Amalia Dempsey Horsemanship

23/09/2024

Hi everyone! 👋🏼 You may have noticed things have been a little quieter on my socials lately. I’ve been spending some time reflecting on my journey with horses and exploring different approaches in training that feel more aligned with where I’m at.

Because of this shift, I’ve decided to take a break from teaching for now as it feels incongruent to continue to teach at the same time as this exploration. I want to ensure that I’m fully aligned with the work I do, and for now, that means taking a step back.

The 8 week rider-specific exercise program will still be available for anyone interested, and of course, if you’ve previously purchased an online course, you’ll continue to have full access.

Thank you for understanding 🥰

15/09/2024

* Looking for inspiration *

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINERS! I am looking for examples of trainers who predominantly use R+ in their training and riding. Please tag them below 👇🏼

Here are some of my favourites:

- Equus Empeiria - Dr Nadine Lindblom
- Connie Colfox Young Horse Specialist. "How does your horse Really feel"
- The Willing Equine
- Connection Training
- Click With Horses
-Lucy Chester Horsemanship
Shawna Karrasch Equine


🙌🏻

29/07/2024

Thrilled to hear of Chris Burton's individual silver medal in the eventing at Paris! 🥈🎉🇦🇺 Congratulations Burto and Shadow Man 🐴👏🏼

I think it's worth recognising that this is an elite competitive rider who has actively sought improved training methods by enlisting the expertise of a positive reinforcement trainer Connie Colfox Young Horse Specialist. "How does your horse Really feel" (you can watch the series on Horse & Country) 🙌🏼

12/07/2024

It 👏🏼 is 👏🏼 finally 👏🏼 here! 👏🏼🎉

I know it has been a long wait but I promise it's worth it!

The *NEW* bitless bridle in collaboration with Lightrider Bitless Bridles is available NOW!

You can find out all about them and purchase here:
https://www.naturalhorseworldstore.com/lightrider-amalia-bitless-bridle

(**Also if you're on my email list- check your email for a limited time discount code that I sent out today - didn't get it? DM me**)

Things I love about the bridle:
Everything!

And specifically:
🌟 Beautiful soft quality english leather (yum!)
🌟 It looks BEAUTIFUL! With a nice wave browband and slightly raised noseband
🌟 It has a unique throatlatch design that means the bridle is more secure when on the horse
🌟 It has a double reinforced ring which means that the rings that your reins are attached to is securely attached to the noseband
🌟 It's available in black and a stunning brown colour plus a range of sizes!
🌟 The poll has a pressure-relief channel so the forelock can feed through easily and there isn't excess pressure on the poll area.

It's everything that I want in a bitless bridle! 🤌🏽

Click the link below to buy yours today!
https://www.naturalhorseworldstore.com/lightrider-amalia-bitless-bridle

I know you're going to LOVE it! If you buy one, do let me know what you think and send me a pic of you and your horse riding in one! 💕🐴

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