Equisentient Coaching

09/01/2025

I reckon most people think they are good listeners! And I would have put myself in that category, before I lived in Canada!

Canadians are very good listeners! My husband pre-warned me that they don’t interrupt, they listen and wait for their turn to talk!

Now it can be very disconcerting at first and at my worst ‘non-listening phase’ I had one Canadian friend apologise right back at me, for me interrupting her! 😳😂

Being mindful of my Canadian experience, I am now a better listener than I ever was! 😉

Back in the UK, conversations are often a melee of interruptions, some from an eagerness to put our point across, while others are to say something before we forget!

We live in a world where it is common to compete to be heard, interrupting one another has become part of our social norm, with those talking the loudest getting the attention!

I do find myself slipping back into the habit of interrupting as much as anyone else! I reckon its social media that does this to us, we can type away and suddenly we can have our say no matter what!

A large part of teaching involves active listening, which is listening to understand!

Active listening is not only that you hear what someone (rider) is saying but also be in tune with their thoughts and feelings.

It turns the conversation to an active, non-competitive, two-way interaction! 😊

What are the skills of active listening

• being fully present in the conversation
• practice good eye contact
• noticing non-verbal cues
• Asking open-ended questions such as: What’s happening now? Can you tell me a little more about that? Do you think that’s the best way forward?
• Reflect back what you hear from the rider?
• Listening to understand, rather than respond
• Withhold judgement and advice!

What if we didn't interrupt our horses?
What would we hear?

I'm sure we’d hear our horse’s more, pick up on the poorly fitting tack, a physical problem or that they do not understand what we are asking them to do!

Allowing them to answer in a non-judgemental way!

Oh the communication we could have with them and the relationship would be for the better!

Enjoy your riding

Emma, Lady and Fiddle ###

01/01/2025

Happy 2025 ✨️

31/12/2024

“Fabulous cards. I have a horse crazy 16 year old who also loves Oracle cards so I went in search of cards relating to horses that I thought she would love. I happened to find Rachael when I did a google search and wow am I happy that I did. .. As to the cards, they are beautiful. They are presented beautifully in a flip box that closes to the side with a magnet I think. The book and cards are a PERFECT size. Some Oracle cards can be huge and difficult to shuffle for smaller hands. These are the opposite. Excellent quality, beautiful pictures, gorgeous to shuffle, not too slippery but glide beautifully. The book messages are short and easy to connect with and incredibly accurate. My daughter is delighted with these. And Rachael and her customer service were incredible. To be cloned! Thanks so much.”

Curious? Learn more and get your very own set of EC Cards via their page www.equisentientcoaching.com/coaching-cards

Invite the healing nature and wisdom of the wild American horse into your life & Return to You

31/12/2024

30/12/2024

"May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.

May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But to do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more."

~ John O’Donohue, from ‘A Morning Offering’, published in ‘Benedictus’.

Image by Julia Siomuha, licensed via Shutterstock.

28/12/2024

He was a man who spoke softly but carried wisdom forged in the saddle. A man whose words were measured and deliberate, as if he knew each one carried the weight of a lifetime’s understanding. Ray Hunt didn’t just train horses—he transformed the way people thought about them.

Born in 1929 in Paul, Idaho, Hunt grew up in a world where horses were a necessity, not a novelty. They plowed fields, moved cattle, and hauled wagons. They weren’t companions—they were tools. But even as a young man, Ray saw something deeper in the horse’s eye. There was a question there, an unspoken dialogue waiting to be understood.

Ray’s journey into the world of horse training wasn’t immediate or linear. Like many of his generation, he worked hard and learned by doing. In his early years, he followed the traditional methods: force, dominance, and brute strength. If the horse didn’t obey, you made it obey. That’s just how it was done.

But Ray Hunt wasn’t satisfied with “how it was done.” The harder he pushed, the more resistance he felt—until a man named Tom Dorrance crossed his path.

Dorrance didn’t see horses the way most men did. He didn’t see them as animals to be broken, but as partners waiting to be understood. It wasn’t about forcing the horse to submit; it was about giving the horse a reason to trust. “Feel,” Dorrance called it, and Ray Hunt listened. He listened to the horses, too.

Hunt became a student of this new philosophy, but more than that, he became its most vocal advocate. His mantra was simple yet profound: “Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult.” To Hunt, training wasn’t about punishment; it was about creating a space where the horse could make its own decisions—and choose to follow the human.

Ray’s clinics became legendary. He didn’t sugarcoat his words or offer quick fixes. “You need to think like the horse,” he’d say, “because the horse is already thinking about you.” He taught patience, presence, and respect—for both horse and rider.

But perhaps the most revolutionary idea Ray Hunt championed was this: the horse is never wrong. If the horse didn’t understand, it wasn’t the horse’s fault. It was the human’s. “It’s amazing what the horse will do for us,” he said, “if we treat him like he’s one of us.”

And that’s the part most people miss. Ray Hunt wasn’t just teaching horsemanship—he was teaching humanity. He was showing people how to listen, how to be present, and how to respect another being’s point of view.

Over the decades, Hunt’s influence grew. He traveled the world, spreading his philosophy to cowboys, ranchers, and hobbyists alike. His clinics weren’t about creating perfect horses—they were about creating better people.

Ray Hunt passed away in 2009, but his legacy endures in the hearts of those who understand the quiet magic of a horse’s trust. His teachings live on in the clinics of trainers who follow in his footsteps, in the soft eyes of a horse willing to try, and in the patience of a rider willing to listen.

Ray Hunt didn’t just change the way we train horses. He changed the way we see them.



🎨 The Art of JOHN RALPH SCHNURRENBERGER

https://www.jrsfineart.com

28/12/2024

Interpretation and perspective is everything ...

My thoughts on anthropomorphism

While working with Joy this morning I started thinking about anthropomorphism…again. I think about it a lot and I’ve wanted to write this post for awhile but never quite found the words.

Many may disagree with me but I take this opinion from my own understanding of human psychology (I have a Diploma in Human Development which delves in to Developmental Psychology) and also from what I feel in myself to be true, unpopular opinion though it may be.

Firstly we need to understand what anthropomorphism is.

It is the act of attributing human thoughts, feelings and emotions to an animal.

So why is it a problem?

Because it is believed that animals don’t think the same as we do. They don’t have the parts of the brain necessary to produce certain thoughts that we attribute to them. And anthropomorphism could lead to the horse being unfairly treated on the basis of a belief that they have human thoughts and emotions.

My personal opinion is this:

Anthropomorphism is not the problem. The incomplete process of anthropomorphism is the problem.

I also believe that neuroplasticity plays a role whereby the horse brain may be able to enlist other areas of the brain to perform emotional processing tasks since they’re lacking the prefrontal cortex. But that’s another topic for another day.

But anyway, hear me out and then feel free to give your thoughts…politely.

Let’s take the term “belligerent”. A lot of people refer to horses as belligerent.
What does it mean? In human terms, belligerence is when someone is considered hostile and aggressive.

But why would a human be hostile and aggressive?
In psychology terms, a person may act hostile and aggressive when they feel threatened. Their anxiety over the perceived threat makes them act in an aggressive way in order to protect themselves.

Go figure!

So if we complete the same thought process with a horse. Labelled it as belligerent but then extrapolate that further and understated why we can decipher that they feel threatened.

By understanding that they feel threatened we can now change tact and approach the horse with new eyes. We can now present ourselves in a kinder way to the horse. We can do what they need to feel safe therefore removing the perceived threat and down scaling the “belligerent” behaviour.

Let’s try another one.

Bolshy/bolshie

In human terms it means someone who is deliberately combative and uncooperative.

Why would a human be deliberately combative and uncooperative?
Probably because they don’t feel comfortable with the situation and they’re behaving in this way in order to protect themselves, to try and stop it from happening.

So why then, would a horse be deliberately uncooperative and combative?
Probably because they don’t feel comfortable with the situation and they’re trying to keep themselves safe and stop things from happening that they’re scared or anxious about.

So with that knowledge we can adjust our approach so the horse feels safe and comfortable to cooperate.

How about this one; disrespectful.

Why would a human be disrespectful to someone? Probably because that person has offended them in some way, perhaps by their behaviour or something they’re said. Or perhaps because they don’t know any different.

So for a horse we can extrapolate that and understand that perhaps the horse is behaving in a disrespectful way because either A) we’ve offended them or B ) they don’t know any different and we need to show them a better way.

With that information we can repair the relationship and show them a better way.

What about some positive emotions? One I heard recently is pride. That horses don’t feel pride.

Pride is defined as “a feeling of accomplishment or confidence that can be a response to success.”

You think a horse might feel a sense of pride when they feel confident in a new skill they’ve developed?
Confidence is certainly something we attribute to horses with apparently no concern for anthropomorphism.
Confidence is defined as a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

Certainly we can accept that for horses, though I am unsure why, as equestrians, we seem much more comfortable accepting anthropomorphism when it’s in a positive view versus in the negative view.
Of course I understand that the negative attributions could lead to the horse being unfairly treated. But if we can extrapolate for the positive emotions, why not for the negative?

At the end of the day, the thing humans and horses have in common is our primitive instincts. All human behaviour is driven by an instinct. We have psychology to explain that for us.
But horses have that same part of their brain too. Their behaviour is driven by instinct and if we break it down further, we can use that information to understand WHY the horse might be behaving in a belligerent or bolshy or disrespectful way.

Feelings and emotions give off an energy or aura. We feel it from other humans. And we can feel that same energy or aura from a horse. That’s why we attribute a human emotion or behaviour to it. Because as humans, that’s how we understand it, we instinctively feel it.

The issue, in my opinion, is not anthropomorphism but the incomplete extrapolation of anthropomorphism.

If you’re going to label a horse with a certain behaviour or emotion, it’s important to look at that emotion from a human perspective to understand what drives that emotion and break it down completely so you can use it from a place of understanding for your horse.

23/12/2024

I feel like this year has swept by at an incredible pace. I realised about a month ago that next year will mark my ten year anniversary offering Animal Communication, matching the decade I previously spent in the corporate world as a HR Director and latterly a Learning & Development Consultant, which feels like a lifetime ago before I had my sons. 

I feel so fortunate that I am trusted by you and your equines and animals and for the work that I do. That I get to experience their individual characters and hear their insights, thoughts and wisdom alongside you. Facilitating a deeper awareness, often a new perspective or understanding and being able to share their take on the here and now and what they feel would be helpful for you both in the constructive way that I’ve found animals approach these things. 

Warwick Schiller has spoken about how equines as well as people essentially want to be “seen, heard, felt and gotten”. I see this play out for both my human and animal clients during our sessions. It’s quite something to facilitate and be part of. I feel that the love we share with our four-legged friends is different to how we experience love with people. I don’t feel I can quantify it but I get to witness the depth and beauty of this time and time again. 

So thank you for sharing your beloved animals with me and for being open to hearing them in this unique and fascinating way. Many clients from the over the last few weeks have marvelled at how enlightening and enjoyable their sessions have been. I’m as grateful as they are in my own way that I’m able to facilitate this deepened understanding and connection.

I hope that as 2024 draws to a close, you enjoy the festive period however you wish to and that you see in the New Year with hope, love and connectedness.

With love,

Rachael

21/12/2024

Merry Yuletide ✨️

The Winter Solstice is one of one of the eight Pagan Sabbats and signifies the start of the 12 day Yuletide celebrations, and the returning of the sun.

The shortest day of the year, from now the days slowly get longer and the nights, shorter; equestrians, rejoice!

The official beginning of Winter, the solstice signifies a time of rebirth and renewal, to reflect and look inwards as the sun returns to earth.

It is a time to be thankful for all we have, to rest and reflect and look forward to new cycle of the wheel.

I always look forward to allowing my body to fall in to this part of the cycle, not necessarily to 'do less', but shift the focus to where it is needed and align with the time; embrace the dark and look forward towards the light!

Enjoy the Winter Solstice. however you ae spending it🎄

Blessed Be 🙌

19/12/2024

Healing and growing 💜🌱