Project Happy Athlete International

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Project Happy Athlete International

Project Happy Athlete (PHA) focuses on training happy animals in a genuinely ethical way.

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Project Happy Athlete International

Project Happy Athlete started as a tiny blog in 2017. Soon it started growing to a big community in Finland and today, in 2020, I am working full-day as an Animal Trainer.

Back in 2013 I bought a horse, Madde, then a 5-year-old mare to start competing in showjumping. She was reactive and difficult, but we managed to win many competitions just by going fast and not touching the poles. One day in 2014 I began to think if my horse is really enjoying the jumping. My riding instructors kept sayin I should be using stronger bits, but Madde started rearing if she felt uncomfortable. I realized, Madde actually hated jumping and that's why she kept running so fast, not listening to me at all.

That day was terrible for me. After realizing my horse hated jumping, there was no turning back. My biggest dream was to compete in high-level competitions, and all of a sudden I had to decide whether to change my plans or buy a new horse. I did love my horse, despite the fact that she was extremely difficult, but we had our moments when I was grooming her or just hanging out.

After a huge meltdown I decided to keep my mare. I moved her to a stable where she was able to hang out with other horses in huge fields by the river. It was scary, but it was worth it after I saw how happy Madde was. I started trail riding more often and found out we both enjoyed it a lot. I tried some horseback archery, but Madde was way too fast for it. I wanted to try everything new, so I also started riding bitless every now and then. Madde worked pretty well with them, but for some reason I thought I could never give up on bits completely.

In 2016, I was introduced to clicker training. It was fun! I first taught Madde some Spanish walk (obviously), also found out it was not maybe the best trick to teach your horse with poor trainer skills. I taught her to “smile” and to go “back”. She was happier than I ever thought she could be. I started wondering where clicker training could take us. Could I teach everything using food as a reward? Why is it so effective?

I gave up on bits in 2017. I sold or threw away all of them. I saw my horse getting more relaxed than ever and she moved better than ever when ridden. I also started training riding with a neck rope and my horse enjoyed it as well. Clicker training, riding bitless and using a neck rope required a lot more training than just putting a bit on a horses mouth, but I loved it. I still love it. Madde and I became more attached than ever.

Now, my horse is 12-years-old and living the happy life in the same stable. We do everything using positive reinforcement, now-a-days I don’t ride her that often but if I do, we use bitless bridle or neck rope. Everyday I ask her what she would like to do and she gets to decide. We do a lot of long walks, gymnastic training or just something fun. My horses main job is to be a horse.

This story led me to a place, where my Facebook followers in Finland started asking me for training advice. Eventually I studied and became an Animal Trainer and now I have my own business and also work in a Finnish dog training company Pawsiteam, which is focused on positively training dogs. In this page you will also meet my sisters 7 years old pony Fiona, who has been positively trained since she was 3 years old and my lovely Jackrussel terriers Tove and Dua, also positively trained. Tove is 4 years old and Dua is 3 years old, they are half sisters.

I train animals in Finland, hold horse training courses in Portugal and just started selling online courses about genuinely positive animal training. Welcome in our world of Happy Animal Training!

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Project Happy Athlete International