Aria Desert Rain

05/08/2025

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐲.

The past season has held a lot—𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟, 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞, and more quiet stressors behind the scenes. Life has felt heavy, and while I’ve continued showing up for my family, my animals, the ranch, and my students, I haven’t had the energy to train or create the kind of content I love sharing with you here.

That’s been frustrating. 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

But in all of this, the horses have reminded me of something important.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭.
They don’t measure the quality of our relationship in training sessions or productivity.

What they seem to value most—especially right now—𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. On the days when all I can do is sit with them for a few quiet minutes, or take a slow walk in hand, they’re still there. 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭. And in that space, even with everything else going on, 𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞.

So if you’ve felt this way too—tired, stretched thin, not quite yourself—you’re not alone.
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩.
𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

If you’re in a season like this, I’d love to hear how you’re finding connection in small ways. Let’s hold space for each other in the comments.

02/21/2025

✨ 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡! ✨
Any guesses on what’s coming? 😉🐴💫 Stay tuned!

⬇️ 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!

02/20/2025

✨ 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 ✨

"𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑎 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝 𝑖𝑛—𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒?"

During a windstorm, Reya found herself tangled in a thorny branch, triggering a powerful nervous system response. Instead of rushing to "fix" it, I made a choice—to be her anchor, not her rescuer.

💡 This experience was an eye-opening lesson in 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. I watched as Reya’s nervous system moved through cycles of 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞—until she finally found peace 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬.

🐎 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬? Let’s discuss in the comments!

📖 Read the full story here: https://ariadesertrain.com/?p=1479

How does a horse nervous system recover from stress? Read how my mare Reya moved through panic to peace—without force or intervention.

02/09/2025

🌟 Big Milestones for Reya Tonight! 🌟

Tonight, Reya took a huge step forward—she came to the gate to be haltered for the first time! This is a massive accomplishment for her, as she’s still working through her fear of the halter.

She also explored the tying area and even checked out the pedestal. I gave her time and space to explore, and while she didn’t linger long, her curiosity shows just how far she’s come in less than two weeks. 💕

Every small step counts on this journey, and Reya is showing us her courage day by day.

🐴 Follow for more updates on her progress and milestones!

02/09/2025

🌟 Big Milestones for Reya Tonight! 🌟

Tonight, Reya took a huge step forward—she came to the gate to be haltered for the first time! This is a massive accomplishment for her, as she’s still working through her fear of the halter.

She also explored the tying area and even checked out the pedestal. I gave her time and space to explore, and while she didn’t linger long, her curiosity shows just how far she’s come in less than two weeks. 💕

Every small step counts on this journey, and Reya is showing us her courage day by day.

🐴 Follow for more updates on her progress and milestones!

02/05/2025

Good morning from Desert Rain Ranch! 🌈
A rare rainstorm blessed us with this beautiful rainbow over the mountains. Nature has a way of reminding us that even after the storm, there’s beauty waiting to shine through. Wishing you a day full of peace and little moments of wonder!

02/04/2025

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝐼’𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑅𝑒𝑦𝑎—𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦!"

🐴 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐚 (𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞)!
She is a 7-year-old National Show Horse (Half Arabian, Half Saddlebred) who was rescued by 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 - 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 after being passed from auction to auction, landing in the hands of an abusive horse trader. By the time she reached the rescue, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚. But Love This Horse recognized what she really needed: 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥.

💛 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐚?
I first saw Reya when I was working on two case studies at the rescue for my 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. While I was focused on the other horses, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞. Something about her stayed with me, and now, she’s here, starting a new chapter.

🏡 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 & 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Reya is 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 and won’t enter the barn yet, but she’s warming up to the turnout shelter after watching my herd use it. I introduced her to my horses 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭, and they’ve all been incredibly calm and welcoming. Right now, she has her own 𝟑/𝟒 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭 where she can approach and interact with the herd on her own terms.

🔄 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰
My priority is 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐚 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞. While she was given the space to recover at the rescue, 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 for horses with her history. Right now, the focus isn’t training—it’s 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞.

💛 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮! 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫! 👇

🎥 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑅𝑒𝑦𝑎 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛! 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎 𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑑.

12/18/2024

✨ 𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞! ✨

I’ve been hard at work creating a website that reflects who I am as a trainer and what I offer to help equines and their humans thrive together. You’ll find:

🌟 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲 & 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬
🐴 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
💡 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Blog, free mini guide, and more!
📆 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞-𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬.
💚 When you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll receive my free mini guide: "Achieving Emotional Balance and Connection"—a resource to help your equine feel safe, relaxed, and engaged.

I hope you love exploring the new site as much as I loved creating it! Take a look here:
🌐 https://ariadesertrain.com/

Discover Positive Reinforcement Equine Training with Aria Desert Rain. Build trust, balance, and connection with your equine through science-based methods.

11/20/2024

"𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝑫𝒐 𝑰 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑹+ 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒚 𝑬𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆?"

Positive reinforcement (R+) is an incredible way to build trust, communication, and joy into your relationship with your equine. But how do you get started? It all begins with some simple steps to teach your equine that 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑘. This foundational exercise sets the stage for more advanced training.

When I introduce an equine to R+, I always love witnessing that moment of understanding—the spark in their eye when they connect the sound of the click to a reward. It's such a rewarding experience! Let me walk you through the basics:

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬
Markers are clear signals to your equine that they’ve done something right and a reward is coming. In R+, this is often a clicker or a specific sound, like a tongue click. To make this marker meaningful, you’ll pair it with food rewards (we’ll call this “charging the clicker”).

🔔 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫?
It bridges the gap between the desired behavior and the reward, helping your equine understand exactly what they’re being rewarded for.

🍏 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝
Pick something low-value but interesting enough for your equine. You want them to enjoy the process without getting overexcited. (Check out my post [“How to Test Treat Value for Your Equine’s Training”](https://www.facebook.com/AriaDesertRain/posts/pfbid02AwKwGrfNmMCwsEjbUjaUaSTthhPEKKJJ6V2hjygDZPxooZxEGqynw9HUKd9cFeD2l for tips!)

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞
Before you begin, make sure:
🌿 Your equine isn’t hungry. It’s best to work in an environment where they have access to forage, so they feel relaxed and can disengage if they need to.

📍 Work with one equine at a time when starting this exercise to avoid any confusion or competition—it helps create a more focused and positive learning environment.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬
Here’s a simple and effective exercise to “charge the clicker” and teach your equine what the marker means:

1️⃣ 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐥: Place a bowl on the ground near your equine.
2️⃣ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝: Without waiting for any specific behavior, make the click sound and immediately toss a generous amount of food rewards into the bowl.
3️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭: Do this a few times in short sessions. Your equine will start to connect the click with the reward.
4️⃣ 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: You’ll know they’ve understood when they start looking at the bowl or toward you after hearing the click.

𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬
✨ Keep sessions short and stress-free. The goal is to maintain calmness and relaxation, not perfection.

🍎 Use a generous amount of food rewards to reinforce the marker. Don’t worry about head position or timing just yet—focus on making the experience enjoyable.

🎯 Stay consistent with the marker sound you choose. You can introduce different sounds as markers later if you wish, but for now, stick to one to build clarity.

𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝
As you progress, tools like targets can help guide your equine toward specific behaviors, but for now, the focus is on teaching them the meaning of the click. Once your equine understands the click-reward connection, you can use these tools to shape behaviors in a clear and fun way.

By starting with this exercise, you’re giving your equine the tools to understand how R+ works and setting the foundation for deeper learning. In future posts, we’ll dive into the importance of timing and how to refine your use of markers.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑+ 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞? 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰—𝐈’𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭!

11/14/2024

✨ Exciting Updates Coming Soon! ✨

We’re thrilled to announce that a brand new website is on the way! 🎉 This refreshed site will look familiar but has been thoughtfully updated to make it easier to explore valuable resources and find exactly what you need.

Here’s what to look forward to:

🌟 Improved navigation to help you dive deeper into training content
🌟 A dedicated blog section with articles on equine emotional health and training tips
🌟 A special area for exciting new offerings coming in 2025!

We’re so excited to share this with you. Stay tuned—big things are on the horizon! 🌿🐴

Be sure to follow for updates, and let us know what you’re most excited to see! 👇

11/05/2024

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧🐴💚

This is the second in our series of student success stories, where we highlight the incredible journeys my students have taken with their equine partners using positive reinforcement training. Today, I’m excited to share Gale's story with her mare, Madison. Their bond shows the power of trust, patience, and connection in overcoming challenges together.

Gale has been a dedicated member of the Connection Training community for over two and a half years. Her bond with her 16-year-old Rocky Mountain mare, Madison, has deepened during this time, and 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. Gale first met Madison while working on a certification program and immediately knew they were meant to be a team. Since then, Gale has spent countless hours working with Madison through daily walks and consistent training.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. Despite Gale’s commitment and experience, this behavior had become a source of frustration. Wanting to maintain their strong bond and improve their training experience, Gale reached out to me for help.

Together, we discovered that 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲. I suggested turning grooming sessions into a fun, playful activity, incorporating a game of fetch—something Gale had already taught Madison. Along with this, we introduced enrichment exercises and moments of relaxation to help Madison become calmer and more focused during their sessions.

Over time, Gale noticed significant improvements. 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞. Instead of biting, she started paying attention to their connection, and their time together became more harmonious. 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, and it was wonderful to see their progress through the videos Gale shared, with Madison calmly standing by the targets and fully focused on their work together.

𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. Their bond goes beyond just training—it’s about the joy of spending time together, creating a relationship built on mutual understanding and fun. Gale and Madison’s story is a beautiful example of what can be achieved when we truly listen to our horses and prioritize their emotional well-being.