http://www.engaged-equines.com/

Engaged Equines, Nar Nar Goon (2025)

17/10/2025

There are two popular words I don’t love, when describing a horse during any kind of training…

unbothered or unfazed.

‘I put a saddle on for the first time and they were unfazed’

‘I asked them to x and they weren’t bothered’

It’s uncommon, if ever, that I want no response to something, because no response shouldn’t be confused with a calm response.

A horse who appears unbothered or unfazed is usually either not paying attention to what’s happening or they have mentally checked out due to overwhelm or as a coping strategy for something they find scary or challenging.

A horse who is mentally engaged is inquisitive and curious during training, they are mentally sound enough that they can work through stress, challenges and problem solve. They have soft mobile ears, soft blinking eyes, the courage to touch and investigate and the ability to process different sensations around their body.

A horse who is overwhelmed or checked out is frozen and disconnected, they have static ears, don’t blink, are either hyper focused or appear sleepy. They cannot take in information or learn in this state, which is part of the reason it can be dangerous.

A horse who is mentally disengaged has the potential to explode or over react at any time and is not predictable. It will be difficult to identify what lead to a negative behaviour or how far back the root lies, which makes it harder to address.

If you want to learn more about how to measure and improve your horse’s mental fitness or understand their behaviour join me at these upcoming events!

🦄 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝐬𝐭 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🦄 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝐧𝐝 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🐴 🧠 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐄𝐓, 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 - 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬! - 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔, 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

14/10/2025

Creating space or maintaining spatial boundaries is a key component of training but are there consequences?

The primary goals of creating space are

1. Maintaining boundaries
2. Safety
3. Submission/Dominance

However there is one big side effect that I’ve seen time and time again over the last 3 decades, even when I wasn’t as aware of it, that might actually be WORSENING your horses behaviour instead of curbing it.

And that is DISCONNECT.

A horse uses touch to investigate, communicate, build relationships and self soothe often using their muzzle since they don’t have hands or may seek security simply through closeness.

When a horse enters our space and is repeatedly pushed or driven away, two things might happen, they may give up trying to communicate OR they may shout louder in an effort to be heard.

Creating space often becomes more of a focus if a horse is particularly reactive or pushy.

Most, if not all of the most dangerous or aggressive horses I’ve worked with have actually been desperate for connection, clarity and communication.

If they give up communicating, when the proverbial hits the fan and tensions rise they will not hesitate before reacting, they won’t look to you for guidance and they won’t try to communicate something is wrong they will simply get the hell out of there or try to remove pressure (including you) to find release which could be through any number of undesired behaviours.

If they escalate to pushing, biting or aggression in an effort to be heard, most likely they will be punished or reprimanded and this can easily become a repetitive cycle where things may actually continue to escalate.

With safety still of importance and a horse who doesn’t understand boundaries, what to do instead? Stay tuned for part 2…

Or join me at one of my next events to learn more!

🦄 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝐬𝐭 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🦄 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝐧𝐝 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🐴 🧠 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐄𝐓, 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 - 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬! - 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔, 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

And if you’re wondering, it isn’t giving them a pat when they step on your toes!

13/10/2025

🐴 𝟑 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠… 🐴

𝟏. 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

Often the gold standard in training, the horse who doesn’t shy away or evade, loud noises or scary sights.
But whether it originates from submission, stress or calm confidence defines its long term effectiveness or creates a ticking time bomb.

𝟐. 𝐃𝐨𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠

May be labelled as relaxation without context. How likely is it that a prey animal having something strapped to its back for the first time finds it relaxing? Or that a challenging session sends them to sleep?
A horse who is incapable of processing stress or navigate challenges may begin to exhibit bad behaviour.

𝟑. 𝐘𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠

Often taken as a green light, to continue or do more of the same, of acceptance or learning.
It signals a shift through the central nervous system…but only after a trigger. Therefore indicates stress but also release, context, timing and a much more holistic approach is essential for successfully reading and understanding your horse, knowing when to stop and when to go!

If you’re keen to learn more about your horse and start making progress in your training join me at one of my next events…

🦄 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝐬𝐭 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🦄 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝐧𝐝 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🐴 🧠 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐄𝐓, 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 - 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬! - 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔, 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

15/09/2025

🦄 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏?

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage behaviours and reactions particularly during times of stress and with strong emotions like frustration, anxiety, fear or excitement.

🦄 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕?

Our horses are frequently put in situations that require them to override natural fear responses such as fight or flight, which can elicit many negative behaviours including aggression, pushing, rearing, bucking and bolting.

If a horse does not exhibit these behaviours or cannot get away they may bottle up anxiety or tension, this can cause unpredictability, explosiveness or escalating behaviour.

🦄 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑 𝒊𝒕?

For a horse to be able to regulate they must feel SAFE and SECURE. It may take time for them to feel this way during or after a stressful event.
It is worth noting that an unbalanced mind can cause an unbalanced body and vice versa.

🦄 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆?

1. Eyes, blinking slowly and softly
2. Ears, scanning and mobile
3. Jaw mobility, long slow chewing with tongue visible.

These cues tell us when our horse is present and processing - vital signs of mental fitness.

🔄 𝐀 𝐂𝐘𝐂𝐋𝐄, 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 🔄

You may be familiar with looking for a ‘lick and chew’ response. However, regulation is a continuous cycle not a one time event.
The goal is for quicker recovery from stress including training and longer periods of calm awareness.

If you’re interested in guiding your horse to be more sound of mind, motivated & comfortable in their work…

🌟𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐄 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬🌟

🦄 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐜𝐭 𝟏𝟖𝐭𝐡 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

🦄 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐜𝐭 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 - 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

…and let me help you find more CONSISTENCY & CONFIDENCE in your training!

OR at my special collab event with Performance Mindset Coach Danielle Pooles!! P

🐴 🧠 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐄𝐓, 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 - 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬! - 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔, 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐕𝐈𝐂

Message for details or to book or find tickets via the FB events!

See you there! Katrina 😁

19/08/2025

When a horse appears to be ‘disobedient’ or ‘disrespectful’, it’s really easy to put up your own defences and mirror that energy back.

What’s difficult, is to maintain your composure and what might be even more difficult, is showing empathy and compassion.
It’s then up to us to first figure out the ‘why’.

Boundaries are important but it isn’t necessary to implement them using aggression.
Setting expectations with clarity and consistency is key, which takes self discipline and self control.

I used to think the difficult horses needed more firmness turns out they mostly needed more understanding.

~ Katrina Park // Cadence Horse Training // Engaged Equines

23/07/2025

What do you do when the horse you go to work is napping??

Get them up??

…of course not!

…rearrange the whole day so they can stay down? Absolutely!

No really, I do this often and most of the time there’s more than one horse napping at the same time.

It might be inconvenient but there are several things going on that I’m mindful of.

🐴 These horses have been moved away from home, they may be unsettled even if it’s not outwardly expressed. They may not rest as frequently or spend more time in hypervigilance. When they begin to feel comfortable to relax and rest that’s exactly where I want their nervous system for effective training.

🐴 Earning a horse’s trust is one of the biggest gateways to getting them to take your guidance and direction - when they feel comfortable enough to allow me to share their space it’s a positive sign and allows me to make better progress in their work.

🐴 Rest and recovery are equally as important as physical work for building strength and muscle tone. A body in fatigue cannot progress, cannot build tone and is more likely to be resistant to movement and prone to injury. Physical stress can also cause mental stress!

So next time you see your neddy napping, be thankful they feel comfortable, that they’re prioritising self care and if you have chance, hang up that ‘do not disturb’ sign! 💤

17/07/2025

🧡 “𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 - 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞.” 🧡

Over controlling or micromanaging the horse’s body produces brace, imbalance and resistance as the horse fights to stay upright.

We are also totally reliant on whether the horse correctly responds to a cue.

- teaching the horse how to feel more balanced
- to rebalance in the event of imbalance
- and building strength, stability and mobility

…𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞!

11/07/2025

𝑺𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔…?

You didn’t get it all right,

You failed,

You made some mistakes,

You wish you’d done things differently,

…nobody got it right the first time…

🧡 𝐒𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 🧡

~ Katrina Park // Cadence Horse Training // Engaged Equines

05/07/2025

🧡“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.”🧡

Just because your horse allows something to happen doesn’t necessarily mean they’re comfortable with it - we owe it to them to learn how to better understand them and effectively build confidence not just compliance.

01/07/2025

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 - 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐝?

An overtrack, where the hind feet track noticeably further than the forefeet, is looked at as a desirable trait when assessing a horse’s movement, also used as an indicator of a high quality gait during a dressage test…

…but are we looking at the full picture?

Overtracking can be a sign of power, hind engagement and swing through body, HOWEVER it should not be confused with over reaching.

Overreaching indicates dysfunction, sometimes the fore heels are clipped by the hind feet.

There may be several factors at play, a lack of hind engagement meaning the hinds lack true reach to support the centre of mass and the fore limbs must come further back to provide this support, weak or atrophied forehand muscles which drop the chest and prevent the horse from lifting adequately or a poorly performing recoil system - the tendons and ligaments of the lower limb are not strong or functioning well enough to propel the fore legs.

It’s so important that in any aspect of training and movement we look at the whole horse and realise it is never black and white which inevitably makes our job more challenging.

In my clinics and events I dive deeper into many of the common concepts that might not be quite as black and white as you might think!

Follow the page and join the mailing list to stay tuned for upcoming events!!

25/06/2025

🧡 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞?? 🧡

When most people think of pressure they usually think of pressure release as a training method, in reality pressure is all around our horses with ANY training method.

The feel of halter or rope, yielding or moving away from an aid involve pressure.

But in many other forms pressure exists.

Simply entering a workspace, being in a yard, having a person in proximity, carrying a saddle, wearing a bridle, being in a new environment, learning something new and balancing our expectations are all types of pressure.

It’s essential, therefore, that we prepare our horses well, instilling confidence and resilience rather than just acceptance and tolerance.

Teaching our horses about their own bodies and minds, how to handle themselves and diffuse tension is a must for a reliable, willing and predictable team mate!

🧡 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞,

…𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟔𝐭𝐡, 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐧! 🧡

Message for the details!

See you all there! 😁 Katrina

24/06/2025

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 & 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒!

To my QLD clinic participants, great friends and amazing hosts!

It was a whirlwind visit, starting with a sleepless night and a late night colic episode for my own horse but thanks to an amazing friend I made my flight and he got a short holiday retreat to boot 🙄

So firstly a huge thank you to the team at Sharbrook Estate for taking such great care of my boy so I could make this trip.

Secondly, thank you so much to Mel and Andrew at Strong Stable Seat for allowing us to use their brand new arena!
For making sure I was adequately caffeinated without fail, keeping everyone fed (special mention to the delicious pumpkin cake) and horses happy.

And of course a huge thank you and well done to all of our horse and human participants, mostly for keeping an open mind and really dedicating yourselves to your learning and your horses for the whole weekend! I know there can be so much information out there and I hope that you found some answers, confidence in your ability and faith in your horses.

Mel and I have already been in talks regarding a special extended clinic coming soon!!!

Stay tuned and let me know if you’re interested!

Engaged Equines

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13/10/2025

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11/07/2025

05/07/2025

01/07/2025

25/06/2025

24/06/2025

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