Trick training is a great way to have fun with your horse, build your communication and practice your training skills in a no-pressure way. This video gives you a quick overview of the steps I use to clicker train horses to play fetch. It’s simple, fun and always makes me smile – enjoy 🙂 For […]
How to Teach Your Horse to Play Fetch – Trick Training with Positive Reinforcement Read More »
How do horses communicate their preferences or willingness? How do we make sure we’re listening and respecting them? Consent comes down to emotions as it’s about how your horse feels about certain situations. Giving horses a voice and enabling them to communicate with us is a key part of building a great relationship and connecting
Using Start Buttons and Consent Cues in Horse Training Read More »
Listening to your horse means being able to read what he’s saying through his body language. Horses express fear, joy, confidence, anxiety, confusion and frustration through movements and actions – when you watch for these behavioural signs and respond to them, you start to open up the conversation between you and your horse. Even though
Horses Saying “Yes” and “No” – How to Read Your Horse’s Emotions Read More »
Horse agility is great for despooking, body awareness, variety, exercise and fun with your horse. This video shows how I work with horses at different stages in their agility training through a variety of obstacles. I’m training using positive reinforcement, which means that I use rewards for my horses, and I’m working at liberty. Weaving
This video continues the exercises from P1, where we were increasing relaxation in groundwork. Now, we’ve working on reducing tension and rushing when riding lateral exercises. (Watch P1 first) Tension when riding is common and is shown through behaviours such as rushing, resisting, tail swishing, ear-pinning, napping, spooking and getting anxious or, in the case
Leonara is a spooky mare. And once she gets a fright, she is highly reluctant to try again at that place or with the thing that scared her. She does take a lot of comfort from people, though, and can be helped to work through her fears. Claire Waldron, Manager of the Connection Training Centre,
Empowering Your Horse Read More »
When you discover the power of using a target to train a horse, it is amazing. You can use it to teach a horse to lead, to stay, to load, to stand tied. The list goes on. As the title of Shawna Karrasch’s book says, “You Can Teach Your Horse to Do Anything”. The target
Stop Using A Target Now! Read More »
There will be some behaviours that your horse finds more challenging than others. Perhaps this is overcoming fear of the tarp or the fly spray, perhaps it’s finding joy in forwards movement or maybe it’s slowing down and standing quietly. Whatever it is, the Challenge Sandwich concept will help! The temptation is often to work
Challenge Sandwich Read More »
This video concludes the series exploring Panksepp’s emotional brain systems in horses. These brain systems are found in all mammals and are at the core of how we understand and train our horses. The systems are: SEEKING, CARE, PLAY, FEAR, PANIC, RAGE and LUST. To view the whole series from the start click HERE. You
Panksepp’s Emotional Systems in Horses: Conclusion Read More »
The job of the LUST System is pretty obvious; it drives animals to mate and reproduce. But what does it mean for our domestic horses? And what does it mean for us in terms of training? If you’ve ever dealt with the variability of a hormonal mare or trained a stallion to be calm and
Getting It On! – 7. The LUST System Read More »
Horses are naturally peaceable animals in the wild. So why do we see so many aggressive behaviours in domesticity? In this video, I explore many facets of the RAGE system – does dominance exist in the brain? Why do horses resource-guard? What elements of the RAGE system are triggered through training? The wonderful clips in
From Frustration to Fury – 6. The RAGE System Read More »
If your horse suffers from separation anxiety, it’s all down to the PANIC system in the brain. As a herd animal, the instinct to stay with other horses is incredibly strong, even in adults. This video explains this brain system and how it impacts your relationship and training with your horse. The PANIC system differs
Don’t Leave Me! – 5. The PANIC System Read More »
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