Hello, it’s Hannah here an announcement about our new Home Study Course: Gymnastic Groundwork! It’s something I’ve been working on for the past few years and I’m really excited to finally be able to share it with you! So, what exactly is gymnastic groundwork? Gymnastic groundwork is an holistic movement programme for your horse that […]
Gymnastic Groundwork: NEW Home Study Course! Read More »
I was delighted to be asked to speak at the Equine Behaviour Forum Seminar. The EBF was very important to me when I started out on my equine journey. Coming back into horses as a “born-again” horse-woman, it seemed that everything had changed from my simple childhood experiences with horses. Then, we just chucked them
Talking Emotions at the Equine Behaviour Forum Read More »
With dark nights and wet days, I often find inspiration to get out and train tricky at this time of year. This pole exercise was just the thing I needed and we all had loads of fun with the endless variations of exercises you can do in it, both in the saddle and on the
Christmas Tree Pole Exercises – Positive Gymnastic Groundwork and Riding Read More »
Standing Quietly with you is the first behaviour we teach in Connection Training. This is about your horse learning to be relaxed and polite, while also remaining tuned in and connected with you. It’s an important exercise because it teaches horses: > How to NOT mug and push for treats> That their behaviour earns them
How to Start Clicker Training Part 2: Stand Quietly Together Read More »
Clicker training is certainly an effective training technique, but getting started the right way really sets you both up for making great progress and having a smooth journey with it. Our focus is always on relaxation, softness and connection. Your horse should be working with you and not just thinking only about the food or getting
How to Start Clicker Training Your Horse Part 1: Relaxation and the Marker Read More »
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Murphy this week as his health failed him in his old age. He joined mine and Rachel’s herd in 2004 as a rescue, who was due to be put to sleep because of physical and behavioural issues that his owners did not feel able to address. We took him
From Aggressive Rescue Pony to Trick Training Superstar: Tribute to Murphy Read More »
Despooking exercises for your horse should be calm, positive and fun for both of you. The aim is to build your horse’s confidence, calmness and connection with you no matter what you encounter – from giant spiders to fluttering ghosts (or from umbrellas to plastic bags in the real world!). This video features clips from
3 Top Tips to Despook Your Horse: Calm, Positive and Fun Training Read More »
This exercise is great to build your horse’s confidence over a wide range of fences, no matter what types of fillers you’ll encounter! I’m working with India on generalising her confidence to jump first time, even as the jump changes and I add spooky objects around it. We’ve spent loads of time prior to this
De-Spooking Your Horse Over Jumps Read More »
Along with all the more ‘serious’ stuff I do with my horses, I love to teach tricks. They’re just a lot of fun and they make me smile. Because they’re easy, stand-alone behaviours, my horses seem to love them, too. They become something we just love to do together. For that reason, they become an
Trick Training: How to Teach ‘Catch’ Read More »
I love working with all the different characters in my herd and making their training as fun as possible. This compilation shows me working on liberty loading with my horses, building their joy and confidence around the horse box. It’s fun to get creative like this but finding the fun in your training (for both
Liberty Loading Fun Read More »
If your horse knows a behaviour on the ground, it’s a simple process to transfer it to the saddle; you don’t need to teach it again from scratch. The basic steps are: 1. Think about cues you can use both on the ground and in the saddle to help your horse understand what you’re asking
Transferring a Cue from the Ground to the Saddle: Rein-Back Read More »
When thinking about training steps, we tend to think in, well, steps. You complete step 1 and then progress to step 2 and so on. This is logical for our human brains but isn’t actually the best way to train our horses (or ourselves!). The problem with progressing in steps is that you repeat the
How to Make Steady Progress With Your Horse Read More »
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