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 »
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 »
Young horses can find wearing a halter and leadrope pretty scary at first and can panic and pull back and fight against it. Which is exactly what this lovely 3 yo mare was doing… Until reward-based training made it clear and fun for her! It was a bit of a challenge – I was given
How to Teach Your Horse to Lead Read More »
There’s often a particular horse who drives the search for finding another way to train and connect and overcome problems. For me, that horse was Toby. He started showing lots of problem behaviours early on in our relationship such as bolting, bucking, refusing to jump, not loading and so on. He really pushed me to
Problems to Performance – Hannah and Toby’s Story Read More »
This video is all about understanding what goes on in the brain when your horse is building relationships, both with you and his pasture mates. How can you use this to strengthen your connection and build your relationship together? Watch this video to find out… (If you haven’t watched the first in this series, yet,
Making Connections – 2. The CARE System Read More »
Getting connected in the saddle is a combination of using rewards to teach your horse behaviours and help him to understand your cues and aids as well as improving your own seat and balance, which your horse responds to naturally. For example, you can encourage and reward your horse for relaxing, lowering his head and
Riding with Connection: The Rider’s Seat 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 »
Connection Training is about the, errm, connection. One of the main reasons why Shawna, Rachel and I were so keen to work together and set up Connection Training was because we all value the relationship and connection between horses and humans more than anything. So, your horse is doing that amazing behaviour? Good stuff, but
5 Horses Show You Why Breaking the Rules Can Lead to Connection Read More »
