When Anxiety Takes Up the Room

About this episode

Lockie Phillips discusses how human anxiety can influence horse behavior and the dynamics of their interaction.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Horse First, Lockie Phillips explores a quieter form of dominance that often goes unnamed in horse culture: the way human anxiety, overthinking, and unresolved tension can fill the space around a horse, even in the absence of force. When a handler’s internal experience becomes the centre of gravity, horses adapt by shrinking, complying, or going quiet. This conversation offers a steady lens on proportion, regulation, and what it means to truly make room for...

People in this episode

Host: Lockie Phillips

Topics covered

• anxiety
• horse culture
• human-animal interaction
• emotional regulation
• handler dynamics

Keywords

• anxiety
• horses
• overthinking
• tension
• handler
• dominance

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