Engaged Equines

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Engaged Equines

ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMS & IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS. Unlock Your Potential. Unleash Your Unicorn!

A fusion of compassionate horsemanship and biomechanics that develop correct posture, mobility & willingness through maximising mental & physical engagement.

20/09/2024

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞!

Physical fitness helps your horse more easily achieve tasks and keeps them sound.
In-hand and ridden work focused around strength and functional movement help to build this. Assessing topline and muscle tone gives us a good gauge of progress.

🧠 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆?

Mental agility and strength can be much harder to gauge and quantify and tedious to build as the balance between increasing and depleting it is a very fine line.

𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘?

That it’s not just confidence your horse’s mental fitness affects, it also influences:

🐴 Posture
🐎 Movement
💪 Soundness

Through its connection to the central nervous system and the intricately intertwined aspects of mental and physical balance.

If I cannot access the mind of a horse, I will never be able to positively influence their body, and so, mental fitness is the first thing I assess on any horse I meet.

When I gauge mental agility some things I look at…

🧡 Self regulation cycling
🧡 Behavioural patterns or loops
🧡 ‘Go to’ posture
🧡 Ability to process what’s around them
🧡 Body awareness
🧡 Willingness to connect
🧡 Focus
🧡 Learning style

Simply by accessing the mind and having the central nervous system in a calm, aware state physical attributes can be greatly improved, which allows us to maximise our physical progress!

…which feeds mental state and frame of mind!

🌟 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!

🐎 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟖𝐭𝐡 - 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞 & 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

🦄 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

Message for more info! Strictly limited spaces!

16/09/2024

🧡 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄… 🧡
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I’LL MEET YOU THERE.

I’ve had lots enquiries this week for my upcoming 1-day Clinics at the end of the month, as is common, a lot of people I’ve spoken to or messaged are feeling unsure, nervous or lacking in confidence. Many also have horse’s who have their own stories.

The conversations begin with a something along the lines of…

“𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝”

“𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙”

“𝙄’𝙢 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚/𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩”

“𝙄’𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚/𝙖𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚𝙨”

“𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙧”

I also meet many people stuck, confused or at a crossroads with their horses, conversations and teachings can be hard and emotional.

Firstly I want to say, I am so glad you feel comfortable to express your concerns and to open up about your fears, it helps me to help you.

Secondly, I’m used to taking things at face value and working with what I’ve got right in front of me and from moment to moment…at least I hope so as it’s a BIG part of my job. I try not to have any preconceived ideas about the horses I meet too.

Thirdly, I am so passionate about creating an environment that brings people together, allows you to learn, no matter what level you or your horse are and encourage everyone to support each other. We need more of that in the world and less judgement if we truly want to help each other and the horses.

I’m always going to start where you or your horse need me, if I need to work backwards to get to the root of an issue I will, otherwise I’m just going through the motions of teaching a party trick in the form of an exercise. It’s the principles and concepts I’m interested in, not how far we get or the end goal because that’s what determines the efficacy of the training.

𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲.

𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱.

𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁’ 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀.

𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆.

𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲…

𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

So what are you waiting for?! Stop feeling stuck and start getting excited!

Join me at one of these upcoming days 😊

🧡 Connection & Confidence Clinic, 29th September, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

💬 Developing A Dialogue, Body Energy & Body Control Clinic, 5th October, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

🐎 Posture & Movement Clinic, 28th September, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

Message me with your questions!

13/09/2024

🛑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏! 🛑

🐴 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧?

🐴 𝐎𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧?

There are lots of ways to train a horse but obedience is usually a primary goal, alongside gaining or regaining control. But why is this?

Obedience makes it more likely we’ll get the response we want and tools for control are often designed with safety in mind…

…but do they come at a cost? And do they really provide the safety we’re looking for?

Skills aimed at control usually involve shutting down a response by reprimanding or correction or off balancing the horse, think disengaging the hips and tight circles.

Disengagement is probably one of the most practiced ground exercises, it gives confidence that we can regain control in an emergency.
So we teach our horse the desired response is to disengage and disconnect the body ‘just in case’.

Then when it comes to our day to day training, we want fluidity, softness, responsiveness and yep, you guessed it, ENGAGEMENT!

This is a very conflicting message if the amount of time spent training each is disproportionate to their amount of use.

Secondly, if our horses understand how to be balanced, travel optimally and comfortably, without brace and tension - the very situation you need the disengagement for would not arise.

Lastly, off balancing a horse mentally OR physically depletes trust and shuts down the lines of communication, which means your horse will forego looking to you for help or guidance before a bad reaction, before you take a nose dive or when they are feeling tense or uncomfortable.

🦄 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲! 🦄

Teaching self management skills, regulation, body awareness, body control, positive postures and balance make it far less likely you will end up in a situation where you need to substantially regain control.

Your horse will also exceed in confidence, making them more reliable, more willing and more predictable.

Plus, they’ll thank you for creating positive situations, listening and your patience, so much so that they will value your opinion and look to you for guidance instead of leaving you in the dust!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝟭-𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵!

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. 🐴

🟢 CONNECTION & CONFIDENCE Clinic 🟢
September 29th, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

🟣 DEVELOPING A DIALOGUE, Communication & Body Control Clinic 🟣
October 5th, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

🔵 POSTURE, MUSCLE & MOVEMENT Clinic 🔵
September 28th, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

Strictly limited spots, small groups!

Attend with or without your horse!

Message for more details! 😁

08/09/2024

💬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟 𝟭-𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗖, 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑶𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟓𝒕𝒉, 𝑵𝒂𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝑽𝑰𝑪 💬

✅ Learn how your posture & personality influence your communication!

✅ Get clearer in your communication & allow your horse to say YES more often!

✅ Feel more connected on the ground & under saddle!

✅ Avoid resistance & micromanaging!

🐴 Do you argue over speeding up or slowing down?

🐴 Are you constantly having to fix your horse's body position?

🐴 Does your horse not always get what you're asking?

Get the support and help you need to keep you on track, and meet like-minded friends!

🦄 Option for ground training only! If you and your horse aren’t up to under saddle work - not to worry!!

✨INCLUSIONS!!✨

Small focus groups for maximised learning!
Theory & demonstrations!
Practical Sessions!
Lunch & Q&A with Katrina!
Morning tea & lunch provided!
All facility fees included!

With horse $347
Without horse $147 (catering incl.)

See you there! Katrina 😁

04/09/2024

🧡 “𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫.” ~ 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 🧡

Control might lead to obedience, but when the s% hits the fan there’s no reason for your horse to stick around.

Teaching your horse to manage their body and mind brings much more consistency and predictability to their behaviour AND your training, which makes progress much more linear!

𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

…𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝟏-𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏!!

🐴 Confidence & Connection Clinic
Sunday 29th September, Nar Nar Goon, VIC

Message for more details!! 😁 Katrina

01/09/2024

𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭?

Yours or your horse's?

It can be so confusing trying to figure out who's is who's in the partnership!

I was taught as a young girl that 99.9% of responsibility lies with the human...BUT, although I think we should take responsibility for most of the errors in training, there's a huge benefit in handing our horse's the reins! Quite literally, but also by teaching them how to manage their own mind and body!

Handing the horse control has a HUGE positive impact on their confidence and problem solving skills, which means when you're in a pickle, they're far less likely to leave you in the dust!

The firsts steps of my teachings help you better understand the way your horse THINKS, LEARNS and MOVES and you might be surprised at how closely they're linked!

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝟭-𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆! 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘!!!

Psssst.....you're just in time for new dates I just announced for SPRING!

🧡 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟭-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰
Sunday 29th September, Nar Nar Goon, Vic

💬 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝟭-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰
Saturday 5th October, Nar Nar Goon, Vic

🐎 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 & 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟭-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰
Saturday 28th September, Nar Nar Goon, Vic

PLUS, there's camping and yard facilities if you're interested in double dates! 😉

Get in touch with any questions or message for more info!! See you there!! 😁 Katrina

26/08/2024

🧡🩶🧡 “Stopping a behaviour doesn’t address the feeling that caused it.” 🧡🩶🧡

Bucking, biting, rearing, bolting, rushing…are all symptoms, when we figure out the root cause we can fix issues at the source, with long lasting results.

22/08/2024

🧡 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🧡

I’ll be honest, I’m a perfectionist with a good dose of OCD…it’s really useful in some areas of training, it makes me thorough and consistent which gets results, but…it can be a double edged sword.

🐎 Horses are dynamic, they live, breathe and feel which is why training can be a rollercoaster at times, especially when factoring in our own mix of changing emotions, physical fitness and imbalance.

🏆 Chasing perfection happens in our personal lives too, we judge our success on reaching goals, gaining material possessions or hitting personal targets at home and work, in the belief that reaching these goals will make us feel complete or that we’ll be successful once we reach the pinnacle. The reality, of course, is that we raise the bar, set another goal or a different target to reach.

🔄 It’s easy to get trapped in this cycle and in doing so we forego the enjoyment of our experiences, being in the present and practicing gratitude.

🌹 We essentially forget to stop and smell the roses. I’ve found the more loss I experience as I go through life, the more I realise the importance of this. It’s not a revelation and it’s the basis for many inspirational quotes but putting it in practice can be difficult when your tunnel vision and hyper focus takes hold, I guarantee everyone who comes to this realisation wishes they’d had that lightbulb moment a little earlier!

🐍 So as far as our training goes, we might find ourselves in what I like to refer to as the game of snakes and ladders, some days you make great progress, some days you have to reinstall a basic button, some days are just a write off!

🦄 But don’t wait until you hit your next goal or until you’ve reached the elusive pinnacle to enjoy your time with your horse!

Celebrate all the wins, big or small and when you’ve had a bad day look back at parts of your journey you’ve learned from or how far you’ve progressed!

19/08/2024

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.

Boundaries are important but it isn’t necessary to implement them using aggression.

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

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

17/08/2024

🧡 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝?? … 🧡

I see horses struggling every day. Usually I’m referring to some kind of trauma or mental struggle leading to negative behaviours but today I mean literally, physically.

I feel it’s definitely something we’ve been conditioned to, horses lacking in freedom of movement, rhythm and fluidity, where we assume the remedy must simply be more effort from the horse.

Tripping, toe dragging, lazy, dull.

The common ‘fix’ is often more driving or forward aids.

🐴 Why do we assume that good posture and physical strength are something that comes naturally to a horse when it doesn’t come naturally to us?

🧍‍♀️ For example, if you lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle or even simply don’t do much exercise aside from daily tasks it’s unlikely that you are physically prepared for large amounts of strength training, such as weight lifting or cardio, such as running. It would be easy to over exert ourselves and, as a result cause injury.

🍃 The parallel to this is that naturally, or even in the paddock, our horses are relatively sedentary. They spend long periods with little movement and have been designed to conserve energy. When danger is present they utilise quick bursts but are no better conditioned to extended periods of exercise than we are.

❗️ We MUST take the time to condition and maintain the musculoskeletal systems of our horses in order for them to carry out any form of physical exercise.

Another important factor is, as with the human, poor posture leads to compensation and discomfort such as lower back pain, tight shoulders or hip pain.

🚴 To avoid pain or injury the exercise must also be done CORRECTLY to prevent the reinforcement of dysfunction.

⏰ We are at the mercy therefore, of the timeframes dictated by the body in order to build healthy muscle, bone and tissue alongside physical fitness and stamina and cannot simply ask for more when there is no more to give.

🦄 Personally I have found horses incredibly genuine in how much they can give physically and if I know when to quit I usually have no problems improving forward motion, self carriage and engagement for longer periods, with the majority willingly offering more as soon as they are capable.

16/08/2024

🌟 𝟏-𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 - 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐒! 🌟

𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒄𝒌? 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈? 𝑶𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉? 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑰𝑺 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝒀𝑶𝑼!

My 1-Day Clinic Series covers the essentials you won't see consistency, predictability & progress without!

Each clinic focuses on a different combination of key concepts, to give you a better understanding of how to get the best out of your horse or why your current training doesn’t seem to stick.
‌

These are THE EXACT SAME principles, tools and exercises I begin with and use EVERY DAY with EVERY HORSE I train! I’ve been using these specific techniques to achieve proven results for over 10 years and I’ve seen the benefits first hand in 100’s of horses.

Learn about:

🐴 Emotional regulation

🐴 Body awareness & body control

🐴 The link between mental & physical fitness

🐴 How to guide your horse to balance in body & mind

🐴 How to train for connection, confidence & carriage!

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🧡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝟭-𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗖 (ground) - in this special 1-day event you’ll learn how to understand exactly what your horse is saying to structure your training sessions to promote steady progress.

You’ll learn how your horse thinks and learns to avoid yo-yo-ing in your training and make sure it sticks!

Your horse will learn the essentials of communication, calmness & confidence through self-regulation, mindfulness and focus.
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🧡 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗖 (ground or ground & ridden options) - during this event our focus will be on clearer communication to avoid the arguments and keep your horse motivated to say YES! more often.

You’ll learn how to improve your body language and application of aids to make sure there are no mixed messages!

Your horse will learn to ask questions and look for clues while developing their body awareness and body control, the keys to self carriage!
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🧡 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 & 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝟭-𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗖 (ground) - through the day you’ll have the opportunity to train your eyes and improve your ability to guide your horse into movement that helps them to stay comfortable and sound.

You’ll learn how to assess and improve your horse’s topline, to increase carrying power, capability and strength.

Your horse will start to remove the blockages that prevent them moving at their best or building better tone.

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𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓?! 𝑳𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅…𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆:

https://www.engagedequines.com.au/pages/clinics-events

Or message for more details! See you there! Katrina 😁

14/08/2024

🧡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝟭-𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗖, 𝑺𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑺𝑬𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹 𝟐𝟗𝒕𝒉, 𝑵𝑨𝑹 𝑵𝑨𝑹 𝑮𝑶𝑶𝑵, 𝑽𝑰𝑪 🧡

🐴 Want to know what your horse is thinking?

🐴 Create consistency & predictability in your training, without compromising on expression & willingness!

🐴 Equip your horse with the essential elements of a solid training foundation - connection and confidence are the non-negotiables for long lasting success!

🦄 If you'd like to instil confidence in your nervous nelly...

🦄 Set your youngster up for success...

OR

🦄 Reset your relationship...THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE TO START!

Including theory & practical sessions to maximise learning!

Become the team you've dreamed of!

Message me for more information, with questions or to book! See you there! Katrina 😁

08/08/2024

Responsiveness at the expense of fluidity or continuity can cause both physical and behavioural issues, training is always about finding balance in our work ⚖️

07/08/2024

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨…

Despite the sunshine I was feeling a bit unmotivated, so when I finished working the training horses and sat down for lunch, getting my bum back up to work my own horses didn’t seem terribly enticing.

The LAST thing on my mind was working out after that and my brain was mostly filled with thoughts of my fluffy dressing gown, chocolate and a cuppa.

I dragged myself up and into the sunshine, put on some upbeat tunes and convinced myself even if I did ONE of my horses it would be better than nothing… watching the floating movement and smooth transitions made me smile, after some cuddles I got my other horse out - I couldn’t miss spending time with him.

In the car, on the way to my workout, I couldn’t stop yawning, I was starting to fade a little. I thought about turning back but turned up the radio and told myself even if I did less than usual it would be better than nothing.

…don’t you know it, I nailed my work out!
Now I’m sat here after a hot shower and some delicious food in my fluffy dressing gown with a smug little smile on my face ☺️

Even if I’d managed one horse and half a workout, I would have given myself a pat on the back because to be honest I didn’t feel like doing any of it.

So if today is a struggle, or if you’re feeling overwhelmed at a task, give yourself permission to do a little less but give something a go, a little something is better than nothing!

💪

06/08/2024

🧡🖤🧡 “Guidance, not dominance.” 🧡🖤🧡

02/08/2024

🤠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐎𝐖 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫! 🤠

As trainers we are frequently faced with an element of proving our worth – with each new client comes a certain burden of proof to demonstrate how or why our methods work. Sometimes we see dramatic changes during our first training session…cut to images of much moving of feet, rearing, striking, bucking etc.

More often than not, our first session (and hopefully subsequent sessions) might be very underwhelming in terms of the action movie we have envisioned, with minimal explosions and car chases.

In some cases, this may not be enough for our critics, we would encourage you to watch through to the credits.

Think of it more as a slow burn with a feel good ending and sometimes even a little unexpected twist.

With every horse that is presented, I work with the energy level in front of me and I always try to minimise anxiety and tension throughout a session to promote a good learning environment and maximise retention of information.

Even when helping the anxious or reactive horse to find their centre and self regulation or the dull or shut down horse how to be more responsive and aware, I aim to keep any high energy on my part to as short bursts as possible and set ambient conditions for the horse to figure out the correct answer.

I will always work in the best interests of the horse and will not compromise on causing unnecessary stress for the WOW factor, even if that leaves the door open for an inconclusive review.

~ Katrina Park - Cadence Horse Training // Engaged Equines

31/07/2024

Hi 👋, I’m Katrina, I’m an equine mind and movement specialist and I help humans and horses get on the same page so they can better enjoy their time together!

💡 Ever wonder what your horse is thinking?
🦄 How you can bring out their best?
🐴 How to help them overcome issues?
🐎 Or keep them healthy for years to come?

I can help!

I’ve already helped 1000’s of horses (and their humans) all over the world 🌍 to heal from injury, find a way back from trauma, and come back thriving from their ‘final chance’.

I’m well versed in both academic and practical aspects of equine behaviour, rehabilitation, biomechanics and exercise physiology.
I started formally studying horses as soon as I left school completing a Diploma, Bachelors and Masters in Equine Science. These allow me to really understand the inner workings of your horse.

Doing hands on 🖐️ equine exercise physiology and nutrition research at one of the worlds leading facilities,
running a specialist equine rehabilitation 🐎 facility for 8 years, accepting patients from 2 of the largest equine hospitals in the world
and having a full time training business (Cadence Horse Training) for the last 10 years 🦄 allowed me to put everything I’d learned into practice!

✨ My latest project, Engaged Equines has seen all of this study and experience start to be passed on TO YOU AND YOUR HORSES!
I’ve worked hard to transform the principles and systems I use every day with every horse, into live events and online courses that are relatable, understandable and where the horse comes first.

A huge part of my work is giving people a better understanding of how their horse thinks, learns and moves PLUS the tools to diagnose and improve issues along the way.
It’s a great way to show your horse your value alongside building trust.

On the flip side and equally as important, since it’s a 50/50 partnership, is handing control to your horse! 🤯

Teaching your horse how to manage their own mind and body is THE BEST way to build confidence! And the ONLY way to self carriage 🎠!

If you’re ready to find an approach that finally makes sense to you and your horse,

✉️ send me a message & join our email list!
🐴 join me at an upcoming event
💡 or sign up to an online course

For onsite training www.cadencehorsetraining.com

For events and online courses
www.engagedequines.com.au

I can’t wait to get you on track!
Katrina 😁

24/07/2024

🧡 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠… 🧡

🦄 When we meet someone new we focus on their positive traits, all the things about them we love, elements of their personality we find interesting or valuable, the things that make them unique.

🐴 Fast forward and the same traits we found so attractive we might view differently or even dislike. Sensitivity might seem weak or over reactive, confidence might seem arrogant or over bearing.

In reality those traits and their personality probably haven’t changed but our perception has.

🐴 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬?

My first job is to figure out a horse’s personality and behaviours and shape those to work in our favour.

🐎 A responsive horse is likely a sensitive or flighty horse, a confident horse might be an opinionated horse, a less forward horse might be a calmer horse.

😊 By visualising our horses traits in a positive light it can help us work out how we can use those to our advantage and how to approach their learning.

🐴 And by noticing if they show opposite traits in different situations we can figure out if these are related to environment, work or something more specific, which helps us to help them!

🧡 Take home message…stay in the honey moon phase! …follow me for more dating advice 😂

20/07/2024

Oh yes we did!!!!

Thank you SO much to everyone who braved the AWFUL weather we were blessed with today at today’s Connection & Confidence Clinic!

It was pretty relentless, we even had hail 😳…despite wet clothes and numb toes it was totally worth it with some great results in the most testing of conditions!

We looked at practical applications for connection and relationship building during training, the benefits of accurately interpreting behaviour and how to figure out the best way to approach training session for each individual horse and human combination.

Some might say we’re dedicated, others a little crazy 🤪

16/07/2024

🐴 𝟯 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨’𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 🐴

1. 🧠 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

If your horse is not set up with productive coping skills, learning retention, motivation and willingness will be poor.

When your horse is well equipped to deal with the stresses and pressure that inevitably accompany training (this doesn’t have to be through force or dominance, even the kindest forms of training involve challenging situations that ask a lot of our horses) they are able to be present and learn instead of simply accept and disassociate.

Your horse may still be obedient while learning retention is poor, which means training doesn’t stick and you are constantly re-teaching the same thing or having the same issues.

2. 🐎 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞

If your horse lacks the physical capability to perform the tasks asked of them, it will put a dent not only in their confidence but also their soundness.

Not allowing appropriate recovery time, infrequent breaks or overworking puts the body into a stressed state. Prohibiting effective muscle building and impacting your horses’s mental state, leading to potentially negative behaviour, frustration or lack of motivation.

3. 🔤 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 -

Mental and physical fitness must be maintained in order for your horse to continue to function efficiently and maintain willingness and soundness.

When work becomes more physically demanding or mentally challenging the quality may drop, your horse may start to become anxious, dull or fatigued.

We need to continually be moving up and down the ladder with our expectations and be willing to ‘drop down’ a rung to check our basics (such as emotional regulation, alignment and posture) are still in tact and working well.

𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑰𝑭 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚,

𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑵𝒂𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝑽𝑰𝑪.

𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒖𝒑 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒔! 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 😊

13/07/2024

🧡 Progress looks like… 🧡

Three horses hanging out in an arena, curious, calm and ready to learn.

Had I taken this picture 2 years ago, chances are at least 6 out of 12 legs featured would have been off the ground 😆🙄🐎

Initial problems were a combination of extreme anxiety, rearing, distraction, ear pinning, spooking, nipping….and more.

These horses and humans have taken part in monthly sessions, working through the same exercises I use daily in my training programs.

HUGE congratulations to the humans here that have shown patience, tact and dedication to the process, in the face of challenges and frustration at times.

Every month we begin by checking in on progress and challenges and for at least the last several months there have been glowing reports, every ride gets better, goals that were set so long ago we have surpassed and each pair enjoy their time together!

It might not seem like it right now, you might be feeling overwhelmed, the work can be tedious but often the dreams you think are out of reach really are possible if you’re prepared to be methodical and consistent 🧡

10/07/2024

🧡 They’re here!!! 🧡

I put in a special order to make sure these were available in time for my next Connection & Confidence 1-Day Ground Clinic, Nar Nar Goon VIC!

✨ I’VE GOT ONE SPOT SPARE, if you want it message me to grab it!! ✨

Thanks again to Kaz's Flags & Tail Bags for her fab work.

02/07/2024

🧡🧡🧡 “Be prepared for the long haul, short cuts short change our horses and ourselves.” 🧡🧡🧡

Address

Nar Nar Goon, VIC

Telephone

+61468390675

Website

http://www.engagedequines.com.au/

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Compassionate training is for EVERY horse, not just the ones who force us to dig a little deeper. Be patient, you’ll get there. 🦄 #horses #horsetrainer #cadencehorsetraining #engagedequines #harmonyfromthegroundup #horsetraining #horsemanship

Responsiveness at the expense of fluidity or continuity can cause both physical and behavioural issues, training is always about finding balance in our work ⚖️ #equineeducating #balanceisbest #harmonyfromthegroundup #engagedequines #cadencehorsetraining #horsetrainer #horsetraining #HorseTrainingTips #horsemanship #dressage #equineeducation

🎉 First solo ride for young Warmblood gelding, Bon Voyage ML! What a champ! 🎉 So what are we looking for in this session? It’s not flashy movement or a high tempo, but straightness, forward from the hinds and softness. Our goal here is to use the body control we have taught on the ground to help align his body in a way which enables him to carry the rider, shift his weight and reorganise his body. When he becomes sticky or crooked, we realign his body, this allows him to stretch, balance and gain fluid forward motion. #cadencehorsetraining #harmonioushorsemanship #engagedequines #startingnotbreaking #warmblood #horsetraining #horsetrainer