this is all probably hard to read so I’m going to spend the next bit giving you my best guidance about these three phases, and maybe a few things will resonate for you and support you in your unique process. 

  1. Work with your grief. We all have pent up grief, which is actually love for those we have cared about and lost. It’s essential to allow this emotion to move and express. It’s natural to experience anticipatory grief before your horse’s passing, especially if you are witnessing a change or decline in health. After a death, letting yourself experience this emotion is healthy and important, and giving yourself time and space to feel is both hard and very helpful.
  2. Take care of you during this process – eat well, drink water, sleep when you are able, see your friends, connect with a therapist if needed. There are amazing therapists that work specifically with grief and loss. 
  3. If anyone says “it’s just a horse” in an attempt to make you feel better (aka make you stop being emotional so they feel more comfortable), you have my permission to unfriend them immediately. This is your beloved family member and their passing is as challenging as the loss of any loved one, human or otherwise. 
  4. Work with an animal communicator or other professional if you need support around timing, fear, logistics or other unknown aspects of this transition. We are not meant to do this alone, and often your horse will have input on what they want or need.
  5. If you can, let your herd be with the body of their herd mate. This allows them to grieve naturally and process this loss in their own time. 
  6. Do what it takes to be there for your horse during their passing. As in life, you were their anchor, and so it is in this final transition. Do the emotional and mental work to be able to face this day together, for the love of your horse. 
  7. Research after-life options in your area well before any concrete plans are required. Talk with your veterinarian, barn owner and others to understand the steps in this process and to make a plan that feels good for you and your horse and herd. 
  8. Allow death to be a ritual. Collect mane hair to use as feels right, adorn your horse for their final transition, ask good friends of you and your horse to be a part of their passing so you don’t have to do it alone, sing a song, write a poem, have a painting commissioned or a photograph framed. Do whatever feels honouring for your horse and for your partnership and take the time you need with their body and the things that remind you of them. And yes, it is natural that all of this may feel painful and hard, but if you allow the wave of challenging emotion to move, your love for your horse and from your horse will be there waiting. 
  9. Consider adding some form of basic intuitive work/animal communication to your tool-kit – being able to connect and communicate with our animals, even in simple ways can be highly supportive. My online course Kinetic Communication shares a step-by-step process of learning how to do Applied Kinesiology to connect with your animals.
  10. If you need a little more support, you can buy my book Death Sucks: A Straight-up Guide to Navigating your Pet’s Final Transition on Amazon or you can listen to my Whole Horse Podcast episodes with Tara Davis, Betsy Vonda and Dr. Tracy Rainwaters. 

If you got through this list, well done, and if not, just keep this article around for when you’re feeling more ready and resourced.

I hope some of what I shared feels helpful, and that you feel a little more prepared and a little more able to support your horse(s) through their final transition.

Until then, I wish all of you and your horses long and fulfilling lives.

Alexa 

 

Kinetic Communication Online Course

Kinetic Communication Online Course

by | Nov 20, 2024

Have you ever found yourself dreaming about being able to “hear” what your animals are needing? Or wishing you knew what they wanted? What if you could learn a simple tool that could help you do just that?

When it comes to cultivating well-being daily through empowered choices and strengthening your intuitive muscles, adding Applied Kinesiology to your tool-kit can be a game-changer.

I first learned about Applied Kinesiology and how to use it with horses almost 20 years ago at the BC College of Equine Therapy under the instruction of Dave Collins. I was very skeptical and have put this tool through its paces with thousands of human and animal clients over the subsequent years, using it as a support with equine body work, saddle fitting, nutrition and supplementation, emotional and energetic work and more.

I continue to use it as a foundational part of my personal and professional practice with animals, finding it useful for every thing from supporting my decisions around food, remedies and supplements for myself and my animals, my choices around body workers, trainers, and health modalities for my animals, in navigating transitions and changes, and just generally as a simple communication method and an affirmation to my intuition. Over the years I have found myself more connected to my intuitive knowing, more clear on what works, or not, for myself and my animals, and more in tune with the many non-verbal beings in my world. It is a tool that keeps on giving and there is always more to learn and understand (which is the best when you’re inherently curious!).

The online course I have created teaches you the basics of this simple, yet powerful, tool and how to use Applied Kinesiology daily for yourself, your family and your animals. This is a comprehensive self study program for horse and animal lovers wanting to add Applied Kinesiology to their wellness tool-kit.

I have also included in this program my “Building Your Equine Apothecary” course to further support your process and learning with your horses and animals. This bonus course can also be supportive for all animal people as it includes information regarding using AK with flower essences, homeopathy, herbs and more. I think of this as Kinetic Communication part 2, and it has previously never been available to the public (it is a part of my Whole Horse Apprenticeship).

Important: This tool is never a substitute for veterinary care – please reach out to your local veterinarian or other animal health professionals if you have concerns about your pet’s well-being.

In this course you’ll learn how to…

  • muscle test which foods, supplements and more are right for you and your animals
  • discern between many similar supplements to find the best one for you or your animal
  • Test for optimal amounts and timing of supplements, herbs and more  
  • construct simple and precise statements and questions for accurate results
  • use vibrational remedies, including flower essences, for physical and emotional well-being
  • identify dehydration using muscle testing
  • identify and balance key acupressure and energy points on you and your animals
  • start strengthening your intuition on a daily basis
  • learn self muscle testing, partner muscle testing and pendulum testing
  • use this tool to connect with your animals easily and accurately
  • safely use this tool and learn the most supportive ways to work with it, and where not to use it.

Here’s everything you’ll receive as a part of this online course…

  • Over 2 hours of video instruction from Alexa, split into 13 easily digestible online modules
  • Two pre-recorded 60 minute skill-building webinars with Alexa
  • Lifetime access to online course content including webinar replays
  • A printable PDF Kinetic Communication manual complete with detailed instructions and images
  • 5 minute brain-balancing technique to get you in the “zone”
  • Grounding visualization MP3 with Alexa
  • Hydration visualization MP3 with Alexa
  • Email access to Alexa for questions during the course duration
  • Bonus: Access to Building your Equine Apothecary online course with Alexa providing further support and information around equine supplementation, herbs, homeopathy and flower remedies, as well as making herbal supports for your horses.

Alexa’s Kinetic Communication course has been absolutely invaluable! She teaches skills in a way that help empower people to trust their intuition, and with easy to follow instruction. I use the skills Alexa taught me on a daily basis with my own horses from picking out the type and dosage of supplements and herbs to determining whether or not they want their blanket on for the evening. I also use it in a professional capacity to help me determine areas that client horses would like me to address during our sessions, two choices of flower essences. Furthermore, I use it regarding my own health and well-being. I was absolutely convinced at one point a particular supplement was going to be perfect for me. I was at the nutrition store when I did the self testing, and just about flung the bottle across the room as my body had such a strong “no” reaction. It helps me get out of my head and into my body as our bodies have infinitely more wisdom innately than we have learned from books.

Brittany Lowe

Ready to get started?

Sign up here

This course is as fun as it is useful. At first I was a bit daunted as to how I would successfully achieve mastery of this new skill set, but the way Alexa conveyed the information and instructions inspired my confidence. I really like how the course is broken down into bite sized chunks that build off of one another. This helped me learn the material in a digestible way and made it easy to review key concepts as needed. I’m super thankful to have this tool in my toolkit as an animal mom, and in my life in general!

Elsie

This course that Alexa has developed has been a life changer! It has really encouraged me to tap into my intuitive sense, helped me develop tools and communication that I can rely on, and given me the ability to have clear communication with myself and my horses. So thankful for this course and I can’t recommend it enough!

Anya

Add Applied Kinesiology to your tool-kit

If you’ve been thinking about learning muscle testing, pendulum testing or figuring out how to use AK with animals, this self study course is a great starting point.

Register here

Meet your Instructor

For over 20 years, Alexa Linton has been supportive in the healing process of thousands of animals and people using Applied Kinesiology, and has taught hundreds of people how to use this simple, effective tool to support themselves and their animals.

She continues to use Applied Kinesiology in her animal communication and equine therapy sessions and is constantly expanding her understanding of how to work with it most effectively, as well as how to teach this tool in the most simple and accessible ways possible.

This course comes from this desire – to share a helpful tool and skill set that can support humans and their animals to be their best.

Alexa also has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, an Equine Sport Therapy certificate, is an author of a book of navigating pet loss, host of the Whole Horse Podcast, and is a osteopathic manual practitioner for humans.

Build a Horse Track System Course

Build a Horse Track System Course

by | Nov 19, 2024
Sign up here

This comprehensive self-paced online course is designed to provide you with all the foundational information for safely updating your horse spaces in small or large ways, integrating horses into a herd setting, building your own track system, working with the land you live on, adding enrichment and obstacles to your current boarding situation, or shifting your boarding stable over to a more species-specific set-up. It is suitable for youth and adults who are learning about horse-keeping, those curious about species-specific care even if they don’t have horses of their own, those boarding their horses with others, and those who own their own property and would like to implement a horse track system of their own.

A horse track system aims to mimic the way a horse would live in the wild, in a much much smaller space. This idea started gaining popularity with the release of Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson, but was more than likely being used prior to that as it is so intuitive and makes so much sense, particularly in wet climates and on small acreages! Amy Dell-Anthony then released her book Horse Track Systems, which has been supporting people worldwide to implement this species-specific horse keeping strategy.

This idea is slowly making it’s way to the west coast of Canada and the US (thankfully!) and our case studies for this course mainly focus on track systems along this coast (as it is where I live, on beautiful Vancouver Island, which is technically a rain forest). You can build a track on a quarter acre or 50 acres, and you it can be unique to your horse/herd, climate, ecosystems, terrain and lifestyle.  This course has something to support every horse person, no matter what your unique situation.

What you will receive when you register:

  • Over 12 hours of video and audio content including track tours, examples herd behaviour, tutorials, podcasts and webinars on track living and more (more being added all the time!)
  • Specifics on all elements of a track system (shelter, footing, water, forage/hay, supplementation, fencing, pasture management, managing mud, parasite control, manure management, enrichment ideas, obstacles and their use, how to encourage movement and employing permaculture principles)
  • 10 track system case studies of herds of varying sizes, in different climates, on different acreages (many in wet climates)
  • 3 case studies of herd integration with footage of varying herds and types of integration and herd behaviour
  • Tutorials on aggregate use and drainage, hay analysis, hay net making, herd integration and herd and self regulation
  • Opportunities to connect with track system consultants and a supportive community of horse people
  • Lifetime access to course materials (and content and case studies always being added!)

A huge thank you to our contributors Shannon Beahen (Humminghorse Equestrian), Elisse Miki (EQ Therapeutics), Kim Hallin, Hillary Schneider (Epona Rise), Kim Hallin, Rachel Gedaliya, and all our case study contributors

Build a horse track System (on the west coast) is a must-have, comprehensive guide to creating a species-specific living environment for your equine friends. What makes this course unique is its consideration of the variety of circumstances horse owners face, and its thoughtful suggestions for navigating them – there is truly something for everyone to learn, whether you are an avid DIY property owner or someone who boards and feels as though they have limited options. Alexa brings with her not only two decades worth of practical horse-keeping experience, but a bucket load of passion and a true desire to make horses’ lives better through the material she has created and curated in this course! I loved it and will surely be returning to it as an evergreen resource in my life.

Elsie

This course has been super helpful and informative when it comes to building a track system and what that looks like for every kind of horse owner/haver. Alexa lays out all of your basic essentials in an easy and fun way to understand, encourages creativity, and as always keeps the health of your horse in the forefront. She also includes links to other helpful sources, as well as a wide variety of examples of what your track could look like. I don’t have my own track system yet, but this course is full of information-lots of which I hadn’t even considered yet- and will be an incredible resource going forward.

Anya

Here are some of the benefits of horse track systems…

    • They can alleviate boredom, tension and stress behaviour through supportive spaces that include friends, access to varying forage and a focus on and opportunity for lots movement.
    • They can activate seeking, curiousity and play in your horse, and move them into healthier nervous system states that promote learning, focus and connection.
    • They can support your horse to move freely, fully and with variation, to improve their fitness, discover autonomy and ease in their bodies, and reduce the impacts of over-use injuries, arthritis, tendon issues and aging.
    • They can increase quality of life by meeting their species specific needs including enrichment, forage, movement and friendship
    • They can improve proprioception, hoof health and connection to the environment
    • They can reduce the risk of health issues including ulcers, colic, and metabolic conditions through increased movement, access to species-appropriate forage, enriching time with other horses, and freedom of expression. And who doesn’t love lower vet bills?
    • They can enhance your horse’s sensory experience and improve emotional well-being, to allow them to show up in their domestic life in a more balanced and fulfilled way.
    • They meet our horses essential needs in their domesticated environment (as much as possible) to support their overall fulfillment and health
    • They allow you to improve your land, creating biodiversity, healthier more horse-friendly pasture, and habitats for many other insects, plants and animals

Ready to sign up?

Until December 20th, 2024, enjoy life-time access to all course content for just $195 CDN. The perfect gift for you or the horse love in your life!

Register here

Want to learn more about track systems and get to know your instructor a little before deciding? Have a listen to my Whole Horse Podcast episode with the author or Horse Track Systems, Amy Dell, where we geek out about this type of horse keeping…

Meet your Instructor

Alexa Linton is a life-long horse lover, Equine Sport Therapist of 20 years, host of the Whole Horse Podcast, now in it’s 7th season, facilitator, author, and creator of the Whole Horse Apprenticeship, a 6 month equine wellness immersion program, and most recently, Outside the Box Equine, an educational hub for species-specific horse keeping. Her vision is to support a change worldwide in horse keeping practices towards more species-specific care, ethically informed training and riding, and a more collaborative approach to being with and sharing our lives with horses.

She lives with her partner Patrick, her two dogs, and cat, and currently leases land where she has built a track system for her herd of three mares, Diva, Raven and Gwynna in the unceded territory of the Cowichan peoples, now know as the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Her goal within the next year is to buy land, bring the herd home and build a  horse-keeping demonstration site where she can host workshops and retreats and inspire horse lovers to shift their horse spaces by showing what is possible.

 

 

Horse Track System Building as an emergent, collaborative process

Horse Track System Building as an emergent, collaborative process

by | Aug 4, 2024

Horse Track System Building as an emergent, collaborative process

While gathering case studies for our soon-to-be-released online course (Building a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) and having conversations with horse stewards about their track systems, one common thread that emerges is the feeling that their horses have been a key part of the vision and construction team!

When horses are given freedom and choice to move on land, they naturally create their own “tracks” and preferred ways of moving through the space. Often our job becomes to listen and follow their lead (and couldn’t we apply this concept to so much of our time with our horses?).

And truly, aren’t we creating a track system with our horses as a central focus?

There is no need to rush the building of a horse track system

In fact, it is deeply informative and interesting to allow it to emerge like a work of art, with you, your horses and the land working together to figure out what would like to occur and be built. In this way, we get into right relationship with our horses, the land, and all the other creatures (animals, insects, birds, plants, trees), rather than imposing our will forcefully on the space and in doing so, creating disharmony or even dis-ease.

Often, if we listen and tread lightly, we can preserve and even support biodiversity (and in doing so, increase populations of helpful insects, birds and bats, and give your horses a selection of great medicinal plants to choose from), maintain many more trees (forest tracks are a great way to increase enrichment for your herd), reduce run off, and keep top soil where it’s meant to be.  You might think I’m heading right out on a limb, but if you’ve ever spent time on a piece of land that has been stewarded in this way, you’ll feel the quality of harmony, a sense of things being in balance.

 

From extractive to collaborative

What I am proposing is shifting from an extractive mindset (eg. how much can I get from this land, how much return on investment will this get, how many trees can I sell, how many horses and elements (ring, roundpen, little paddocks) can I fit here) to a collaborative mindset (eg. what would work best for this land, these ecosystems, how can I work with the trees and forests, what is needed to move water well through the land, what would give back to the natural world around us, how can we work in harmony of giving and receiving).

Perhaps this sounds familiar, as it also applies to how we train and work with horses, as well as our own roles in a working environment. It just feels better when things are done together, in collaboration, in the timing and rhythm that works for all.

Take the time to sit with your horses on your land and watch where they like to hang out, or make a temporary track and see what the high traffic zones are or if there are areas that don’t really seem to “flow”.

This can give you information about where to create your hard standing area, where to put your shelters, hay areas, water and more. Don’t be afraid to go slow and do things bit by bit, as you gain understanding and clarity from your herd. Go slow to go fast, as they say.

Building a track system is meant to be an enjoyable, creative and fun process for all concerned.

Encouraging our horses to play a part in the creation of their habitat is key in allowing this process to be a success.

Want to learn more? Our Online Course Build a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) is now available for self study – sign up here

 

Build your track system on a budget

Build your track system on a budget

by | Aug 4, 2024

How to build your track system on a budget

By Alexa Linton, BSc, DOMP, EST

 

This girl loves a deal and I have a feeling a bunch of you might as well! Must be my Scottish blood, but there’s not much I love more than a good bargain, buying second hand, trading, or re-purposing. After all, owning horses is expensive and many of us are really stretching ourselves financially to make it work, myself included. My mare Diva came into my life when I was 23 years old, graduating university, moving out on my own, and absolutely broke, But I knew we needed to be together and that has proved itself countless times over the last 20 years together, so I found a way. I’m forever grateful for my thrifty way of doing things, as it has allowed me to explore my love of horses and to welcome a third horse into my herd, something I’d never thought I would be able to do.

 

As I’ve never owned my own facility, I’ve had to get quite creative with the ways I create what I want, to make it impermanent, but also safe and supportive for the health of my herd. This has really helped me to explore how to create a track system on a fairly strict budget, pare things done to the essentials and ask the question “does it really matter if this looks good/fancy or can it just be functional and safe?” You’ll be surprised how many things you can find used, on sale, or repurposed if you really set your mind to it, and how many things you actually don’t need.

 

Here are some of my tricks for keeping the costs down while still creating a safe and supportive space for you and your horses:

 

    1. Think outside the box! There’s definitely a few reasons I decided on this name for the business and one is because I love to be creative and open to possibilities. This may look like building your obstacles from things you find and can re-purpose, like tires, pallets, logs, broken fence posts, rocks and more. Recently we discovered some 4×4 posts that a shop was getting rid of – absolutely perfect as obstacles! I’ve also started making my own hay nets out of repurposed fishing netting, which is durable and horse-approved, as well as about 1/6 of the cost of store bought nets (see my video on this in the forage section).
    2. Get clear on what you are needing. I find once you have clarity, the things you are needing seem to start showing up. This also allows you to get real about what you really do need, and what is extra (do I really need fancy blankets for my horses?) Sign up for alerts on FB Marketplace or other used sites for the things you are looking for, including fence posts, electric tape, panels, buckets, obstacles and more.
    3. Don’t worry about aesthetics. I try to strike a balance between practical and pretty, and remind myself regularly that my horses don’t care about how their space looks or what they are wearing. They care about choice and freedom and friends. By letting go of the need for fancy, we open ourselves up to more creative affordable options that work great.The real question I always ask myself is “is it safe” – as long as that box is checked I’m happy!
    4. Do it yourself! I have become quite self-sufficient over the years, and am grateful to my partner Patrick and generous friends with tools and tractors and great ideas. From building fences to constructing obstacles to spreading footing, it is possible to do a lot of the work yourself, and also feels great to learn new skills and grow your tool kit. What can you do yourself that you might generally hire out? Who can you ask for help?

    Hope this helps! Happy (affordable) track building! To get more specifics on how to build your own track system, my new online course: Build a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) (and it’s helpful no matter where you live!) is now open for self-study.

But my horse is boarded out?

But my horse is boarded out?

by | Aug 4, 2024

But my horse is boarded out?

By Alexa Linton, BSc, DOMP, EST

I know this is going to be a barrier and a question for many of you who are thinking about a more species-specific way of horse-keeping, so it felt appropriate to give this topic some space to work through it. 

I will say right off the bat, that I’m with you! My three mares are in a boarding situation (self-board, no other horses), so in the back of my mind I am always considering the impermanence of being in a boarding situation. My hope is that within the next two years we will buy a little acreage of our own (may my upcoming online course be super popular!), but until then, my situation has given me much food for thought that hopefully can be of value to those that also have their horses in boarding situations. I know there is many of us in the same boat!

Some things to consider if you are boarding your horse and would like to make some shifts: 

1) What type of board are you in? Full, semi, coop, self board? 

2) Is there wiggle room in your horses space? Meaning, do you have permission to add things, take things out, make it more workable for your horse? Could you potentially add obstacles, sand, another feed station to promote movement and increase enrichment to your horses area? Could you move the water to add a little more movement?

3) Is there wiggle room around their care or the set-up of the facility as a whole? Meaning, is there opportunities to move towards “track life”, such as more group turn out, more enrichment, more varied forage opportunities, changes in footing? 

4) Are you willing/able to start a conversation with the owner/manager of your facility about some potential beneficial changes for your horse/all the horses? 

5) If there is wiggle room and openness to change, how much are you willing to invest in shifting your horse’s living situation, knowing that your situation is impermanent? 

I’ve never owned my own property (although like many of us, I dream of it several times daily!), so I’ve gotten quite proficient at creating horse spaces that can easily be moved and set up in other spots. I also give myself a time, energy and financial budget of how much I willing to invest in someone else’s property. My deciding factor is the health and happiness of my small herd. 

For example, at our previous boarding situation (coop-board with lots of wiggle room about how I set up a one acre rectangular paddock/field) I had impermanent step in posts, T-posts, and electric tape, and rubber mats I could take with me. I also invested in an impermanent Shelter-logic shelter and 54 Mud Control grids with a 20 year warranty. Every October for three years I would invest in one truck load of footing (about $450) and a day of tractor work to prep for winter. This paid off in happy hooves and high and dry horses.

In the situation before that, where I lived on property for 9 years and essentially had free rein, I invested in gutters to improve water control, as well as drainage piping, drainage rock and footing. I was able to split some of this cost with the landowner as it made a great difference in other parts of the property as well. Overall it was a great investment in my horses health for the time spent on property.  

 

What if there is little to no wiggle room? 

 

​The sad reality is, if you want your horse to be living a life mimicking that of a wild horse, you’re going to have to make some shifts. If the boarding facility you’re at isn’t open to a change, it may be time to consider changing boarding situations. I know this isn’t always a possibility, depending on where you live and the situations available. When it comes to creating a track system, moving towards a more independent scenario can be very helpful, although it will definitely mean more work on your end, especially if you’re currently in full board. 

 

What if there is wiggle room? 

 

Great! Remember, you’re often going to have to budget a little extra for these shifts, although fingers crossed you’ve got an amazing barn owner/manager who is as excited as you are to move towards more species-specific horse keeping!

Here are some of the shifts I suggest as a starting point: 

  1. Add an extra feeding/forage station. Place it as far away from your water and shelter as you can (and yes, it may have to come in on rainy days, but soaked hay can be good too). If possible, add a different type of hay or forage (straw, Teff or a low sugar hay) in slow feed nets ensures your horse has access to forage at all times, without having to worry about weight gain.
  2. Add differing footing. A sandpile is always a fave. Leave it as a little pile and watch your horse climb, sleep, lounge, and yes, sadly, use it as a washroom (but who can blame them?). It’s not a huge investment for a lot of happiness. You can also dig up some good dirt and add it in to a small area (good micro-organisms). 
  3. Add obstacles. Got some extra branches hanging about? How about some old fence posts or tire or two (no rims)? Use them as enrichment in your horses space! Add a hay ball, some fun games, or some DIY enrichment activities.
  4. Increase herd turn out time or work with your barn mates to find good matches for full time group turn out. You’d be amazed how much happier horses are…together. Head to the integration section to learn more about how to facilitate successful and lower stress herd introductions 
  5. Add a mini water buffet. Use two extra small buckets with select herbs/supplements to build choice into your horses hydration. Head to the enrichment section for more details on how to make this happen.

Wishing you the very best of luck! Leave a comment if you’ve got more ideas on how to make a boarding situation the best possible for the horses living in it.

Remember to keep having conversations, even if they feel hard or uncomfortable, and keep advocating for your horses needs! It’s worth it. And you’d like more ideas and support check out my new online self-study course Build Your Track System (on the West Coast)

A few pictures below of one of my boarding situations…

Supporting Successful Herd Integrations

Supporting Successful Herd Integrations

by | Aug 4, 2024

Supporting Successful Herd Integrations

Alexa Linton, BSc, EST, DOMP

In my talks with multiple equine professionals, and countless horse owners, about enrichment for horses, the overwhelming answer about the most enriching thing for horses is…

FRIENDS! 

Horses thrive with friends. They are a community, a socially-oriented being, who thrives with interaction and relationship. In fact, for the many hours you are not at the barn, this is your horses main source of stimulus, co-regulation, entertainment, and interaction, even if they can’t touch one another. Whenever I see horses in stalls with no ability to see or interact with each other, my heart breaks knowing how empty their lives are without their horse friends. The reality is, your company is not enough, and stall living is not enough, by a long stretch. Isolation for horses can lead to many issues, as it is not in their nature to be alone, and creates a great deal of internal/external stress in most horses. I have met only a handful of horses that are happier on their own, and it generally due to substantial trauma and/or dysregulation.

One of the main reasons to build a track system is to facilitate these essential relationships, and to provide an environment which promotes herd living by creating a space and shelters that flow and allow free unhindered movement, free feed hay and water in multiple locations that reduces resource guarding and sense of scarcity. 

 

It can feel scary but it’s worth it (especially for your horse)

 

The hardest part of this for any horse person is often the introduction and integration of horses into shared living. It can be so scary for some, that they choose not to ever do it, preferring to keep their horses separate. Unfortunately this creates a frustrating catch 22 – if a horse has not been with other horses, their reduced social skills make them more prone to incident and injury. There are many horses that are lacking in basic social skills, with their last direct interaction with another horse often being their mother. These horses can be harder to integrate into a herd, but it is absolutely possible to support them in learning social skills and creating good situations where your current herd can also teach them how to be a horse.

I hope that by the end of this section you might feel greater confidence in making this shift that can be so beneficial physically, emotionally, socially and mentally for your horses. 

In my soon-to-be-released online course I have included several case studies showing different herd integrations with all sorts of different types of horses, including those that are under-socialized, miniature horses, show horses. I hope you feel inspired and encouraged by them (sign up below to get all the info about the course release)! 

 

In all of these case studies, several aspects were consistent and led to successful herd integrations, preserving relationship and supporting positive connections: 

 

  1. Well-regulated humans, meaning humans that are able to settle their systems, access their breathing to de-escalate themselves in stressful situations, ground their feet and bodies, be real about and work with their anxiety/fear, and generally find a state of calm and trust.
  2. Humans who can read and understand herd language and relationship cues. Sometimes an integration can look scary, when in fact normal horse behaviour is occurring, causing us to pull the plug and not continue forward. There will often be things to work through that we cannot control, and being able to read behaviour allows us to know when this is happening, and when the behaviour is entering a space of dysregulation and stress that requires an interruption. It will also let us be more in the flow of the process, understanding when the herd is ready for the next step or needs more time to settle and adjust.
  3. Well-regulated horses. Ideally a herd integration is boring and uneventful, and this is more so the case when at least one of the horses is well-socialized and has a good understanding of herd dynamics. This also requires you to have good observer skills and read behaviour to understand what connected and regulated looks like in your horses, and what stress looks like. If the horse you are introducing is not well socialized, your work will be to support them in learning basic social and settling skills through ground work, training and building more capacity for regulation through stress.
  4. Time. I have been guilty of herd integrations that were way way too rushed, very stressful and just generally not fun for anyone. I don’t do this anymore, now that I understand nervous systems and herd dynamics. Time is our friend. My colleague Elisse Miki has taken up to a month for an integration onto her track system, starting with the horse in an adjacent paddock and allowing the horses to get acquainted over a safe fence line and be able to take space or interact as they choose. Then the integration is done in small doses over a number of days with careful observation on the state of the herd and the newcomers. Time allows for baby steps and titration, giving their systems the opportunity to adjust.
  5. A well set up space. Be sure to eliminate any corners or places where a horse could become trapped. You may decide to shut the stalls temporarily, open more gates than usual and place panels in strategic places to support flow. Lots of forage available, including loose hay and possibly grass. I often thought that having a great big space for introductions would be best, but I’ve learned that this can provoke an escalated response because there is lots of room to run. Setting up a space that somewhat limits them getting up to speed, but doesn’t have any tight corners can be a good solution. 

Want to learn more? Sign up for our new comprehensive Build a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) online self study course.

 

12 Awesome Enrichment ideas for your horse

12 Awesome Enrichment ideas for your horse

by | Aug 4, 2024

12 Awesome Enrichment ideas for your horse

Whether you are shifting up a more traditonal horse keeping setting or you are planning a track system, one of the most fun aspects to think about and implement is enrichment for your horses. Enrichment includes any aspect of your track that adds a little spice to your horses lives and emulates a natural environment, all while building their body awareness, coordination, proprioception and sense of curiosity.

Think about what a wild horse might be navigating in their environment – how might you create a little bit of that in your horses space?

Adding a kiddie pool and/or a gym mat is easy, cheap and fun for your horses! A large tractor tire can be repurposed into a perfect pedestal obstacle.

Enriching things for horses might include other horses (the best enrichment of all!), poles, branches, rocks, hills, valleys, creeks, varied footing, varied forage, tires, trees and forests, treat puzzles, a gym mat, a tarp, a kiddie pool, wooden obstacles including pedestals and bridges.

If you’re in a boarding situation with an individual paddock, start simple with a few poles, some puzzles (hay balls are a great one for this), and maybe even a sand pile, and keep adding as you and your horse get inspired.

Remember, increasing your horse’s level of choice is key, so anything that does this is a win, even if your current situation isn’t ideal.

Adding poles to your paddock or to your track system increases the level of enrichment and mimics a more natural environment

Some of my favourite and often re-purposed enrichment ideas:

  1. Varied forage. Add horse-healthy tree branches (I love willow) and leave down branches that fall to allow your horses to munch on bark and leaves. Hide little bits of hay or treats around your track for your horses to sniff out and find. You can also mix up their hay by feeding a few different types at a time and add a bag of straw. Plant medicinal herbs and shrubs around your track for your horses to enjoy.
  2. Get their noses involved. Making puzzles for your horses using treats and cubes can be a very fun and engaging task for them. In hot weather, you can freeze water with carrots or apples to keep them entertained and cool. Learn more from Rachael Draaisma and her scentwork online course.
  3. Poles and logs. You’d be amazed how well-coordinated your horses become when they have to move over poles every time they run around your track. You can repurpose old fence posts or jump poles, or even logs that fall in the forest, to create a challenging, fun obstacles course.
  4. A big tractor or truck tire filled with dirt and then gravel – makes such a fun spot to stretch, play and build strength and coordination all in one. And small tires without the rims make great obstacles.
  5. A kiddie pool! Great on hot days and secondary water source. If you have a horse that loves water they will love this addition and it’s also a great way to get horses used to water. You want the harder plastic kind, nothing fancy. They are amazingly durable and easy to patch. Find them cheap on FB marketplace.
  6. A sand pile. Perfect for napping and playing! You don’t even need to spread it out – just let your horses do the job for you.
  7. A hay ball. My mare Raven loves her hay ball, and seeks it out every day. https://amzn.to/3RxbY4K
  8. A wooden pedestal and a wooden bridge.
  9. A hill. You’d be amazed how much your horses love climbing up and down a hill. How great is this skill when you get out on the trail, and also for building strength and coordination for whatever you’re up to. You can also add a rock pile and tuck treats in it for a surprise.
  10. A water buffet. We look at this great enrichment activity in a couple of lessons.
  11. Some puzzles. Make your horses puzzles. Raven has great fun with an empty plastic apple cider vinegar bottle with holes for hay cubes to come out, tied up in a tree (and it’s free and repurposed!). This treat ball is perfect for tucking hay cubes and providing a few hours of enrichment https://amzn.to/3z8DSOi
  12. A gym mat. The cushy terrain of a gym mat can be challenging for their stabilizers and can support positive shifts all the way up to the brain (Find them here – https://amzn.to/3RtA2Fx). Or try out Surefoot Pads – https://www.ttouch.ca/product-category/surefoot/

Here is a great article with some more ideas:

https://www.yourhorse.co.uk/horse-care/horse-behaviour/7-ways-to-enrich-your-horses-environment-and-make-him-happy/?rq=Justine%20harrison

This is a great FB page with lots of ideas for enrichment: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2609672455794356/

A photo of myself with Elisse Miki of Equilibira Therapeutics in Langley, BC chatting about the obstacles she includes in her horse space, including this pedastal. You’ll get a tour of her amazing track system when you sign up for our soon-to-be-released online course! As well, the header image of the water buffet is also from her track system.

Want to learn more? Sign up for our new comprehensive Build a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) online self study course.