South Stables Equestrian Estate

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

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

03/03/2025

Mike and Queenie, making each other sleepy 😴

As you can see she is being forced to do all of this 😉

We got Mike out to show her that she doesn’t have to kick everyone who tries to come near those back legs.

Nothing but the best for our horses.
Best approach - kindness, patience and trust ✨

14/02/2025

Happy Birthday to our gorgeous Valley-pants 🧡
Chantal OBrien de Villiers thank you for being part of our little family. Both you and Valley are so loved 🥰

22/01/2025

Why so much, so young?

The horse industries, particularly racing, have operated the same way for centuries, pushing 2- and 3-year-olds hard. But that doesn’t mean other disciplines should follow the same path.

I take a conservative stance when it comes to a horse's age.

A yearling is still a baby—let them run and play in a field.

A 2-year-old is also a baby—still best left running in a field.

At 3, a horse is still a baby, though now big enough for some handling. Forget about "futurities" or "young horse programs." If you can’t resist doing something, put a saddle on, maybe work on long-lining, and get on occasionally to make sure they don’t buck you off. But then—send them back to the field.

If all you’re doing with a 3-year-old is the basics—shots, feet, teeth, leading, just like a yearling or 2-year-old—I don’t think you’re falling behind.

At 4, they are a young adolescent. Like most adolescents, they need a job, but not a demanding one. No speed, no tight spins, no pounding work. Focus on slow, steady physical development—lots of walking, building muscle, and gaining body mass. You're still in a foundational stage.

By 5, they’re either still a baby or starting to mature, depending on the horse. Train carefully, and above all, avoid injury and stress. Don’t rush them into some performance-driven "young horse" program unless they’re an early maturing type—and even then, be cautious. Definitely avoid this at 4.

By 6, they’re ready to start becoming a "normal" horse.

I know my timeline is unconventional. Many horses are worn out or injured by age 6, 7, or 8—some even younger. They're mentally exhausted and physically broken by trainers and riders who pushed them too hard, too soon.

But if you can be patient, allowing them to grow and strengthen, those same horses can still be in their prime into their late teens or even early 20s and retire at 30.

What’s the rush? Seriously.

Written by Tamarack Hill Farm

Farmleigh Storm Connemara Pony, a late maturing breed. Aged 6 year,

11/01/2025

The minimum age any horse is fully grown is 5.5 years of age. Should we really be riding 3 year olds when their backs are not yet fully developed? 🐴 Visit our bookshop: www.elaineheneybooks.com

23/12/2024

If a horse is too expensive to risk turnout, then people don’t deserve their worth 👀

Turnout is an essential basic need of EVERY horse.

07/11/2024

SLOOOOOW DOWN!

SLOW your walking down to 1 step per second with and without your horse next to you.
SLOW your hand movements down as you touch or do things.
SLOW your talking down.
SLOW your breathing down.
SLOW your pulls and pushes down on the leadrope.

SLOW to FLOW!

Humans are WAAAAY to fast for horses and this is one of the leading causes of reactivity and opposition reflex in horses.

Speed = stress.

Let me teach you what speed does...

When the brain perceives a threat, it causes the body to release the stress response hormone cortisol. Cortisol levels and speed go hand in hand.
Cortisol provides the body with the fuel it needs to flee a scary situation or fight against it.

The thing with the mind-body relationship is that the brain feels an emotion such as fear, which create a physical response in the body, but the body can also move at a certain speed or in a particular way and create an emotion in the brain. It can be reverse engineered.

This is how special the intimate relationship is between the brain and body.

The other thing to remember is that, collectively as a social animal, when speed is noticed by another mammal (no matter the species), it alerts the unconscious brain to threat.

Speed is an alarm system in a social system (consciously and unconsciously).

If you walked down a road and everyone started running, you'd find it hard not to run even if you didn't know what the cause was. You are noticing that others are running and in a direction, so you mirror them to increase your chances of survival. You don't need the reasoning part of your brain for this. You just activated your primal (survival) part of the brain.

One other thing to remember: HORSES CAN SMELL CORTISOL. So not only does your speed act as a visual alarm system to your horse, it also acts as an olfactory one!

Would you want to interact with someone who caused you to feel constantly on alert?

These little things are the beginnings of what ripples into chronic stress in both humans and horses.
You spend enough time around someone who is fast in their movement, your nervous system will condition itself to being on high alert.
HELLO 👋 CHRONIC STRESS!!!

Slow your movement down = slow your thoughts down.
Slow your movement down = lower your cortisol.
Slow your movement down = feel connected with yourself, the world and others in it.
Slow your movement down = slow your alarm systems down and eventually they'll turn off.

Slow down so much that it is uncomfortable. It won't be uncomfortable for long, I promise 😉

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 🙂

22/09/2024

A change is as good as a holiday 👀