Flow Horsemanship Development Centre

01/04/2024

Speak quietly so your horse can hear you ❤️

https://www.flowhorsemanship.com/groupsandcourses

27/03/2024

Are you one of the fifty founding members of the Flow Liberty Academy?

Flow Liberty Academy is a private FB community based learning resource focused on supporting you to develop everything from the first steps in liberty, right through to more advanced stages including free play in wide open spaces. With video clips, Q&A's, webinars and spotlights on common issues and how to address them, you will always have a clear line of sight to where you need to go next.

The group is super supportive, super progressive and best of all, super accessible with the monthly price for founding members fixed at £11 a month. One of the underpinning principles of Flow Horsemanship Development Centre is that support is as accessible as possible meaning that money is not a barrier to gaining the knowledge and skills you are looking for. This is about making the world a better place for horses and humans. Authentic liberty is such a great way to do this. The group goes live on the 20th April so sign up now and take your place on the Flow Liberty Academy and learn how to embody powerful energy to experience horse artistry.

https://www.flowhorsemanship.com/groupsandcourses

04/03/2024

There are few things I enjoy more than delving into human development materials and then figuring out how they might relate to the world of horses and humans.

Currently, Charles Duhigg's book 'Super Communicators' has my mind dancing, cart wheeling and pontificating on its relevance to horses. I have always been interested in communication. As the middle kid of a complicated family, I learnt at a young age to put a high premium on 'reading the room'. I knew the value of sensing with my entire being and would often prefer to listen rather than filling the space with the externalisation of my own thoughts. I have sometimes wondered if this is the reason why I have always gravitated towards liberty with horses. All horse development has sensing, listening and putting the connection first pretty near the top of the list. With liberty, it is even more so.

So what are the aspects of the book that really connected with me?

Firstly, Charles Duhigg describes the basic art of the super communicator as 'matching the other person, and then inviting them to match back'. What simple genius this is! Relating this to horses, it is a wonderful (and essential) starting place to enter the horses frame of reference first. As much as we humans can realistically do this given our sensory and biological differences. Can we enter the space and match and mirror, rather than a starting point of imposition and assumption? To enter any meeting with a horse, with a 'business as usual' mindset, is a fast way to squash any authentic relationship. Yet it happens all around us. What an opportunity we miss if we neglect to start from a place of gently extending our awareness to locate that open space of possibility. For some horses the space is a minute c***k in their armour, for others, it is as wide as the ocean, but find it we must.

Another concept that jumped out and connected was that all conversations are 'negotiations'. Charles Duhigg extends the concept further in the form of 'quiet negotiations', the aim of which is to understand, as opposed to win, the exchange. It is easy to discount the frequency of conversations that seek to 'win', especially with horses, as rare. I feel they are in fact, common place. Within human negotiations, we are all too often hyper-focused on making our point, and with horses, even more so. It is a seemingly high order skill to interact from a space of open understanding, as opposed to routinely imposing a succession of wishes or perspectives. It is one that I feel increasingly invested in with horses. It's definitely something to stay consciously in touch with when developing liberty. Consistently asking 'am I seeking to understand' enables us to develop positive and productive ways of being with our horses. We need to be energetically permeable to our horse. They have every right to be seated at the conversational table with us.

I genuinely find these reminders so helpful personally and this is my intent in sharing them with you. The reminders to stay present, to listen more than speak, to come from a place of enquiry with all horses, including the ones that we know well are always welcome. And yes, especially so for the horses (and humans!) that we know well, as the failure to retain the 'beginners mind' with our longstanding relationship can quickly see them slide into the realm of assumption and staleness.

And finally, a closing reminder to enjoy the journey in doing so. The 'destination', should that even exist at all, is nothing but a transitory moment, whereas the journey, is our entire life.

There are few things I enjoy more than delving into human development materials and then figuring out how they might relate to the world of horses and humans.Currently, Charles Duhigg's book 'Super Communicators' has my mind dancing, cart wheeling and pontificating on its relevance to horses. I have...

10/02/2024

A shout out to anyone living in the SW of England. I will be doing a day workshop in Horton looking at the Art of Liberty. There will be more theory and practical skills sharing than you can shake the proverbial stick at!

Whether you choose to participate with your horse or as a spectator, you will go home with effective and, most importantly, relationship building principles and practises to play with.

So what's the big deal about liberty?

Let me answer that question...! When developed in an ethical way, you unlock a whole new level of connection, trust, fun, freedom, understanding, confidence, skills, feel, purpose, clarity and fitness. Yes it may stretch you and present you with challenging questions about your relationship with your horse. It will also provide the answers to those questions and so much more.

I look forward to seeing you there and DM me for details.

15/01/2024

It’s really great to take our horses out with new combinations of horses. Introducing novelty and using that as a background to further develop connection is such a powerful practice! If all we did in our relationships is the same thing over and over again, they would quickly become stale. Horses need novelty too! Their domesticated lives are so predictable, this is the least we can do. How do you introduce novelty to your horses life?

05/01/2024

Can someone confirm they can see this post... Not sure if I've just received a scam message from FB about this account being deactivated! Thank you! :-)

03/01/2024

I can't believe we did something so new and exciting!

Well no. Scratch that. I can TOTALLY believe it! Magic tends to happen when you combine forces with magnificent people and this is exactly what happened in collaborating with the brilliant Dr Julie Luscombe of People Like Me Coaching.

So what have we done exactly?

We have only gone and created a unique, effective and affordable online course that will supercharge those who are seeking to embody powerful energy to experience true horse artistry! A combination of neuro-scientifically backed approaches including visioning, values work and direct strategies to tackle self limiting beliefs, this course has the potential to rock you and your horses world! The feedback has been incredible and we designed the course because we know there is both a big need and a big gap in the horse course market.

For those of you who are wanting more confidence, focus, clarity and joy in their relationship with their horse, the Horse Abundance Course is just for you

14/12/2023

Don’t forget to work on straightness when you are playing with backwards uphill! Otherwise you’ll end up with a big bum in your ribs 😂😂😂😂

30/11/2023

Don't forget to sign up to receive discounts and early bird offers. So happy to be collaborating again and moving forward with a platform that makes learning such a joy. It doesn't matter where you are or what you have access to in terms of facilities. Flow Horsemanship supports you in focusing on the art of the possible. Keeping it positive and achievable for you and your horse.

Embody / Energy / Artistry

"Supporting you to embody powerful energy to experience horse artistry"

Sign up to receive newsletters, updates on new courses and offerings including early bird discounts and special offers. Be part of a growing community of equine artists achieving beauty and magic with your horse.

27/11/2023

The Attitude of Gratitude

Is it just me or does anyone else still not quite believe they are lucky enough to have their own horse? I can't believe I have three in my life let alone one. It's not always an easy road to travel but my word, what an absolute privilege it is to have these remarkable and profoundly beautiful creatures in our care. I just wish I could go back and tell my 10 year old self that big dreams really do come true :-)

06/11/2023

Constant churning thoughts steal the here and now. How can we interact with horses if we are not present with them? Distraction is now the norm for humans. Distraction and numbing. Always something to take us away from present moment awareness. Our horses are waiting for us in the here and now 💛

15/10/2023

I’m looking for 25 people to beta test a new learning support platform at very low cost. If you are feeling stuck, blocked, uninspired, trapped in repetition, frustrated by what you know could be better between you and your horse, this is for you ❤️

This is a very different type of personal development aimed at YOU, not your horse. Though your horse will feel your deep changes. All you need is a computer, reasonable internet and the willingness to dig deep.

If your interested in finding out more, drop me a line.

06/10/2023

Blog to follow about preparing for hoof trimming. It’s such a massively important thing! Please don’t neglect it. It’s not just about the trimming and everything changes when horses give us their hooves with confidence and relaxation. Plus your trimmer will love you and want to come back! Bonus!!! 😆

Just a few pictures from today and how lucky am I to get to hang out with Lindsay and Garry from Hoofing Marvellous. Their knowledge, patience, professionalism and generosity is off the scale. I learnt a huge amount today and feel very grateful that I now live so close to them ❤️

01/10/2023

It’s all about fixing the underlying issues and trusting nature to heal. She knows what she’s doing 💜

Leave toe - or chop toe? Settle in - it's worth it 👇

Why is is that we (HM) leave the toe on a laminitic hoof - and yet the rest of the equine world goes chop, chop, chop?

They yell at us as loud as they can that we MUST be hurting the horse, and yet we say, "no we’re not and we have proof we’re not" - yet they still don’t want to listen.

Well, as they spout out the laws of physics to us, and poke and patronise and condescend, they have forgotten about one vital element that throws a spanner into the laws of physics - and that is… the brain.

And something called interoception.

Let us explain.

The hoof responds to its own microenvironment - but it can, and does, also respond to signals originating much further away.

Signalling pathways in biology are very, very complex because the variables are enormous and it totally depends on where the source of the signalling molecule is coming from, where it is located, and the stimulus it is receiving.

You can have long distance signalling, close proximity signalling, etc. but signalling is going on in a complex web of interactions constantly.

Stay with us here…

… the body’s ability to sense change within itself is what biologists term interoception, a process absolutely essential for living organisms to survive. Little really still is known about interoception, and researchers are still trying to fathom this incredible link between the brain and body.

It isn’t as straightforward to say that the laws of physics can apply to a living breathing organism, in the way that for years and years the equine world has harked on about breakover, centre of rotation, lever forces, yaw … etc. etc.

Physics can often say one thing - as it is applied to an inanimate object - but when there is a brain and body involved, physics may not play out the way we expect the results we get from a non-living thing. This is where a great deal of misconception lies in the equine world. They have forgotten about the brain - interoception.

Researchers at Yale university have only just begun to decipher signals that are being sent around the body in a far deeper meaningful way than biologists have ever understood before.

The brain works on high precision… they’ve found it can work out which organ the signal is coming from, which tissue layer within the organ the signal is coming from AND what the stimulus is. It is crazy what they are just now starting to discover.... in humans.

Biologists know the brain is precise.

When we trim a horse with a laminitic hoof, one that is distorted, separated from its P3 guide, you can’t just chop it into shape and expect that fixes everything because you have applied the laws of physics which is telling us that a long toe is going to cause the horse to trip, or pull soft tissues or tendons, or tear laminae further.

Sure, you can unbalance a hoof and cause it to go into even further disarray than it is already by poor and incorrect hoof care; but with a balanced trim, following the horse’s own parameters and constants, that hoof that is separated on the ground, we have found, does not abide by the logical but rather perhaps illogical laws of physics on a living organism.

Why? Because there is a brain involved - this is not a piece of wood, or a long additional snow shoe that has no interaction with the brain, this is a hoof, an organ, that is feeding back vital information at every split second of its existence.

And what is so much more fascinating, is that researchers are only now just seeing that the brain can DISCRIMINATE where these signals are coming from.

We have been teaching for many years that the foot (the body, the brain) is ‘talking’ to itself all the time, and a vital process of this is feedback - a well known and documented phenomena that is still very basically understood in biology.

This feedback doesn’t respond to the exact laws of physics - clearly - because it responds to the laws of biology, interoception, feedback, cellular signalling… and sentience.

If you trim by the laws of physics an already disturbed, pathological foot to fit within a set box of angles, that a healthy foot would fit into, and in order to do so you are removing parts of that foot from the ground (ie the toe) and creating increased forces in areas such as the sole - this causes the foot to change its signalling pathways.

What effect does that have on the overall feedback mechanism?

Now many would have it that by leaving the ‘long toe’ wall in play on the ground it causes lever forces - so the horse will trip, he will tear laminae, he will have imbalance, he will have twist or yaw, he will hurt his tendons etc - but this is not at all what we observe.

Please, great equine world, don’t make assumptions that we haven’t tried all of the above, chopped and manipulated hooves - that we have done - and it definitely wasn’t our finest hour, but we have to hold our hands up and say “yep we tried the toe chopping too”.

In life it seems, you have to go down a road, open your eyes, and then know when to stop and reverse. Trouble is many in the equine world don’t know when to stop and make that sharp u-turn - and many simply have their blinkers on at all times.

Plus there are quite a few egos involved that muddy those waters.

But let’s be clear here when we are talking about long toes and distorted hooves. We are talking a distorted ‘long’ hoof that has separation caused by laminitis - a lamellar wedge - not just an overgrown hoof that simply needs a good trim to bring it back to its natural parameters.

No amount of ‘good trimming’ is going to bring the distorted foot back to its natural parameters because it has biologically distorted itself due to pathology.

How do you fix that? By fixing the pathology - eg fixing and stopping the body from ‘hurting itself’ by stopping the triggers that are causing the body to go into attack or chaos mode - eg with the MMP enzymes in the hoof, stopping the cause that makes them go into ‘nipper overdrive’ - playing their part in the separation of the laminae.

Fixing the gut.

All of the above we have been teaching for years and years. We go through literally 100s of cadaver legs a year, and in the last 5 years alone have probably gone through well in excess of 3000 cadaver legs.

Those are dead legs - we can’t test our laws of physics on those and apply them to a living structure because there is no brain attached - no living signalling tissue involved.

We can understand the hoof as much as we can and understand the natural parameters - but to teach toe chopping because the laws of physics says so… is going down a route that has indeed caused the equine world to be in its own merry-go-round of chaos of pathology for decades.

Go look up interoception.

If the researchers at Yale university are really only just understanding its nuances in human beings, do you think it has even got close in equines? No of course not.

The laws of physics have some value of course to do with living things - but as the great Nobel prize winner Manfred Elgen coined, “there are some unknown laws in cells which no-one really understands yet” - he called it the ‘physics of biology’.

That’s why we see no tearing, no tripping, no soft tissue failure, no pain, no additional deterioration of the hoof - and a safer, faster transition - because we abide by the physics of biology and not the laws of physics.

Because that is what the brain does.

HM.

11/08/2023

Energy, energy, energy….

Always fascinating to watch the sensitive energy connection in groups of horses. What can we learn from these observations? What of this learning can we bring to our own horse interactions? What do these pictures say about lightness, engagement, curiosity, interest and subtlety?

26/07/2023

What is liberty?

And more importantly, what liberty is not.

An excerpt from my Introduction to Authentic Liberty E-book highlights that not all liberty is created the same.

For me, authentic liberty has to:-

Have the horse as an equal partner
Offer choice and autonomy to the horse
Does not rely on coercion and restraint of the horse
Utilises principles of positive reinforcement
Comes out of small areas into open spaces when safe and able to do so

What are the things that would make it onto your own liberty fundamentals? :-)

24/07/2023

What NOT playing at liberty is costing you

Day three of what opportunities you might be missing out on if you neglect liberty and this one is for the many lovely people out there who never had, have lost, or are rapidly losing, their confidence.

This is such a huge one and a subject with horses that still tends to carry some stigma in some quarters. After breaking my leg in a horse riding accident many years ago, I completely get it. At one point I honestly thought I would never ride again. I went on to successfully complete all of the Parelli training up to 2* and get on my home schooled horse that I started, with a degree of trust that I once thought I would never find. The one thing that really helped me to regain my confidence is.... that's right.... you guessed it... LIBERTY!

And this is why.

Staying on the ground and having some distance to between me and my horse worked a lot of magic. There was something about being able to see my horse and read his energy levels visually that really helped me. It acted like a bridge to being able to do that confidently when I rode.

It gave me something fun to focus on. And this aspect was so welcome after I had injured myself. I have heard so many people lament the loss of their horse time just because they felt they couldn't ride any more. There is a whole energy universe to explore with liberty. There is always something new to experience and something established to polish. You will never feel at a loss at what to do together and if you are, then it's just an opportunity to get more creative and advance your liberty into new fun areas.

It will improve your trust, timing and communication. This will lead to a hugely improved relationship. This is absolutely guaranteed. You stay consistent and just put your best foot forward, a day at a time, you will feel so much more confident returning to riding. You will realise with utter delight that your investment in liberty has built your confidence, almost without trying or noticing.

Final thoughts tomorrow....

23/07/2023

Matching and mirroring ❤️

23/07/2023

What is NOT doing liberty costing you?

Day two of my ruminations on the perils of neglecting liberty. Well this one is short and easy.

Frankly, you are going to be missing out on a whole heap of fun.

It's addictive.

Liberty will put a smile on your face and a spring in your step, especially when it begins to flow with some finesse. You won't be able to stop the hugest and cheesiest of grins from spreading across your face. And on a very regular basis too.

More tomorrow...

22/07/2023

Have you ever considered what NOT doing liberty is costing you?

Possibly you don't see the point of liberty. Or maybe you feel you haven't got the time for it. Or maybe it's just not 'you'. So before you completely discount the value of liberty, I thought I would dedicate a few posts to describe a little of what liberty brings to the horse and human party.

Point One - Let your horse speak to you

We've all been stuck next to the person who doesn't understand that conversation is a two way exchange. They hog the airwaves and never seem to come up for air. It's like you don't even exist. Your sole purpose is to receive all they are transmitting with absolutely no opportunity to respond. I'd imagine it's pretty easy to recall how you felt on those occasions. Now lets imagine that the person is saying the same thing over and over again, whilst getting louder and louder in their delivery. Imagine that your mouth might even by physically tied shut and your head held down so you can't see the world around you properly. How are you feeling now? Okay, so how about adding the fact that you might be getting stung on the arse by a whip as your new found friend thinks this would really help you to understand what they are saying to you...

Do you get the picture?

Now imagine that you are the person talking and the person listening is your horse.

Does any of this ring true? How often have you assessed your horses freedom to engage in your daily conversations?

I received a message from someone last week who said that 'their horse is not listening to them like they should'. And this is such a common complaint. 'My horse is not listening to me.'

Maybe a far more helpful and useful question to ask would be are you listening to your horse? And what better way to do this than liberty. Have the courage and the heart to hear what your horse might have to say about how he or she is really feeling about your relationship. The more disquieted you feel about giving your horse a voice, the more I would recommend experimenting with liberty. Now I'm not suggesting jumping in at the deep end and running free in the middle of nowhere. Starting safely, with happiness and positivity is so important. And entirely possible.

More tomorrow....

21/07/2023

Liberty and Focus

Axel and Timo demonstrating how horses can often 'out focus' their human! ;-)

Liberty will closely acquaint you with the various 'textures' of focus. It's a layers of the onion thing. When we start at liberty, our focus might be hard, fixed, maybe tinged with more than a smattering of 'bloody hell, pleeeease stay with me...!'. This is fine. This is the learning process. As we move on, we learn that we can focus inside ourselves as well as feeling for our horse. We can gently scan our own body looking for any 'stuck energy'. Are we breathing? Is our gaze soft and dispersed or locked and narrow, dependant on what we are seeking to create with our horse?

Liberty is an endless journey of self-discovery and development. Best enjoyed with a massive dollop of fun and light-heartedness 🤩

20/07/2023

And the truth of you is always, ALWAYS (yes... I'm shouting at YOU dear reader!) far more beautiful, resilient, brilliant and enduring than we often tell ourselves. Does life not tend to highlight this to us? Yet we continue to somehow doubt or forget the fundamental truth of who we are.

Teaching has taught me that wild and dramatic development with our horses from where we are today is accessible to us all. The first bright green shoots of improved communication, point to the truth of this. The reduction of a request to the feather-lightness of a thought, point to the truth of this. Our horses profound response to a breath, a minute weight adjustment, a shift in focus, point to the truth of this.

Trust deeply in yourself. Let your horse relax into your ocean of self trust.

19/07/2023

What would you start doing if you had much more confidence in you and your horses relationship?

More importantly maybe, what would you STOP doing if you had the kind of relationship you have always hoped for?

Would you stop playing small?
Would you stop avoiding things that you feared with your horse?
Would you stop your negative internal dialogue about you not being 'good enough' not being 'brave enough', not being 'whatever' enough...?

It's time to start manifesting your future self and what better time to start than right... this... moment!

Take 10 minutes out of your busy day and start utilising the power of your mind to install a new story about you and your horse. See them as the horse you know they can be. See yourself as the trustworthy, authentic, big hearted human you know you are. Shine my friend. Shine for the whole world to see 😎

18/07/2023

A frame is not about the reins. A frame is about positive feelings... impulsion... a clear and shared inner picture between horse and human, resulting in you both feeling proud and strong. Secondary aids such as the reins are only ever a support. If your secondary aid is constantly used as a primary aid, there will be no flow.

15/07/2023

How true is this?

Gently appreciating our horses opinion in all forms is a meditation in itself. It is the foundation of everything. Listen to your horse

14/07/2023

An excerpt from my Liberty Foundation E-Book. I can't believe it was 2016 when I wrote this and plans are definitely afoot to expand on it. Look how teeny Timo was! ❤ The great thing about sound principles is that they don't age. Isn't this a reassuring thing about learning with horses. The deeper the truth of the learning, the longer it lasts in life and often reveals truths about other areas of our life also. Everything is connected. Who we are at liberty with horses is who we are in life. Pretty deep for a Friday! 😉

All participants on the Introduction to Liberty Basics https://fb.me/e/3M9PrHK9t get a copy of the E-Book. Only three places left!

29/06/2023

Supporting balance, mirroring body language, square halts, forward thinking movement and subtle communication. Some of the foundations of Introduction to Liberty Basics ❤️ places nearly sold out.