Wrangler Jayne's Horsemanship with Heart

17/09/2024

OH WOW! Gives you a new, more insightful view doesn't it?

14/09/2024

It was epic cold! Amazing group of intrepid gals and their beautiful horses braved the elements today to learn and try out some new skills in our clinic. Kudos to everyone! What an Adventure!

31/08/2024

Why learning horse psychology is so important!

22/08/2024

“I believe every horse is able to transition to a bitless bridle, but many people disagree with me. I think the bigger question is whether every rider can transition to riding bitless”

Many horses accept bitless bridles and can be more comfortable in them. Read our guide to some of the most popular designs

17/08/2024

Another good post from Dr Shelley. How interesting and curious, that people don't see the value in ground work ... read on ...

Are You Really Having Fun?

I have a friend who is a vet, and today she told me a story that made me feel both sad and frustrated.

My friend had an appointment to visit a property to assess and treat another horse. While she was there, she struck up a conversation with a lady who had recently moved her horse to the same property.

The lady was telling the vet how her horse was so much happier at the new property than the previous property. She explained she had been able to ride the mare and she was so much more relaxed.

The lady then mentioned that she was worried about a skin lump that she had found on the mare's back. My vet friend offered to have a quick look at the lump and asked for the horse to be brought up to the stable area.

My vet friend then watched the lady struggle to catch the horse, halter the horse, and then walk the horse from the paddock up to the stables. The lady was clearly terrified of the mare who, once out of the gate of the paddock, became very tense and agitated.

My friend went and met her halfway as the situation was becoming dangerous but could not really get near the horse as it was so agitated. They agreed to take the mare back to the paddock where the horse calmed down and my friend was able to inspect the lump, which turned out to be nothing to worry about. The lady apologised and explained the mare had not left the paddock since she had arrived a month before.

My friend asked her if she had ever done any groundwork with the mare. The lady responded that this was her first horse and, no, she didn’t do any groundwork as she only had enough time in the week to ride the horse. The lady then went on to describe how at the other place she had kept the horse, the mare had been quite scary to ride but here she had just been walking the mare around her paddock and she was so much better.

My friend then asked her if this was her first horse, and was she enjoying the experience?

The lady responded that she was; in fact, she was having so much fun with the mare.

My vet friend responded that she could get some help with the horse if she was difficult to handle. The lady made an excuse that the horse just had "bitch days."

Hearing this makes me feel so sad for the lady and the horse.

Let's examine all the unnecessary conflict and stress in this simple yet common scenario:

1️⃣The mare had not left the small paddock it had been placed in for a month. Even when it was ridden, it had only been ridden in the small paddock. Confining a horse to a small paddock and decreasing the horse’s exposure to the world will shrink a horse’s comfort zone and decrease its ability to process the environment and regulate its stress and emotions.

2️⃣An inability to feel safe and reliably handle a horse on the ground around the property it lives in. Handling your horse should be something you feel incredibly confident in doing. It is for both your welfare and that of the horse. If it is disconcerting handling your horse, that needs to be addressed and resolved. Gaining ground handling skills to be able to teach and influence horses to be safe and easy to handle is something all equestrians need to learn and practise.

3️⃣Not having an interest in groundwork because you only have time to ride a horse is actually a very common thing that many people who own horses think! It is something I used to think myself and it is so strange to think of myself back then. I could not see the purpose of groundwork because I didn’t understand what it was or why it is important for both safety and fairness to the horse. It shows how little idea of horses we have. It is like we have this inbuilt assumption that they are born to be ridden by humans with special installed buttons and it is no effort for them at all! Once you truly understand horses and what we are actually nurturing between ourselves and them to be able to ride them safely and ethically - the idea that we only have time to ride is crazy on all levels!

4️⃣Owning a horse that you can hardly catch, struggle to lead, cannot remove from its paddock, and that can be scary when you ride it - equals fun and meets your expectations for a fulfilling experience of horse ownership is depressing. None of that is fun, and the horse definitely does not think this is fun. That is an example of cognitive dissonance, which is the term used to describe why people sometimes act irrationally or hold onto beliefs that are contradicted by evidence. It is a protective way of thinking to protect individuals from the harsh reality of their choices or deal with contradictory evidence of what is occurring in their lives.

On one hand, I can say it is strange that with so much information at our fingertips online, so many people like myself sharing good ideas about how to influence and care for horses, that we still have such ignorance in the equestrian world.

However, on the other hand, it is not surprising. There are still way more poor management, handling and riding practices going on that it depends on what a person has been exposed to as normal! There is still so much ignorance about the horse.

I can’t even talk because I was not much different to this lady. It really takes a reckoning to shake you out of your delusion that you need help. Then the outcome of the reckoning depends so much on the people you are surrounded by.

As my vet friend showed, unsolicited good advice can be rejected. However, what can be more powerful is to be a person that lives good practices and care of their horse. I hope that at this property, this lady comes across someone who demonstrates good care, handling, and riding of their horse. I hope that this lady will one day get interested in what this person is doing and get curious and approach this person and start asking questions.

I hope that…because I hope this lady can one day discover just what a meaningful and rewarding experience owning a horse can be. You just need to learn how....and that is enjoyable in its own right❤

15/08/2024

I've always liked Honza's work - from his early days with PNH and now

05/08/2024

Riding tip for the day: the more you pull on those reins, the less you can feel your horse. Tight reins? Tight attitudes. Feel loss of control without holding on tight? Then maybe you and your horse are not quite ready for whatever it is you're doing, or maybe, you're fighting each other. Or maybe, your horse just doesn't want to be there. Or maybe, you're afraid to let go. Or maybe you think you need to do that, otherwise you lose 'contact'. Tenseness does not equal grace or beauty. Are you pulling, are you tight?

05/08/2024

If you could ride without mechanics that inflict pain or fear, why wouldn't you?

05/08/2024

Natural Horsemanship may not be for every person*, but it sure is for every horse

03/08/2024

My Horsemanship Tip for the Day: Helping your horse to understand that noisy flapping things around his bottom are not a reason to panic and showing him that the rope around his back legs is nothing to worry about are important things to spend time on. Your horse is a prey animal, and just below that calm, relaxed surface can lurk an instinctive creature, which is 'Move first, think second!' It can keep you both safe and unhurt, seeing these exercises as worthwhile

03/08/2024

My Natural Horsemanship Events coming up ... (you Bring your horse or pony): Next Saturday 10th August Kids ; Saturday 17th Adults ; Brumby Rally Sunday 18th August ; Horse Psychology & Behaviour workshop Sunday 25 August (horses provided for this one).
Just ask for info on any of these great days!! Only a couple of places available in each event. Here a just a few of the happy groups who've joined in! ❤

26/07/2024

My Natural Horsemanship program is running again this school holidays (September)! This highly popular program is always booked out

26/07/2024

And ... never make important decisions when you're down or in a low mood. Remember why you started

26/07/2024

You may be aware of this tragedy ... those poor, poor animals. I know it's not horses, but ... we all for a fleeting moment thought of how something like this could happen to a horse transport - doesn't bear thinking of. Just glad that there were kind people and vets there to help the suffering. Cows are beautiful, sentient creatures, by the way

We saw you…

We saw the images of your final moments on this earth.

​And we wept.

We wept for you, we wept for those whose lives had already been lost, and those whose lives were about to be.

For those who are reading this now and are not sure who we are speaking of, we speak of the 74 dairy cows, calves, and steers who were onboard a “livestock” truck that crashed into the Cremorne Railway Bridge in South Yarra on the evening of Tues 23 July. With a major part of the truck wedged under the bridge, the top tier had been ripped open as if attacked by an oversized can-opener.
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Echoes of pain and distress rang out as bodies precariously hung, bewildered and injured (some critically) animals wandered, as others remained trapped – dead, alive, and maimed.
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If only this was a scene from a horror movie and not the tragic reality for animals.

While the cause of the crash is listed as “driver error,” we know this is part of a far bigger picture. Those animals were part of a system set to claim them. One way or another, they were destined to die before their time.
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Please be a part of the solution and choose kindness at every opportunity. Remember, those animals, and millions more like them, are only in these situations because people buy the products of their suffering.
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What Tuesday’s tragic crash brought to light is that sentient beings are not viewed or treated according to who they are, but rather the perception society, at large, holds for them.
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But all that can change, if we can.
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Our heartfelt thanks and sympathies lie with the first responders who witnessed the victims of this needless carnage. Whether ensuring their stories were told or stopping the suffering of these hapless animals, you are heroes, and history will judge you well.
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And to those who, like Edgar’s Mission, have reached out and offered sanctuary for the remaining animals, bless your kind hearts. Although our offers were ignored, they would no doubt have been heard, and seeds would have been planted that a kinder way of living exists.
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To those beautiful, gentle, and “so undeserving of what life had afforded you” animals, we saw you. We shall forever see you, and we shall never, not ever, stop advocating for a kinder world for you and your kind.
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Thank you to Vets For Compassion, Farm Transparency Project, and others who assisted.

📸 Fortunate ones – Clarabelle and Valentine, who many years ago escaped the system.
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​"If we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others, why wouldn’t we?"

21/07/2024

Letters that warm my heart: "I started training with Wrangler Jayne back in 2007 when my young horse Dizzy was only 2. Right from the start, I wanted someone to train ME, not just to train Dizzy. No point Diz being trained, if I didn’t know the cues and communication to get him to listen to me. I’ve never looked back, he’s still perfect despite being a paddock pet and not ridden in over 10 years. Jayne and I became very close friends and I can’t thank her enough for everything she has done for me and my entire herd, and my journey in horse care and rescue." - Steph

15/07/2024

A post that is being shared!
These are not my words but definitely are my feelings :-
"I don't think I've ever had anyone ask me what I do with my dogs or cats. In fact the simple truth is that nobody ever questions whether the costs and requirements about owning a pet are really worth it, as the simple reason why people choose to have pets is just because they enjoy sharing their lives with them... Except for horses.... And consequently it's generally understood that the financial responsibility and the time commitments being related to the daily care of our pets are always well worth the investment, simply because these animals become our best friends and beloved members of our family.... Except for horses.... So nobody ever believes that the pets we choose to share our lives with need to do a specific job in order to "earn their keep", just as nobody ever believes that when our beloved pets grow too old or become somehow useless, then we can peacefully feel justified getting rid of them.... Except for horses.... Again there's really a sad brainwashing and mental conditioning about the way humans see and treat horses compared with the other animals they decide to live with, while instead there should be no difference at all. Because whenever we decide to have an animal, any animal, then it becomes absolutely our own responsibility the one to give them the life they truly need to be happy: it's only our own choice to have them living with us, so they don't owe us anything, while we surely owe them the serene life they deserve 💚"

14/07/2024

Couldn't resist! So true :-)

Trying to sort your life out when you have animals is easier said than done!

©️Emily Cole Illustrations

12/07/2024

Dear motorists -🚗🚙🏍🚐🚚🚛 and non-horse people,
please do not drive in front of a horse-float/trailer into the supposedly large gap that they leave from them and the car in front.
We have a long distance, not because we drive slowly but we need a long brake path. Unfortunately, we don't have it anymore if you stop in front of us.
Our horses in the float or truck need us to be careful.
Driving both slow around corners and taking our time to break and accelerate so they have a chance to balance.
Not only can they otherwise be seriously injured, it can even flip the entire trailer and cause serious accidents.
On the photo you can see how little space and opportunity the mare has to keep her balance. The foal is even right under her. She knows a misstep could injure her foal, so she'll try everything to keep herself from moving.
She can only do that if I can drive carefully.
Please help me do this and consider the precious cargo I carry onboard! 🙏🙏🙏❤️
Please share, because I know that most drivers do it not out of carelessness, but out of ignorance. Thank you.

11/07/2024

Our school holidays natural horsemanship fun days provide such special experiences for young horse lovers! My herd are beautiful companions for our enthusiastic visitors

09/07/2024

Today a day off for the herd and back into our school holiday horsemanship program tomorrow! Well-deserved day of rest for the boys who love the love and attention from their new, young friends. Now booking September -don't miss out on the Early Bird Special!

07/07/2024

NEW! Weekend group lessons for kids! Horses and ponies provided for these wonderful experiences! Just ask for details if sounds like good fun for your horse-loving child 🙂 (Yarra valley, ponies and horses provided, for all levels).

30/06/2024

Thought for a Sunday night: You see a horse with your eyes, though you feel a horse with your soul ...

30/06/2024

Very important to see this! Can you see how clearly the horse is saying he doesn't want to be ridden? There are so many signs he is giving. This is why I am always saying to get permission, and I never tie a horse or restrain in any way. They can't speak, remember