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.

What an interesting day! We watched a very experienced water diviner at work and dreamy lead him right to the point wher...
13/10/2025

What an interesting day! We watched a very experienced water diviner at work and dreamy lead him right to the point where two water veins cross. Apparently a strong electromagnetic field. As I told him that the horses like to sleep in exactly that spot, he said it’s very common for animals to seek out a sleeping spot on top of such electromagnetic fields over water veins. He has seen many different farms with sheep who do exactly that. He reckons that the animals recharge and soak up the earth’s energy on these areas 💗

All our clients horses have been doing phenomenally. Tulsi is ready to go home - lovely balance and strong back/ hindqua...
08/10/2025

All our clients horses have been doing phenomenally. Tulsi is ready to go home - lovely balance and strong back/ hindquarters.
Dreamy, the thoroughbred with anxiety issues has been so consistently calm and relaxed in all life situations.
Jewlray has settled into our herd, and Freya, the little rescue mare is the most clever little soul!

Why do some horses panic, bolt, kick out, or buck in the canter transition or in the canter itself?There is a mental, an...
01/10/2025

Why do some horses panic, bolt, kick out, or buck in the canter transition or in the canter itself?
There is a mental, an emotional and a physical side to this issue.
Lets start with the mental and emotional side: when and why do horses canter in nature? Horses move almost 22 hours a day, grazing slowly forward in a walk. When they spook or play there is short bursts of trots and canters. Often they also trot or canter to their water sources and back to the grazing site again.
When they canter because of a spook, there is tension throughout the whole horse- stiff neck, head held high, back hollowed, tail tucked in. Not the kind of canter you wish for when you ride! However, most horses I meet have been working in a 'Fight or flight' mindset their whole lives. Especially if dominance based training methods come into play- the horses do not trust the rider, they do not relax and changing into a canter stride must be the signal to flee then!

Horses cantering when they play with each other is already a much more pleasant sight. They often want to impress each other and therefore move big and beautiful. They arch their necks and move proudly. Their brains are in an open frame. This is the kind of mentality and emotion I would desire for the canter with me on top. We just need to make sure it does not get too excited by staying calm, breathing slowly and having no wild images in our head...

Lastly there is a huge physical aspect to issues in the canter transition: Horses naturally move in rather straight lines. In the case of going on a half circle in a canter, they would naturally shift their weight onto the inside shoulder, and bend their neck towards the outside. The head would also be tilted to the outside. This all aids the purpose of fast and safe flight. All opposite of what we desire when we ride! We have to teach horses how to use their bodies differently. We need to mobilise their shoulders, back and hips. We need to straighten their natural crookedness. We need to build strength and shift weight onto the hindquarters and bending the haunches. First, all of this needs to happen without the riders weight. Only if the horse can balance itself perfectly at liberty, it will be able to accomodate the rider too.
So overall we need to take two major steps in the training for a great canter transition and a collected calm canter itself- we need to establish a trustful relationship, in which canter is play and not flight, as well as establishing the physical requirements necessary to meet our demands.

30/09/2025

Beautiful dreamy is preparing for her departure. From a complete non- loader to a I just- calmly- walk in- loader ; without training?!
What changed?
She no longer lives in survival mode (fight, flight, freeze), she gained so much self confidence, developed a concentration span and endless trust into the human 🙏🏻💗

30/09/2025

Beautiful dreamy is preparing for her departure. From an absolute non-loader to a relaxed- I just- walk in- loader without any training!
What changed? She is no longer living in survival state (fight, flight, freeze mode), she gained self confidence, concentration span and endless trust into us 🙏🏻💗

30/09/2025

Have you seen these bombproof horses which seem to tolerate anything and everything without even blinking an eye? The correct scientific term for a shutdown horse is “learned helplessness”. This happens when a horse experiences prolonged or intense fear. Pain or confusion lead to neural pathways being temporarily disrupted and the horse becomes non responsive to stimuli altogether. To read more about these signs
➡️ https://horsetalksa.co.za/latest-newsletter/

Trust grows when you are trustworthy… it requires communication at eye level. Learn how your horse thinks, feels and spe...
24/09/2025

Trust grows when you are trustworthy… it requires communication at eye level. Learn how your horse thinks, feels and speaks. Listen and tune into the silent language.
We travel to your yard or come do sessions here in our indoor arena in Gordon’s bay, with your own or one of our horses 🐴

Horses can hear your heartbeat from 4 feet away, they can smell adrenaline and cortisol; what you’ve eaten and if you pe...
15/09/2025

Horses can hear your heartbeat from 4 feet away, they can smell adrenaline and cortisol; what you’ve eaten and if you petted a dog- but most importantly they can read your inner pictures and sense your emotions.
There’s no hiding your true identity from a horse!
If you are wearing a mask- you will run into trouble with horses sooner or later.
If your words and your inner intentions dont match, you are lying ! The horses cannot trust someone who is lying.
The horses can teach us how to become authentic again- so that our smell, heartbeat, appearance and inner pictures all match up.

All of our clients horses that are here for backing/ rehab/ or schooling are doing super well 🥰 today we also welcomed a...
04/09/2025

All of our clients horses that are here for backing/ rehab/ or schooling are doing super well 🥰 today we also welcomed a new rescue mare - can’t wait to observe her transform in body and mind! Ulcer treatment is underway and slowly going to feed her back to a beautiful body.

I love horses. They’re always honest and the biggest challenge for us humans is to get out of predator mode and into her...
03/09/2025

I love horses. They’re always honest and the biggest challenge for us humans is to get out of predator mode and into herbivore mode.
Dogs are so much more similar to our way of thinking, but horses need us to be a better version of ourselves

Ask yourself- which pill would you choose?Do you want your horse to do anything you wish for? All the tricks, win any sh...
30/08/2025

Ask yourself- which pill would you choose?

Do you want your horse to do anything you wish for? All the tricks, win any show, be the best hacking horse etc?

Or would you prefer to talk with your horse? To have a two way communication line? To listen, to accept, to understand and to explain?

I have met countless clients with their horses over the years. Most of them see themselves as absolute horse lovers and people that would do anything for their horses.
But when it comes down to the hard truth- they choose to be blind, sell the horse quickly, or go trainer hopping until someone says what they want to hear and not what they need to hear for the good of the horse.

It all boils down to people excepting their horses to offer them some kind of pleasure. The competition horse that is shipped all over the country , as much as the happy hack that is expected to carry you for miles and miles in a cheap unfitted saddle and barefoot on a low cost diet.
Where does this expectation come from? Because you spend a ton of money on having your horse? Is that why they need to perform?
Do they need to make you look good and likeable? Do you need to feel in power over someone else?
Is your 30 minute ride really so enjoyable if you would look your horse in the eye while you’re having fun?

I used to think that body language is the language of the horse, easily learned through various methods and used to be the lead horse.

However i have learned that true communication is so much more!!! The wisdom of our animals in enormous and unmatched. Once you tune in, you will realise what you are missing out on if you choose the pill on the left hand side..

Address

Gordonsbaai
6670

Telephone

+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.”