Leslie's Force Free Horsemanship

11/16/2025

Need I say more?

11/16/2025

There’s different schools of thought when it comes to using your voice during training/riding/handling horses.

There’s the ones that never use their voice, focusing entirely on physical or visual cues. There’s the ones that use voice cues, but are very particular about them, each verbal use has a specific meaning and no “needles” chatting is done to ensure no confusion happens for the Animals.
And then there’s ones like us. Chatting away like we’re talking to a friend😂
Yep, you’ll find me constantly chatting with my horses, using everything from specific vocal cues, to praise, to just telling them stuff, or verbally acknowledging things they do.
And ya know what? It works! At least for me.
I also don’t find it makes my horses ignore verbal cues, because I am still particular about those, but I do find that they generally are more attentive, and I swear, they know what I’m trying to tell them😉
However, it does make putting subtitles on a nightmare🤣

11/12/2025

Oh boy! This post hit right into the core of what we’re experiencing in the horse world now.
Imagine! We’re currently living in what most likely is to become a historical time years down the line!

The horse industry is overdue for change.
Not a new trend, but a shift in culture that reshapes how we think, talk, and connect with horses.

The last time we saw a movement that did that was in the 1980s and 1990s, when Natural Horsemanship began to rise. It did not solve everything, but it did something remarkable. It made people pause, pay attention, and see their horses differently.

Natural Horsemanship helped trigger one of the most significant cultural shifts in horsemanship, reminding us that change is possible.

It encouraged people to use timing instead of force, to listen to feedback, and to see partnership instead of dominance.

That shift was revolutionary.

At its core, Natural Horsemanship is a system built around pressure and release, where the horse learns by responding in ways that make pressure stop. In learning theory, that is called negative reinforcement, not because it is “bad”, but because something is removed when the horse offers the correct response.

There is not just one way to apply this, and that is what makes it so complex. It can be used with precision and feel, creating clearer communication and lower stress, or with too much pressure and poor timing, leading to tension and confusion. Those differences lead to vastly different welfare outcomes.

That is also what made Natural Horsemanship so influential. It was not just a set of techniques. It was a mindset shift toward communication, timing, and awareness. For many, the idea of release became the first clear, tangible way to understand how horses learn. It was influential in changing how people thought about training and communication, though welfare outcomes often depended on how it was applied.

Beyond the mechanics, and why I think it resonated so deeply, is because it changed mindset. It replaced the language of dominance with one of feel, timing, and partnership. It gave everyday riders a sense of agency and hope, the belief that they could understand their horses, not just manage them.

It arrived at the right time too.

Conversations about animal sentience and welfare were growing worldwide, and people were ready for a kinder, more connected approach to training.

We are standing in another moment like that now.

Welfare is finally at the centre of more horse conversations, and more people than ever are asking about emotional wellbeing, agency, pain faces, social needs, and evidence-based care.

At this point, it is going to be hard for everyone to agree on methods of training, and that is not what this conversation is about.

But I think, given what started the Natural Horsemanship movement and what welfare science is showing us today, we can all agree that welfare NEEDS to be the focus right now.

If Natural Horsemanship showed that culture could change once, this moment shows us that it can change again.

Through open discussion, shared learning, and a genuine commitment to welfare, we can write the next chapter together.

Natural Horsemanship changed how many people thought about control, communication, and connection. It showed that our culture can evolve, that awareness and empathy can reshape how we work with horses.

We have done it before.
We can do it again.

There is a growing movement calling for welfare to be at the centre of the sport.

Cultural shifts are never easy, but this time, for better and for worse, we’re more digitally connected than ever. Conversations that used to happen in small barns or clinics are now happening online for the whole world to see. If we use that reach with empathy and intention, with welfare science at its heart, it might just be what makes lasting change possible.

11/11/2025

This is sadly so true for so many Horses. Horses who are not allowed to express themselves, not allowed to communicate, and not listened to

The mare arrived on a Tuesday morning. Her coat was dull from the long trailer ride, her eyes scanning the horizon for something familiar that would never come.

“She’ll do,” the man said, running his hand down her flank like he was checking fruit for ripeness.

No one asked if she was tired.
No one noticed how she pressed herself into the corner of the stall, small as she could make herself.

On Wednesday, they put a bit in her mouth.
She tossed her head- the only language she had - but the hands were firm, and the metal was cold. Soon she learned that trying to speak only made the metal bite deeper. So she stopped speaking.

On Thursday, they put weight on her back. Her legs trembled; she had carried nothing before but her own fear.
“She’ll get used to it,” someone said - and she did, the way a tree learns to grow around a fence. Twisted, but still standing.

Friday brought the whip. Not cruel - never cruel, they would say - just correction. Go here. Go there. Faster. Slower. Stop asking questions with your body.

By Saturday, she had learned to obey the pressure before it became pain. She had learned that her fear didn’t matter, that her confusion was an inconvenience, that her body belonged to someone else.

On Sunday, she stood perfect and still while children climbed onto her back. The parents smiled and said, “She’s so gentle. So patient. Such a good horse.”

And she was good.
Because she had learned what too many beings learn too soon -
that the world doesn’t always ask what you need.
It doesn’t wait for your yes.
It doesn’t honour your no.
It just moves you from place to place, and you must choose whether to break resisting or break complying.

The mare chose compliance, as most do.

Years later, a child asked, “Do horses like being ridden?”
“Of course,” the adult said. “Look how calm she is.”

But no one had ever asked the horse. Not on Tuesday when she arrived. Not on Wednesday when they took her voice. Not on any of the days that followed.

And by then, she had forgotten how to answer - even if someone finally did.

We ask this of horses.
We ask this of so many beings who cannot speak our language, who cannot sign our contracts, who cannot say no in ways we choose to hear.
We call it training.
We call it partnership.
We call it love.

But maybe it’s time we call it what it really is:
a choice we made for someone who never got to choose.

11/08/2025

11/07/2025

Words matter!👏🏻👏🏻

How many of these phrases are incorporated into equestrian culture?

How did they become so embedded?

Why do so many people use them and believe them?

How much damage is being caused to horses and riders within this culture?

How can we address it and change it?

First of our three part webinar series discussing this topic:

https://courses.equitopiacenter.com/product/webinar-the-role-of-fear-in-perpetuating-a-toxic-horse-culture/

11/06/2025

Allowing your horse to say no builds trust and confidence and shows your horse that they have a voice and have control over the situation.

Often times students get frustrated when their horse expresses a "no".
While the goal, of course, is to never get a "no" and instead build an enthusiastic "Yes" the truth is that it simply isn't a realistic expectation to always get a "yes."

Your horse will say "No" sometimes.
Whether that is because we made a mistake, asked for too much, they're not feeling good, or because of environmental factors, etc. It will happen sometimes.

I try to encourage everyone to not take it too personally.
Instead of thinking "oh no, I messed up" or even "darn it, now we can't do xyz" try to see it as an opportunity.

Each time your horse is expressing "no" and you listen to them, it is a chance to show your horse that they can trust you, that they do have a choice, that they have control over what we're teaching them, and that we are hearing them.

This is not to say that we shouldn't do anything about it, btw. To listen to your horse doesn't mean to be a passive observer. Remember that communication is a two-way street!
Still think about why your horse is saying no, and make sure to fix that.

The point is to not beat yourself up and instead, look at it as an opportunity to build their confidence, strengthen your communication, and trust.

And be proud of yourself! because your horse hasn't become a mindless robot that simply does what you ask them to, but is expressing themselves freely!

11/04/2025

To this day.. still getting up like a dang cow..

Seriously, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s been doing this ever since he was c**t i’d be concerned 🤦🏻‍♀️

11/03/2025

With the whole “consent” discussion coming to the forefront again I figured it was time to share this gem once more.

This is what saying “no”, “hold on one minute”, “I have a better idea” looks like for horses.

This is what ‘consent’ in horse training is about.
This is what ‘freedom of choice’ is about.
This is what ‘Force Free’ means.

11/03/2025

Loving these discussions!! Yes all of this!!

Can horses give “consent”?

I’ve seen a few posts lately discussing this topic and wanted to throw my thoughts in.

I’m using the word “consent” here deliberately, not because I think it simplifies the concept, but because it’s the word at the center of this discussion. It’s the term being questioned, and I think it deserves a clear, science-based discussion.

In animal welfare, the word “consent” aligns closely with what research calls agency, assent, or choice, the animal’s ability to voluntarily participate or withdraw, and to influence what happens to them. The term is debated in welfare science because it’s often associated with human legal or moral frameworks, but I personally use it intentionally because it bridges science and empathy, and the research behind it remains the same: animals benefit when they have control, predictability, and a voice in their own care.

But when we talk about “consent” in animal care, we’re not talking about legal or informed consent. We’re talking about behavioural consent, the observable ways a horse communicates willingness, hesitation, or refusal.

Those two concepts, legal consent and behavioural consent, aren’t the same. And blending them together only shuts down meaningful discussion.

Legal or informed consent is a human concept. It requires comprehension, capacity, and verbal or written agreement. It’s about understanding risks and benefits before making a decision. Horses, of course, can’t give that kind of consent.

What I call behavioural or applied consent is different. In the scientific literature, similar concepts are often described as voluntary participation, agency, assent, or choice and control, all referring to an animal’s ability to opt in, pause, or opt out of an interaction.

It describes an individual’s voluntary participation or withdrawal, their ability to communicate “yes,” “not yet,” or “no” through behaviour. This concept is supported in welfare science through research on agency, choice, and voluntary participation, all measurable and observable indicators of an animal’s willingness or hesitation.

Even without training:

They express “no” through pinned ears, tension, avoidance, or stillness.
They express “yes” through approach, softening, and engagement.

In cooperative care, we simply create quiet, structured ways for them to say what they’ve always been saying:

A target touch (or start button) that means:
✔️ “I’m ready.” / “yes”

A pause that means:
⚠️”Not yet.”

An opt-out or step away that means:
🚫”No.”

Research in animal welfare and behavioural science consistently shows that giving animals control and predictability, the ability to choose when and how something happens, lowers stress and improves trust.

Agency is only real when contingencies are reversible, when the animal can both initiate and withdraw, and their actions change outcomes in both directions. Without that, we’re not creating agency. We’re conditioning compliance.

Cooperative care isn’t about pretending horses can give legal consent. It’s about recognizing that horses have the ability to communicate their needs, and giving those signals meaning.

So, can horses give consent?

Not in the legal sense, and maybe that’s the wrong question to begin with.

What matters is giving horses AGENCY, the ability to make meaningful choices, to communicate; “yes” or “no,” and to have those answers respected.

Cooperative care isn’t about making horses human, it’s about making their voices matter.

Everyone I’ve seen in this conversation is here to do right by horses and to advocate fiercely for them, and I love to see that passion, care and discussions ❤️