How to enable your pet or horse to relax naturally

Helping an animal relax doesn’t always require doing more — often it begins with being more present. Animals are exquisitely sensitive to the nervous systems around them, especially those they trust. By grounding yourself and regulating your own breathing, you can gently invite your horse or pet out of anxiety and into a calmer physiological state. Begin by placing yourself near your animal in a way that feels safe and non-demanding. Soften your posture, let your shoulders drop, and bring your awareness into your body. Take slow, deep breaths, allowing the inhale to be easy and the exhale to be long and unforced. Imagine your breath moving all the way down into your stomach and out through your feet, anchoring you to the ground. There is nothing to fix or change — just settle into a steady, relaxed, calm way of being. As you regulate yourself, observe your animal without expectation. Look for subtle signs of release and relaxation. These may include: a deep sigh or long exhale, blinking or fluttering eyelids, a softening around the eyes, jaw, and muzzle, lowering of the head or neck, licking and chewing, or a shift in posture that looks looser and less guarded. These signals indicate the nervous system letting go of tension. This process works because animals naturally synchronise with the emotional and physiological states of those around them. When you embody calm, safety, and grounded presence, your animal can “borrow” that regulated state. Your nervous system becomes a reference point — a stable signal that says, it’s safe to soften here. Practicing this exercise multiple times a day, even for short moments, helps the animal’s physiology learn a new baseline of regulation. Over time, these repeated experiences can reduce anxiety, lower stress responses, and support healthier patterns of relaxation. Small, consistent moments of calm add up, teaching the body that peace is not an exception — it’s an option.