Training the Horse. Comfort, Stretch, Panic Zones

This chart may be something that you have seen before but I believe that when training horses it is really important to observe. Allowing the horses learning to progress well and to enable both the rider/handler and the horse to be safer and more confident.

COMFORT (LEARNING) ZONE

A horse in his comfort Zone, is relaxed, in an environment close to nature, he would be with a group of horses, happy to eat, drink, sleep and play.
His muscles are soft, his jaw relaxed, if resting his respiration and pulse rate will be low. I’m sure all horses would love to live their life in this zone as would many people!
In this zone the horse is open to learning, he has a lot of brain space to process new information. I would always initially teach a horse in this zone. Setting up an environment that allows him to learn the essential cues for us to control him.
Often I start ‘In hand’ training in the horses stable. Initially teaching him the cue to back up, then come forwards, to park (stand on cue) and move front and hind legs, each on a different cue.
Learning these simple things can be so much quicker and easier in this environment. Helping to set the horse up for success when he finds himself in the next zone.

STRETCH (DEVELOPMENT) ZONE

When training, we can not always keep the horse in his comfort zone, just taking him out for a hack for the first time, putting him in the trailer, riding past the scary filler in the corner of the arena or having a horse run around beside the arena is likely to push the horse into stretch zone, so we have to prepare for this by training him out of his comfort zone.

When in stretch Zone, the horse will feel more venerable. If you think of him in an environment close to nature, possibly he has lost his herd members or in an unfamiliar area.
His muscles hold more tension, especially in the neck and shoulders his head may be held higher with ears pricked forwards and eyes focused, he will have less ‘brain space’ available for learning. His pulse and respiration increases, even at rest. He stops eating and his jaw becomes tight, he may pass droppings. All this, on a subconscious level, is getting his body ready for the next level, Panic Zone.

PANIC (INSTINCTIVE) ZONE

In Panic Zone, the horses instincts take over...Flight, fight and Freeze. There is no reasoning, no conscious thought put into to his reactions, it is all instinctive. Little to no learning will take place in this zone. This is the way the horse has survived all these generations!

Think of a herd of zebras in the wild, something rustles in the bushes, the zebra immediately bolts away (flight), he may then stop and look as he won’t want to use all his energy resources if it is a false alarm, as it may be for real later in the day!
If the lion comes close enough to bite the zebras hock, he will buck and kick out at the lion (fight).
One of the herd members gets detached from the herd, feeling very venerable, he stands in the undergrowth away from the action as still and quiet as possible, closing in like a snail in a shell, hoping that the lion won’t see or hear him (freeze) however, that zebra can come out of his shell at the flick of a switch if he needed to suddenly go to flight or fight.

Panic zone is not an area that I would choose to train any animal, however there are times when it is beyond your control; a bag rustles in the hedge and flys across the arena, your horse thinks it may be that lion!
His instinctive feeling is to spin and run. If you have trained the horse well in his comfort and stretch zones, to enable him to be aware of your cues in such a subconscious way, you may be able to prevent the spin.

Remember that just like us humans, each horses comfort, stretch and panic zones are different.

It takes a lot of repetitions for a horse to understand the right action to take for each cue and that is a totally different subject to write about!
If you start your horses training ‘in hand’ in his comfort zone, then when the horse responds correctly immediately to a small and light cue, test him in his stretch zone, you will know whether he is understanding.

I would recommend trying to stay out of panic zone, however, if you have done your homework well, you will have an easier time if it does happen and both you and your horse are likely to stay safer and build confidence.
Take care.