All blog posts here I teach two different kinds of standing still: Stand – this is relaxed, at ease. The horse can find their own comfortable posture. Halt – this is more active where the horse is standing still yet is engaged and ready. Their posture will be more aligned and ready for movement and […]
Teach Your Horse to Stand Still and Relaxed Once You’ve Mounted Read More »
All blog posts here If you’re anything like me, you want to give your horse choice and for them not to feel compelled to do the things you ask. Giving choice is such an important part of the way I train and it’s always the first step in building communication and a strong, trusting relationship
Give Your Horse Choice in Training Read More »
If you’re training on your own, this technique is a simple way to help build duration in hooflifting. The basic idea is that if your horse’s hoof is lifted, they get rewards in the wheelbarrow. With a bit of repetition, they soon understand this and start to WANT to keep their foot up so they
Train Your Horse to Hold Up Their Foot Longer – a Simple and Positive Technique Read More »
Want to see how I keep my horses being happy loaders and travellers? This video shows you a loading practice session with 2 of my horses after NOT travelling for 3 years. As with many behaviours, use it or lose it. It’s really beneficial to keep practicing and playing with loading to maintain positive emotions
Practicing Loading with positive reinforcement Read More »
Introducing a young horse to tack and rider for the first time should be a relaxed and rewarding experience for both of you. This compilation of horses and riders shows our process of using positive reinforcement to start / back / break (I hope not!) young horses. We have more in-depth videos on mounting and
Backing Young Horses CALMLY (no bucking here!) – Using positive reinforcement Read More »
I’ve always wanted to teach my horses to lie down on cue, but I’ve also had reservations about it, too – so many horses are forced or contorted into the lie down, which is horrible to do and, for me, entirely ruins the magic of your horse lying down with you. So, I decided to
How to Train Your Horse to Lie Down POSITIVELY – No Ropes, Just Rewards! Read More »
Do you want your horse to willingly line up to be ridden and to immediately connect with you when you’re in the saddle? Then this video is for you! I show you the process I took when working with a mare who bolted as soon as anyone tried to mount. This technique taught Lubie: How
Taking Freckles cross-country for the first time, I wanted it to be an experience he enjoyed and that boosted his confidence and our relationship. It can be so easy to overface our horse or expect too much of them and end up in a bit of a battle. My approach is always to take it
How to Make XC Jumping a Positive Experience for Your Horse – Freckles’ First Go at XC! Read More »
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 »
Gymnastic Groundwork Series Part 4 Poles are a great way to build your horse’s body awareness and confidence. For many horses, this starts with despooking exercises to ensure that they’re not anxious about the poles or afraid of stepping over or touching them with their feet. You can see some of the exercises I’ve done
Gymnastic Groundwork Demo Series Part 3 Lateral exercises where your horse is going sideways as well as forwards are really useful to build your horse’s suppleness, strength and straightness, which is why they’ve been used for thousands of years in both in-hand training and ridden work! But, how do we teach them using positive reinforcement?
In-Hand Work: Teaching Lateral Movements with Clicker Training 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 »
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