Question One:
“We have a group of 10 women who are starting colts. For some, it is their first colt to start, for others it may be their 50th colt. Any advice on practical steps to controlling our own sympathetic and parasympathetic systems when navigating colt starting? (ie deep breathing etc) ~ Anna, via virtual clinic
Answer from Martin:
One angle would be to have some basic tools to control the horses energy. This can be a long conversation on colt starting. The other angle would be to have the ability to take care of yourself if something did get out of control. I encourage people to practice a quick dismount. Most people spend too much time trying to gather their reins, try a one rein stop, or hang on which any unsuccessful attempts often only makes the situation worse. Dismounting keeps you safe and allows you the chance to start over. A planned dismount is most always better than an unplanned dismount. Sure, you can breathe deep and try to relax yourself and that’s all good but when it gets beyond that point you need survival skills. What I’ve noticed in women’s confidence, as they get older and especially after having children and/or not riding for an extended period of time, is that they become very cautious. I think their brain is telling them they need to be there for their family, and not out slaying dragons; or have somehow convinced themselves that they can handle a dragon.
Another angle is to ask yourself why do you really need to be doing this, and what would be wrong with having a qualified person put a handful of rides on the colt so it is more confident? See the colts success and have more confidence in the colt might help you have more confidence in yourself.
Answer from Dr. Steve Peters:
When you’re starting colts, keeping your own nervous system in check is just as important as reading the horse. If you start feeling tense or wound up, take a few slow, deep breaths, inhale through your nose, exhale longer through your mouth. That helps shift you out of fight-or-flight mode. Pay attention to your body and feel your feet on the ground or the reins in your hands to stay present. A simple word like “soft” or “steady” can help bring your focus back if your mind starts racing. Before you even walk into the pen, take a moment to picture yourself staying calm and clear as it will set the tone. If you notice you’re gripping the lead rope too tight or moving too fast, that’s your cue to slow down. The more you practice regulating your own energy, both in and out of the saddle, the more it becomes second nature. Remember, your horse is reading you all the time. A calm human helps build a calm colt.
Thank you for your question.
Martin Black and Dr. Steve Peters
Question Two:
“Using arousal and homeostasis for learning: Does the same rule apply to rehabilitation for horses who have been traumatized?” ~ Kate, via virtual clinic
Answer from Martin Black:
Learning is learning, they all have to go through the same process of sympathetic arousal to learn. But, all horses are going to need different levels of sympathetic arousal in different situations. Having the knowledge and experience to identify the different levels and understanding the horse’s needs is what separates the good horseman from the amateur. Starting out with uneducated horses or trying to rehab a traumatized horse is not something for beginners to attempt. Just because you have good intentions doing brain surgery on someone you love doesn’t qualify you as a brain surgeon. It might not turn out good for your loved one, and you may not have a good experience with it either. We don’t know what we don’t know, but if you can know your not the smartest one in the room, you’re probably smart enough to seek help.
In my experience, this is where a lot of traumatized horses come from, the inability of the handler did not give the needed foundation for the horse to handle stressful situations. In order for a horse to be safe they need to work through a process of bringing them into sympathetic arousal and bringing them back to homeostasis. They don’t learn the pathways to homeostasis without being in the sympathetic nervous system. Without this process, it’s a matter of time before something out of our control frightens the horse and they buck or bolt, and then the problems begin. The novice horsemen try to rationalize with a prey animal that has very little ability to rationalize.
It’s not a question of keeping them in the parasympathetic state and everybody having a good experience, the question is, what’s going to happen when, not if, this 1200 pound companion animal gets sympathetically aroused? What tools are in place to keep the horse safe and the person safe? If they find themselves in a burning building and panic, they might make a run for the window. But, they need to have the knowledge and experience to use the stairs and not jump out of the window from the 10th floor. This is what I refer to as the fire drill, giving them the experience of being sympathetically aroused, and knowing how to make the right choices.
Horses make terrific partners, but love and companionship alone is not necessarily a recipe for a safe and successful relationship. The root cause of too many horse related 911 calls are because of a frightened horse. The inexperienced horseman will try to avoid getting the horse frightened, which might keep them safe for a while, but to truly have a horse that we can trust and we can be safe around they need to be able to trust that we will be there to bring them off the ledge when they get scared and back to homeostasis. To me, it’s not about building trust in a horse that they think nothing bad will ever happen. When things happen out of our control, it’s important that they trust we can help them find comfort and safety. That’s the kind of trust in the relationship that I want with my horses. Leadership is not avoidance. It’s being able to handle the bad times with the good.
Answer from Dr. Steve Peters:
With a traumatized horse, the nervous system has likely learned to associate arousal with danger or overwhelm, not with learning or curiosity. So while arousal followed by a return to homeostasis is a key mechanism in building resilience and learning, the threshold for that arousal must be carefully calibrated. For these horses, even mild stress can tip them into a defensive state rather than a learning state.
In practice, this means going slower, keeping arousal levels low and manageable, and ensuring every interaction feels safe and predictable. The brain only rewires through experience, so what you’re doing is creating many small, positive exposures that gently reshape the horse’s expectations. Over time, this reconditions the nervous system to tolerate slightly more novelty or pressure without triggering a fear response.
Importantly, the return to baseline, back to calm, parasympathetic tone is where the learning consolidates. So it’s not about avoiding arousal altogether, but about making sure it never tips into dysregulation. You’re aiming to stretch the window of tolerance just enough to promote adaptation, not re-injury.
So yes: slower, safer, smaller with lots of good repetitions. That’s what builds new neural pathways and gradually restores the horse’s capacity for engagement, trust, and learning.
Question Three:
“What is HPA Axis?” ~ via virtual clinic
Answer from Dr. Steve Peters:
The HPA axis stands for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. It’s the body’s central stress response system. When a horse (or human) perceives a threat, the hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland, which then tells the adrenal glands to release cortisol, the primary stress hormone. This helps the body prepare for action, but if the system stays activated too long, it can lead to chronic stress and health issues. In horses, prolonged HPA activation can affect behavior, learning, immune function, and overall welfare.
To learn more about EBH Timing, Rhythm and Synchrony find it here