What is whole body vibration pt 2 - 411 Barrel Horse Wellness

Preparing your horse to accept vibration therapy. It's easy right? Just get them to stand on a small buzzing platform for twenty minutes! (nervous laughter here...)

If you are one of the lucky people who has a confident and curious character (left brain introvert) for a steed then good-on-ya! For a lot of people who try to help their horse with wellness therapies and tasks, their horse could sometimes have a different idea (aka not wanting to ground tie on an 'earth quake machine'). You might be one of those who opts to load your horse into a chute/squeeze/stocks to lessen the hassle of finicky movement.

So if your horse doesn’t always trailer load, ground tie, or step up on an obstacle with out freaking – this post is for you. Please watch the video series included in this post to further understand the concepts here, by scrolling to the end. If you have additional questions about the EquiVibe products be sure to visit them here. Happy vibing! #goodvibes @_integratedequine_ on Instagram

How to ground tie, and build confidence on an obstacle:

In this post I’m using the EquiVibe Vibrating Therapy Plate as an example of how to teach your horse to stand still on a marker for a long period of time.

Train your horse to load on the vibe plate in less than a minute!

Assume nothing, and simulate everything.

Yes…you can flag your horse to death and make him desensitized and as dead as a doornail. You can also cross tie him in a stock or chute. But for longstanding safety and success purposes it’s best to go slow.  What can you use around your barn that simulates a marker (for ground tying) a trailer (for trailer loading) or a vibrating therapy plate? Take advantage of tight spaces, dark places and obstacles that can look like the “real task” in the horse’s mind. Don’t just assume they will hope in the trailer in a thinking state of mind, or remember that they are supposed to STAY in one place after you walk away. Teach them slow through principles of approach and retreat, pressure and release.

Take the time it takes.

Do most of us re-hash the same discipline and task day in and day out? Maybe, yes. Do we tip toes past puddles or pick the 18ft trailer over the bumper pull because it freaks our horse out less? Probably. Should we…? NO! The fact of the matter is it might take you 20 minutes 5 days in a row to teach a concept but you won’t have to spend 2 hours every time you are confronted with a task that the horse thinks is challenging. If you take the time it takes for a horse to actually learn confidence in the beginning, then you can hold him to high expectations forevermore.

Do it right or don’t do it at all.

I’m sure the term ‘half-assed’ comes to mind if you are doing laundry or dishes – you don’t fuss with wrinkles in the clothes or dry off the water spots kind of thing. But when it comes to horses, take heed with your steed. If you aren’t teaching him exactly what you WANT and supporting the concept with exactly what he NEEDS then you are doing favors to no one. Be sure when ‘loading’ your horse on the vibe plate you do so in a manner that is calm, cool and collected. Yanking  a horse sideways on the vibrating plate, tolerating him clamoring off of it backwards, or standing crooked is robbing your horse of therapy and benefits of the tools. Your horse should be able to walk straight on and off, as well as back up each individual foot off the plate without being scared.  The main reasoning being that: if your horse is “right-brained” he is on adrenaline and if he’s on adrenaline he’s not retaining the process of which he executed a task. The more “left brained” calm, confident and responsive your horse is when he is in a learning frame of mind, he will retain more and offer the task sooner and with less drama.

Below I've included a full length tutorial on HOW the process actually looks, per request of my readers. This is because often for sake of time, a video will only highlight the methods and responses of training a horses. Then people write me saying, "I did what you said but my horse acted totally different!". I hope these longer videos help you because this footage is featuring a cookie-cutter barrel horse that reflects a lot of other  horse's I've seen. Know that all horse's learn at different rates, but take a few moments to digest the processes of the tasks on the videos.

Part 1 is especially good for nervous horses, or beginners. The vibe plate or ground tying for the first time can be frustrating. This video is easy to apply to whatever method you currently practice.

Part 2 is the next step to Part 1 Video. We simply build on what we expect the horse to do, keep simulating the task we want, and adjust to fit the horse's needs. Anyone can do this!

Part 3 focuses on getting the horse to step on the actual vibration of the plate. This step should be preceded by part 1 and 2 if you want a quality result with your horse and minimal risk of an accident. Video starts at 30 seconds.

Don’t worry, all horses are apprehensive of: people, places, changes and things! (Haha! Which basically means everything?) So you aren’t alone if your horse is acting like a 'dingbat' when you are trying to keep him still on the mat, or vibe plate or trailer etc… Everyone has the skills to be able to teach their horse to be a willing partner. All it takes is a little time and a lot of patience! Therapy and rehab treatments should be relaxing, enjoyable and very beneficial. Having the right approach to accepting the therapy will enhance all those qualities for you and your horse. I guarantee you, once your horse is confident in you as his leader and that the vibration won't kill him - he will CRAVE the therapy and go right to sleep. #zenmode

Do you have any questions about how vibration therapy can help your horse? I would love to have you email me your story, and maybe I can provide you with some resources that can assist in recovery or prevention! Please feel free to reach out for help or more information if you think your horse can benefit from the vibe plate.