Questions “Help! My horse is getting stronger, I need a stronger bit can anyone recommend one?” “I can’t stop my horse hacking, I need a stronger bit” “How do you use a 3 ring gag I was thinking about using one on my child’s pony” These are just a few examples of the posts I’ve …
What is Natural Horsemanship? Natural horsemanship is a training approach that rose in popularity in the 80’s. It’s important to acknowledge that natural horsemanship was intended to be a kinder and more understanding way of working with horses. And for that it deserves kudos. Fathers of the natural horsemanship movement used their observations of natural …
I have heard it said that we ask so much of our horses…. but are we really giving them a choice? Do horses in captivity have a choice in diet, choice in environment, choice in friendship or choice in training and does this affect their wellness? As care providers we have a great responsibility to …
Although this equipment looks more reminiscent of a hangman’s noose, this is indeed marketed as a piece of kit for training horses. ‘Training them for what?’ I hear you ask. Patience apparently. DO these patience poles actually train patience? Patience is a human concept, so first let’s look at what we are actually aiming …
What is a Psychologist? When we hear the word psychology, it can conjure up all sorts or ideas like the photo above (we like a giggle here!). We normally associate this term with human psychology. The Oxford English dictionary describes psychology as ‘the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour …
Historically, traditional horsemanship has not taken the information available on physical and emotional development in to account for the basis of age appropriate training. There is a great deal of new scientific findings available which radically shake up what we believed about training horses. While some of the horse world is still playing catch-up, the …
This is my daughter Catherine; she was 11 years old when this photo (left) was taken… fast forward a couple of years (right) and she is STILL a massive Zelda fan! So is my husband Mike, which is where the influence came from (I’m not really a video games sort of gal). They really enjoy …
‘ALLOWING A HORSE TO BE THEMSELVES’ This is such an important part of training. We are asking the horse to listen to us, to work with us and to allow us to teach them. Working at liberty is such a huge shift. I no longer allow myself to get frustrated if the horse goes away, …
This is a new thread about the work we have done with Rodeo; a 16.2hh Irish Sports Horse. First Impressions I first met Rodeo in the Spring of 2018. His owner contacted me asking to help out while she was away, I agreed and went to meet him. When I pulled up, I saw a …
It’s been a couple of weeks at the time of writing this, since I arrived home from the UK tour. I was excited to share this workshop around the UK and I wasn’t disappointed with the fantastic feedback received and turnout in both England and Wales. Since beginning my own bitless journey 2 years ago, …