Free Spirit Equestrian

23/06/2025

Why do horses say No?

There’s a large part of traditional training I used to follow which is all about getting the horse to say ‘yes’ to everything we ask. Without question, hesitation or ‘disrespect’. But is it really an ask if the only available answer is a ‘yes’?

Or is it a command?

People have made comments to me before about how ‘obedient’ my horse appears to be. Which is ironic given that all my horses have the same degree of choice in training. I rarely ever command my horses to do anything. And here’s why:

There’s only three basic reasons horses will refuse to do what we ask.

1. They physically can’t do what we are asking

2. They do not understand what we are asking

3. They do not want to do what we are asking

Let’s put that into human perspective:

If I asked you to do a backflip right now - chances are you probably wouldn’t be physically fit or capable of doing one.

If I asked you a question in a foreign language would you be able to answer correctly right away?

What if I asked to borrow your car? Phone or even your shoes? It’s pretty likely you wouldn’t want a relative stranger to drive your car, mess with your phone or take your shoes.

The idea that increasing pressure or even adding punishment for not immediately complying or trying is a remanent of authoritarian ideology.

I don’t really want a horse that is complying out of blind obedience, fear and stress. I want a horse that is ready to listen, learn and choose to participate with me.

18/06/2025

Presenting: Torrin the unicorn! I am officially obsessed 😂

13/06/2025

This morning a saw a post from a fellow trainer that seems to have sparked a lot of discussion on the subject of science based training and how it lacks the emotional aspect of horsemanship.

The thing is a lack of emotion and empathy can be found in all quadrants, methods and types of training. Horsemanship is just as much an art as it is a science.

Understanding the science can help you create a place for intuitive learning. I believe that there are three types of learning:

Cognitive learning - where we learn things like science and math, needing no emotional connection to understand the concepts given.

Emotional learning - where we learn how to recognize the emotional experience relating to the things we learn and act on our feelings.

And

Physical Learning - where we learn how to use our bodies in motion.

Most of us are weak in one of these three areas, and that’s totally normal! Not everyone can be a math genius, an Olympic athlete and a brilliant therapist. All knowledge is intersectional.

While I agree I don’t expect ANY horse to do something because I’m so special I just happened to be worth doing it for… at first.

It’s important to remember relationships take time and the building blocks are simple:

- compassion and empathy
- communication and understanding
- patience and time

You get good at what you practice and when you practice relationships from a place of understanding and love that is what you will find - even with horses.

04/06/2025

Can horses choose?

And how can you tell when a horse is choosing to PARTICIPATE vs. being FORCED to?

Most of the equestrian community cannot tell when their horses enjoy an exercise or experience stress and negative emotions during an exercise.

Arguably it’s because we aren’t taught to look for it!

So what is liberty? And how do you spot a horse that genuinely enjoys and wants to preform?

Simply put you give the horse a choice. But the reality is a little more complex. First you need to be able to observe horses without bias.

We’ve all been told that horse behaviour has a certain meaning. A horse pawing in the x-ties is being ‘naughty’ and a horse that bucks is ‘feeling fresh’ without looking deeper into the behaviour. A horse that paws could be feeling any number of emotions from anxiety, impatience or even pain/discomfort.

Letting go of the ideas you’ve held about horses for an extended period of time is a scary thought. But think of it this way - if you let go and start to really see what’s going on - how much positive change could you create?

When it comes to spotting true liberty with horses you’ll notice a horse that lacks signs of stress, fear, or pain. You’ll notice a horse that offers to do things and has choice to walk away without consequences.

Do you want to learn how to create true liberty with horses?

03/06/2025

What is real abuse in the horse world?

You may have heard this type of phrase before. Usually from people who think the only forms of abuse are extreme violence and neglect.

But that’s not quite true. Abuse is a word thrown around a lot, so much so that it’s almost lost its meaning.

The thing is - a lot of us were taught to be ‘mean’ to horses in order to get what we want. The most insidious part is it starts as children.

We live in a society that to some degree normalizes a certain amount of abuse and violence. Without these normalized attitudes people in general would probably rail against the injustices happening all around us.

It’s hard to quantify what abuse looks like in the horse world especially with the prevalent ideology. I. E.

‘You need to be the boss of him!’ (Through fear, intimidation and punishment)

‘You need to focus on REAL horse abuse!’ (Invalidation and deflection)

‘You don’t ride at that level and therefore aren’t qualified to speak on this topic’ (again invalidation usually pertaining to an upper level rider doing something abusive or questionable)

But it’s not all doom and gloom! Science is slowly but surely revealing the secrets of horse behaviour, communication and how to teach horses to do what we want without force or fear!

There is a path forward but you’ll have to be brave enough to seek it.

30/05/2025

I used to believe that a stall with a decent sized paddock attached, some form of daily turnout and however many hours I spent with my horse daily was good enough. But it’s not.

Having horses at home and being able to see first hand the changes in not only my training style but also the management of my horses has opened my eyes to the depth of welfare we are ignoring.

I don’t say that because I’m not just as guilty of looking the other way, supporting or defending the way we keep horses. It’s important to remember that what actually matters is CHANGING what you do when you realize there’s a better alternative.

Having horses who do not have to choose YOU to get food, attention, play, exercise, or entertainment is scary for a lot of people. And I invite you to think about WHY.

Why would your horse decide not to choose you if given the freedom? I know full well that for a while it is unlikely Torrin will choose me when I bring him home.

It will take time for his nervous system to adjust. It will take time for him to integrate with his new environment, lifestyle and buddies.

And that’s OK because:

1. Horses with access to 24/7 turnout are able to better self regulate their nervous system because they have access to the three F’s (friends, forage, freedom) making them less prone to injuries and behavioural problems.

2. MOVEMENT. hard keepers build muscle, fat horses get exercise. All horses get enrichment from their environment by being required to move around and interact with different obstacles and objects to get food/water. Naturally horses are built to move a lot each day to gain access to resources (such as food/water)

3. Ease of maintenance! (And this one is just for me) it’s much easier to maintain a track system than a stable! Making it a far more manageable system for a smaller number of people caring for it. While there are still things that need daily cleaning, I’m not up at the crack of dawn to turn out, feed, clean an entire barn and worry about unwanted behaviours from having my horses pent up all night.

While I know a track system isn’t perfect, it’s been a fascinating journey watching my horses thrive with this change.

28/05/2025

One of the biggest challenges in the modern era is having TIME.

Oftentimes the last thing you want to do after looking after yourself, your horse, going to work, getting groceries, and doing any number of extra tasks - is train your horse.

Especially when you don’t FEEL like you have the time to see RESULTS.

So what if I told you can make progress with your horse in less than 15 minutes of training a day?

Most people would call me crazy and insist that you need to spend at least an hour training/riding/grooming etc etc etc with your horse.

This is why I LOVE Clicker Training. There’s no need to struggle to accomplish something meaningful with your horse.

Positive reinforcement training creates an environment where it becomes easy to learn new skills and simple to teach your horse almost anything. From halter training to galloping through the fields bridalless, to complex exercises and classical dressage movements.

Is there something you are struggling to teach your horse?

15/05/2025

Finally getting back in the swing of things after a long and stressful winter of settling into the farm life (and tiny home lifestyle) while starting a business and working🫠

Looking forward to longer days and time spent training horses, helping new clients and doing some pretty cool work on the farm!

I’m back! After a hiatus where I moved - quite literally my house - onto the farm, started a business, and have been working non stop 😭 hopefully with spirn...

14/05/2025

70 likes, 6 comments. “Another shrimp sesh 🍤🍤🍤”