Kyra’s Livery Services

12/11/2024

12/11/2024

Stop giving your money to trainers who talk down to you, and make you feel like sh*t 😫🙅‍♀️

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of the trainer/client (trainer/student) dynamic that has been standardized and is continuing to the day to be accepted.

Why do we allow trainers to speak down to us?

Why is it okay for them to make us feel bad for making mistakes or being human?

Why are we accepting open ridicule, belittling, gaslighting, and worse from professionals we pay to teach us?

I can tell you I don’t accept it anymore. 🙅‍♀️

And you shouldn’t either!

If your trainer…

• makes you cry
• makes fun of you or your horse
• talks down to you
• makes disparaging remarks about you, your horse, or your riding
• talks about you behind your back
• yells at you
• throws things or in any way loses their temper around you or your horse
• or is in general unsupportive and negative

You need to be giving your hard earned money and precious time to someone else. No ifs ands or buts.

I don’t care how popular of a trainer they are, how many medals they’ve won, how fancy their horses are, or who says they are the “best”.

You and your horse deserve better. 🫵

11/11/2024

Again, there's always a reason behind any behavior and it's our own responsibility to understand it, in order to start working just from there 💚

Picture credit: Horse Conversations

11/11/2024

Empathy for the horse involves watching their behaviour.

Trying to notice how they perceive the environment.

What are they afraid of? What makes them uncomfortable? What stresses them out?

What allows them to thrive? What helps them feel safe? What makes them feel fulfilled.

And then, reflecting on how us humans contribute to that for better or for worse.

Empathy is reliant on placing us in the figurative “shoes” of another being and trying to understand how the world feels to them.

It is reliant on us taking ourselves out of our immediate world, trying to let go of our own biases and beliefs and instead, focus on how the other being may feel.

It is hard to do, because us humans get so caught up in our perception of the world that we often fail to recognize just how differently a flight animal sees and perceives things from we do.

We cling to our egotistical perspectives that operate with the assumption that other beings feel and experience the earth the same way that we do.

Letting go of all of that takes practice. It takes accountability. It takes perpetual curiosity.

Empathy is a muscle that needs to be exercised by removing yourself from your immediate body and truly trying to see and understand the perspectives of others on an intimate level.

It is necessary in moving forward in ethical training because it allows you to more readily imagine how certain decisions may impact the way your horse feels.

Without it, it’s very easy to throw harsh equipment on, use sharp punishments or leave horses in management that neglects needs without even realizing it.

Because, you’re operating from the perspective of what benefits you, what you see and what the horse is doing while you’re present.

You aren’t seeing the full picture but a very small fraction of it, like looking through the world’s foggiest mirror.

Empathy is realizing that the manner in which you view the horse isn’t necessarily the reality.

That our perception clouds everything and we need to make a consistent effort, forever, to try to prevent human ego from causing us to be blind to what the horse is actually telling us. What the horse is actually feeling.

And, with consistent practice of this, we learn to be better problem solvers for the horse.

Because, through the acts of empathizing and trying to better understand them, we are more able to discover solutions that work for them.

Take off the blinders that leave you immersed only in your own world and try to truly see the immense nature of what is really out there.

We are limited by our unique way of perceiving the world but we are also strengthened by our ability to empathize and learn about others.

10/11/2024

08/11/2024

As someone who rode primarily ba****ck in my teens and 20s, I can attest that unless we have someone to spot for us, ba****ck can be one of the worst things for our seat, and the horse’s back.

What are some ways we can avoid the common problems with ba****ck while still getting the benefits?

08/11/2024

Before training any horse, it can be very useful to gather a training history, informally or formally.

It might take the form of a simple question and answer or a written document.

This may reveal that one or some of the horse's hard-wired needs are not being fulfilled.

Isolated, confined or under/over fed horses are likely to be compromised in their ability to engage in training.

Another often unconsidered or 'unseen' factor may be that the routinely isolated horses will not be properly rested as they are lacking companions to stand sentry while they sleep, and the security that group housing provides.

Recent research into sleep in horses shows that they will have less REM sleep if they cannot see other horses. Further evidence shows that REM sleep is important for learning and laying down long term memories.

Therefore, it is an advantage to trainers to provide optimal sleep conditions for horses, including social housing.

This is a sneak preview from MODERN HORSE TRAINING, Equitation Science - In Practice, Volume 2, Training In-Hand and Under-Saddle, by Andrew N McLean which will be available at Equitana later this month.

08/11/2024

08/11/2024

Poor working conditions linked to anxiety and depression in grooms

Read more via link below

07/11/2024

Hello,
I am currently studying Equine Sciences at Myerscough University. As a part of my degree, I’m requesting some information surrounding horse owners perceptions of veterinary physiotherapy & bodyworkers.
I would really appreciate it if you could take the time to answer my survey questions.
If you have any questions about the survey, please get in contact.
Thank you!

This form is part of my dissertation project based on the horse owners perception of Veterinary Physiotherapists compared with Equine Bodyworkers and how this can impact equine welfare. This is in hopes of bettering the industry and wellbeing of the horse by helping horse owners gain insight into se...

07/11/2024

If you want a true partnership or friendship with your horse, you must look for the other end of dominance. Because dominance is what we all got taught about how to deal and interact with nature and the creatures in it.

We are taught - consciously or unconsciously - to dominate the soil, plants, insects, wildlife, pets, horses, cattle and even children.

If you agree with it or not - this is our upbringing and how society is structured.

Every time I meet new clients, I have to carefully unravel the layers of dominance, looking for how implemented they are. Because my clients are mostly women I don’t have to wait long for the releasing words „I want to be a partner, a friend for my horse“.
Sigh.
Dear horsewomen, don’t you ever get astray from that inner calling and feeling 🙏

„I don’t want my horse to fear me. I want her to want to be with me.“

Dominance is on the other end of friendship. Ethology says: submissive behavior is the avoidance and ignoring of the more dominant animal. Members of the group that are lower in rank will often leave before the dominant one can get to close. There is no interaction. No contact. To be dominant is often to be isolated. And when there is contact, it’s tainted with stress, fear and defensiveness.

Should this be the tint of our interaction with the horses?

Even the toughest cowboys talk about contact and connection. Funny enough, it makes absolutely no sense to implement any of these dominance techniques that make you the „boss“ or “winner”. It has the opposite effect of what we want. Just ask yourself what you are really winning.

Once again, the feminine tenderness is the one that can get us where we want to be if we look for that connection - and it’s there for everybody. Don’t be afraid to use it with strength and confidence.

If you let that softness in, your horse can finally see you, so you can see yourself.

The way to become a better horse person is always through understanding. No magic tricks.

Start to understand. Take that extra step.

07/11/2024

🌟 Understanding Rideability: The Impact of Riders on Horse Welfare 🌟

Have you ever considered how much a rider influences a horse’s comfort and performance? A recent study reveals significant inconsistencies in rideability scores assigned by different riders, highlighting the impact of riding style and technique on horse welfare. This research shows that rider behaviour affects not only the horse's performance but also their physiological and emotional well-being.

As we strive to promote welfare-first practices in equestrian sports, it’s essential for riders to understand how their actions can shape their horse’s experience.

Discover more about this important topic and why it matters for every rider in our latest blog post. Read the full article on our website!

👉 https://bit.ly/4fek4ZM

05/11/2024

That's why it's important to always remember how they notice everything much more than what we may ever do, so let's always pay attention to their language in order to understand how they feel and what they may be observing or being worried about 😏

05/11/2024

Every year on November 1st, riders around the world drop their stirrups and commit to the challenge of No-Stirrup November. The intention behind this initiative is to improve the seat and leg. But is committing to sore inner thighs for an entire month really worth the hype?

Riding without stirrups is a valuable tool for enhancing your seat, as long as it’s done correctly. However, just as with any physical training, you can’t jump from zero to a hundred overnight and the quality of the exercise is far more important than the quantity for your own body’s sake, but also for your horse’s!

The problem is that when pushing yourself to ride without stirrups beyond your ability, you will end up gripping with your thighs in an attempt to maintain balance. This will lead to tightness in your hips and rigidity in your lower back, making it impossible to achieve a supple seat. Not only does this have a detrimental effect on your own back health, but it affects your horse too...

Remember, a pliable seat is crucial for allowing your horse's back to oscillate and if you’re stiff through your pelvis, hips, and thighs, it will interfere with your horse's movement and overall comfort.
A sudden and drastic shift in your seat like this will result in tension in your horse’s body in an effort to compensate for your instability in the saddle.

So, rather than pulling the stirrups off of your saddle for the entire month of November, consider gradually increasing your tolerance for riding without stirrups throughout the year. Focus on strengthening your body and core, and work on your proprioception out of the saddle if you're looking to develop a better seat.

You can enhance your seat without risking your horse's comfort and health.

So let's rethink No-Stirrup November - Don’t be a pain in your horse's back!

04/11/2024