Starlight Farm

20/06/2025

Many small steps go a long way

18/06/2025

Ah yes the steady plod of progress. Often hard to see in the moment and sometimes patience is difficult to aquire during this time, but over days, months, years the right focus and hours put in the progress is blinding.

06/06/2025

Walking, hacking for hours…..a lost secret to producing fit calm horses……but who has the space or is it the treadmill of going on imaginary hacks on the arena 🤷‍♀️?

28/05/2025

I think all good trainers can agree on this. Also not only good for creating or testing emotional connection, calmness and balance, but also creating a better balanced rider with an independent seat that doesn’t use their reins for balance. You will be surprised how many riders fall apart when you take away contact, even when they think they are light.

What Happens When You Give the Reins to the Buckle?

When you can confidently give your horse 100% freedom of the reins—dropping them all the way to the buckle—and your horse stays with you, it says something powerful: your horse is on your seat, not your hand. It means they’re relaxed, attentive, and not thinking about leaving.

Letting the reins go is a great way to give your horse a mental break and show them trust. And when that trust is mutual, you’ll find that light contact becomes possible—not because you’re holding them in place, but because they’re choosing to stay with you.

Before asking for lateral movements or collection, focus on developing a forward rhythm that’s relaxed and supple. A horse that moves confidently in self-carriage without rein dependence is one that is ready for the next steps in training.

28/05/2025

Starlight Darius 10 years ago ❤️

Darius looked extremely well, and was keen to get the trot up finished, so turned it into a canter-back affair...

24/05/2025

Please have an honest conversation with yourself before attempting to start your own horse. Many people like the thought of starting their own horse, but it does require skill, feel, timing, confidence and physical fitness and balance just to give your horse the confidence it needs to calmly and happily carry a rider undersaddle.

24/05/2025

Lovely position of lower leg and neck release. Check it out students

A beautiful photo of Joe Fargis. Classical riding - classical education - is TIMELESS.

23/05/2025

22/05/2025

Good riding through feel takes thousands of hours and many years. True you can know things without ever experiencing it yourself, but true feel and timing comes from living it and the ability to then problem solve and help others find lasting success certainly comes from a trainers years of wisdom.

You Can’t Teach What You Can’t Feel...

In the world of horsemanship, there’s a vital truth that separates a good rider from a great teacher: you can’t teach someone how to ride a horse if you can’t feel it for yourself. Horses are not machines—they are individuals, each with their own quirks, sensitivities, and rhythms. And while there are countless methods and theories, the heart of effective teaching lies in the ability to feel what’s happening beneath you and to translate that into guidance for your student.

Every horse responds differently. What works for one might do nothing for another. That’s why rigid instruction often falls flat. It’s not about drilling a technique into the rider but about discovering what works for this horse, in this moment. That discovery begins with feel.

A trainer who has developed this feel—through years of riding, trial, error, and listening—can interpret a horse’s subtle cues: the shift in weight, the tension in a shoulder, the hesitation in a transition. From there, they can guide the rider in using their legs, seat, hand, and voice to create harmony rather than conflict.

The lift of a rein, the softening of the seat, the timing of the leg aid—these are not just mechanical actions but pieces of a conversation with the horse. When a trainer has truly felt this connection, they can better show their students how to achieve it too. It’s not just about what to do, but when and how to do it—adjusting in real time, with sensitivity and awareness.

Ultimately, the most valuable thing a riding instructor can offer isn’t a long list of drills or textbook techniques. It’s empathy for the horse and clarity for the rider, both rooted in personal experience. Because when you can feel it, you can teach it—not just with words, but with wisdom.