Angel Rock Farm

06/26/2025

Lesson time for Phoenix and Remi❤️

06/23/2025

When things feel uncertain, we all need a place where we can just be. And that place for me is with horses.

No fixing.
No pressure to perform.
No need to explain.
Just presence.

This is the medicine we need more of in the world right now.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure—let this be your reminder…

You are safe.
You are seen.
You are enough.
And you are not alone 🐴💛

06/22/2025

Ever heard of the 3-Second-Rule ?

When a horse does something—like stepping forward, backing up, or responding to a cue—their brain instantly begins processing whether that action was worth repeating. This is called associative learning: the brain links a behavior with what follows it (either a reward, release of pressure, or a correction).

But this link isn’t open forever. It has a short window—and that’s where the 3-second rule comes in.

The horse’s limbic system, especially the amygdala and hippocampus, plays a key role in memory and emotion.
When something happens, the brain decides if it’s important by how quickly the result (good or bad) follows. Neurotransmitters like dopamine (which drives reward-based learning) are released immediately after the stimulus.
If the reward or release happens within about 3 seconds, dopamine strengthens the memory link between the action and the outcome.
If you wait longer, the brain may no longer connect the two.

👉 Example: If you're asking your horse to back up, don’t wait until they’ve taken 10 steps before releasing the pressure. If they shift their weight back or take just one step—that’s your moment. Release right then. That first effort is what you want to mark and reinforce. Otherwise, they may not know what they're being rewarded for.

It also works the other way around: it helps to give horses space between cues to not connect one cue with the other.

👉 Example: If you ask your horse to come to the mounting block and immediately swing your leg over, they may learn that coming over always means being mounted—which could make them hesitant to come in the first place. Instead, pause for 3 seconds after they line up. Let them reset. Then get on.

These moments of pause and precise timing are small adjustments—but they make a big difference. You create clarity, reduce stress, and build confidence in your horse. The 3-second rule isn’t just a training technique—it’s a reflection of how your horse’s brain learns best.

Try it. Wait just a little longer. Reward just a little sooner. You might be surprised how much faster they understand when their brain has the chance to catch up.

Photo: Alicia Nicole Wopereis Photography

06/20/2025

✨You can fake calm with people.
✨You can smile through nerves. Say “I’m fine” when you’re not.
✨But your horse?
They know better.

✨Before your hands ever lift the reins,
before your legs give a cue,
they’ve already felt you.

The tension in your breath.
The doubt behind your focus.
The pressure you’re putting on yourself.
They feel it all — not as judgment, but as information.

✨That’s why the real work isn’t just in your hands or your seat.
✨It’s in your energy.
✨Your presence.
✨Your ability to breathe through the nerves and ride with clarity — not chaos.

🐎So if your horse is acting out,
pause before you correct.
💕Check in with your own state first.
Because what you bring to the saddle is what they ride with.

And the more honest you are with yourself,
the more your horse will trust you.

🐴💭

06/18/2025

06/18/2025

Watching these young women from Youville Centre step up, take the lead, and build real confidence around the horses was something special.

Learning how to set boundaries, stay calm, and earn a horse’s trust isn’t always easy but they showed up and handled it with strength and commitment.

Horses don’t lie as they respond to how we show up and these young women showed up strong.

Proud of every moment!

Photo Credit: Diane Valberg-Groulx

06/09/2025

What an incredible workshop at Angel Rock with Kathy Moffatt and Noemi Oude Egberink! We not only deepened our understanding of heart-centered connections with the horses, but also discovered new insights about ourselves — thanks to the feedback from these amazing Angel Rock horses.

Photo Credit: Diane Valberg-Groulx

06/08/2025

Ride your transitions as if you’re passing through a gate no wider than your horse’s shoulders

Making good transitions requires much more than kicking your horse forward and hoping for the best- you have to really RIDE the steps between one gait and another. But first, the setup:

The horse needs to be in a steady rhythm
The horse needs to be aligned
You need to be creating these and following them with your seat.

If you ask for the transition out of a crummy walk, a crummy trot you shall get - and so first you have to organize a good walk in the correct tempo for the next gait.

Then, when you’re organized and ready for the transition, imagine you’re riding your horse into the trot through a very narrow gait - horses will often pop a shoulder out in a transition, and most riders correct far too late.

Ride preventively, ride with awareness so you can remain soft. Carve out your line of travel with your eye and organize your seat, then ask the transition, then RIDE the transition, don’t just sit there bumping around like a pilot closing his eyes and hoping for the best during takeoff 😉

Then, in your trot, begin organizing your new gait right away

06/04/2025

Such a joy to share these amazing ponies and our sweet mini-donkey with the Youville Centre participants. Watching strong bonds form, lessons unfold, and confidence grow is truly heartwarming for us. Beautiful memories to cherish.

Photo credit: Diane Valberg-Groulx

05/22/2025

There are things that are timeless.
The warmth of a muzzle in your hand,
the joy in your heart when you see a horse,
and the dreams that were born in childhood...
No matter where life takes you or who you become —
never lose that magic.
The little girl in your heart
who once fell deeply in love with horses. 🐴❤️

05/01/2025

The Youville Centre students, staff and the Angel Rock team couldn’t stop smiling as they had a blast with the ponies and Sammy - the mini-donkey!

The biggest hit of the day? Our hilarious new friend, Hoofenstein!

We are looking forward to our next Youville visit!

Photo credit: Diane Valberg-Groulx