Heartfelt Horsemanship

14/11/2025

"You can trot and cry at the same time!"

This might be an unpopular opinion, but just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Do you know why I think this ' joke' is unhelpful?
It's not actually a joke. This happens to be some instructors strategy for ' teaching the trot'. Sometimes people might stumble on some success through this, but I wouldn't call it teaching, and the horse suffers through it. Humans get to choose whether to subject themselves to this torture, horses don't..
This and the 'No stirrup November' craze (which has, thankfully , quietened down) cause horses great discomfort.
I realize that some of the people trotting and crying already know how to trot, and are trying to develop a balanced, cadanced trot from the horse. This can, in fact, be developed through a thoughtful groundwork program. Not mindless lungeing, but solid communication with conditioned cue to reinforce the desired movement. This way the horse doesn't have to be bounced on until it figures out what is expected of it.
Much of the time that uncadenced trot is the result of anxiety or lack of fitness, or both. If it's fitness, developing a baseline on the ground and gradually transferring it to ridden is far kinder than pushing a horse past their current capacity. If it's anxiety it needs to be addressed on the ground too!
When it comes to a rider learning to trot, I find it best to work on a few strides at. time and grow from there.
Yes, that takes longer. Yes, your student that wants to be riding a jumping show by the end of their first months lessons might leave if they aren't trotting circles by the end of their first lesson. That still doesn't justify putting your horse through the bouncing sack of potatoes ' trot until you cry' routine.
I have spoken to a number of friends who instruct about this, and other riding school phenomena, and the motivation is often honorable. They want to keep students to show them the right way, so they don't end up at one of the ' production line' riding schools.
The thing is, there has to be. line in the sand for the things we are willing to do for the sake of the horse. If we compromise just to keep students, pretty soon you become the same as those ' other riding schools' you were trying to save them from.

12/11/2025

Celebratory bucks.
I don't believe in celebratory bucks, because I don't have bucks show up under saddle very often.
I don't punish bucks, or buck a horse out. I don't use restrictive techniques to prevent a horse from bucking, and I definitely don't use oppresive gadgetry. A buck is feedback that needs to be addressed,bnot repressed.

I still don't have bucks come up with any regularity. This photo was one of the three times I rode a buck over the last 5 years. Remeber my job is to start young horses, and work with troubled horses. Lots of them. It wasn't a celebratory buck. This moment wasn't from pain or anxiety either, but the other bucks I experienced were. All three were, however, the results of an error on my part.
I would say the most common reason I see for horses bucking is anxiety, but that doesn't mean it is the most common reason. Before I work with a horse with bucking issues, I ask owners to provide a clear vet and physio report. This means that I don't end up seeing as many of the pain related cases, as they are identified before I am needed. Pain may be the cause for bucking just as often as anxiety is. Saddle fit, injury or chronic pain.
Anxiety is the overwhelming cause for bucking that I see, but it is wide ranging. A horse may buck when it gets scared and can't get away from a rider holding them in, but it can also get anxious when it doesn't understand what is being asked of it.
For example, a cue for an canter transition. Kicking, or whipping to get the canter is not a communication, it is a forceful manipulation. A horse might stumble on the right answer and canter to get away from that force, but often they will get anxious about it and buck.
So, an anxious horse trying to get away, but being held, or an anxious horse not wanting to go, but being forced to,
might buck.
So what is the other reason? Like the horse in this photo. This guy used to struggle to take a united canter, and would buck to 'organize his legs'.
It is something I usually address on the ground, with exercises to help prepare for the canter depart. I am working on some videos on these exercises for my Patreon page, but it's obviously not in the scope of this article.
On this occasion I had a great photographer on hand and she asked me to canter. I knew I hadn't worked on this youngsters canter depart enough, but wisdom left the building, and I did it anyway. The smile was not glee at riding a buck, it was me laughing at my own stupidity.
It is usually around this point in the discussion about celebratory bucks that someone points out that horses run and buck from excitement when loose in their fields.
They do, and there is a function of this behavior.
If you have even seen. group of horses turned into a new pasture, you would have seen the run, kick and buck as they cover the entire area in a few seconds. They are in a heightened state, and this practice is designed to flush predators from long grass, while the herd is in a heightened state of alert.
I don't want to be riding a horse in that mental state. There have been studies on how often equestrians misread anxiety as excitement in horses, and this phenomenon adds to the celebratory buck myth.
When a horse is calm and understands what is being asked of then, they don't buck with a rider. Not because I train them not to, but because they don't feel the need to.

Photo credit: Catherine Grace Jackson

10/11/2025

Thank you the Kind review Susann

'Review for Gareth Mare – Heartfelt Horsemanship
Gareth has an incredible eye for detail. Not only is he patient with his instruction, but his
communication is also clear, direct, and easy to follow. As an instructor myself, I greatly value
his depth of knowledge and professionalism—and I’ve truly enjoyed stepping into the role of
student for a change.
Over the past six months, Gareth has been immensely helpful with two of my more anxious
horses, identifying subtle areas in my own handling and riding that have transformed how I
communicate with them. His background in behavioral science adds a unique and profound
dimension to his teaching, sharpening my awareness and improving my horsemanship in ways I
didn’t expect.
Don’t overlook Gareth simply because many of his lessons are conducted online. With just a
good laptop, camera, internet connection, and a suitable space to work your horse, you can
benefit from his expertise no matter where you are. I’m very glad I took that step—and so are
my horses.'

10/11/2025

The best results I get are very rarely achieved by mybwork alone.. Consistency requires the horses person puts in the work between lessons and sessions..
Megan and Thunder are a great example of this!

When emotional builds the physical.
I am so proud of and her big red off the track thoroughbred.
Thunder had a fair amount of anxiety at the trot, and not surprisingly this translated to an even more anxious canter that was sometimes littered with bucks and the occasional bolt.
I am using her as an example here but I didn't do the training of her horse, she did.
When she started, Thunder would trot like a camel on crack. She has stuck to addressing his anxiety rather than using ANY gadgets that hide that anxiety and trap a horse in a shape.
He now moves beautifully and relaxed, as long as he can physically hold it.
This is something I have noticed with people using gadgets to get a horses' head out the air. You may get a physical change, but tying a horses nose out the air only masks the issue. Whether that issue is pain or anxiety, we don't solve it by hiding it.
It would be like driving over someone's toe and shoving a sock in their mouth so they can't scream and saying "see it doesn't hurt".
With Thunder, this has meant the world to him. As he's understood each step, and that he was considered in the process, and seen, he got more and more relaxed. And as he got more relaxed he offered more physically.
Well done Megan!

08/11/2025

Worth another share

Neurochemistry and the connection juice.

I posted a video a few days ago of a horse that I felt had a neurochemical imbalance. So many people had great questions.
I figured I should try address some of them.
Firstly, before we even get deep into this topic let's make something clear. Medicating a neurochemical imbalance in horses is a BAD idea.
Neurochemical imbalances in horses are, predominantly, caused by domestication and human interaction.
Deciding to drug a horse with something, like oxytocin, because they don't get herd turn out, or are exposed to fearful training methods, will not address the imbalance.
When dopamine, oxytocin or serotonin is artificially introduced to the body, the body produces less on it's own. This is why people can't cold quit antidepressants.
Secondly, blood tests are highly ineffective to assess neurochemical balance in horses. If a horse is stressed when the blood test is taken it will show up as having high adrenaline group neurochemistry. This won't mean the horse always has too much adrenaline.
So, how do we know?
There are, luckily, well studied stress indicators that show us horses are stressed or relaxed. If an animal shows signs of stress more than signs of relaxation, they are neurochemically imbalanced. They aren't' just an anxious type". That is not a natural state for horses outside of domestication.
What do we do about it?
The first step is making sure horses have turn out with herd mates.
Mutual grooming releases oxytocin and dopamine. Seeing other horses over fences doesn't.
Every time you see a crib-biter or a wind-sucker, you are looking at an animal with a neurochemical imbalance trying to trigger oxytocin and dopamine without herd mates.
The difficulty is that once a horse has been kept isolated for extended periods, they have social difficulty being added back to herds. When you add a neurchemical imbalance they often don't simply return to normal once they have access to their basic needs.
This has become an area of interest for me. So much so that I did a CPD certificate in Neurochemistry. For humans, I couldn't find one on horses. Working on keeping a horse relaxed during" training" goes a long way to adjusting neurochemistry, but there are also exercises that simulate mutual grooming, and help horses adjust their neurochemistry.
There are no shortcuts, or magic pills or supplements. We need to prevent the imbalance to start with. If they already have the imbalance, there are ways to help.
Some people asked about studies to read on the topic, and sadly, there isn't much directly related to equine neurochemistry.
We do have resources on other mammals, and how gregarious (animals that live in groups) species trigger oxytocin through mutual grooming. Since horses are gregarious in nature, this information is easily adapted to horses.
The big adaption is that we ride horses. Them having an imbalanced neurochemistry which leans to adrenaline group of chemicals, puts us in a dangerous situation.

06/11/2025

My metabolic horses
I wanted to share my experience with metabolic genetic disorders.


I have 4 horses with PSSM type 1 in my care.

What is PSSM?
PolySacharide Storage Myopathy is a genetic disorder which affects how horses store glycogen. There are a number of variants that affect horses differently.

Symptoms of a PSSM type 1 ' attack' include:
Muscle stiffness
Tying up
Excessive sweating
Reluctance to move
Shifting lameness
Tremors along the flanks

One of my PSSM positive horses has been with me for 12 years, and turns 20 this year. He has won multiple National championships in ridden classes, and has yet to present an obvious symptom/attack. We know about his status through genetic testing required by breed societies.
His son is also PSSM positive and has also had no symptoms/attacks.
One mare is only 5 and is just starting her riding career, she has also never had an episode.
The other gelding was stabled for 12 hours. day before coming to me, and developed ulcers. Since being with me he has shown no symptoms of PSSM and his riding is coming along nicely.
Does that mean that the PSSM type 1 is a non-issue? I feel PSSM type 1, which is the only variant I have direct experience of, is like a massive highlighter to issues with how we, as an industry manage horses.
The reason I don't have symptoms show up in my herd is not because I manage them differently to the other horses in my care, but because of how I manage all horses.
All my horses live out 24)7, year round, in a herd setting with large spacious paddocks. There are some grasses in their paddocks that aren't ideal, but they are mixed with natural uncultivated wild grasses. Most importantly, the horses move. They move often and cover ground.
We don't have a track system, because with the low-nutrition wild grasses they would lose too much weight having grass restricted in any way. They do have to walk from water source to the various different grass areas. Nature does a good job of making them move. As the horses graze and area the grass gets stressed and releases pheromones which make it less palatable. The horses move to a different grazing spot until that grass ' sours'.
I feed concentrated ' hard feed' to supplement protein, vitamins and minerals, but I avoid feed with high sugars. Too often people hear sugar and think molasses, but with horse nutrition we are actually talking about Non- Structural Carbohydrates ( NSC's). Molasses IS a NSC, but so is corn/maize and oats i(ncluding oat hay).
The feed I choose for my herd has. low molasses content and is grain free.
When it comea to riding and 'training' my approach to all horses is helpful for PSSM positive horses.
Physical fitness is developed slowly, while emotional fitness is prioritized. The herd have a baseline fitness from living out with other horses, but carrying a rider requires a different kind of fitness. One of the symptoms of PSSM is ' exercise resistance', where horses have tying up episodes after being exposed to physical exertion. This is where, I believe, conventional training programs do damage to any horse, but PSSM horses show clear veterinary issues.
Taking a horse from doing nothing and making it run for 20 minutes without preparing it causes fatigue. Adding a rider to that horses and having them run, jump, spin and contort into fancy " shapes' is an unfair expectation on any horse if we don't gradually increase their workload, allowing them to build strength and fitness.
I see PSSM type 1 as the ' canary in the mind shaft" pointing out whats wrong in the way we keep and train horses.
PSSM is genetic and has a 50% chance of passing down to offspring. My old man produced and incredible PSSM negative son, who did very well in the showring, and the PSSM positive son, among his progeny. I would, personally, be happy to breed a PSSM horse to clear horse amd risk the 50% chance of PSSM in progeny, BUT if I the resulting foal was positive, they would never leave my care. I don't want any of the horses in my care moving to the possibility of conventional set ups, but a PSSM horse in a conventional set up, with conventional methods, will live a tortured life. I would make the hard decision to PTS before they ever left my care.
I realize that some people will be reading this for ideas on how to manage their metabolic horses, and don't have the option of hectares of mountain range to graze their horses on. I do recommend finding a well managed track livery. I would never stable a PSSM type 1 horse. Even for stall rest from an injury.
When I take horses to shows, I try have outside pens rather than stables. Butbif I need to stable I make sure they gonfor walks out every few hours.. I feel that applies to most metabolic horses. Movement is critical. On the flipside, turn-out in smaller, pasture grass paddocks, where the horses moves a few steps at a time to get to water etc. Can also be problematic. This isn't something unique to horses with genetic ' disorders', many horses develop health issues in those settings. As a standard, the way we keep horses is in need of an urgent overhaul.

05/11/2025

I think I have hit my breaking point with racing.
I have friends in the industry and for years these friends have kept me fighting go change, one heart and mind at a time. They are good people who love horses.
They do it right.

If there are people doing it right, there is hope. Isn't there?

Racing had an opportunity to stand up for whats right at he Melbourne cup. When the winning horse had blood pouring out of it's mouth they could have disqualified the jockey amd sanctioned all involved.
Instead they paraded his blood as a celebration of abuse.
A few good eggs mixed in with the rotten masses will still give you Salmonella!
The good guys can't fix that the structures of the industry supported and applauded this abuse.
I know this opinion puts me in the firing line. I have to say it anyway.
I am starting to lean in the direction of PETA. The racing authorities have had ample opportunity for real reform.
They crow about being the ' most regulated sport in the equine industry' but those regulations be nothing to stop the blood flow.
I am raw and angry, so I might respond emotionally, with the exaggerated false equivalency you normally see from those defending racing.
Being the most regulated sport in the industry, and having a prestigious event won by a jockey that drew blood, is like saying slavery is okay, as long as we regulate it. Those regulations might be something like : you can only whip your slave 6 times a day, and you can't use razor wire to whip them.. Only the standard cat-o-nine tails.

There was no clearer metaphor for what is happening in the racing industry than that scene in the winners circle. They displayed the blood on their hands with pride.

I don't know if that level of disdain for the rights of the equines they make their millions from can be reformed.
For the first time in my life with horses, I have lost all faith in the racing industry making real welfare changes

31/10/2025

The eBook version of my book is available for download!
When I first shared the story of Ziyo the Zen Zebra, and Sangoma, the wild horse, and the story of how I went from Corporate bootlicker to ethical horsemanship, people said I should write a book...
I rolled my eyes.. Who wants to read a story about me.. I am not famous, or profound.. But after the eleventy thousandth request I started writing in every free moment ( free moments are like unicorns when you work with horses) ..
Now I am very excited for people to read these stories.. And share the lessons I learned from them.
Not in a preachy scripted method-based approach, but in stories people can apply in whichever way resonates with them.
I ma currently resisting the idea if releasing through Amazon, and want to properly self publish.. It takes some capital, so we are releasing the eBook to aide finds for the print version Self-publishing.
The link is in the comments and in this pages Bio!

18/10/2025

Silver linings

I haven't traveled out of South Africa, or even KZN, since I was diagnosed with Cirhossis in March. Required lifestyle changes included reducing travel.
It hit me hard.
So much of my identity has been wrapped up in travelling and helping horses and their people.
It was also an enormous sucker punch financially.
Horse trainers ( or interspecies relationship counsellors, as I prefer to be called) barely scrape by on good months, let alone have a ' rainy day fund.
BUT..
Last night I taught in Washington state, USA, Today I will teach in North Carolina USA.
Tomorrow I will recover from the jetlag( 😂😂😂).. But Monday I teach in Germany.
Tuesday it's Scotland..
Wednesday it's Namibia
Thursdays a big day.. UK, then Germany..
Then Friday back to the US..

All without ever leaving KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

I have long said the best part of travel is getting to know people from around the world.. I still get this part, without ever having to run through an airport for a connection flight, or deal with airport security.. And some amazing views too!

Thank you to all you amazing people that have supported this change..
I do still have space for more one on one video coaching clients.. Drop a comment or a PM if you are keen..

08/10/2025

Let me reintroduce myself.

In a number of comments people referred to the author of Heartfelt Horsemanship posts as "she".. So here goes..

My name is Gareth Mare' and I am from South Africa.
I call myself an Animal Behaviorist but it's not all science and behavior, so "interspecies relationship counsellor" may be a better description.
My first fall off a horse, as a kid, sent me down a path of questioning what we accept as normal in the horse world.
It was off a horse I had grown up with. He loved me as much as I loved him and would seek me out as we wandered around the farm.
How could this horse want to hurt me?

I have learned a lot over the decades since, looking outside of an industry that accepts dangerous falls as par for the course.

I studied Animal Sciences, Zoology, Ethology, Wildlife management, Equine Psychology and CPD courses in Psychology and Neurochemistry.
I spent time with wilde herds, and wildlife..

All of this has me believe that the safety statistics of equine sports don't need to be the horror story they currently are.
I believe with the new focus in addressing the species appropriate needs of horses, and being aware of their stress indicators, and establishing calm, fair communication with horses, there are 4 years that will start riding today that might ride well into their 90's without ever falling off a horse.

I can hear the chorus of " horses are just spooky and unpredicatible, falls are part of riding' through my phone as I type.

Based on the information I have gathered over the years, I disagree.
Horses are not intrinsically spooky.
Spooky implies that at rest they arebin constant state of vigilance looking for signs of danger. Watch a herd of horses in group turn out in large paddocks, they aren't jumping at every gust if wind, or rabbits hopping along their way.
That hyper vigilant spookiness is the result of putting horses in human situations they are not prepared for. Most of these situations are designed for human convenience with no consideration for the horse.
As for unpredictability, this is demonstrably and scientifically proven to be false. Horses exhibit clear stress indicators before entering a state of flight or fight. Equestrians have just been taught to ignore those signs and ' put on their big girl pants" since their first ever riding lesson.
If your love of riding is rooted in an adrenaline addiction, I am probably not your cup of tea, but if you are after a safe, happy and relaxed equestrian connection, based on a balancebof science, soul and sensibility... I have a Patreon account and offer one on one video consultation.
I also put out content on here and on YouTube as often as possible,
I do in-person sessions with your horse withing the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa, and welcome guests from around the world to come learn with our horses
Drop a comment, or a PM.. Or email [email protected]

29/09/2025

A couple reasons I no longer imprint foals.

For those who don't know:

Imprinting is the practice of having an animal bond to a human in the first two hours after birth.
The reason is that neuroplasticity, the brains ability to adapt, is highest during that period.

Over the years I practiced various forms of imprint training, slowly moving away from working during that first two hours. Those hours are critical for a foals bond with their mother.
Outside of those first two hours it is no longer imprint training. It is known as latency training. I still hung on to the idea of latency training as early as possible though. My motivation was the clue that I was doing it wrong.
I wanted to do it as early as possible so that the foals were easier to handle.
Or.. If we are being honest, so that I could overpower them.
I have just put up a video on my Pay 🌳On account ( you will have to decipher the hieroglyphics on that one) of a foal halter training at 5 months old. There was never a time to need to overpower the foal through that process.
So that's the ethical side of why I don't imprint, but I know some people still think this " gentle parenting" training is a load of nonsense, so let's give a practical, money-saving reason I don't do it.

It makes them more Injury prone.

Even people who think I am too soft, don't like vet bills, so let's look at how imprint training can increase your vet bills.

I noticed over the years that horses that came to me for training from certain breeders were more prone to injury. Different bloodlines, sometimes even different breeds, so there was no genetic aspect. The one common denominator was that the foals were imprinted at birth.
These were breeders who prided themselves in kind handling.
So how does imprinting affect how prone to injury a horse is?
Those first two hours are a period of super learning. Mom's don't just bond to their foals over that time, they teach them what to yield from, what is safe, and how to interact with the herd.
When humans imprint we do the opposite. The foals are touched all over and taught NOT to move from pressure. They have halters and rope introduced, or anything they might encounter in the human world. I have even heard of people introducing foals to hair clippers at imprinting to make it easier to clip later in life.
All this replaces what they SHOULD have learned from their mothers at birth.
When they grow up, they will be more likely to run into fences, poles or ditches.
They might even lack the basic horse language to know when to move from other horses. This will have them getting kicked and bitten more that other horses.
I would go as far as saying that the Thoroughbreds infamy for vet bills has more to do with imprinting, individual turn-out and other management practices than it does with any breed or genetic factors.

I know people might be wondering about what to do instead.
I will post the link to the (name that can't be said on FB) in the comments so you can see how.
It doesn't involved restraining them, hard tying or crush pens. It's about building communication, relaxation and connection.

17/09/2025

Let's have a guessing game..

Can you guess the weight of the horse, and my weight from this photo?

Yesterdays post had me thinking maybe I am wrong, and that people really can tell just from a photo.

I will tape the horse once we have some guesses.