Hart's Horsemanship

Separation Distress is a common problem that affects so many horses, donkeys and mules. It brings fear, panic, anxiety and often injury to the lives of many horse owners. Unfortunately, traditional approaches to working with the challenge of an animal with separation distress are often distressing, risk severe injury and usually make the issue worse. I am so excited to bring you this course on Solving Separation Distress because I have been working for months to bring my 23 years of experience working with equine and human behaviour to create this course.

Separation distress is complicated. Your horse's experience of separation distress is unique to you, them and your environment. For example, you may have horses who can't be separated from companions by a gate or fence, while others can't be left alone but ride out with you. Some are reliant on a particular horse, others on just any horse. Some can't reduce their distress even if you are there with them.

To make things more challenging, you may have horses at home, in a livery yard or barn; They may be stabled or out 24/7. The hardest of all is when you have to rely on the goodwill of others to help your horse stay calm, waiting for you to get there before they bring their horses in. I hope you can begin to appreciate the complexity of our equines' situation and the challenge we have in finding a solution to the issue.

Because of the wide range of situations and ways that separation distress exhibits itself that we can't just go to the problem to solve the problem. We shouldn't do that with any problem but certainly not with this issue. So we need to start far enough back in our approach that we can keep them and us safe and that we build natural resilience and long term solutions.

This course will allow every participant to work through the contents to build safe, strong foundations. I will give you the knowledge and confidence to develop a plan that fits your unique situation. I want to reassure you that your safety is a priority for me. Any work on separation distress is based on shaping behaviour, correct stretching of the comfort zones, and keeping the animals under their threshold to ensure the physical safety of all involved and their emotional well-being.

I have planned a holistic process that will teach you to think about your situation and unique animals and environment. You may need every element or be more familiar with some parts if you have worked with me previously. Then, depending on the levels of distress your horse experiences, history, environment, and relationship, you will build your path to a calmer, safe future. 

There is no magic bullet, or one size fits all approach. Instead, we must use a holistic approach working on various areas such as trust, patience, shaping correctly, resilience and working with emotions; this way, we can build a comprehensive approach to solving separation distress.

For total transparency and equine welfare, please consider that separating your equines might not be the right thing for them. I would love you to check out the free lesson on Just because we can, should we? Then, carefully consider if your animals' lives could be enhanced by reducing separation distress. Are your goals for separation suitable, achievable and practical.

I promise that the learning you receive can be applied to all your training and equine interactions, not just separation distress, and your horses, donkeys, and mules will benefit from undertaking the program in many other areas of their lives.

The course registration closes on 29.5.22 a pre- recorded live session to introduce you to all the elements of the course and explain in more detail the process we will be working with to help you and your equids feel less anxious and more relaxed when separated from their companions. The live sessions have been recorded from the first course so you can get started straight away. 

As soon as you sign up, you have access to the introduction module and an essential first module called, Navigating your path to success. This module will prepare you to succeed. Navigating your path is jam-packed with ideas for productivity, creating the perfect plan, avoiding the pitfalls that might stop you and understanding how to prepare for change and why change can be a challenge. The more thoroughly you use this element, the greater your chances of overall success.

Keeping up with the content and having time to absorb and explore the lessons are vital parts of the success process. I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed in an already busy world. Applying the lessons to your unique situation and doing the exercises brings success. To ensure you have the best chance to succeed, work through each module in order just one a week will give you plenty to work with, no need to be overwhelemed.

Please absorb the lessons, do the exercises and progress at a pace that suits you. It is okay if you want to take longer and go slower, but I don't want anyone to go faster, skip steps, or rush ahead. 

The content for each week will be released each Tuesday for you to access and explore. 

Introduction to the course

Navigating your path to success

Week one - What is separation distress – What is happening, why it is normal and natural. Developing your approach to your situation

Week two - The role of emotions - How to use them to your advantage, in all your training

Week three - The principles of working with separation distress

Week four -  Shaping behaviour – Why two minutes is too long, the essential element to avoid accidents, injuries and distress. How do we shape patience

Week five - What their behaviour is saying -  The need to build trust first. How do we gain trust and build confidence?

Week six - Live session.The shaping plan for separation distress. How to use it and the importance of following the steps

There are opportunities to ask questions and discuss progress with me and fellow participants through the course site and the Facebook group available to course participants only.

The course content will be available for five months from the start of the course to explore and revisit. The shaping plans and downloadable content are yours to download and keep forever.