Horse Sense Rachel Parsons Coaching Page

07/09/2022

Yay. We can link to WhstsApp! Pls contact me for natural horsemanship horse and rider coaching support.

07/09/2022

My brother Tim, farrier, builder, dad, problem solver. Total legend. So quiet w the horses. Baby Banner, was a dude. I’ve spent over 15 hours foot training him, and have my own tools to make sure it all sounds n looks the same for a trim.

07/08/2022

Busters biggest challenge so far. Walking n being passengered by children. As a rehab, he has specific triggers. They are manageable now w so much work. But outside those triggers he is firmly secure w his behaviour. It was good to see how comfortable he was, but I didn’t leave his side once. Bless.

07/08/2022

When we’re out hacking, we look for opportunities to help the horses learn. In particular, to relax under pressure. Here jack is sampling the cow cake. We’ve not hung out w cattle for a while so it was a good passive 5 mins. The other two filled their faces and relaxed… the goal! We need to do this because next week we’ll be moving cattle.

26/07/2022

Apple, once an orphan foal, loves a bit of fun. The more and weirder the more he loves it.

Here at the Shaftesbury fringe. With pocohontas and her racoon…

10/07/2022

Perfect. The goal was balanced (him looking after his own energy), calm (staying w my energy) and straight (respecting my space and boundaries).
Not easy for a young horse at his second show. We stopped after this and after scratches meandered back to the box and home. Nice.

10/07/2022

Banners first jump. He touched a pile n spooked himself, and then further spooked himself with his own energy. Instead of pulling him back to me, I loosened the rope a little and disengaged his quarters to help him let go some energy and keep connected w me. He needed a friend in that moment not a bossy person pulling on his nose. The next vid is the next effort.

04/07/2022

Skip used to rear a lot! When he first arrived to me (cheap funnily enough), he’d come from a well known event yard and was their bad boy throw out. Once he’d been sold for £100k, but a career of pressure had blown his brains. He properly reared, wouldn’t turn left, couldn’t be hacked out or even walked around the fields, and would do 7.5 (exactly) circuits of the arena before doing his circus ninja moves. It took me a full month to get him to turn left with reliability under pressure (that needed work after every holiday too), and after I promised him I’d never ever ride him in an arena again, I took him hunting where he proved to be one of the best horses in any smart and serious jumping pack- I know I tried most with him. He was put down last year in the field - broke a leg - he was a ‘live by the sword, die by the sword ‘ fella. Mainly because he was neurotic, probably due to bad weaning. I loved him fiercely and we had a wonderful partnership. I came to know his rears well and could get him to do them as a party trick. He was a superstar. I have a clump of his mane on the fridge.

04/07/2022

One of my favourite ponies. Silver was 3 when I took her on. A year younger than my daughter. I spent a year desensiting her, to small childrens chaos, and broke her to drive, she was a treasure and people still ask me where she is now, 7 years on. I made a huge mistake not buying her…!

01/07/2022

Baby Banner is teaching himself to wear stuff. We’re taking it very slow and enjoying taking the time to build trust. He had his nuts off recently so quite nervy. We’re following the Warwick Schiller relationship building principles.

25/06/2022

7 years ago, and Evie was 3, we used to ride a lot like this. This was up in the welsh hills near Hay on Wye, we’re riding the glorious Da**ie, a friends old chap. Sharing the view with your beloved like this is heaven; meandering, cuddles, and no effort. Can it be bettered? This pic always makes me smile.

25/06/2022

Taking on a well known ‘basket case’ is a big responsibility. Busters rearing is far more strategic now and fairly straightforward to handle now he has more skills to move and he can consistently anticipate where to find release (not in the air). Now, when he triggers, we can work together to get him sideways and disengage, rather than up, in engagement. I adore him. We’ve worked hard on our relationship, and my skills of micro-reading him is much better. Here he is hacking out, leading the way, getting used to new environments. Love him.

28/05/2022

Emergency leading training went well - assisted by milk bottle bribery. When I say I’m getting lambs next year, pls show me my previous post. My car stinks like a drunk tank…

28/05/2022

From cutees to thugs… 8 weeks

28/05/2022

You can never have too many pet lambs… every year I think this, every year I start w a passenger footwell of small cute lambs, every year I end up w a car that stinks of poo, wee, and it’s smeared in the oddest of places… on top of the gear stick! For gods sake! Then there’s the nibbled books, chewed phone chargers, eaten important receipts…

23/05/2022

You legend Apple. Not driven for three years and straight in, no sweat! Practicing for our event n comedy act at the Shaftesbury fringe festival. We were unofficial taxi three years ago…

23/05/2022

Everybody got in! *****me !

23/05/2022

Buster getting going w his confidence again. We have worked so hard on him trusting us, setting v low goals, and helping him bend and move all four feet when he’s stressed, that now the ninja moves have completely stopped and he’s a rockstar. There is a way to go but I’m thrilled w him.

08/05/2022

Excellent post… well worth a minute to read it

I DON’T KNOW YOUR HORSE…
…But I do know horses. Here are a few things I’ve learned that should help most horses, most of the time, with whatever problem you may be having.

DO LESS:
Whatever it is, just do less. Expect less. React less. Use less strength. Less contact. Less pressure down the rein/rope. Less pressure from the leg. Less driving from the seat. Less noise…

GIVE MORE:
More patience. More time. More benefit of the doubt. More rest breaks. More reward. More still. More quiet. More variety. More length to the neck…

DITCH YOUR EGO & LET STUFF SLIDE:
Your horse isn’t trying to get one over on you, (or if he is, ask yourself why he feels the need to). What you think is naughty behaviour is usually just an attempt to communicate something: Discomfort, distrust, uncertainty, anxiety, fear, none of which require ‘telling off’…

COUNT TO TEN:
Be in control of your own emotions before you try and control your horse’s emotions. Once you let your emotions change, the whole dialogue upon which your training is based, changes…

IT TAKES TWO TO ARGUE:
So rather than asking for something that goes against your horse, start by asking for things you’re already pretty sure the horse is going to give, and go from there. (This one takes a little figuring out but is totally worth it!) N.B.: Common sense required!…

EVERYTHING IS MADE UP OF THE BASICS:
More advanced work is simply an arrangement of the basics taken care of simultaneously…

NEVER DISCOUNT PAIN:
You can never truly ‘rule out pain’ as a cause of unwanted behaviour. No matter how much money you spend, or how good your vet is…

REST DAYS ARE AS IMPORTANT AS TRAINING DAYS: Overtraining can be just as damaging as under preparing. Horses only have so many jumps/steps in them - use them sparingly…

BREAK IT DOWN:
Most issues can be solved by taking a step back, breaking the issue down into smaller chunks, and taking care of those chunks one by one…

TAKE YOUR TIME:
You’ll get there much quicker if you do. Cutting a corner will only come back to bite you in the ass sooner or later…

ONE FINAL THING…
Horse training is subject to the same laws of physics as everything else. You can’t argue with either anatomy or physics, no matter how many medals you’ve won. Train with this in mind, because there isn’t a single instance where an unyielding or strong rein contact will benefit your training, or your horse…

23/04/2022

Piccolo back in the field and continuing with his ‘love up’ training. Mark is using a whistle trigger and food reward to try and reduce his anxiety and it’s working. He’s like a dog now and is starting to step forward to people who step forward to him. Patience is key. Thanks to for his podcasts and mentoring!

11/03/2022

The time when we ferried performers around town in the festival. Such a laugh. Apple seemed to revel in the total chaos including xtinction rebellion March w silver band and 10 ft high pink dinosaur….

25/02/2022

Piccy visits the beach. I thought some visiting the new forest sights would help him get some zen in his life… but mainly he needs more careful exposure. Tho terribly ear shy and frightened of humans 50% of the time still, he’s really bold to walk out.

15/02/2022

I loved doing this shoot. Think I even ironed the shirt!

Celebrating 20 years of "Jillaroo"!

In the world of book publishing whole creative teams decide on book covers, but in 2002, as an unknown, newbie author, Penguin Books Australia entrusted me to organise a photo shoot. They had nothing to lose - so with talented photographer Bill Bachman, we headed to a friend, Chris Stoney, in the High Country near Mansfield, Vic. My aim was to capture authentic people and animals in an iconic landscape. We country folk know a good working dog and working horse when we see one, right? We were so lucky to find accomplished English horsewoman, Rachel Parsons working with the cattle and horses with Chris at the time, and the rest is history... this iconic cover was born. A generous cover quote from Lee Kernaghan gave the book final touch that it needed... an endorsement that this was a book written by a country person for country people... it's been a bonus our friends in the city could relate and step into our world via the pages of 'Jillaroo'.

Thank you to all who set sail with me on this incredible journey in publishing. I am in deep gratitude for the part you have played in helping me bring my stories to life.

07/02/2022

Good memories. I’ve trail hunted for quite a lot of my riding life. Ten years ago I had some amazing days w the Cattistock. This was after a fast run, where we’d gone through a tunnel and jumped a straight gate uphill. Not my favourite fence. I’m sure this was a hip flask moment!

06/02/2022

Mooney gets used to lots of strange shaped things at home, so he’s v relaxed here. I make sure I stand in the side w the most pressure (visual/energy/noise/movement) so he can move away safely if needs be. Here the most energy is the sea, but he’s been here quite a bit for picnics and wild playing feral kids at sunset, so the board is more interesting.

05/02/2022

I used to know horses competing at 3DE level that couldn’t cope w the fuss that this 4 year old starter can. I’m sure part of the official manual of horsemanship should include having a young horse started in a family, with dogs and random pets, with wild play n ride on tractors. Mostly outside where the horse is tied up. Observational learning mostly…

03/02/2022

Here’s one of my favourite little horses. Marvellous Margaret. Came to me as a driving horse and left as a great all rounder family pony, having done a huge amount of training for different situations. She’s now living up near wales on a magical farm with 5 girls. Heaven.

30/01/2022

You know when you’ve got the level of your desensitisation and sensitisation work right when your starter dies the school run n nails it. This NF pony is so cool. And so is his 20 year old nanny!

29/01/2022

Good ponies are “like rocking horse sh*t!”

25/01/2022

Starting young horses can be fine so many ways. There are wrongs and rights. But the most important are to goal set really carefully, teach one thing at a time, and make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. And be careful to desentitise and sensitise the right things. Moo is enjoying learning about new environments, getting less stuck on his feet in stress moments, and sunsets.

25/01/2022

Seems a while back now, modelling for this book cover for lovely RT’s first book. Fun days on my gorgeous old horse.

When Jillaroo was being edited by Penguin Books Australia 20 years ago, I didn't realise I was placing "rural speak" onto the editor's desk... and bringing our rural culture to the fore.

As we celebrate 20 years of Jillaroo being in the world, here's the galley pages, the draft cover and the word spelling check list... words like; polypipe, ring-lock, saddlebag and sh*tfaced. Classic farmer-speak.

It's facinating how language evolves, and merges with other languages. Twenty years on I love how our Mount Wellington has been recovered as kunanyi and we now have Aussie books called Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray. (Thanks Anita Heiss)

In my heart I hope times haven't just changed... but also humans are evolving. It's my belief that if we are to heal what we've collectively done to our landscape and societies in the past, we need to spread more words of love and landscape via story.

So get writing... the journey from idea to book to publication is long and challenging... but if we can change mindsets via story, we can reshape our Earth for a better future.

12/01/2022

Always take time to centre yourself and breathe before you go to your horse. Bring in your best place, not the ruffled, stressed you, is key to allowing him to trust and accept your leadership. Get good at it and it might only take 30 seconds. It will pay off 10 times over.

05/01/2022

It looks like we’re riding thru the sky. I love our quiet evening rides.
Long reins, relaxed vibes, taking time to let the horses stretch their legs and enjoy their movement without any hurry.

02/01/2022

Piccolo the rescue pony with extreme ear-shyness (we think he was ear-twitched) starts his next step in life. Once he trusts his handler, and if his triggers are avoided, he’s a bright, breezy, confident chap. But it might take months or years to get him ear-gentle. Evie shows how to hold him with ‘a smile in the line’.

31/12/2021

Truly perfect kids ponies are fun to make and almost impossible to find. Shadow was pretty perfect already for us, and had a fan club in tow. Sadly more people don’t use groundwork and desensitisation training on more ponies. It would make life so much easier for pony and child if they did. I’ll post more pics n vid of some other ponies I’ve bought on over the years here soon.

27/12/2021

Amber does a wonderful job desensitising Piccolo - the wild little Welshie at Coetir Back, home to my great friend Joanna Lowes. Piccolo has had very little handling and you'll notice him throwing up his head but not moving his feet. Whilst accepting Mr Trousers is a good start, he needs much more focus on staying gentle and moving - the next step - to avoid further problems later on.

27/12/2021

Apple is a useful hack and this photo shows my (at the time) 4 year old daughter riding him on a day ride, out in the hills. He's far too big for her to control with pain and fear, so it's critical that he is gentle and calm at all times.
Apple struggles with some separation anxiety at higher speeds, so my job as the 'facilitator' of the two of them, is to make sure we stay in steady walk/trot speeds.

27/12/2021

Apple is trained to be a super safe hack. Here he is enjoying some umbrella time. We spent over 2 hours in the previous weeks desensitising him so that we can ride with the umbrella out.
Obviously there's not a great need to ride with the umbrella, but there is a great need for him to deal with plastic bags in strange places out hacking. In his language this means flappy things above him, around him, and in various speeds (or "adrenalin levels). And this is what umbrella training is for.