Bits and Behaviour

09/07/2024

I'll be in the HP4 area on 16th July if anyone would like to book and receive 50% off travel fees!

02/07/2024

Fantastic post!

21/06/2024

Accredited bit fitter and equine behavioural consultant based in Newmarket, Suffolk.

A passion for your horse's happiness!

19/06/2024

IP12 - I'll be in this area on Monday 1st July if you'd like to save at least 50% on travel fees!

27/05/2024

If anyone in the AL6 area would like 50% off their travel fees I'll be there this Thursday! Space for bit fittings or behavioural sessions!

23/05/2024

Finding the right bit really can make a huge change to your horse, how they feel, how they move, how spooky they are! If you're struggling in your riding with these or any other issues please get in touch to see if I can help ❤

13/05/2024

The summer is booking up quickly! If you're running (or attending) a training camp or would like to book a talk for your pony club or riding club then please get in touch 😁

17/04/2024

If anyone, anywhere tells you to pull the horses head down (or uses leverage and gadgets to do so) they have no knowledge of healthy horse biomechanics or of correct training.
The horse's nose must always lead, with the poll highest and the gullet open. The base of the ears mustn't be lower than the withers. The jaw must be mobile. If the horse cannot chew and swallow, the hindlegs cannot operate correctly. If the hindlegs cannot operate correctly, the horse will not be able to jump, or stay off the forehand, or stay sound.
"Don’t be obsessed with the head and neck, learn to feel what the hindquarters are doing." ~ Glenys Shandley

13/04/2024

I will be in the IP12 area on the 22nd of April, book now for a 50% discount on travel fees! 😀

06/04/2024

05/04/2024

🙄😂

04/04/2024

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting the stunning Carrigfada Grey Mist, aka Conan, and his lovely owner, Amy, at White Lodge Stud. Conan is an Irish Draft stallion and one of the sweetest horses you could hope to meet.

Despite trying dozens of bits, Amy was struggling to find "the one" for her boy. Happily, I had been recommended by a friend and was able to help them 😊

30/03/2024

Space has become available on the 4th of April if anyone would like to jump ahead, or if you were thinking of booking 😁

28/03/2024

I wish! 😂

13/03/2024

I might be a bit slow answering messages for the rest of this week as tonight I'm off to Arena UK to take part in Ben's clinic! 😃🦄

BEN ATKINSON METHOD TOUR - https://mailchi.mp/horsemanshiphub.com/ben-atkinson-method-tour

05/03/2024

Last few spaces in March available! It's looking to be a busy month so if you were thinking of booking then now's the time! 😁

13/02/2024

Or just hand over your credit card 🤷‍♀️😂

09/02/2024

😭😂

14/01/2024

❤🐴

01/01/2024

Happy New Year to all my fabulous followers! I hope you achieve all your goals for 2024 with a happy horse!

22/12/2023

Well, that's the last session before Christmas done! I'm officially on holiday 🎉 Wishing all past, present and future clients a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2024 😁❤

05/12/2023

Do not mistake kindness for weakness (or lack of boundaries!)

Something I find particularly interesting is the response from some people on my post about harsh training being more encouraged and accepted than gentle and soft training.

A few commenters took my non-specific reference of gentle and soft training as synonymous with poorly behaved horses and not teaching boundaries.

I find this interesting because I think it further illuminates the real issue,: people view softness as weakness. As not setting boundaries, as letting horses get away with things…

They cannot comprehend how to teach horses how to behave safely without using what may be viewed to be as some form of harshness.

When physical punishment is the only tool available for fixing unwanted behaviours for so many horse people, there is a problem.

Physical punishment is a behavioural suppressant. It doesn’t actually deal with the underlying reason behind the unwanted behaviour and leaves horses at high risk of developing new, potentially equally as unwanted and dangerous, behaviours to replace the purpose of the old one.

This isn’t just my words, it’s researched fact. In virtually every species studied, physical punishment increased reactivity, unpredictable behaviours, general frustration and risk of fallout behaviours.

Behavioural scientists almost unanimously recommend avoiding physical punishment because of the risk factors.

And yet the horse world is so far behind that they think the only alternative to physically punishing unwanted behaviours is having a poorly behaved horse…

There is such a disconnect that many people don’t realize that some of the most dangerous horses they’ll deal with are ones who are routinely physically punished.

The most dangerous horse is the stressed horse.

Flight behaviours are what create unpredictability and injure people.

Chronic stress (or pain) is what creates aggression that can hurt people.

Want to know what stresses a flight animal significantly? Being hit.

Pain.

A lack of predictability and clarity.

Punishment never tells the animal what the “right” answer is. It just says “don’t do that” and then the correct answer is left to ambiguity, which is frustrating to the animal

On top of this, if unwanted behaviour stems from pain or neglected needs, suppressing it is essentially just shaking a bottle of champagne with the cork on… when that cork comes off, it is going to explode.

If you find yourself thinking the only alternative to harsh physical corrections is a poorly behaved horse, this is an invitation to learn more about the science of behaviour and behaviour modification so you can develop your toolbox.

It is very archaic and misguided to hold such views and we are in a time where there is enough research on these topics to unequivocally say that it is straight up untrue to insist the only means of correcting unwanted behaviour is physical punishment.

It is time for the horse world to start to be more accepting of science rather than just relying on biased personal beliefs and anecdotes as it harms both horses and people.

03/12/2023

Don't take it from me, listen to the man himself 😊

“Ben do you ever have horses who just won’t respond to signals? Who aren’t interested in learning?” 🤔

I get variations of this question on an almost daily basis. Every time I read it I can feel inside me the same sense of being lost iv found myself burdened with many times over the years.

Let’s make things clear from the start
Your horses isn’t stupid
Your horse isn’t lazy
Your horse isn’t disobedient
Your horse isn’t stubborn

Your horse is lost.

If I choose to educate you on some obscure topic and after a number of lessons you’re still baffled, confused and lost. The burden of responsibility is on me. The teacher.

There is no difference when it comes to horses.

To me every horse is a riddle. A complex weave of emotion, learned habits and instincts. By choosing to have a horse in our life and in doing so deciding to subject that horse to our interference in their life we have a responsibility to untangle the weave.

Like a parent to a child it is our responsibility to educate our horse on the world they live in, how to act and how to have confidence in doing so.

When we hit a sticking point on our journey we must not give up. For these sticking points are our opportunity for growth.

No exercise is so small it can not be broken down further. There is always a way to simplify and slow down to allow a horse to gain confidence and competence with a certain signal or cue before we recombine the different signals to ask for more difficult manoeuvres with greater ease.

We have five forms of communication when working liberty horses. Five ways to give signals to our horse.

I call them the five senses of liberty

1. Tactile cues
2. Visual cues
3. Verbal cues
4. Foot work
5. Body language

Imagine each of the above as a dial that can be turned from 0 to 10.

Whenever we are asking a horse for a movement and getting no response think “which of the five am I using? And how could I utilise the others I am not?”

The aim is always to have all five dials at 1 or 2. Opposed to having tactile cues ( touch ) at level 10 and everything else at 0.

When we allow our self to rely purely on our tactile cues we become nothing more than a floating whip.

We can combine these multiple ways to communicate with biomechanics to position the horses head, neck and other body parts in a way to make the easiest next move for the horse the movement we are looking for.

No horse is stupid, stubborn or lazy.

They just need more help to gain confidence in the meanings of the signals you offer them ❤️

Think of every signal we have to communicate with our horses as a word in a language we are creating together. The more words in the language the more complete the conversation we can have.

Your horse isn’t ignorant. They just need help understanding some of the “new words” you’re teaching them 🙏

Photography credit to E J Lazenby Photography

26/11/2023

More Showcase pictures! 😃 This time we've got Sean Coleman (1st pic), Georgie Atkinson, Lee Rutter (mid spin), Oliver Phillips (rearing!), Freddy Steele, and the panel is Warwick, Ben, Holly Barber and Jason Webb. Amazing weekend, very tired now 😅😴

25/11/2023

What an incredible (if very cold) first day at the Horsemanship Showcase! Started the day by chatting to Warwick Schiller himself, life goal achieved right there 😅 Then fantastic demos from Ben Atkinson, Steve Young, and Sean Coleman. Absolutely worth braving the weather for but will be layering up more tomorrow! Will try to take more pictures too! (Excuse the numerous exclamations, I'm a bit excited 😂)

21/11/2023

Phew, not long until Christmas now! Spaces are booking up to the last week or two beforehand so if you'd like a bit fitting this year then it's time to get in touch!

In other news, who else is going to be at the Horsemanship Showcase next weekend?? Who are you most looking forward to seeing? For me it's the man himself, Warwick Schiller. I can't wait!

Horsemanship Showcase is Horsemanship Hub’s annual event - 25th & 26th November 2023 at Bury Farm - LU7 9BT.