equine behaviour

Groundwork: Lunging Around a Round Pen – 
Teaching voice cues, engagement and collection with clicker training


Gymnastic Groundwork Series Part 6 This final instalment in this series is all about lunging using my Around a Round Pen technique. To demonstrate this, I’m working with my QH Freckles. Lunging is a great way to give your horse more space to move and to teach him how to stay balanced and calm on […]

Groundwork: Lunging Around a Round Pen – 
Teaching voice cues, engagement and collection with clicker training
 Read More »

Groundwork Pole Exercises: Build confidence, body awareness and strength with clicker training

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

Groundwork Pole Exercises: Build confidence, body awareness and strength with clicker training Read More »

In-Hand Work: Teaching Lateral Movements with Clicker Training

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 »

Using Start Buttons and Consent Cues in Horse Training

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 »

Horses Saying “Yes” and “No” – How to Read Your Horse’s Emotions

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 »

P2 Get More Relaxation When Riding: Stop Your Horse Rushing, Getting Tense or Trying Too Hard

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

P2 Get More Relaxation When Riding: Stop Your Horse Rushing, Getting Tense or Trying Too Hard Read More »

Gymnastic Groundwork Pattern – Pedestal, Poles, Circles, Collection, Flexions

This Pattern is from our Gymnastic Groundwork Home Study Course and gives you a taster of some of the exercises included in that Course. Patterns are progressive and non-competitive. They are designed to give you focus, guidance and the chance to put all of the exercises you’re learning together. They should be fun, too! As

Gymnastic Groundwork Pattern – Pedestal, Poles, Circles, Collection, Flexions Read More »

Leg Yield: How to Teach In-hand Lateral Work Using Clicker Training and a Target

This doesn’t have to be complicated! Leg yield is the first lateral movement I teach in-hand or ridden and it’s a great way of introducing the concept of going forwards and sideways to your horse. I aim to make this (and all of my lessons) as simple and straightforward as possible for you and your

Leg Yield: How to Teach In-hand Lateral Work Using Clicker Training and a Target Read More »

How to Use Objects and All Terrain Training to Build Your Horse’s Co-ordination and Confidence

All of these exercises are designed to improve your horse’s co-ordination as he learns how to navigate different objects and terrain. The sensory feedback improves proprioception and you’ll find your horse becomes more aware of his feet and body through these exercises. Of course, it’s not just about the physical benefits; all of our training

How to Use Objects and All Terrain Training to Build Your Horse’s Co-ordination and Confidence Read More »

Scroll to Top