Equus Academy - About EndoTapping

EndoTapping is a new training technique developed by J.P. Giacomini to relax a horse any time, anywhere - it is a complete physical and emotional conditioning method for horses at any stage in their life. EndoTapping helps establish obedience, performance and soundness using relaxation.

IT IS AS IMPORTANT TO ADULT HORSES AS IMPRINTING IS TO NEWBORN FOALS.

It is easily taught and brings a radical solution to the oldest problem of horse training: how to get the horse to replace the primal stress reflex of contracting its body in preparation for fight or flight, by a new reflex of relaxation and attention to the trainer.

EndoTapping is the "relax reflex that rewards". It is an automatic, on cue, pleasurable response that brings the horse's mind back to attention and softens his body instantly.

How To Begin EndoTapping

EndoStick in hand, take your horse, with a halter and lead rope on, into a small area. I prefer a stall, but a roundpen is ok. In order to be effective, you must be sure to obtain your horse's attention (horse looks at you), your horse's respect (your horse moves away from you, forward, backward and sideways), your horse's trust (your horse stops and comes back to you with a friendly attitude).

Before you get started, remind yourself to expect the following sequence of reactions and check your progress at all times.

Every time you EndoTap a new spot on the horse's body, or every time you get into a new situation, the horse is likely to follow a predictable pattern. some overlapping may occur between phases, but it is usually limited and temporary.

1. The horse ACTIVELY RESISTS the Endo-tapping, by contracting, leaning against it or you, or tries to evade the tapping by moving forward, backward, sideways. 2. The horse PASSIVELY RESISTS the Endo-tapping, by IGNORING it and APPEARS desensitized (this is where most "sacking out" methods stop). 3. The horse finally RELAXES to the Endo-tapping, demonstrated by STRETCHING HIS NECK PROGRESSIVELY DOWN TO THE GROUND, a probable consequence of endorphin release, back relaxation and other physiological factors currently under scientific investigation. OTHER SIGNS OF RELAXATION are chewing, licking, head/neck shaking and 'passing gas' (all in addition to the head going down). Now the horse is ready to be tapped with the Endo-stick on the next body location and the process starts from #1 again.

4. After all body areas have been “endotapped”, the horse can be ENDO-TAPPED while requested to MOVE (in hand or under saddle) IN ANY REQUESTED DIRECTION, AT ANY GAIT, and remain relaxed (head down).

The entire process has to be reinforced (repeated) every time the difficulty of the movement or the “emotional content” of the situation is increased (such as fear or aggression stimuli).

One can start anywhere on the horse, but Endotapping is most efficient when started on the fleshy part of the back, below/behind the withers until you get 'his head down'. Then move to the loins, the croup, the belly and finally, the neck. - WHEN YOU HAVE ACHIEVED RELAXATION IN ALL LOCATIONS ON ONE SIDE, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HORSE, exactly as you did the first side.

Some more tips: 1. Some horses will take literally one tap of the Endo-stick before they put their head down (my own horse, case in point, (except on the croup, which took a lot longer), he was most contracted there), other horses may take 5 minutes, 15 minutes or 45 minutes!! You have to be patient, the light weight of the Endo-stick makes it easier on your arm to tap that long!2. Introduce only one new element at a time to the process and MAKE SURE it is completed (head to ground) before starting something else. 3. The "3 R's" first stage is accomplished in the stall (or R.P.) and UNMOUNTED (yes, we'll do it mounted as well), first standing still, THEN walking around the stall turning left and right, tapping the horse all the while and the head should be down and neck relaxed. 4. It is then applied on the lunge line at the walk, and then on an increasingly larger circle (we have designed an "Endo-blanket for this stage, balls attached all over) - if the horse becomes un-relaxed when too far away from you and you can't reach with the Endo-stick, then just keep the horse within range. 5. When that stage is well-confirmed WITHOUT a rider, it is done again using the Endo-stick while riding at the 3 gaits ON THE LUNGE LINE IF HELP IS AVAILABLE, or in the ROUND PEN so the rider can concentrate on the 3 R's work rather than the guiding of the horse.

Final point: At the end of each lesson, the horse MUST be asked to do a simple stretch at the walk and at the halt. This precaution works like a “sponge on a blackboard” by erasing the tension arising eventually from any learning process. The horse will finish the session in the maximum of calm and return to the stall with the best feeling possible about his lesson. This principle is also essential to help prevent anticipation. Horses are always eager to show off the last trick they have learned that made their trainer so happy. By insisting on performing the exercise previously learned, we remind the horse that ALL lessons are to be remembered in whichever order the trainer orders. OBTAIN COMPLETION of each repeatable stage of the progression. When the horse is learning, he will go through stages that are, by nature, transitory. Others are clearly defined by their degree of difficulty and must be solidly confirmed before a new stage is attempted. To be able to repeat several of the exercises and perform it each time a little better, demonstrates that the horse has completed that stage. At each stage of the process and only when this list is completed, can the trainer consider the horse trained for that particular exercise: 1. Physically: the horse performs the proposed exercise in a recognizable form. 2. Mentally: the horse understand the exercise and it can be repeated with little prompting. 3. Emotionally: the horse accepts the exercise and likes it, as demonstrated by licking, chewing and a happy comfortable expression.