Kathleen Aspenns
down. If he misbehaved by jumping around he may have been shanked or smacked. Many horses are frightened and confused by punishment and learn to hold still to avoid pain. A horse may freeze, becoming rigid and holding his breath, or shut off his awareness so he does not notice frightening things going on around him.
Many people have been instructed to correct biting or fidgeting by shanking on the halter, or smacking the horse in the neck with a loud “no”. It has not been my experience that this works to stop the behavior, instead becoming more of a cyclical action/reaction that repeats daily while the horse is handled.
I loved being interviewed by Dr Schoen on his show "Awakening with Your Animal Family". We talked about Flower Essences and how they can help pets. Dr Schoen is one of the leaders in introducing complimentary and alternative methods to Western veterinary medicine.