Fayes Horse Page

18/02/2025

Saddle Fit for Horse and Rider

18/02/2025

Saddle Fitting Tips: How to fit saddles on Horses.

17/02/2025

16/02/2025

10/02/2025

27/01/2025

15/01/2025

The Science of Trust – Understanding horses

🐴 When a horse feels safe, connected, and understood, their brain releases oxytocin, often called the “bonding hormone.” This same chemical is released in humans when we hug someone we love, hold a baby, or even smile at a friend. It’s the foundation of deep, meaningful relationships, and it’s exactly what we aim to cultivate through in liberty training.

Here’s where it gets fascinating:
Unlike traditional training, Liberty work taps into the natural instincts of horses. Horses are prey animals, meaning their survival depends on being able to trust their herd (or in this case, you!). By removing physical restraints—like ropes or halters—you send a powerful message to your horse: “I trust you, and I’m here to listen.”

Science shows that trust isn’t built through force or dominance—it’s created through consistent, positive interactions. Liberty training uses body language, subtle cues, and emotional awareness to communicate with your horse in a way they naturally understand.

🧠 Neuroscience: Horses have a unique ability to sense human emotions. If you’re calm, your horse feels calm. If you’re stressed, they pick up on it immediately. That’s because horses process emotions through their amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and safety.

🪞Mirror Neurons: These special brain cells allow horses to “mirror” your energy and intent. When you approach with patience and positivity, they reflect it back to you.

This is why Liberty training often feels like magic—it’s the science of trust at work! 🌟🐴✨

Photo by Flo Knoyle Photography

13/01/2025

Found this old graphic and thought it was worth sharing again…

10/01/2025

More thoughts on the hackamore.
Why beginning riders absolutely SHOULD ride in the hackamore.

In my last post I talked about people claiming to be masters/experts in an art they have not had even enough practice in to understand the basics let alone be teaching others.
Because many of these trainers have experience with other tools but find the hackamore difficult for themselves some will tell you that you are not ready to ride in one. This comes from their own lack of knowledge and misunderstandings of the tool. Remember, when someone tells you what you can not do in a hackamore they are actually telling you what THEY can not do in a hackamore.

The hackamore gives you a much more honest communication with your horse than what you get in a bit. If you do not have a good seat, are out of balance, out of timing, or inconsistent with your signals the hackamore is simply not going to work well for you. And that is actually a good thing. It gives you VERY important feedback. In a bit many people make up for these deficiencies in their riding with the discomfort and pain the bit creates in the mouth. The bit has a pain compliance response and many riders are unknowingly creating a pain based response that they misinterpret as lightness, soft feel or whatever you want to call it. I see this a LOT in snaffle but riders and riders using two hands on a shank bit.

The hackamore has no significant pain compliance component. You can not force a horse even by accident. If you are not getting the desired response you have to think your way through the problem instead of forcing your way through it even if unintentionally. Because of this the beginning rider learns to be a much more conscious rider. They learn how other very important aspects of riding besides the reins influence the horse.

If your goal as a beginner is to become a better rider and have much better communication with your horse then the hackamore is absolutely a fantastic tool. If your goal is simply to “control” your horse then the hackamore is probably not for you. Then again if a riders focus is on control instead of communication they should probably stay away from horses and just buy a motorcycle or something. 😉

06/01/2025

Types of snaffle bits

06/01/2025