Philosophy

What I am looking for is a real connection. I want to give the horse the opportunity to choose to be with me and to listen to me. I want him to be a willing participant in his work. I want to grow his confidence and spirit, not break it. I believe that the key to achieving this is by building a relationship based on clear, compassionate communication. 

In order to ride a horse or do anything with a horse you have to make a relationship with the horse. In order to make a relationship with someone you have to do stuff together. Whether we realise it or not we are always building this relationship with our horses. Relationships can be short lived or last a lifetime. They can be good but they can also be bad. I want to help people to become more aware of this, and purposefully build better relationships with their horses. 

Freework is how I start my relationship with a new horse, it is a simple set of exercises, done at liberty, that any person and any horse can do. It helps the horse to realise that people are purposefully communicating, and that he can understand what we are asking. At this stage, I am not teaching the horse anything. I am not concerned about the outcome of the exercises; rather, the exercises are simply tools, to help the horse stop and think about the situation, and not just rely on habit and instinct. When working with a horse, what I want to see is the horse thinking. Thinking about me and what I’m asking, and then trying to respond, not just react. Asking for a response, not a reaction is very important. I am looking for the moment where the horse stops and considers the situation, this is the beginning of two-way communication.

You need to leave your worries at home when you work with a horse. If you bring your stress and frustrations into his paddock, it will negatively affect everything you do with your horse. Because we always need to be in the moment when working with our horse, it becomes very therapeutic. If you practice leaving you problems at the gate, they don't go away altogether, but you can escape them for a while. There is never a good reason to get angry or upset with your horse and you must NEVER take that frustration out on your horse. You can let him know if something wasn’t right, but you should never respond in anger. If he messes up and gets it wrong, stop him, correct him but don’t punish him. Just say “nice try mate, but that's not quite right. Lets try that again.”

Be sure to let him know when he makes a step in the right direction. Reward every try, every step in the right direction, no matter how small or accidental. We often learn through accidents, we will try a little bit before we make a big effort. Horses are no different. Training a horse is often like a game of hot and cold. He is searching for what we want and we are directing him by saying warmer or colder. 

Communication is a two way street, it is a conversation, not a lecture. We need to listen to the horse as much as we talk to him. I like affection from my horse. If he is polite about it, I don't mind him coming into my personal space and initiating contact. It's nice that he wants to be close to me, and give me a rub or a pat. We don't want the horse to think we won't listen when he has a problem. We want him to trust us with his concerns, and we need to take them seriously. Only then can we tell him he has nothing to worry about, and have him believe us. I want my horse to communicate with me, not just be dictated to. 

When we make a relationship with a horse there needs to be a leader and there needs to be a follower. Not a master and a slave, a leader and a follower. A good leader is simply someone who knows what needs to happen, and can communicate that clearly to others. Being a leader doesn’t mean you need to have a certain type of personality, you don’t need to have “leader-y” mannerisms, you don’t need to stand or talk a certain way, you don’t need to be hard or bossy. You just need to know what you want to happen, and communicate it clearly to others. In order to be a good leader the first thing you need to have is a plan.

Intent is key when working with horses. Our intent is the first thing our horses get from us. It needs to be clear when we are trying to communicate with our horse. They know if our intent is unclear and it makes everything we ask afterwards unclear, and harder to understand. Before we ask anything of a horse we first need to make sure we know exactly what we want. If we aren't really sure what we intend to happen, how is the horse supposed to figure it out? And how will we recognise if the horse is doing it right or not? It becomes a case of the blind leading the blind. Intent is also the thing that gives otherwise inanimate objects meaning. If I come at my horse with a whip, and I intend to beat him, it becomes a tool for pain and punishment. If I intend to scratch him with the whip, it becomes a scratching stick. If my intent is to use it to help guide my horses movements, in the same way I would use my hand or leg, it becomes a tool to help facilitate clear and easy communication.

Once a positive relationship has been built, and a connection has been formed, a lot of the issues and problems the horse has, simply fall away. When working with horse owners, I pay close attention to the way the horse and person are interacting. It is really important to me to support the owner to develop a better connection, and awareness of their horse. During sessions, my goal is to help owners deepen the communication that is taking place between them with their horse, and to recognise whether the horse is responding or reacting. Once this connection is established, it paves the way for them to work through any residual issues. As their feel deepens, owners realise this new relationship and connection, creates new possibilities for them and their horse. This realisation fundamentally shifts their riding and handling practices, towards greater safety, and a more fulfilling experience for both horse and person.