Amalia Dempsey Horsemanship

01/05/2024

A week ago, Harriet returned home after having spent 10 days at Roseworthy Vet Hospital due to a complicated case of impaction colic, peritonitis, and ulcers.

Seeing her in an immense amount of pain and saying goodbye to her on the first night, not knowing if she was going to make it through, was absolutely heartbreaking.

But by some miracle and of course the incredible collective efforts of the RVH team she is back to her beautiful bright self, happy to be eating and reunited with her herd again.

Harriet is not “just a horse” to me. She is one in a million who I share a very special bond with and I am full of gratitude for her making it through and for many people who made her recovery possible.

Thank you to the amazing team at Roseworthy, notably the specialist vets involved in her care: Dr. Surita, Dr. Olivier, Dr. Jen, and Dr. Kara- your knowledge, expertise, and skills saved her life and I am forever grateful! You are heroes!

Thank you to my local vet, Dr. Lisa Trig for your initial rapid treatment, answering my phone calls, and for your post-hospital care and advice!

Thank you to the vet nurses and reception staff who put up with my helicopter horse parenting (😅), daily visits, tears, and constant checking in around the clock.

Thank you to Daniel, Mum, Dad, Kay & Bill for your support and for understanding how important it was for me to give her the help she needed.

Thank you to Fliss, Tess, and Sophie for being major personal supports at critical times. And to my other horsey and non-horsey friends and family who offered help and checked in- you are all so caring.

And thank you to my dear Harriet, for being so so strong and brave, and trusting that everything we put you through was for your best interest. I am forever grateful for you 🙏🏼🩷🐴

10/03/2024

This never gets old 🩵 Beautiful beach mornings ✨ swipe to see the non-horsey husband’s leading skills 👌🏼

📸 Roger Foster

02/02/2024

Sneak Peak! 👀

Many of you were a bit bummed to hear that I won’t be restocking the sold out Bitless bridles I designed last year.

But something even better is happening! 🤩

In conjunction with Natural Horse World & LightRider Bitless Bridles , we are designing and perfecting a new bitless bridle design that is going to be epic!🤌🏼🤌🏼

I am extremely fussy with the gear that I use on my horses, and bitless bridles are no different.

Plus LightRider Bitless bridles have been around for yonks and are super experienced in designing bridles with the horse’s best interests at heart.

Things you can look forward to in the new Bitless bridle design coming soon 👇🏼

✨ Available in ALL sizes
✨ Choose from black or brown leather.
✨ Simple ‘side-pull’ mechanism
✨ Anatomical shaped & padded headpiece
✨ Crafted from beautiful soft leather
✨ Improved throat latch design for stability
✨ Gently raised and padded browband and noseband

We are currently working on perfecting the sample including a different throat latch design to improve the bridle’s stability ✅

👉🏼To be the first to know when these bridles are available for purchase- register your interest at amaliadempsey.com/bitlessbridle or click link in bio.

31/01/2024

THIS IS DRESSAGE!🤩

Horses embodying health, happiness, athleticism, strength, lightness, and power.

Riders showcasing balance, compassion, thoughtful communication, and an impeccable feel.

Together, painting a portrait of a harmonious partnership.

They may not boast gold medals or even compete at all, yet, in my eyes, they epitomise the essence of dressage.

I strive for this ideal with my horses, and I hope that one day I can be even half as good as the riders shown here!

Pictured riders:
• .foundation (Anja Beran)
• (Karen Rohlf)
• (Anna Marciniak)
• (Belinda Bolsenbroek)
• .biolik (Bettina Biolik)
• (Juliette Cimetriere)

22/12/2023

Beautiful morning spent at Silversands with my lovely Harriet 🩵✨

14/12/2023

What would you add?

Before you comment, make sure you read all the way to the end 😇

07/12/2023

I am back giving a limited number of in-person lessons in the southern suburbs & mclaren vale regions. Please message me if you want to book a regular spot 🙌🏻☺️🐴💕 (Adelaide Hills students- stay tuned for 2024 😎🙌🏻)

25/11/2023

As a life-long horse lover, I am deeply saddened to learn of the sickening horse abuse carried out at Helgstrand Dressage.

I can only hope that the public exposure of such abuse will be a catalyst for improved horse welfare in competition and in training globally.

For the love of horses, please speak up if you are in a situation that you feel is unfair to the horse and know that it is possible to ride dressage in a way that is kind to the horse ❤️

The first episode of the highly anticipated undercover documentary "Operation X: Secrets of the Horse Billionaire" has been aired by the Danish commercial tv station TV2 on Wednesday evening 22 November 2023. It has caused a cascade of anger, indignation and disapproval and has led to an expected so...

14/11/2023

I stumbled across the amazing Connie Colfox on Horse & Country TV watching her use positive reinforcement to help top eventing riders with ‘problem’ horse behaviours.

Connie Colfox Young Horse Specialist. "How does your horse Really feel"

She was able to really impress these riders with how quickly she could change these talented horse’s minds about something they were struggling with.

In the words of Connie: “We really want horses to feel comfortable in the world they live in. By giving them a broad grounding with positive reinforcement we build trust to take on the challenges we encounter together”

I was particularly interested in what she said around the 23-minute mark of this episode, and I agree that what she mentions here is a huge part of horses performing beyond their natural capabilities - and conversely why sometimes performance drops despite better riding!

I found Connie to be extremely humble, despite her decades of horse experience and knowledge, and she shares a balanced view and open approach to horsemanship, forever observing and learning from the horse.

If you have a horse with some ‘problem’ behaviours or you are a performance rider curious about how positive reinforcement could help your horse, you will love this episode with Connie! Let me know what you think!

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or on my website here:
https://www.amaliadempsey.com/Horsemanship-Breakthroughs

24/10/2023

Here are 10 things you can expect to be different when you go through HFA 🐴👇🏼




1️⃣ LESS HORSE PROBLEMS

without actually working directly on the problems themselves

Because the problem is just a symptom of a broken fundamental! Once you fix the fundamentals, you'll find you'll have fewer horse problems, and know how to navigate problems when they do arise 🙌🏼





2️⃣ FEEL MORE CONFIDENT

and comfortable with your direction and approach to horsemanship.

Learning how to make horse training decisions for yourselves based on good horse training principles helps you be more independent and most of all confident in your own decision-making! 👌🏼





3️⃣ DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

of your horse and the principles of training horses.

HFA is for deep-divers. Those who are ready for a deeper level of understanding and connection with their horse. I give you all the knowledge I wish I had access to at the start of my horsemanship journey 🤓





4️⃣ LIGHTER CUES

both on the ground and in the saddle.

'Cos what equestrian likes applying lots of aids and pressure to their horse?! We ALL want light aids, that look invisible. You will learn exactly how to train that on the ground and in the saddle. Once you know how to do this, you won't want to go back! 😄





5️⃣ CLARITY

for you and your horse.

And as I say, clarity creates calmness. When you and your horse are clear on exactly what you are supposed to be doing- you can relax! Often a lot of frustration in horses and humans just comes from a lack of clarity.





6️⃣ A NEW PERSPECTIVE

on horses, horsemanship, & horse training.

Be prepared to have your eyes opened! Once you learn how to see horses in this way, you won't be able to 'un-see' it! Be prepared to have your perspective completely changed! I can't believe I rode horses for 20 years without knowing this stuff!



7️⃣ BE RELAXED AND AT PEACE

as you enjoy the process.

It's like a weight is lifted off your shoulders when you take the external expectations off you and your horse! Connect with what really matters, and what your horse really needs and you will feel so much happier about your journey. I know that when I am completely congruent with this, I could do very little with my horse and feel completely satisfied with my horse time 🥰



8️⃣ MORE GOOD HORSE DAYS

more yes movements and less frustrated moments!

Remember that frustration begins where knowledge ends, once we fill in those knowledge gaps you will have so many more good horse days! And let's be honest, we all know what kind of ripple effect a 'good horse day' can have on our mood! Enjoy those 'horsey highs"! ✨😌





9️⃣ A STRONGER CONNECTION

with your horse.

Deep down, I believe this is the reason why we all have horses- to connect with these glorious creatures! How lucky are we! Your connection will your horse will blossom with HFA 🌸





🔟 REACH NEW GOALS

you never thought were possible!

Because of the fundamentals, I can do cool things that I never thought were possible-like riding bridleless on the beach, playing at liberty, lying down with my horses, training piaffe and Spanish walk.... But they would never be possible without the fundamentals. They just wouldn't work. You just cannot skip the fundamentals and expect to go straight to the fancy stuff.





✨ PLUS SO MUCH MORE!

This just scratches the surface of what you can achieve with HFA 🎉

Interested? Head to https://www.amaliadempsey.com/Horsemanship-Fundamentals-Academy to find out all the details and sign up (before Nov 1st!) 💕🐴

12/10/2023

How to ride your horse bitless!👇🏼

In the latest episode of the Horsemanship Breakthroughs Podcast, I answer all your bitless riding questions!✨🐴

What bitless bridle do I recommend? How to get started riding bitless? What is the process? How do you know when you’re ready to ride bitless on a trail? And more!

Riding bitless and bridleless is an amazing feeling, and possible for any horse and rider- even if right now you’re riding with a bit and you feel like your horse is strong or heavy.

But riding bitless does require a level of connection, confidence, and communication between horse & rider (aka the fundamentals of horsemanship!).

I teach you how to get that with your horse in Horsemanship Fundamentals Academy which opens for enrolment on October 18th, 2023 👏🏼🥳

Everyone on the HFA waitlist will get access to an exclusive early-bird offer! 🤩So head on over to www.amaliadempsey.com/hfawaitlist to get on the list and be the first to know when enrolment opens on October 18th 🙌🏼😁

In the meantime, enjoy this episode, all about bitless riding! 😍

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or on my website here: https://www.amaliadempsey.com/Horsemanship-Breakthroughs

28/09/2023

Photos from the Karen Rohlf Clinic captured by PYT Equine Photography 🤩👇🏼

https://pytequinephotography.pixieset.com/karenrohlfclinic/

26/09/2023

If we want to have a healthy relationship with our horses, we need to think about providing the horse with what they want and not just satisfying our own human needs and desires.

It has to be a two way street if we want a healthy relationship with our horses.

“A relationship is a two-way street…whatever you give you will get back…always treat your partner with love, care, and respect. Don’t take them for granted. Treat them the way they need to be treated and share with them how you want to be treated in return” ~Neena Gupta

It’s our job as compassionate horse owners, to make what we do with horses rewarding in some way.

That might be choosing to do what the horse prefers (eg. jumping instead of dressage).

It could be using positive reinforcement (eg. food rewards) in your training.

Or adding in some grazing breaks within the session.

Next time you spend time with your horse, think about what’s in it for them! And you might just be surprised at what the horse gives you back!

26/09/2023

✨Karen Rohlf Clinic Breakthroughs | Day Two ✨

👉🏼 Basic Alignment Exercise 🌀 don’t be afraid to exaggerate yields to see if it helps with her balance on the circle, and then when she finds the sweet spot, maintain for longer duration. Spend less time searching, more time enjoying!

👉🏼 Taking the Sweet Spot into patterns and between gaits 🍭Play with maintaining the sweet spot between gaits and if I feel like it’s too long to maintain- be objective and pick an exact pattern with a clear start and finish rather than randomly moving around and losing track of how long I’ve maintained for.

👉🏼 Playing with the essence of shoulder in 🏋🏼‍♀️When playing with shoulder in (and any lateral work) don’t just go for the criteria, but think about the essence of what that movement helps with - collectability- taller, lighter, more engaged steps. Release and reward on this *essence* Get in & get out- it’s a strength building movement!

📸 PYT Equine Photography

Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material

26/09/2023

✨Karen Rohlf Clinic Breakthroughs | Day One ✨

👉🏼 Everything starts with and returns to relaxation 🧘🏼‍♀️The way Karen had structured the clinic meant that right from the start we were able to help our horses be relaxed. The task of doing “nothing” made me aware of just how much I like to constantly do things, and how just being in the moment can help our horses feel relaxed.

👉🏼 Lead or Follow 🏇🏻Alternating between leading and following helped me harmonise with Harriets ideas. I realised whilst I do like to follow my horse’s ideas, my default is to call the shots - especially when riding. I will be more conscious of connecting with my horse’s ideas in order to cultivate more harmony between us.

👉🏼 Playing with energy 💥I had played Karen’s number energy game before but Karen had me bouncing between a range of energies from 2-8/10 and by doing so we found a nice spot somewhere in the middle that was the ideal energy level with me in neutral.

👉🏼 Finding a stretchable posture WITHIN the working gaits - with shorter reins 🤸. Now that I have had a taste of bridleless and riding with lots of freedom in the reins, I have found it hard to go back to riding with contact again. I’m quick to throw away the reins, but Karen reminded me that finding a stretchable posture within the working gaits feels better for the horse than a non-stretchable posture with short reins.

📸 PYT Equine Photography

Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material

24/09/2023

24/09/2023

Some more moments from the Karen Rohlf Clinic 💕🐴

23/09/2023

KAREN ROHLF IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺💕🐴

Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material

Thank you to everyone who made the Karen Rohlf clinic a huge success! 🥳

To our incredible South Australian horse community- you’re awesome! The group had a great energy and everyone was very supportive and friendly ☺️🙌🏻

To our interstate guests- from NSW, QLD, WA, and TAS!! Thank you for making the trip to Adelaide! We hope you enjoyed your stay here and have safe travels home 😃

I appreciate everyone thanking me for hosting the clinic but truth is, I could not have done it without my helpers!!
In particular - Linda Reed (mum), Daniel Dempsey (non-horsey husband), Emma Gilbert, Maddison Collins, Jenny Boyd, and everyone who put their hand up to help whenever they could- thank you!! 👏🏼👏🏼

Special thanks to Maddy from PYT Equine Photography - we are all excited to see the professional pics! Thanks for your long hours, extra help, and getting those perfect shots 👌🏼

Thank you to Mandy from Cromwell Park who allowed us to use this beautiful dreamy venue and made sure the arena was harrowed to perfection each day and was very accomodating to any request! 🤗

To the riders- Susan, Zena, Heidi, Kirrilly, Erin, Sarah, Grace, Bek, and Mar! What a great group of riders and horses. It was wonderful to see all the changes in both horse and rider. Thanks for putting your hands up to ride in front of everyone, and organising your lives and horses to attend this event 🤗

And thank you to Karen and Dana! 🤩 We feel very lucky that you chose to come here! We will cherish these last few days and all the things you have learnt! Thank you Karen for being YOU, we are all feeling inspired and empowered from your teachings! 💪🏼✨

And of course, we cannot forget to thank our horses who each tried their best for us and from which we are always learning! 🐴❤️

23/09/2023

19/09/2023

Starting TOMORROW night! 🤩🤩

This is your last chance to join us as a full spectator and save $$ for the the 2 days + evening workshop! 👌🏼

👉🏼👉🏼 More info and registrations at:
www.amaliadempsey.com/karenrohlf

Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material

17/09/2023

Happy snaps from yesterday’s session at Cromwell Park in preparation for the Karen Rohlf clinic 😄

This clinic is bringing together a lot of like-minded horse people in South Australia and I am excited to see everyone enjoying what Karen Rohlf has to offer 🤩

What’s cool about connecting with horses, is we also get to connect with people who share the same passion🤎🐎

11/09/2023

The Karen Rohlf Clinic is NEXT WEEK! 🥳🤩

There are still a few more spectator positions available. Everything you need to know + registrations are at:

www.amaliadempsey.com/karenrohlf

📆 I have now sent all Riders and Spectators the clinic schedule via email! (see below also and at the link above) 🙌🏼

See you all next week!! 🤩

07/09/2023

When you teach your horse how to take a selfie 🤳😁🐴💗📸

04/09/2023

Just over 2 weeks away!! 😯🥳🤩 there’s still time to join us!

👉🏼👉🏼 www.amaliadempsey.com/karenrohlf

I am teaching only TWO clinics in Australia in September... There is still space for non-riders. "Spectators" will participate in all discussions and simulations...
I'll be teaching the MOST important concepts from Dressage Naturally that continually have the BIGGEST impact on their horses to create more harmony.
These are going to be super fun and transformative clinics... I hope to see you there!
Clinic 1: Werribee, Victoria Sept 18 (evening), 19, & 20
Clinic 2: Hahndorf, South Australia Sept 21 (evening), 22, & 23
LINKS IN THE COMMENTS

28/08/2023

10 unusual things 👇🏼

In my last reel I asked you what you could see that was unusual. If you haven’t seen it- go back and watch that first before you read the answers below.

Initially I picked up 8 things but then realised there was actually 10… and then you guys found even more! 😝

Also these things might not be unusual for you and I, but in the grand scheme of things, in “mainstream” equestrian, they are pretty unusual still!

Here they are:

1. Mounting from the fence
2. Asking the horse to line up for mounting
3. Putting reins over neck after horse is in mounting position
4. Talking to my horse
5. Mounting from the right side (offside)
6. Landing softly in the saddle (hard to do when mounting from the awkward side)
7. Riding bitless
8. Using positive reinforcement
9. Horse stands still after being mounted
10. Mounting with loose reins (and without anyone holding my horse)

Extra things you guys picked up:

11. I’m wearing pink on pink 😂😂 if double denim is a thing, why can’t double pink be?
12. Horse is square (this is great but not intentional- I could be more aware of this more often)
13. I don’t grab the mane before mounting (I don’t ever do this really)
14. I’m not facing the rear for mounting (again, I’ve never done this)
15. Horse waits somewhat patiently for food (although she is offering her smile which is a behaviour that is frequently rewarded so perhaps she has got a bit more anticipation than I would like)
16. Keeping my foot out the stirrup upon mounting
17. Putting my hand on the other side of the saddle when mounting

Next up, I’m going to talk about why these things (especially the first 10) are unusual and why I do them instead of the mainstream alternative ☺️ - but should I make this a podcast episode or a post? Let me know what you prefer 😊

21/08/2023

I want you to think back to school days…

Remember those strict hard-ass teachers at school?

I remember one. She smelt like ci******es, had a short sharp pixie haircut, and wore spikey stilettos. If you were caught talking or mucking around you only had one strike and you were out. There were no second chances. Most students behaved impeccably, we wouldn’t dare put a foot wrong. But we were scared of her, and no one liked her… I actually responded really well to her teaching but, I wouldn’t want to experience it again and I know not all students responded well to this style.

And remember those push-over teachers?

The ones who would bribe you with watching movies or playing games in exchange for little work. Any amount of talking volume was fine and you could even talk over the top of the teacher if you wanted. The class clowns rubbed their hands together in anticipation, knowing that they could put on a performance with no consequences. I had a teacher like this, and I felt sorry for her… she was clearly stressed and upset that she couldn’t control the class. Sure, some may have liked this teacher because they could do whatever they wanted, but there were no boundaries and as a result not much learning happened.

And then hopfeully you were fortunate enough to have a teacher like I did in year 8.
He was the cool teacher.
He was confident, funny, and interesting.
He was our friend, someone we could turn to, but someone who also guided us.
He certainly had boundaries in place, but equally gave us a voice and a say in what we wanted to do.
He wasn’t perfect though, sometimes he was too hard on us, sometimes too lenient.
But he recognised his mistakes and even apologised for it!
He made us really want to do our work, and impress him even, but without bribing us or forcing us. Many students thrived under his teaching.
He was probably the best teacher I ever had.

What kind of leader or teaching style do you think your horse would benefit from?

For me, it’s being that cool teacher.
I’m your friend, but I’m also your leader to guide you and keep you safe.
I’m here to help you learn, but I’m also fun and thinking about what you want and need.

21/08/2023

🌟🌟 KAREN ROHLF PRE-CLINIC VIRTUAL MEETING HAPPENING TOMORROW NIGHT 7.30pm Adelaide time via Zoom! 🎉🎉

All SA clinic participants welcome on the call. Click the link below to join us for the clinic and this bonus meeting happening tomorrow night! 🥳👇🏼

www.amaliadempsey.com/karenrohlf

Join us on September 21st, 22nd, and 23rd for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a unique learning experience with internationally recognised clinician, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, Karen Rohlf!

17/08/2023

David Lichman is a 5-Star Master Parelli Professional with a speciality in Liberty Horses. He teaches worldwide, helping students find a better relationship with their horses, and the relaxation and posture fundamental to all riding.

David has performed with his three-horse act, which includes bridle-less riding and riding to music. He is the creator of the DVD set Liberty Outside the Round Pen, enabling students to play at Liberty with exuberance in large open areas. David lives in California with his wife, two children, nine horses, four dogs, four cats and dozens of chickens, pigeons and canaries. 🐎📀🎥

In David’s words:

“I don’t see them as horses, I see them as friends. They have names, desires and needs – as do I. Friends help fulfil each other’s needs and desires.” 🐴💕

In this episode, we discuss:

💡David’s horsemanship journey and how he came to use a mix of positive and negative reinforcement in his training with horses

💡The common objections for both reinforcement styles and David’s thoughts on those and why he uses both

💡Some of the incredible things he has been able to achieve with multiple horses at liberty

💡How to give your horse a happy life beyond the basic needs.

💡Insights from discussions David has had with other famous trainers such as Katja Schumann, Frederic Pignon, and Bent Branderup plus who else he would like to have dinner with!

💡Handy tools that David uses get his horse’s itchy spots, and prevent hock sores.

Plus all the usual fun horsemanship breakthroughs questions! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Enjoy the show! 🎉🎉

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtuve or the following link: 🎧✨
https://www.amaliadempsey.com/Horsemanship-Breakthroughs