Lizzy Ritchie Equine Coaching

14/12/2024

🌞 Caring for Your Horse in Hot Weather 🌞

Here at Pottery Road, we take extra care to ensure our horses are safe and comfortable during hot weather. With the forecast for the coming days, we wanted to share our protocols to help the horses stay cool:

🔥 Above 36 degrees (or on any high fire-risk day):

Remove all rugs and fly masks to allow horses to regulate their body temperature naturally.

💧 Water Check:

Ensure all water sources are fresh, clean, and inviting the night before a hot day.
Refresh waters again later in the day to keep them cool and appealing.

🌳 Shade Matters:

Make sure your horses have access to paddocks with ample shade throughout the day.

🧂 Salt & Electrolytes:

Provide salt or electrolytes tailored to your horse's needs to support hydration and recovery.

What are your tips? Share them in the comments below! 👇

Photo Credit 📸: PYT Photography

12/12/2024

📣 Horsemanship Lessons - 2 Spots Left! 🐴

I’ll be traveling from Meadows to Mount Pleasant on Monday, 16th December, and I have 2 spaces left for private lessons at your property!

This is the perfect chance to:
✨ Improve your groundwork and liberty skills
✨ Build solid saddle foundations
✨ Strengthen the harmony and connection between you and your horse

💲 $100 for a 1-hour private session
📍 I come to you!

Let’s work together to create a better partnership with your horse. Spots are limited, so send me a message to book or ask any questions!

11/12/2024

📢 Upcoming Equine Coaching Lesson Availability! 🐴

Ready to learn how to train your own horse and build harmony in your partnership? Here's your chance! Check out my upcoming lesson dates and locations:

🗓 Friday 13th – Strathalbyn
🗓 Monday 16th – Mount Pleasant
🗓 Tuesday 17th – McLaren Vale/Onkaparinga Hills
🗓 Friday 20th – Strathalbyn / Finniss

✨ Lessons include:
✔️ Ground/In-hand Work
✔️ Liberty Training
✔️ Saddle Foundations
✔️ Float Loading

💲 1-hour lesson: $100

📍 Can’t see your area? Send me a PM, and we’ll make it work!

📩 Send me to PM to check availability

10/12/2024

🌟 Relaxation Myths Busted! 🌟

I often hear people say, “They can’t be stressed because…”

🐴 Their leg is resting – This can actually be linked to lameness or balance issues.
🐴 His w***y is out – This isn’t always a sign of relaxation; it can also indicate stress or discomfort.
🐴 They’re yawning or licking and chewing – While often seen as “release” signals, these can also indicate stress or unease.
🐴 Their eyes are closed, and they look asleep – This too can sometimes signal stress or discomfort.
🐴 They’re lying down in the paddock all the time – Constant lying down might be a sign of lameness or discomfort.

🧠 The key here is context! Don’t panic and call the vet every time you see these behaviors, but do take note of the situation as a whole. Understanding your horse’s body language in context will help you truly understand what they’re trying to tell you.

07/12/2024

06/12/2024

🤩 Sneaking in one workshop between now and the end of the year for those that aren't going away....

✨ Horsemanship Workshop ✨

🌟 When: Saturday, 28th December
🌟 Where: Pottery Road Indoor Arena
🌟 Cost: Semi-Private Session (2-3 participants): $80 per person OR
Private Session (1-on-1): $150

Looking to build a stronger partnership with your horse? This workshop focuses on groundwork techniques that teach your horse to find softness in the reins and respond with relaxation and understanding. By working from the ground, we’ll develop skills that transfer seamlessly to the saddle, enhancing communication, trust, and connection.

Key Focus Areas:
🐴 Teaching your horse to give softly to rein pressure
🐴 Developing relaxation and responsiveness through groundwork
🐴 Building better communication to improve your ride
🐴 Creating a strong foundation for softness under saddle

Enjoy group discussions over a cup of tea to connect with like minded horse friends 🩷

Spots are limited, so book early to secure yours!
For more information or to reserve your place, send me a message!

Let’s create harmony and progress with your horse! 🐴

05/12/2024

Written by Amy Skinner "When you pay for a lesson or training, you aren’t buying an hour of my time. You’re paying for thousands of hours of sweat, struggle, success and tears. You’re buying injuries, mistakes, and revelations. You’re buying nights awake thinking about a horse or student I need to help more, thinking about what could be bothering a certain horse. Searching on the internet about possible medical causes for certain behaviours. You’re paying for the time i spend updating owners late at night about how their horse is doing. For the emotional toll it sometimes takes on a trainer when an owner is dealing with big emotions. You’re buying hours of hauling hay, mucking stalls and grooming, of carefully checking your horse over like It was my own. You’re paying for my further education, because i still take lessons as frequently as possible. You’re paying for my care, concern, over dinner conversation, and you inevitably become a central part of my life.
You can’t put a price on education, or personal development, or the bliss of finally being “with” a horse. Thank you for sharing with me, teaching me, and letting me teach you, while I put food on my table and hay in my barn with the most fulfilling job ever. "❤️

04/12/2024

🚨 Did you know? 🚨
Wild horses travel over 25 kilometers per day, but many of our domestic horses move less than 8 km—and some even less than 1 km!

This drastic difference in movement can have serious effects on their health and well-being.

Here’s why movement matters:

🐴 Proprioception: Movement helps horses develop and maintain the ability to sense where their body is in space.

🐴 Weight: Regular exercise helps manage weight and reduces strain on joints and muscles.

🐴 Joints & Muscles: Movement keeps joints flexible and muscles toned, preventing stiffness and soreness.

🐴 Behavior: Lack of stimulation often leads to boredom, frustration, and behavioral issues.

👉 How you can help:

1️⃣ Track Systems: Create tracks in your paddocks to encourage your horse to move naturally throughout the day.

2️⃣ Strategic Placement: Place food and water in different areas to inspire more travel.

3️⃣ Companionship: Horses are herd animals—having a buddy can make a big difference in activity levels and social well-being.

These are all things I’ve noticed in my work training horses, and they play a significant role in a horse’s ability to learn and progress. The more we can mimic natural movement and stimulation, the more our horses can focus, engage, and thrive in training.

By supporting your horse’s natural instincts to move, you’re promoting better physical and mental health, making them happier and more balanced—and helping them become more responsive in their training. ❤️

🖤 Let’s keep our horses moving! 🖤
Have you tried any of these tips? Or do you have any of your own? Share in the comments! ⬇️

24/11/2024

🍂 A Good Mare 🍂

“There’s something different about the way a good mare connects with her rider. It’s special. Like an unspoken agreement. Once a mare chooses you as her person, it’s like she has an instinct to protect you, to fight for you. It’s almost as if she takes ownership of you.

I believe the good mares have a deep sense of intuition. They can read your mind. They know what you’re thinking even before you do. The good mares I know breathe fire in the face of challenge and then somehow, miraculously, know to quiet themselves when a timid child is plopped on their back for a pony ride.

They are clever, cunning and calculated, which can be your greatest enemy or your saving grace. The good mares I know do not tolerate egotistical riding. They do not tolerate force. They demand tact, finesse and emotional control. But once you have won a mare’s heart, you have won all of her. In exchange for your best—and nothing less—she will give you everything.”

Written by: Lindsay Paulsen

19/11/2024

1 last spot available for obstacles this Sunday 🤩🙌

PM to book 😁

🐴⚽️🇦🇺🥳

16/11/2024

All of my SA clients and friends… If you’re at EQUITANA make sure you come and check out the liberty event and cheer Esky and Molly on!!! Starting at 2pm in the main arena 🙌🙌🙌

Esky will be sporting some Heavenleigh Horsewear custom booties make sure you snap some pics if you see him and cheer real loud for them!!!! 🤩🤩

12/11/2024

09/11/2024

🗞️ The latest newsletter has headed out with details for the remaining events for the year. If you haven’t received it, check your junk… about 60% never actually makes it to its recipients 🙈😨

And if I don’t have your email and you’d like to receive it, flick me a PM and I’ll add you to the list 🥰

07/11/2024

1 more obstacle clinic for the year….Everybody loves obstacles.. BUT!!!!!

Every time I run an obstacle clinic I get a few participants that have come for the wrong reasons. So I thought I would put together a bit of a list of who obstacles are and aren’t for -

Obstacles are NOT for -

❌ a first outing for horse or combination
❌ a horse that is very anxious / reactive away from home
❌ a horse that doesn’t have a good understanding of leading, following a feel or being directed
❌ a horse that has learnt to shut down to pressure

Overwhelming an already stressed horse with obstacles does not benefit them.

If you fall into any of the above then ground work is for you..for now! Obstacles is something to work towards

Obstacles IS for -

✅ a horse and rider combination that has established ground work and is looking to test their training & fine tune their skills

Obstacles are a fantastic training tool when used correctly.. This will be the LAST “Obstacle” clinic I will be running… next year will see the introduction of “AGILITY” clinics, aimed at horses and handlers wanting to excel in their communication on the ground 💪👏

If you’re interested in attending the last obstacle clinic you can book in here -

https://www.potteryroad.net/clinics

06/11/2024

Horsemanship coaching at the convenience of your own property 🏡🐴

Ground & Inhand Work | Liberty | Saddle Foundations | Float Loading

Lizzy aims to provide owners with the tools to not only identify and solve problems with their own horses but also develop harmonious, connected and confident partnerships.

📍McLaren Vale
📍Strathalbyn
📍Adelaide Hills
📍Onkaparinga Hills

Enquires for other areas welcome ☺️

📅 Touch base via PM to check for next available dates in your area

06/11/2024

Playing around with something new today! My trusty Garrocha (aka extendable broom handle) just showed me that I am completely delusional about how round my circles are .. the stick doesn’t lie! 🙈😂 what a fun training tool to play with, some great beginner videos on YouTube for anyone that is interested 🥰

And thanks as always to the Bellaview Ponies, in this instance Mercedes, for always humouring my ideas no matter how spur of the moment they are 🥰🦄👏

04/11/2024

Need your guinea fowl mustered? I have just the pony for the job 🤠🦄😆 Bellaview Ponies