Angel Rock Farm

15/07/2025

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
In objective-based learning, we’re not chasing emotional catharsis. We’re watching for observable change.

A participant alters their approach, and suddenly the horse responds differently. The message is immediate, physical, and clear.

That’s where the learning lives.

Not in what’s said, but in what changes.

As facilitators, it’s our job to interpret those responses and help clients connect the dots for those AHA moments: what behavior got in the way, what adjustment worked, and how that translates beyond the arena.

This isn’t magic. It’s structure, timing, and skill.

09/07/2025

Acceptance of the bit? Or resiging to it?

What’s the difference?

Acceptance is a quiet mouth, a happy body and a horse who willingly reaches out to your hand- because the body is able. Like a handshake, a dance, a hug- it isn’t coerced, it is nurtured and then allowed.

Resignation is a horse who is repeatedly put back into a feeling desired by the rider, whenever they resist. It can be done “softly,” but it is repeatedly done by the mouth, until the horse learns to not resist.

There is a world of difference in the body feel between acceptance and resignation, and two very different ways of going.

09/07/2025

Very first time attempting a 20 meter circle, on her own, in rising trot!
Love love this horse and his little rider, Danielle
My heart is full❤️❤️❤️

05/07/2025

Best way the spend a Friday night with Maddy and her Pony lessons.💕

26/06/2025

Lesson time for Phoenix and Remi❤️

23/06/2025

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 🐴💛

22/06/2025

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

20/06/2025

✨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.

🐴💭

18/06/2025

18/06/2025

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

09/06/2025

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