Horse Geeks Episode 187: What Is Fawning?

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Fawning is a defensive strategy used for coping with high levels of stress, like trauma, or chronic stress. It is a strategy often used when a person or horse is punished harshly for expressing fight or flight, perceived as disobedience. Fawning is one of the newer defensive strategies defined by psychologists, but has been adopted long before it was well defined. This particular strategy is often confused as a "well trained" or "push button" horse, one that often anticipates what move we want next, but with constant anxiety and tension just below the compliant behavior. When horses are obedient but don't feel safe or comfortable internally, then fawning is a strategy for just staying out of trouble. The most common side effects for horses are food related issues or feeding time anxiety, ulcers and a tendency to colic. A horse's digestion seems to take the brunt of being obedient without calmness. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/