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 »
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 »
We are delighted to announce our first CT Instructor, Claire Waldron! Claire has really impressed us with her dedication to learning and practicing Connection Training techniques. She has worked extensively with her horse, Segura (see below), and her two troubled rescued ponies, Hope and Valiente. She has also worked with a local rescue centre and
From Rescue to Ridden with our First CT Instructor! Read More »
Lily was found as a stray wandering the streets of the city of Leeds with a foal at foot. Luckily, Hope Pastures rescue centre was called to help out. They both arrived at the centre very frightened about everything but the foal soon built trust, confidence and joy and was rehomed successfully shortly after weaning.
Build Trust with a Rescued Pony 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 »
Thank goodness there are wonderful people across the globe rescuing horses, ponies and donkeys in need. The first stage is supporting physical recovery. The next stage of emotional recovery can be a longer and trickier process and is where Connection Training can really make a difference. Hope and Valiente were two severely neglected ponies in Spain.
Training Rescued Ponies: From Fear to Fun Read More »
So far, I’ve looked at the feel-good brain systems of SEEKING, CARE and PLAY. Now it’s time to delve into the more aversive brain systems, starting with FEAR. Horses, as flight animals, have strong FEAR systems. This comes out in training as anxiety, spooking, bolting and more. So, what’s actually going on and how can
Run For it! – 4. The FEAR System Read More »
Rescued equines need plenty of help to build trust in humans, whether they’ve never been handled or have suffered abuse. Reward-based training is the best tool I’ve ever come across for doing this and I’ve worked with hundreds of rescued horses over the years. Even so, these two stripy girls challenged my training… Zambi and
Zonkey Training: Touching the Un-handleable Equine Read More »
In a previous blog I developed the traditional behavioural consequences model (aka the “learning quadrant”) to include my ideas of how Panksepp’s emotional systems may be considered in that framework. In this blog I want to take this further to look at the next consideration: arousal and threshold. Arousal levels have a massive effect on
The New Emotional Learning Quadrant: Adding in Arousal Read More »
Making the transition from groundwork to ridden work can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! At CT, we have some techniques to make this process smooth, easy, calm and fun for both you and your horse. These techniques can be broken down into 3 steps: Riding from the Ground This is where you
Backing Your Horse – The Connection Training Way Read More »
Do you ride out dreading what you might meet on the roads? Or maybe you don’t ride out at all because your horse is scared of traffic? Well, fear not – we have some solutions for you! Guest trainer, Melanie Watson, shows you how you can train your horse to be calm and relaxed around
Traffic Training with Melanie Watson Read More »
Or, The Great Green Cloth Experiment Lots of horses get in a state about having things put over their head or having their ears handled. When I rescued Roisin, this was one big issue and we had to undo bridles, head-collars and reins to put them on and off. I successfully re-trained this using a
Overcoming Head Shy Fear Read More »
Sign up to our mailing list below. You will receive a FREE Video Seminar on The 4 Elements of Connection Training!
When you sign up to our mailing list you will receive our blogs, which come out every 1-2 weeks. We may also send you CT offers occasionally.
We won’t pass on your details and we won’t spam you – we hate it, too! You can unsubscribe at any time.
