Tea Time with Elsa

Chatting about: Practice levels…

In this episode I talk about the different levels of training. From observing the horse so we can train with a feel and timing that is adapted to the horse, to responding by taking action before the horse gets concerned, to impacting some change in the interactions with the horse.

Originally aired on: January 16th, 2024

Chatting about: Strength and weakness…

In this episode I talk about how strength and weakness plays in our relationships and motivators for connection. Problem solving together and the act of becoming stronger together is what creates connection and a bond between individuals. In Freedom Based training we want the horse to enjoy and feel good when they have our company, but we don’t want them to feel worse, frustrated or unconfident when they don’t have our company. We aim to build the individual's strength in a way that still creates a bond, connection and good associations with our company, but also improves the horses independence so they are able to help themselves feel good without relying on others.

Originally aired on: January 9th, 2024

Chatting about: Simplicity and complexity…

In this episode I talk about neither simplicity or complexity being better than one or the other and them both having a time and place in different parts of horse training to improve our learning and understanding and our relationships. We talk about the effectiveness of simplicity and complexity on a spectrum and the parts they both play in our relationship to create points of connection, as well as in our stress levels and problem solving.

Originally aired on: January 3rd, 2024

Chatting about: Parallel lines…

In this episode I talk about what I have learnt over the years about parallel lines in herd dynamics and horse body language. We talk about horses using parallel lines as a way of being in harmony with each other and the idea that when we are practicing Freedom Based Training® with our horses, making the simple effort to be physically parallel to the horse when we pause in flow can make a profound difference, as well as the fundamental theory of timing around when to pause in parallel flow.

Originally aired on: November 28th, 2023

Chatting about: Flow…

In this episode I talk about what it means to flow with our horses. In a pragmatic sense, flow, harmony or passive leadership is the rewards system that we build with our horses to respond to the behaviors that we appreciate the most for our relationship. But it can mean so much more than that. Flow is when everything is headed in the same direction. Flow is the acceptance of the reality of that moment. In Freedom Based Training®, we flow on who the horse is in this moment on this day, without the need to change them. We flow with the long, slow, beautiful journey towards the relationship we desire with our horse.

Originally aired on: September 27th, 2023

Chatting about: Thoughts, words, actions, habits, character, destiny…

In this episode I talk about the saying that goes: “Watch your thoughts, they become your words, watch your words they become your actions, watch your actions, they become your habits, watch your habits, they become your character, watch your character, it becomes your destiny” in the context of working with our horses.

Originally aired on: September 7th, 2023

Chatting about: Play versus fight…

In this episode I talk about the differences between play and fight on a spectrum, and how to tell the difference even when the behaviors are subtle, so that we can respond to the horse to prevent them from feeling unheard and escalating to higher stress actions that may compromise our sense of safety. Fight is when a horse pushes into another's space while feeling worse, in a way that the other individual does not appreciate. Play is when a horse pushes into another’s space while feeling better in a way that the other individual does appreciate and has the opportunity to reciprocate the interaction. Fight is an attempt to cause change in another individual and play is an attempt to enjoy an action with another individual. In this Tea Time we go deeper into the theory of the differences in body language and the desired outcomes of play and fight.

Originally aired on: April 11th, 2023

Chatting about: Rest…

In this episode I talk about the importance of rest for our horses and what the different forms of rest can look like. Rest for horses can be as obvious as laying flat out on their side, deep in a dream state, or it can be as subtle as a pause in the use of their senses. We talk about the dynamic that rest has in our training and the differences in the ways that we respond to rest and relaxation in Freedom Based Training® versus in pressure based training methods.

Originally aired on: February 11th, 2023

Chatting about: Priorities …

In this episode I talk about the priority of Freedom Based Training® being to develop our horses’ emotional maturity and improve the feelings that our horse has in association with us, our leadership and any activities we want to do together. We talk about how we have the freedom to shape our training and our relationship with our horse however we want to and how we can take into consideration our horse’s individual learning style and speed of learning so we can gracefully integrate our personal priorities to reach the goals that we choose for our relationship.

Originally aired on: October 11th, 2022

Chatting about: Focus versus distraction…

In this episode I talk about being aware of whether our horses’ feelings are getting better or getting worse from an emotional standpoint and then being able to hone our feel and timing to offer the right kinds of distractions that we know are likely to help our horse feel better before they start to feel worse, or flowing with what they have chosen to focus on. We talk about how much value there is in the skill of reading our horse’s emotional state and then being able to choose whether we want to support and flow on how they are feeling, or whether we want to offer a distraction to help prevent the feeling getting worse.

Originally aired on: September 13th, 2022