Ibalansi Horse Center-pty ltd.

Ibalansi Horse Center-pty ltd. IBALANSI MEANS BALANCE IN ZULU. Balance is the key concept for a successful communication between horse and human. Lara Snyman studied Horse Psychology.

We establish mental, emotional and physical balance through our unique techniques at liberty.

‘Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is...
23/04/2025

‘Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having in this moment’ . Eckhart Tolle

The ecosystem of the ocean 🌊 can teach us everything we need to know:There’s fish (people) that swim fast, some swim slo...
18/04/2025

The ecosystem of the ocean 🌊 can teach us everything we need to know:

There’s fish (people) that swim fast, some swim slow, some of them float, while some actually crawl, and some use others to get around!
And that’s okay and necessary for perfect balance!

There’s fish (people) that are active at night and others during the day. There’s colourful ones which stand out, and ones that are dull to some that blend in completely with their environment.
And that’s okay and necessary for perfect balance!

There’s fish (people) that parasite on others while some create harmonious Co depending relationships and some people are completely independent.
And that’s okay and necessary for perfect balance!

There’s fish (people) that eat other fish, while some live a vegetarian lifestyle.
And that’s okay and necessary for perfect balance!

There’s fish (people) that live in monogamous partnerships while others practise different kinds of partnerships and reproduction. Some are actually one s*x and turn into another later while others have their dads carry out and look after the offspring.
And that’s okay and necessary for perfect balance!

If you remove the big predators out of the sea everything will collapse! If you remove the important coral, algae and plankton everything will collapse!

Let everyone live the way they want to and remember that all fish (people) grow faster or slower and roles change within a lifetime ♥️

Busy morning getting clients horses xrayed and finding some sources of their problems 😀 now we can help them on all leve...
17/04/2025

Busy morning getting clients horses xrayed and finding some sources of their problems 😀 now we can help them on all levels.
Please- if you get an OTTB- X-ray the back!!! If they react to palpitation tests or not means absolutely nothing. Remember your physio/ chiro/ body worker they all do not have X-ray vision..

After we establish trust and a loving connection, we guide the horses at Liberty into a conscious stretch. I see so many...
16/04/2025

After we establish trust and a loving connection, we guide the horses at Liberty into a conscious stretch.

I see so many horses forced into positions with various lungeing aids, however this will only create stiff and acidic muscles as they are not swinging loosely.

We would also miss out on the mental and emotional aspect of a conscious stretch: having the head lowered impairs the horses vision and it requires self confidence and trust into us and the environment in order to drop the head.

If there’s an emotional buildup of frustration, sadness, fear or anger, the horse will store all such emotions in the neck area, especially the poll gets hard and sore. Dropping the head and using the top line voluntarily becomes impossible!

Co creating a correct and conscious stretch with the top line working is our basis for any ridden work to come.

Quantum physics is proof that each living creature has a certain 'vibe' around them. It is invisible, but yet everyone c...
08/04/2025

Quantum physics is proof that each living creature has a certain 'vibe' around them. It is invisible, but yet everyone can pick up on someones mood without talking.
We can change and influence The vibrations and the frequency we create and have around us.
Some frequencies actually favour healing, while other vibes literally make living beings ill and sick.
At Ibalansi we strive to create a frequency in which all animals can feel absolutely safe. They are able to let their guard down and be vulnerable. We can start seeing them for who they are, and they can start seeing us as humans for who we are.
I always find the first 2 sessions with new horses the most interesting: they do not know yet who we are and that we are here to understand and help them. They are still on their more instinctive/survival side of thinking.
After the second session something truly changes: They watch the other horses at work in a session, queue up for their turn and talk openly. The reactive responses disappear and our work to bring each horse to shine has started.

"For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move gifted with extens...
05/04/2025

"For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are our brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.'
~ Henry Beston
no better way to say it- listen, watch and learn from the horses 🐴

Training horses is one thing but becoming part of the herd, - becoming a horse-, is another.Learn how to think and commu...
04/04/2025

Training horses is one thing but becoming part of the herd, - becoming a horse-, is another.
Learn how to think and communicate like horses do. Be present in the moment and receive all information that flows constantly.

Heaven or hell is not something you work and wait for in the afterlife- heaven or hell is a daily choice!You set the ton...
27/03/2025

Heaven or hell is not something you work and wait for in the afterlife- heaven or hell is a daily choice!
You set the tone for your family at home, you are in control of your reactions and actions, you are the one that can make your animals and your own life heaven or hell.
Paradise is on earth, but it requires you to see it, and re create it for every moment of your life.
There are so many people that strive on drama, on misery, on badmouthing, on feeling superior to others, on making life hell for those around them.
Choose to make life for yourself, your animals and others heaven- don’t wait for it to just happen to you

I could absolutely loose my mind when I see people throwing their horses under the bus as soon as they don’t work anymor...
25/03/2025

I could absolutely loose my mind when I see people throwing their horses under the bus as soon as they don’t work anymore for their purposes (competition, ego, riding school money machine etc), but don’t hesitate to spend huge amounts of money on a new (supposedly better?) horse.

As soon as your sport machine costs some extra money, needs rehab time physically or mentally or just isn’t as suitable or fancy as you would like it to be, you apparently stop loving this horse ?

Do we expect our dogs or children to perform for us? Do you exchange them if they don’t?

We have 7 horses- fancy ones with big monetary value, rescues and cross bred ‘average’ horses. Some of them work a lot as they love to, some only like groundwork and some just enjoy life. They all get treated the same and none are thrown under the bus, just because they’re getting old or don’t ‘function’ anymore. They’re all children to us and part of our family, our ‘herd’.

Five years ago:The longer our clients horses stay and train here, the more proud and beautiful they become 🙂 'Winter Sol...
20/03/2025

Five years ago:
The longer our clients horses stay and train here, the more proud and beautiful they become 🙂 'Winter Solstice' arrived quite a few months ago with anxiety issues. She would pace the fence all day, and panic during certain exercises on the ground or when ridden. Her canter was just a runaway and she did not respect the bitless bridle. Her physical conformation is not easy- a long back, downhill built and previous stifle injuries. All ingredients that get the horse naturally out of balance- a disaster for a flight animal. She is carrying herself better and better now; the riding is absolutely calm and easy as well as very light.

No matter the breed of horse, or the style of riding you wish to do- they all share the same mental, emotional and physi...
15/03/2025

No matter the breed of horse, or the style of riding you wish to do- they all share the same mental, emotional and physical challenges when working with us humans !
We want them to be calm, not spooky, collected and eager to be forward. All those things are hard work for the horses! They have instincts, they have a different way of seeing and hearing, as well as a completely different way of perceiving and interpreting the environment. They are super sensitive to everyone’s energies and can feel your mood and thoughts from a mile away. Yet we push them to accept and respect our fake masks 🎭 and sometimes illogical and painful ideas..

A post from four years ago, but still true! A few months ago Lori was watching the other horses have their teeth done by...
14/03/2025

A post from four years ago, but still true!
A few months ago Lori was watching the other horses have their teeth done by the dentist, and I was really stressed and worried for her first time having teeth done; but due to her observations she was calm, cooperative and content!
'Model-Rival Technique'? Read!
Besides the 'direct' work we co- create together with each horse, there is also the indirect work, which happens 24/7 at Ibalansi.

Our environment, the food, our herd and the general vibe create this indirect work.
The horses live out. No horse was designed to stay in a prison cell. Not even for the night. That is still multiple hours being confined and isolated.
Their social need cannot be met, and their legs, heart and hooves need constant movement to stay in its healthiest state.
Living out requires certain management tho: the horses go into stables twice daily for a relaxed feeding atmosphere, to receive grooming and medical care. Shelters and/or rain rugs help them stay comfortable.

Horses talk to each other all the time. What we visibly observe as body language and interaction is only the tip of the ice berg.
Whenever we work with clients horses, we do 75 % of their training time in the big field around their mates. The horses watch each others time with me and learn- in horse psychology this phenomenon is called 'Model Rival technique'.
Horse A observes horse B doing certain things and receiving something positive as a result of its behavior. This makes horse A wanna try and copy the behavior of horse B.

Here is 4 month old Warmblood filly 'Ibalansi's Lorelai' watching Thula training Piaffe.

6 weeks difference :Not in the way we train, not in the way we keep her, not in the amount or type of roughage. This is ...
12/03/2025

6 weeks difference :
Not in the way we train, not in the way we keep her, not in the amount or type of roughage.
This is the difference between changing commercial concentrate feed with OATS!

In Germany we used to feed 99 percent of the horses with oats. They were healthy, muscled and content.
I kind of forgot about the good old ways and fed my horses all kinds of high quality concentrate mixes WITH high quality supplements for minerals and vitamins.
Lori always looses her black colour through the hot summer months and we put it down due to showering her off every day and the fur burning in the sun.
She also struggled to get good muscle despite things like ‘muscle up’ and Lucerne.

I started with soaked oats and will never go back again. She is not ‘hot’ or spooky on it, neither are all the others I have switched to oats.
They have all picked up muscle, shine and are healthy and content.

Think about it, as a grazing animal, it makes sense to feed grass seeds doesnt it?

Trust…You can’t train trust via a certain method, program or with specific exercises. Trust is earned through the right ...
09/03/2025

Trust…
You can’t train trust via a certain method, program or with specific exercises.
Trust is earned through the right actions.
It starts with listening. Then understanding. Then helping the horse feel proud, safe and balanced. As the trust grows, the respect follows.
Signs of a lack of trust?
- your horse walks away when you want to fetch him
- your horse doesn’t let you groom him/ tack up without being held on a rope
- not standing for mounting
- food aggression
- ulcers
- rearing, biting, kicking, spooking, bucking…
- not loading in the trailer
- not leaving the yard for solo outrides
The list goes on…
Change this!

The best forward down (long and low) stretch and the best collected posture is when it happens from the inside out:The h...
06/03/2025

The best forward down (long and low) stretch and the best collected posture is when it happens from the inside out:
The horse feels relaxed and content throughout the mind and whole body, lifiting the back and feeling good 😊

The ‘inner eye 👁 brow riser’ - that’s the official term in horse psychology for this triangle wrinkle on a horses eye.Un...
06/03/2025

The ‘inner eye 👁 brow riser’ - that’s the official term in horse psychology for this triangle wrinkle on a horses eye.
Unfortunately we come across those worried 😟 / sad 😢 / frustrated/ depressed/ in pain eyes 👀 way too often.
We also see it reflected in the horse owner’s eyes. Who was unbalanced first? What caused this emotional buildup? How can we change and shift?
Everything starts at energy level- pain, illness, anger.. it is around before it manifests. If we listen 👂🏻 to the horses we can prevent so much heartache for them and for us!
They can help us be who we are meant to be and guide us through our lives.
First we need to stop seeing with our eyes and with the logical mind. We need to start seeing with our heart, with our animal mind.
Our animal mind has endless love and natural boundaries. There’s balance and relaxation. There’s also motivation to strive!
Don’t just ride your horse cause it makes you feel good. Look at your horse with your heart, observe closely and solve problems at energy level before accident/ illness hits!

An old photo of my horse in Germany 🇩🇪 Jumping is fun- just as much as racing, dressage and other parts of the equestria...
03/03/2025

An old photo of my horse in Germany 🇩🇪
Jumping is fun- just as much as racing, dressage and other parts of the equestrian sports are. However, the amount and the conditions make the poison.
Do it within your horses guidelines and give your horse the best life conditions it can possibly have , then our horses are very happy to do some of the work we like.

It’s such a problematic common mistake in the equine industry: every equestrian professional only looks at the horse thr...
02/03/2025

It’s such a problematic common mistake in the equine industry: every equestrian professional only looks at the horse through their specific eyes. A trainer of a certain method will only see the issue through that doctrine and try to fix the behaviour; a body worker will see the issue in the certain field of body work; a saddle fitter sees the problem in the saddle etc.
while it’s important and absolutely necessary to have the experts in each specific field of knowledge, one must remember to see the horse as a whole- everything is intertwined. Yes, the saddle may not fit; but the horse is also frustrated with the way it’s being ridden and stabled, therefore it may even have ulcers and the slightly, not 100 percent fitting saddle is only the tip of the iceberg.
Your horse may also be happy, content and comfortable with its equipment but it may be simply hungry as it’s not getting the correct nutrition and is therefore a little grumpy..
I could go on and on with examples.. the point is, that one needs to see and read the horse in its environment and it’s work as a whole unit- little adjustments might be necessary in all departments for a truly happy horse, and not just train the horse to give up talking (bombproof horses- shut down horses).

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Gordonsbaai
6670

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+27730700083

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Our Vision & Mission

IBALANSI MEANS BALANCE IN ISIZULU. Balance is the key concept for a successful communication between horses and humans.

We aim to teach a full understanding of your horses psychology, phisyology and emotions. Only by mastering the communication at eye-level, you will be truly ready to ask the horse for permission to jump onto its back. We align psychological, physical, emotional and spiritual balance within the horse, the owner and their relationship. Horse riding is a fine form of art. Our goal is to teach this art-form. We believe in soft hands, voice commands and controlling the horse with body position and energy, rather than reins and legs. Riding should be a dialouge between horse and rider. Both horse and rider has to truly trust each other. The horse needs to know that no pain will be inflicted, and the rider has to trust the horse with his life.

“Horses do speak, but only to those that know how to listen.”