South Stables Equestrian Estate

09/07/2025

05/07/2025

Learn to listen!!!

If your horse is in pain, they will tell you.
You should know what to look for and listen when they speak.

If you make it out to be “bad behaviour” then YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

• Refusing to be tacked
• Dodging the bridle
• Refusing to walk to the mounting block
• Refusing to enter the arena
• Biting and kicking out when tacked
• Refusing to walk into the stable with anyone except the groom 👀
• Depressed 😔
• Lathargic 😪
• Walks away when you approach in paddock
• Rushed and pushy
• Rides “upside down” to get away from saddle

Listen Linda, listen!!! 🙄

25/06/2025

Doodle ❤️ I am unbelievably heartbroken 💔 You were my special boy. We will miss you forever! You were our first love ❤️

12/06/2025

10/05/2025

09/04/2025

If there’s one thing I wish more people understood about horses, it’s this: They’re not being difficult. Most of what they're doing is reflective of YOU.

They are giving you a RESPONSE. Not out of defiance. Not out of malice. But because they are wired - biologically, psychologically, instinctively - to respond to the world around them for survival.

So when you step into their space frustrated, disconnected, anxious, or unclear - they feel that. And they respond accordingly.

I see two things all the time…

• A spooky horse is blamed for being naughty, but the rider is nervous, stiff, and barely breathing.
• A horse is labeled stubborn because he doesn’t respond to a cue - but the cue was unclear, poorly communicated - and then the horse is punished for being lazy and unresponsive.

In both cases, the horse isn’t the problem. The human involved, however, is.

There’s a lot of incompetence in the horse world - but instead of accountability, we blame the horse.
We slap on harsher bits, louder aids, more aggressive corrections.We label them bad, lazy, rude, or stubborn… when really, they’re just confused, frightened, or overwhelmed.

Horses cannot be 'bad', they are just horses. People are either bad handlers, riders, or trainers. This seems to be a truth rarely spoken or acknowledged.

Horses literally can't manipulate. They, very simply, reflect what we bring to the conversation.

And that’s the truth people don’t like to talk about:
If your horse isn’t responding well, it might not be about them - it's actually in most cases about you.

So when something feels off in a session, pause and ask yourself:

Am I breathing deeply and feeling compassionate and optimistic?
Am I calm and grounded in my body?
Am I present - or is my mind somewhere else?
Am I feeling scared, under pressure, or frustrated?

✨ Self-awareness is the MOST underrated skill in horsemanship. The more honest we become about what we bring into the space, the more compassionate and connected we become as partners. ✨

Because it’s never about control. It’s about connection.
And that connection? It always starts with you.

14/03/2025

The horse is not here to impress you.
Not to boost your ego.
Not to obey out of fear.
Not to battle you for control.

The horse, simply, is.

It reflects who you are in this moment.
Your patience—or your frustration.
Your confidence—or your doubt.
Your kindness—or your tension.

You cannot lie to a horse.
You cannot fake trust.
You cannot demand respect—you earn it.

A horse does not speak your language, yet it understands you better than most people ever will.

And if you are willing to listen—truly listen—it will teach you everything you need to know.

About connection.
About respect.
About yourself.

That is the gift of the horse.
That is the lesson.
That is the privilege.

- Georgia Plimbley

(Tag a horse lover who needs to read this today.)

14/03/2025

14/03/2025

Horses are not humans. They don't think like you do. And here is why...

One of the BIGGEST mistakes people make with horses, is treating them like humans. Horses are vastly different from us. Your horse is NOT reasoning, plotting, or being "naughty." They aren’t “testing you” in the way a human would. They don’t think, feel, or process the world like we do. Their brains are wired COMPLETELY differently from ours.

🧠 A Horse’s Brain vs A Human’s Brain, explained...

• Survival First: A horse’s brain is built for survival, meaning their first instinct is to react, not analyze. That’s why they can spook in an instant. It’s not bad behavior, it’s biology.
• Stronger Emotional Processing: Their limbic system (emotion + memory center) is more developed than ours, making them highly sensitive to emotions and body language. They actually feel emotions stronger than we do.
• Weaker Prefrontal Cortex: Unlike us, horses don’t rationalize or plan ahead. They are not able to, as they do not have a highly developed prefrontal cortex like us. They live in the moment, relying on instincts, experience, and trust of their herd.

BOTTOM LINE: Stop applying human logic to horse behavior! They aren’t being dramatic, stubborn, or spiteful. They are responding to instincts, past experiences, and the energy you bring.

⚡ Horses Are More Sensitive to Threats Than You Think!

As prey animals, horses’ brains are designed to detect ANYTHING that could be a threat. That’s why they are incredibly sensitive to:

👉 Micro body language changes – If you tense up, they feel it.
👉 Heart rate shifts – If yours spikes, theirs does too.
👉 Tiny sounds – A small rustle to you might scream “predator” to them.
👉 Untrustworthy energy – A 2021 study found that horses can tell when a human’s actions don’t match their emotions. They can literally tell if your untrustworthy.

Think your horse is being spooky, reactive, or over-sensitive? Stop blaming them. They’re just being a horse.

👩 How human actions influence a horse:

They read human emotions like an open book.They remember past experiences, good & bad, for YEARS. They recognize your facial expressions, tone of voice, and stress levels. They rely on trust, consistency, and clarity, and are negatively affected by punishment and dominance.

WANT A BETTER HORSE? STOP thinking like a human, and START understanding how a horse’s brain actually works. And start showing up for them based on these insights and understanding.

🔹 Be calm, be clear, be consistent.
🔹 Respect their instincts instead of fighting them.
🔹 Earn their trust instead of demanding obedience.

📢 Tag a horse lover and help me share this information! Let’s spread real horse knowledge, not outdated myths! 🐎💙

08/03/2025

We often wonder how to help our horses understand their emotions, yet so many of us fail to understand our own.

The truth is, horses don’t need us to "fix" them - they need us to see them, to listen without ego, and to step into their space with sincerity, presence and authenticity.

Yet so often the opposite happens...

The nervous handler is scared, and wonders why their horse is spooky.
The entitled handler is resentful and reactive, and wonders why their horse offers them anger.

Horses mirror us, and yet are often blamed for what they reveal about us.

I've trained countless people with their horses and, every time, problems that needed solving were never really about the horse. They were about the human.

When we heal our own wounds, when we find peace within ourselves, and deep-rooted confidence and happiness; that's when our horses truly connect with us. They mirror our energy, our fears, our joys. They invite us to be present, to let go of control, and to just be.

Maybe the greatest gift we can give our horses isn’t more training, but a more healed and present version of ourselves.

✨ If this speaks to you or you've taken any value from my words, please share ✨



Photo by Flo Knoyle Photography