Chatting about: When irritation leads to intolerance…

In this episode I talk about the things we can be more aware of and the skills that we can develop to help us improve our timing when we’re working with horses that have habits of irritation to prevent it from leading to intolerance. When we meet a problem with our horses, the simple answer is always that something was too much, too soon. I talk about figuring out what was too much, too soon for Czechoff, my horse friend from Belgium, and the lessons that I learnt about feel and timing and predicting behaviors while working with his habits of irritation.

Originally aired on: September 1st, 2021

Chatting about: Working with what you have…

In this episode I talk about embracing and adapting to the situations we find ourselves in and working with what we have the best that we can. We can build trust with our horses by adapting to different situations and learning how to respond well. The more that our horses can see how we respond to various things, the better they know us. The more that we can learn to adapt our responses to each moment with good feel and timing, the deeper the trust and bond we can create.

Originally aired on: August 24th, 2021

Chatting about: The slow build of Freedom Based Training™…

In this episode I talk about taking our learning from a higher stress clinic environment to home in a lower stress environment where we do most of the work with our horses. Freedom Based Training™ creates low stress and low pressure learning environments. This slows the rate of learning in our horses, but increases the development of intrinsic motivation over time with good feel and timing.

Originally aired on: August 19th, 2021

Chatting about: Beginnings… 

In this episode I talk about flowing with what is possible in the beginning of the process. We talk about the beauty and the excitement in the newness and unknown when we begin the process of Freedom Based Training™ with our horses.

Originally aired on: August 13th, 2021

Chatting about: Counter offers or ‘no’ answers…

In this episode I talk about the differences between counter-offers and "no" answers. In Freedom Based Training™ the horse has the freedom to decide how they want to respond to our actions. Saying "no" using fight or flight does not feel good for the horse or the relationship. Counter-offers allow the horse to say "no" to something they don’t want to do and suggest something they would prefer to do, while keeping the peace and connection. We aim to nurture our horse’s emotional maturity to the point that they are able to respond with a counter-offer, in ways that feel good to the horse and the relationship, rather than react with fight or flight.

Originally aired on: August 3rd, 2021

Chatting about: Time and timing…

In this episode I talk about how variables like stress levels, patience, and attention to details affect the quality of our timing and the time that it takes for us to develop with our horses. The more accurate our timing is, the clearer our communication to our horse is. The clearer our communication is, the more we nurture the development of trust in our relationships with our horses.

Originally aired on: July 27th, 2021

Chatting about: Feeling safe…

In this episode I talk about the feeling of safety versus the reality of safety with our horses. I talk about the compromises and trade-offs that we make with our horses when we choose to prioritize the feeling of emotional and mental safety or when we choose to prioritize the physical health and safety of our horses.

Originally aired on: July 20th, 2021

Chatting  about: The answer is always simple…

In this episode I talk about simplifying the problems we face with our horses. The short answer to any problem we have with our horses, is that something was too much, too soon. Once we generalize the answer to the problem by understanding that something was overwhelming, we can review each of the steps that we take to see how we can break them down further to help the horse feel more confident with the speed of progression.

Originally aired on: July 13th, 2021