TradiE-Questrian

18/08/2024

On behalf 🦄

KIA
12 year old mare
approx 15.3hh
OTT Passport available

Kia is up for sale due to time restraints.

She is a brave trail riding horse who also enjoys the beach and pony club. She has exposure to cows, sheep and pigs so with the right training, would make a good ranch sorting horse.

Kia has been out of work for a year and the videos provided is her first ride after her time off. Although we could have trot and cantered, it wouldn't have been fair on her, so the videos are at a walk only. With some time to balance her mentally and physically and build up some muscle, she will have nice gaits.

There was lameness in her near hind, this was investigated with x-rays and an ultrasound, and nothing was found.
She is sound.
Has wind sucked in the past, does not currently wind suck.

Kia makes a great allrounder, suiting most people from an intermediate level with someone available with the skillset to bring her into work.

2🥕🥕🥕 neg
Home is more important than carrots
Located Oakford

12/08/2024

Pre ride gut sound check.
If it sounds like gas, you're good to go.
If it sounds like the ocean, it's time to clear the sand.

If anyone has a catchy phrase, write it in the comments!

09/08/2024

If I could change anything in the equine world, it's wilful ignorance.

Human Ignorance⚠️

There is no doubt that horses suffer because of the ignorance and stupidity of people.

It is very easy to be frustrated by people and have no patience for them. When you see horses suffer at the hands of someone being ignorant, it can be infuriating.

This discomfort can escalate when you see these people refuse to listen to good advice, blame others instead of taking responsibility, and repeat their mistakes, all to the detriment of some poor horse. Wilful ignorance is an ugly thing, and you can find it at all levels of the equestrian world.

Back in the day, I was one hell of an equestrian vigilante. I raged battles against every stupid horse person on the internet. My favourite quote at the height of my equestrian vigilantism was by Martin Luther King Jr.:

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Therefore, believe me, I absolutely understand when you say you have zero tolerance for ignorant humans. However, I am about to present a case as to why you may wish to reconsider this.

My case will make a claim that giving up on people effectively means you give up on their horse as well.

The only way to help any horse is through the human connected to them. If you care about horses, you need to influence the human. The worst way to influence a human is for them to perceive criticism or feel that you are being contemptuous towards them. That just makes people defensive and hold even tighter onto their bad ideas.

We like to think our human superpower is our intelligence. Well, guess what... it is not. Our superpower, and the reason we are still here and haven’t gone extinct, is that we have this tremendous ability to adapt to our environments. We work stuff out. But to work stuff out, we need to fail a lot. Therefore, we are hardwired to be overconfident because if we weren’t, we would have been too overcautious and too scared to leave a cave each time we perceived danger, and our species would have died out millions of years ago.

It is why we suffer from distorted thinking such as cognitive dissonance, hold onto beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence, and can do very stupid things.

We are also wired for connection with other people and are heavily influenced by those around us and what they do and think. If you are surrounded by ignorance, it is hard to be different!

We are not born wise; we need life experience to teach us that, and here is where we really get interesting...

When we learn something and our perspective changes, a really intriguing thing happens—we completely forget what it was like before we changed. So, once you learn to know something or see something, you cannot un-see it or un-know it… it is all part of that same superpower of adapting to our environments, but unfortunately, it makes us extremely intolerant and impatient towards people who have not yet crossed this learning threshold to see or know things differently. It seems so obvious that you get incredulous!

We also tend to learn things in layers of different levels of understanding and depth.

Therefore, not only are we prone to being overconfident, we are prone to being arrogant. Unfortunately, it takes many cycles of being overconfident, failing, learning something new, transforming, becoming arrogant, then overconfident, then failing again before we have a chance of learning the right thing and developing some self-awareness and humility! Many times we never make it past the first failing stage, and we just keep repeating the same mistakes!

So, how do we influence overconfident, ignorant people?

You make them curious and treat them like a cat!

A cat😺?! Yes, a cat… let me explain…

Because we have this burning sense of autonomy, or free will. It is why unsolicited advice is so ineffective at helping anyone. Humans are best when they feel like they have control of what they decide to engage in and who they listen to.

If you lead by example and ride and manage your horses in a way that allows them to flourish, people who are struggling with their horse due to their ignorance and incompetence will look to you with curiosity. Just like a cat that is ignored, they will eventually get curious and come and check you out!

Now, please do not think I am saying there is no place for outrage, challenge, laws, and rules. These are essential and important. But these can be made a hell of a lot easier if we influence from a community and individual level.

Therefore, remember—overconfidence, connection, arrogance, curiosity, free will, and treat like a cat😺! Understand these things about our species, and we have a chance of getting to the horses that we can only help if we influence their owner first✊

05/08/2024

So there wasn't really a hay shortage, they just made the rolls bigger 🤪

04/08/2024

What is a 5 star agistment to you?

Is it the fancy fences?
The Olympic sized arena with river sand?
A horse walker?
A swimming pool for horses?
Pristine and manicured gardens?
WIWO stables with washed white sand?
Individual grass paddocks?

Is it all the fancy amenities for you to use or is it harmony for your horses?

This is my friends agistment and a 6 star one at that. It doesn't have all the fancy stuff but it has everything your horse needs to be safe and happy, with attentive daily care throughout the day.

Is the agistment 5 star for your horse, or is it 5 star for you?

01/08/2024

Something that divided the equine community. Hard truths in here but none the less, still funny!

25/07/2024

My turn 🤷‍♀️

Like all my posts, I keep things short.

CD is an Olympian. She has access to the best. You can not tell me that at her level, she has not come across better training methods a time or 2.

Yes, we are all guilty of doing wrong by our horses in one way or another, but when a better and more ethical method was put infront of you, did you face your ignorance and change for the better or did you walk right past it, leaving that door shut?

I've seen the video. Me, a nobody, someone who rarely competes, knows whipping a stressed horse will not get positive results or a stronger connection. Surely someone with more skill, knowledge and success than me would also k own better.

I don't believe in kicking someone while they're down, I do think the consequences fit the crime and I HOPE, CD will lead by example and use better practices for others to follow. To show that facing your ignorance is a way to grow and become better.

17/07/2024

I have come across 2 truly dangerous horses and many many 'dangerous' horses.

⚠️Be Careful How You Judge a Horse🐴

The horse in this photograph anyone would love to own. He is calm, willing, trustworthy, and beautifully educated.

But if you met him when he was 6 months old, you would have met a horse that had just jumped through the front window of a horse trailer, and five men struggled to lift him out. He was cut to ribbons.

Today, he gets on and travels perfectly.

If you met him when he was 3 years old, you would have met a horse that was petrified of water and being hosed off. So much so that he put a trainer in hospital with a broken ankle after running over the top of him when trying to fix his hosing issues.

Today, you can hose him with no worries.

If you met him when he was 5 years old, you would have met a horse that didn't canter and panicked.

Today, he has a great canter.

This horse is a great horse because every issue he has had in his life, his owner has helped and supported him to learn how to overcome and grow in confidence—whether it was travelling in a trailer, overcoming his hosing phobia, allowing him to develop his canter, or all the other things he is great at, such as going trail riding or to competitions or looking after kids.

Each of these issues could have had you labelling him dangerous, difficult, or problematic.

But he is not these things; he is a great horse.

You might have a great horse too; they just exist in the future after you have found out how you need to support them to be a great horse.

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If this struck a chord with you, please hit the share button ➡️on this post. If you have had a great horse with a similar story, I would like to hear about them in the comments below❤
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12/07/2024

My electric fence needs more zap

23/06/2024

An amazing EMMETT therapist who I highly recommend!

Elentiya Equine Therapy bringing release and relief to those who gives us their heart and soul.

Emmett Therapy Practioner

Member of the International Institute of Complementary Therapists
Member of the Equine Therapies Association of Australia

10/06/2024

I'm so lucky to have a friend who does EMMETT and I absolutely love receiving videos of the herd zenning out during a session 💚

08/06/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/zdfkJsTgi44eMnGP/?mibextid=oFDknk

28/05/2024

It's arrived! This book is FULL of amazing and inspirational stories from truly amazing people ❤️

24/05/2024

The 'top' horse or 'lead' horse is often confused with the loudest horse in the herd.
The top horses in a herd (or the most sensory efficient) are the quietest. They do the least amount of work.

Faith, my 3 year old off the track has the most sensory efficiency in this herd dynamic. Faith stays or moves towards the hay when I make up feeds while the other 2 come up and watch with much anticipation.

This video shows just how much energy Faith conserves and how much the other 2 use.

23/05/2024

The environment and energy of other people and horses makes the difference.

15/05/2024

6 minute video on how I mouth horses.
It's important to identify their try, expect they will not give as much as they did 10 second's ago while understanding they're still trying and per my post below, they don't know if that bit will ever come back out.

One day I'll get a pivo and stand 😂 Don't do this with one hand

13/05/2024

I know I'm not the only one!

13/05/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/XJmKwCoUxHJeVTqB/?mibextid=oFDknk

09/05/2024

In a nutshell, it takes the time it takes.

Just imagine a spider is crawling up your back. We're convinced it'll latch on and kill us with its venom when it's most likely a huntsman just cruising on by.

THEY DON’T KNOW THAT IT IS NOT FOREVER.

Horses are not futurists. They can’t see into the future or read our minds and intentions. So when we ask a horse for something the very first time, they don’t know if or even when it will ever stop.

THEY DON’T KNOW THAT IT IS NOT FOREVER.

Let me give you a few examples.

When we first fit a saddle or get on a horse’s back, it does not know whether the saddle will ever come off or whether we will ever dismount.

When we pick up a horse’s foot for the first time or put a bit or a dentist's gag in its mouth how does it know life will ever return to normal?

The first time we load a horse into a trailer or tie a horse to a post or put it into a yard can it ever know it will be given its freedom ever again?

The first time a horse has any of these experiences a large part of the panic they can cause comes from a horse’s lack of understanding that the experience is temporary. It’s not forever.

It takes time and repetition for a horse to figure out that being taken away from its buddies is temporary and it will be with them again soon. Or that if they pick up their foot for us, it will get to stand on 4 legs again very soon and there is no need to panic. Or the discomfort of the saddle or hobbles is not permanent and there is no danger.

These are things we all know. But these are also things we sometimes forget to deal with compassionately. These are things we forget the horse doesn’t know.

For example, some people throw a saddle on a horse for the first time and let the horse buck until it gives up in futility. The horse gives up because it works out nothing is going to get this hunk of leather off my back and now I’m stuck with it forever. That’s a terrible mindset to leave a horse with – helplessness and futility.

To avoid this we must break lessons down into tiny incremental steps. Introduce new things in layers and for short periods of time, gradually building on each layer as the horse grows in confidence, trust, and understanding.

Let’s think about trailer loading as an example.

Loading a horse into a trailer for the first time comes from teaching a horse to lead brilliantly.

Confidence in trailer loading is the result of dozens of in and out exercises, asking the horse to stay in the trailer for longer periods as it feels more comfortable for the horse.

Teaching a horse that standing on a moving platform in a tin box is an okay experience starts with loading a horse in a trailer and driving for 20m, then letting it out. Repeating that enough times to take the worry out of it before driving for 100m and then 1km and then 20km.

The same principle can be applied to the early saddling, the first rides, the first tying-up sessions, the first time a foal is removed from its mother – or whatever lesson you can think of.

Ease a horse’s worry about a new experience by making it very brief. So brief that the horse doesn’t have time to figure out he should panic. Life is not coming to an end and things will return to normal very shortly. This is how you can give a horse confidence and avoid extreme responses and feelings of helpless futility.

I know we all know this principle. But I also know we don’t all practice it.

Photo: This is the horse's first ever ride and is from a c**t starting competition in Australia a few years ago. I'm pretty sure in the 4 or 5 hours preparation the horse had had before this moment, nobody had explained to the horse that the rider was not going to stay on his back forever.

05/05/2024

I'm so proud of this boy and I'm damn proud of myself!
Angus and I have had a lot of first' together. I've been starting him under saddle and the work to date paid off this weekend! Neither of us have done inhand showing and we've placed and won at the CCHSAWA STATE SHOW 2024 !
He was an absolute super star on Saturday. A huge thank you to the Axiak family for trusting me with their beautiful horses 🦄
📸 Vickiphotos - Equine Event Photography

26/04/2024

Image being an accomplished rider, only to one day realise you weren't doing right by your horse and being brave enough to make a massive change 'outside of the square'.
People are ALWAYS shut down when they bring harmony to a discipline that 'requires flashy moves'.
This amazing person did, and she's created a community of like minded horse people who are practical and passionate on making a change to bring a deeper level of harmony and willingness between horse and rider.

This is my why. Not the dressage, but the concept.

Which Dressage is the Right Dressage?✅

Today, I was asked this question:

"Recently, I have seen a lot of backlash with a governing equestrian body 'rewarding' horsemanship that seems to go against horse welfare. My question is in regard to dressage; could you share some pics of what you believe true dressage, which works to build a horse and helps it move freely, looks like? I get so confused when I see lovely soft frames being scored so low and horribly tight riding where the horses look stressed winning. I'm actually genuinely confused about what they like about what they see."

It is a topic I have probably been inconspicuously silent on when I probably shouldn't have been. My excuse is that it is complicated—let me explain.

What is Dressage?

If you look up the definition in the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance.

If you dig deeper into history, you will find the art of riding and training horses has had many different thoughts and approaches throughout time. Different eras, cultures, breeds, and uses of the horse all add to the complexity of the idea of dressage. The only commonality I can find between the different approaches I study is that they all believe they are correct. I also don’t believe that this belief of being correct was done flippantly. I am sure a lot of trial and error went into establishing the belief that each approach worked, considering how vital the role of the horse has been throughout the history of the human race and the development of civilisations.

I can also see that when you combine a long period of time and humans doing things in a certain way, we can get pretty entrenched in what we do, see, and believe.

Therefore, the first thing I am putting on the table is that "dressage" has been around for a very long time and is layered with culture and history. It is NOT a sport but has become known as a sport. But it is not like basketball, which has always been a sport... and here lies our problem.

Dressage became a sport when it was included in the Olympic Games in 1912. The FEI was created in 1921 because when you are trying to hand out gold medals, you need rules and a qualification system.

Therefore, the FEI is all about the competition of certain equestrian sports that are included in the Olympics, and one of them we label "dressage".

However, that does not mean the FEI are the masters of all things dressage. Just the sport of dressage and organisations that fall under its banner. Thinking it is the master of all things dressage is like thinking the Eurovision Song Contest is the master of all things music! Just like the Eurovision Song Contest, you can get outraged over the rules and which songs win! But you always have to remember, it is the Eurovision Song Contest and that is it. It will stamp its authority of the winner based on its rules and its judges but it is only within this context.

But I know what you are about to say - but Shelley, there are horses involved! What the FEI labels as good has this massive influence on what people believe is right and acceptable!

And you are right... dead right... and so starts my uncomfortable discussion...

I have been that person who lived in the belief that dressage was a sport of levels of increasing complexity of "movements" and got validated I was good at it by the ribbons I won... this was my belief system. I was doing bad dressage but I was in a silo. The people I was surrounded with, the voices I heard, things I read and watched were all from exactly the same silo. A world that believed the same things that I did. I know the blindness of that silo. I know the outrage and frustration I felt when people would criticise rollkur and how stupid I saw that as this was the only way I could control my horse when I first got on at an event. I saw people who criticised it as just being ignorant about what it took to ride such an athletic sensitive creature as a warmblood.

But then one day I made one of my horse’s mouths bleed and my world came crashing down. It did so because back then I had to see blood to see I was hurting a horse. I was blind to all the other screamingly obvious signs that I know now. The reactiveness, heaviness, over and under muscling, struggling with certain movements etc...

Now this is the scary bit. I am not sure that if my horse’s mouth did not bleed that day that I would not still be in that silo. Because I was locked in deep. I was validated by ribbons and with a whole world of people that never pointed out the reactiveness, heaviness, over and under muscle, or struggle with certain movements as anything more than irritating frustrations that I tried to fix with bits, tack, and powders.

So, I have made it my life’s mission to find the people like me. The people who love and care for their horses but cannot see what they are doing. They can only see this very superficial version of dressage as this sport without appreciating its true purpose of training and working a horse in a way that protects it from being ridden. I find them and open their eyes to being able to see what a horse knows and feels. A place that can initially be confronting. I do this by teaching a knowledge base and skill set to be able to make decisions and do something to help a horse.

But there is more... what do you actually do to protect the welfare of the horse? Which dressage is the right dressage?

If educating people is my life’s mission, working out "what dressage is the right dressage" is my life’s work...

I know that it is not necessarily found in the classical masters' classics nor is it in any backyard of the people that have extremist views or point fingers and scream cruelty with so much moral superiority that make the silo walls 100 times thicker.

It is because if you want to train and nurture a horse that is protected against the wear and tear of being ridden, they need more than training. They need a skilled, educated owner that is an easy load for the horse to carry. That has the funds and time to adequately provide for the horse what it needs to be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. The right dressage for the horse needs to be backed up with a healthy metabolism, well-balanced comfortable hooves, a fit body, well-fitting tack, and a lack of chronic stress for it to even be anywhere near "right".

Therefore, it is here I start. I start by promoting mental, physical, and emotional health.

My forte is getting horses calm, willing, and confident in all their general handling and foundation training. The foundation training is that first layer of a horse’s education that you can turn into any purpose. The ability to accept a rider and be willingly guided. It is that layer that sets the horse up to be flexible, adaptable and is aware how to learn.

I am always learning, studying, experimenting, and critically monitoring the outcome. Anyone I influence, I teach to be the same. I feed people back into the world of dressage and other disciplines to lead by example. At the very least, they get to enjoy their outings more, and their aim is always for their horse's welfare to be their first consideration with any decision they make.

This is as "right" as I have got it so far. It is not perfect and can fail, but that just gets fed back into the pursuit of trying to work it out. This, I believe, is the most effective way to create change. At least to free people from a silo to see that there are so many incredible horse trainers outside of it. There are many exceptional people that I stand alongside and I am proud of the communities I help create.

Therefore, does the governing body reward poor horsemanship? Yes, it can. But remember, some of the winning songs of Eurovision are pretty terrible. It is just a contest, but I understand its power of influence is not to be minimised. But understanding what it is in reality is important. The sport of dressage has a propensity for mixing up tension for impulsion. Flashy movement that gets rewarded has a question mark over whether breeding for this has inadvertently introduced genetic physical weakness.

Finally, here are some photographs from my clinic last weekend to show you what is going on outside the silo of the world of competition dressage. This is Amy and she brought her two horses. An off-the-track thoroughbred called Harvey and Sweeney. Both formerly troubled horses worked beautifully and confidently in the clinic environment. Not only does Amy ride and train beautifully, she is also a farrier and has done incredible rehab work on both horses. If you have a look at the data I collected from Harvey’s session using my Equestric Saddle Clip on the symmetry of rhythm, landing, it is excellent. It is even more impressive when you become aware of the fact that Harvey carries a number of soundness issues that good training, farriery, and management have allowed him to flourish in his work.

So, yes... there are problems in dressage competition land but there are seriously impressive people and horses to be found on the outside of the silo! Our numbers are growing and however I have been able to influence Amy, I know she is going to take it to the next level in her life time. Change IS happening.... ❤

21/04/2024

SOLD
🦄On behalf🦄

Free lease
Blue born 6/11/2013.
Was at broken three rested 12 months and then started doing pony rides. Blue has accompied us to pony rides (but not worked) since he was about 8 months.

Though blue is broke he has not been ridden of lead line alot. He absolutly has the basics down, but would need work for any sort of show or pony club mount. He has done trails and the beach but no show history or pony club.

He's calm and sweet with a little hint of cheek.

He would require a leaser who is experienced with bringing a horse back under saddle. Maybe a great project for a older child (teen) as second or third ridden mount.

Located Mundijong

20/04/2024

Ride number 2. Ride 2 was about seeing how comfortable we can carry someone and how comfortable Gus can be led from the back but especially for the Clydesdale, how alert they remain with their surroundings instead of internalising.

19/04/2024

First sit and walk today for Gus 🦄

19/04/2024

What to do when it all falls apart? And;
How do you help someone when you see it all fall apart for them?

The training at home is good, you unpicked your horse and saw them flourish with a new-found confidence, the horses you've retrained before have handled new places and tasks with confidence, your horse is telling you at home they trust you. They're no stranger to high intensity environments, you've done EMMETT the night before and morning of but they just fall apart when you go out.

What you don't do-
You don't approach and sn**ch at the horse, twist their tongue, force their head down, flog them, you don't run them into the ground and you don't tune them up, especially on unsafe surfaces. What you also don't do is make false complaints about what you thought you saw.
The horse CAN NOT LEARN in the red zone.

How do you help someone when you see it's all falling apart?

Take a suitable horse over to them so they have a horse they can process and filter from. Ask the person if you can do anything to help like taking tack back to the stall or car, clear a safe pathway to remove the horse from an area, ask if there's anything they need or if they need another person to help.

But what do you do when no one helps?

If your have no choice but to attend an event on your own and it all goes to s**t, use your tools in working a horse down. Do let your horse move their feet, just give them direction such as figure 8s or direct and drive with hind quarter yields. Do let your horse trot/rush and reward them when they show any sign of connection and relaxation. Do use researched and proven breathing techniques on your horse, do let them find the boundaries of the lead rope and direct them back to you and most importantly, HAVE PATIENCE! Some horses will calm quicker than others. When it's safe, take your horse to their safe zone.

'Holistic' training is outside of the square and some people aren't open to another way of training.

Being accused of animal abuse is horrible, especially when people are ignorant to what they see. Despite being cleared of all accusations, it doesn't take away that people are quick to judge and slow to offer help. Let's change that!

The horse doesn't have a timeline, it simply takes the time it takes.

10/04/2024

Another way to reduce all that chitter chatter on the mouth, especially if your horse isn't following smoothly behind you!

06/04/2024

Privilege is the opportunity to be trusted to start someone's horse.
Reward is teaching them along the way, and letting them sit and watch the process. Angus and his first saddling today.
So uneventful, as it should be!

05/04/2024

Halter Hobble 🐴

Waking up the shut down horse.

Shut down horses are those that, due to past trauma, neglect, or consistent negative training methods, have emotionally and mentally "shut down." These horses may appear obedient and calm, but this demeanor is often a mask for deep-seated fear, anxiety or aggression. "Waking up" a shut down horse requires patience, time, and a thorough understanding of equine behaviour. The goal is to rebuild trust and stimulate the horse's natural curiosity and willingness to engage. Here are key steps involved in this process:

Establish a Safe Environment:
Create a calm and stable environment where the horse feels safe. Consistency in daily routines and gentle handling by familiar people can help establish a sense of security.

Build Trust:
Trust is the foundation of any relationship with a horse. The horse nees to feel comfortable to express themselves in any form as they come out of their shell without punishment. Guidance is key!

Engage the Horse's Curiosity:
Introduce new objects or experiences in a non-threatening way to stimulate the horse's curiosity. This could include kids kicking a football to stimulate the ears, a different horse's poo to stimulate the nose and someone lurking in the bushes to stimulate the eyes.

Go at the Horse's Pace:
Be patient and allow the horse to progress at its own pace but also don't let them hide away. Pushing too hard or too fast can result in setbacks and going too slow won'tencouragethem to search. Celebrate small victories and be consistent in your approach.

Seek Professional Help:
Consider working with a professional trainer or behaviorist experienced in rehabilitating shut down horses. Horse's can display a range of confronting behaviours and seem to 'regress' when they start waking up. When a horse knows you're listening and the start to feel comfortable in communicating back to you, much of their suppressed emotions with come out in many forms.

Consistency and Patience:
Rehabilitating a shut down horse is a slow process that requires consistency, patience, and understanding. Avoid getting frustrated and remember that progress may be slow and non-linear.

Reawakening a shut down horse is a deeply rewarding journey that can strengthen the bond between horse and human. It's a process of healing, understanding, and growth. This is a small snippet of Faiths journey in 'Waking up'. It was an hour long session in helping her learn that her thoughts aren't confined to the halter.