Aimee Harman Horsemanship

07/02/2025

Changing Plans

George has had a few days off due both to the weather and a bit of an abnormal schedule for me this week. Today I had planned to bring him in for a short lunging session to carry on with the work I had done over the weekend, helping him to become more free in his transitions and more accustomed to moving in a more forward thinking way.

As it turned out though, that was not the session he needed. When he entered the arena he noticed a large blue exercise ball down in the far corner. It isn’t usually there, and he was convinced that the ball was a threat. He grew to 25 hands (usually I say 20 hands, but George is already tall so 25 hands is better illustrates my point), and started snorting flames from his nostrils. So the session pivoted to helping him become less worried about the ball.

I never force a horse towards something it is afraid of. Instead I allowed him to look as long as he needed, until he resumed his regular height and the flames dwindled and disappeared. Once he was more regulated I asked him to follow my feel to walk forward, but not towards the ball. I asked him to walk across the centre of the arena so that the ball was on one side of him. Then I asked him to walk forward the other way, so that the ball was on his other side. We did this for a minute or two, and before too long George’s interest in the ball had caused his walk lines to veer closer and closer to the ball. George was now able to touch and smell the ball. We then spent about ten minutes moving the ball around the arena, so that George could follow it as it moved away from him.

The final part of the session was spent checking in with him and making sure that he stayed connected and focused enough to follow my feel even through changes of ask mid requests. I was really proud of how he did.

It wasn’t the session I had planned on having, but it was the session George needed today. We have to be prepared to be flexible in our planning, and listen when the horse tells us what they need.

29/01/2025

Yesterday I had a really good session with Taz in the round yard. Historically he has found the round yard to be a more spooky place than the arena, and also historically if he is going to have a bad day it will be on a windy day.

Despite the location and the strong breeze, he was super attentive and was trying really hard to come along with my idea. I was so proud of him, and how far he has come along in the last six months.

Because the session had gone so well, I thought I would finish by lining him up next to the mounting block and swinging a leg over his back. We have done this many times, and I have now sat fully on him both saddled and ba****ck a few times. But yesterday he felt a little bothered by this, and he started to back away if I left my leg hanging over him for too long. Someone asked me, “couldn’t you use a whip to get him to come forward?” My response was “no, because then he might feel like he can’t back away.”

The person was confused. “Isn’t that what you want?”

The answer is that I never want a horse to feel like they don’t have options. I never want them to feel like they have to do a certain thing. If Taz is to stand still at the mounting block I want it to be because he feels ok about being there, not because he feels like he can’t escape from that request.

So I simply asked him to return to the mounting block, and shortened the duration my leg was over his back. I did this a few times, and then ended the session. I had no desire to turn a great session into a bad one by being greedy. Next time he may feel better about it, and if not, I will take the time it takes to help him feel ok.

27/01/2025

George has a really hard time moving forward. He is very weak through the body and pulls himself along with his front end on the forehand. Sucking back is also his first response when he is unsure. So I need to help him feel ok about freeing up his body and moving forward. As he becomes more confidently forward and attentive to my leg aids I can have a better chance of influencing his posture, by keeping him light to the leg (not quick!) and using bend to help supple him and influence the way he carries himself. I can’t wait to see where he is at in six months time.

12/01/2025

WORDS MATTER

I've long ago realised that there are certain turns of phrase commonly used in the horse community that make me a little uncomfortable. These range from the well-intended to the outright dismissive or derogatory.

Starting with the latter, it really bothers me when somebody refers to a horse whose name and s*x is known as "it". For example, "It's a mongrel of a thing to ride". Or "I've just bought this horse. So-and-so trained and produced it." I find this to be really distancing and objectifying when we are referring to a living, breathing soul.

On that same note, referring to a horse as having been "produced" by a particular trainer or rider. It makes it sound like the horse is a product that has just rolled off the production line. An item that has been manufactured. I don't care for it and think we can come up with a warmer way of describing who has worked with and trained the horse.

This last one is a little bit different, because it comes from a sphere of people who mean very well and want to ensure the horse's physical comfort, suppleness, and strength are a priority within the work. I highly commend and support this. But when we talk about the "biomechanics" of a horse, and break it down to their physiological parts, there is a part me that feels some discomfort. I think for me it feels like we are reducing the horse to something akin to a machine. It's absolutely important to look after a horse's physical well-being, but when a methodology doesn't pay just as much attention to a horse's level of mental connection and okayness, we're not in as full a level of service to the horse as we might like.

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but horses are sentient beings with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Of course we all know that, but if we commonly use words that don't capture that fact, then we run this risk of forgetting to treat them as such. Words are powerful, and we should choose our language carefully when we are working with our equine friends.

22/10/2024

New segment coming soon.

08/09/2024

One of my favourite things about my job is that I get to work with so many different kinds of horses of all shapes, colours, ages, breeds and sizes. I honestly just love all horses for who they are as individuals. This was my Saturday morning this week, and her handsome Shire gelding, Julius, and and the always adorable Shetland gelding, Leo.
I finished up the day by riding an off the track thoroughbred, and then working with Tazzie, my young warmblood. Absolutely living the dream. ❤️

07/09/2024

If you need help with your horse this spring and summer, please get in touch. I only have two spaces so get in quick!

28/06/2024

On gaining a horse’s focus:

Whenever I start with a new student I talk about the importance of fostering a connection with a horse and gaining their focus. It’s sometimes a bit of a foreign concept to people who have previously only known to pay attention to what the horse’s feet and body are doing, and not to how the horse is thinking and feeling about the exercise.

Once the student understands the importance of being able to direct a horse’s focus or thought, I notice that oftentimes they will go through a phase where they notice the horse’s focus has strayed, and they reprimand the horse. They have made the important leap to understanding that having a horse be part of your program is important, but not yet the leap to understanding why.

We want to be a safe space for the horse. We want for the horse to feel comfortable when they are connected to us. It is only then that we can proceed the training in a way that has a chance of the horse feeling ok about it, and then offering his or her best. When a horse loses focus and disconnects from us, we certainly want to try to interrupt that leaving thought, but we don’t punish. Instead we give the horse something else to focus on, starting, as we always do, with a soft gentle ask. If the horse is very stuck on his or her distraction point we may then need to firm up to motivate the horse to come back to us, but we always start softly and go back to softness as soon as we can. When the horse makes a try to come back to us, we cease asking and reward.

In this photo, young Fergus is very focused on a deer not far down the road. I am encouraging him to shift the balance of his focus more to me and less on the deer.

04/06/2024

My good friend and mentor Good Horsemanship - Ross Jacobs is conducting a clinic in Fish Creek, Victoria in October this year. I’ll be taking Tazzie along to soak in as much knowledge as I can.

I believe there is a spot or two left - I highly recommend making the most of this opportunity to learn how to better connect and communicate with your horse from Australia’s best clinician. These clinics normally book out months in advance.

Contact Irena to enquire.

HURRY! HURRY! HURRY!

Irena tells me there are a couple of spots still available for the 4 day clinic in Fish Creek, Victoria, October 18 - 21. Contact Irena Vaynbaum for information and books.

01/05/2024

I received this message from a student of mine today. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear when clients have breakthrough moments with their horses because of something I have helped them with. I’m very lucky to have a group of clients who are passionate about connecting with their horse in a two way communication, and who are able to understand the importance of influencing a horse’s thoughts and feelings rather than just their physical actions. We need more people like them in our equine community. ❤️

08/02/2024

Well this post has just made my day. I couldn’t be more chuffed.

FROM STUDENT TO PROFESSIONAL

I want to introduce you to a few of my long-time learners who have graduated from student to teacher. I was thinking about how many years had I been a professional horse person and the people I have worked with. Then I started to think of the people whom I met when they were pretty novice at working with horses in the way I teach and how they have evolved into incredible professional horse people.

There are many more people I know who have become amazing horse people over the years, but today I want to mention the ones who are now proudly making a living out of their talent.

Let me say, that each of them is brilliantly talented and has a lot to contribute to the horse industry. Add to that that they are all very special people with the interests of the horse and owners at the pinnacle of priorities. They are good people, not just good horse people, and I’m proud they are my friends.

It needs to be clear that they have achieved their professionalism and expertise through their own hard work and obsession. I take no credit. Without my influence, they would have figured it out just fine because their passion is so great. They have achieved what they have achieved because of them, not me or any other professional. I thoroughly recommend all of them.

Lastly, I am not ashamed to admit that once in a while my ego gets a little boost when one of them contacts me to ask about a tricky problem they are having with a horse. It’s nice to know they don’t know everything yet and they believe the ‘ol man still has something to offer them.
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Let Me Introduce You To (in alphabetical order) …..

AIMEE HARMAN - Pakenham, Victoria, Australia
https://www.facebook.com/aimeeharmanhorsemanship

I first met Aimee when she was about 11 years old and she had a pony that needed some help. More than 20 years later Aimee is making a name for herself as a horsemanship instructor, trainer, and classical dressage coach. She lives in Victoria, Australia, and takes horses in for work as well as travels to teach.

Aimee’s passion for her work is obvious and only equaled by her passion to learn more. As well as being a long-time student of mine, Aimee has been a student of Manolo Mendez for many years and worked for him as a working pupil.

Aimee is a lovely rider with a brilliant talent for teaching the unteachable aspects of horsemanship. She is smart, intuitive, and has a lovely feel around horses and people
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ELLEN KEALEY - Northfield, MN, USA
https://www.facebook.com/ekhorsemanship/

The first time I met Ellen she was 20 years old. She was still in college and just starting her part-time business as a horse trainer and teacher. Sara Etter was hosting a clinic for me in Iowa and she told me to watch out for this girl named Ellen Kealey who was coming to watch.

My first memory of Ellen was that I couldn’t get more than two sentences out before she had a question. And another question. Then another question. And another. Who was this woman?

On the last day of the clinic, one of the participants asked Ellen if she would ride her horse. I watched with a smile on my face. Ellen had the nicest touch on a horse I had seen in a long time. We instantly became friends and I have been mentoring her for the past 9 years.

As a horse person, Ellen’s strength is her passion for helping troubled horses. Ellen has ‘feel’ in abundance and working with her is a joy. Ellen’s business is a mix of training and lessons and she is in constant demand for both. Ellen hosts clinics for me twice a year and I always make sure we have some non-clinics days to work together. She has reached the stage where she keeps me on my toes and makes me think. I am very excited for her future as a professional horse trainer.
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LAURA DICKERSON - Colfax, CA, USA
https://www.facebook.com/laura.dickerson.100483

Laura lives in northern California, USA. I was introduced to Laura when she was a student of Shea Stewart. We got to know each other when Shea hosted clinics for Michèle and me. And later we spent time together in Arizona at Harry Whitney’s. Laura came from the hunter/jumper world and latched onto the horsemanship principles like a dog with a bone. When I substituted training horses for teaching horsemanship clinics full-time, Laura was one of the first to put her hand up and offered to host me in Colfax. That was 10 years ago.

Laura has evolved from being a brilliant student to a brilliant teacher. Each time I teach a clinic in Colfax, I see the remarkable improvements in the students due to Laura’s diligence. Her talent as a teacher is evident in the enthusiasm of her students. Laura has an excellent eye for detecting the changes in a horse’s thoughts and feelings and then explaining them to her students. Her energy never seems to run low because her enthusiasm to make things better for both horses and their owners has no limits. More recently, Laura is teach a few clinics. I urge folks in northern California to familiarise yourself with her work. She is smart, talented and a wonderful teacher and very approachable.
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LORENA RUSSELL - Harcourt North, Victoria, Australia
https://www.facebook.com/LorenaRussellHorsemanshipSupportandCoaching/

Lorena might be the person on this list I’ve worked with the longest. It started with me training some of her horses and then evolved into Lorena attending clinics. In more recent years Lorena has become an avid host of clinics for me. Lorena’s business is mainly horsemanship lessons, but she has expanded to begin teaching clinics.

Lorena has a very astute sense of what a horse is feeling and her mind is always busy looking for better ways of assisting a horse. Perhaps what most impresses me most about Lorena is her outstanding ability to teach. Students love her and I see their progress with every visit I make. Lorena is a very supportive instructor which gives students the courage to push the boundaries. She also has an excellent knowledge of the intricacies of riding and how to improve position and feel. She never fails to impress me with her insights and ability to explain them.
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SHELLEY FORCEVILLE - Canberra, ACT Australia
https://www.facebook.com/shellyforceville

Shelley resides in Canberra, Australia. I met Shelley approximately 9 or 10 years ago and she has attended at least two clinics a year since. Shelley is one of those horse people who always has a question at the ready because of her inquisitive mind. I think every good horse person needs an inquisitive mind like Shelley.

For several years she worked as a barefoot trimmer. However, in more recent times, Shelley has taken her passion for riding and horsemanship to a professional level where she now teaches students an understanding of how horses operate both emotionally and mechanically. She is furthering her understanding of classical dressage and biomechanics with the help of Belinda Bolsenbroek. It is wonderful to see her incorporate her knowledge and skill of horsemanship into the field of classical dressage.

28/01/2024

Last week I asked my followers what they would like to see more of from this account. Several people said they would like to know more about my training philosophies. I have been thinking about how I can put some content together to convey this. I think I will try to do a few short videos to cover off the core elements and some instances in horse handling where these would be demonstrated.

For now though I will just say this. I truly love horses and I find something to love or empathise with in every horse I work with. Absolutely everything I do with horses always must come back to that love, and the desire to help them feel more okay with what is being asked of them. This needs to be at the forefront of everything we do with our horses, before our own egos, goals, and desires. I don’t subscribe to the idea of teaching a horse to ‘respect’ people, but I do very much subscribe to the idea of teaching people to have the utmost respect for their horses.

Pic of me riding ‘s beautiful TB mare, Bee, yesterday, for an impromptu photo shoot.

21/01/2024

I don't like to post negativity and criticisms on my social media pages. I would much rather focus on showcasing how I like to do things, or even on showing somebody else who I think is doing nice work. But I will say that the top levels of the sport of dressage has reached a a point where I no longer find it enjoyable to watch, and what I'm seeing in the ring is not something I aspire to for my riding or my horses. I still have every intention of training my young horse, and any other horses I'm lucky enough to be offered a ride on, as far along the grades as I can. But I won't be following in this current lot of riders' footsteps.
I think Shelby pretty well hits the nail on the head with this video.

FEI Dressage rewards rollkur.Order limited edition merch: https://milestone-equestrian.creator-spring.comLearn about horse behaviour science and rollkur / hy...

19/01/2024

From big to little. Leo is a 7 year old Shetland owned by . He was a lead line pony in a previous life, and Emma has bought him just to love and play with. As is the case with many small ponies, Leo hasn’t had the idea of following a feel, leading with softness, and moving out on a circle explained to him clearly. The littlies are often easier for us adults to control, so devoting time to their training isn’t as high a priority as it would be for a big horse. Leo happens to be a sweetheart who doesn’t make too much trouble anyway, and luckily for him, Emma is devoted to building a meaningful and kind relationship with him. I found him to be very smart and willing, although a little nervous and unsure in his first session. We are just taking things slowly and only asking for small tries in the early stages. This will help build confidence and set a good foundation for any tasks that come later.

15/01/2024

I like this pic of me with ‘s handsome Clydie boy, Jules. Jules is a sweet young horse who gets overwhelmed quite easily and will quit trying when that happens. He is not stubborn, he is frightened and unsure. The challenge has been working out how best to bring him out of his shell and encourage him to keep searching for the right answer. At the moment when he gets really stuck I have been switching up the exercise rather than getting bogged down in it, and this seems to help.

14/01/2024

The barn cats have the right idea on this warm and lazy afternoon. Horses worked, and now time to take it easy.

26/12/2023

Happy 22nd birthday to the big fella, the best teacher I ever had, the ‘he’s a jackass, but he’s my jackass’ main man, Delaney Park Fiasco, more commonly known as Nicky. I love this boy so much. He is a man of strong opinions and preferences, and that he prefers me over all other humans is my honour and privilege.