Tea Time with Elsa

Chatting About: What do you want in a friend?

Originally aired on: August 4th, 2026

In this episode we talk about the role of a friend that most horses play in the modern world. For some people horses are still work mates, for others they are sports equipment, for most of us I find they are friends first and foremost. Asking what we want in our friends is an important question. This impacts the way we interact with them every day.

Chatting About: The Non-performative Life…

Originally aired on: July 28th, 2026 

In this episode we talk about the idea of being performative, as a horse or a human. To be performative is to do things for others that you might not naturally choose for yourself. We ask our horses to be performative all the time, and we find socially as humans we often need to as well. When there is a time or a place when we can be non-performative for a while, it is a great luxury. Like everything, there is probably some balance between the two states that is healthy to strive for.

Chatting About: Pattern versus Details…

Originally aired on: July 21st, 2026

In this episode we talk about how the brain chooses how to process the world it lives in, noticing the patterns (how today is the same as yesterday) or noticing the details (how each moment is completely unique). When we notice the patterns we become better friends and support to others. When we notice the details we form memories of events that are more romantic and rich and beautiful. My goal with horses is to first become the best friend possible so they can live a life that is beautiful. Then later we can switch, so they anticipate the patterns that best support the relationship while I get to bask in the details that make life and memories feel rich.

Chatting About: Our Relationship To Pressure…

Originally aired on: July 14th, 2026 

In this episode we talk about how past associations around pressure determine the quality of our relationship with pressure. In order to build a better relationship with pressure (from the horse’s perspective or the humans perspective) we get to start from where we are and, one experience at a time, build experiences that lead to better associations. “When pressure is felt, how excited can we feel about the possible outcomes?”

Chatting about: A Good Luck Frame Of Mind…

Originally aired on: July 7th, 2026 

In this episode we talk about how training in freedom is all about capitalizing on the naturally occurring moments with our horses that are in the direction of training that we hope for. When training with more pressure we can create the patterns and habits we hope for in our horses. When prioritizing freedom, it is a game of luck. Developing a good luck frame of mind is all about honing our skills to see things we want, mark them and make them memorable. We tend to repeat what we remember.

Chatting about: Bringing Out The Best In Our Friends…

Originally aired on: June 30th, 2026

In this episode we talk about how to bring out the best in our horses and, really, all of our friends in general. Specifically, I like to look at this from a sensory system perspective. The better our horses can sense the world around them, the better choices they make interacting with it and the more potential enjoyment they have in every moment.

Chatting about: Playing in Freedom versus Training in Freedom…

Originally aired on: June 23rd, 2026 

In this episode we talk about the care we take in training to set the horse up for success. In at least eighty percent of our interactions we should be making sure our horses encounter a world that does not push them to fear or anger. The rest of the time with our horses there is room to play a little without such careful thought. Simply try things, see the outcome, learn and do better with that information. It is ok if not everything goes perfectly when we are playing and carefree, so long as we ultimately learn from each interaction we have.

Chatting about: The Art Of Bonding…

Originally aired on: June 16th, 2026

In this episode we talk about how the art of bonding is in the problems you can solve together. Much of normal horse training is about creating a problem for the horse that you can then solve together. In Freedom Based Training® we do our best to find naturally occurring problems we can help the horse solve, by understanding their hierarchy of needs and seeing where their priorities might be. This bonds us together, one solved problem at a time.

Chatting about: The long walk of shame…

Originally aired on: June 12th, 2026 

In this episode we talk about how sometimes, when we push a little too much in horse training and the horses have the freedom to walk away, we end up taking a long walk to figure out where things went wrong. Once we figure out what went wrong, we get to make a plan of what we might do differently when we see the horses again. I recently adopted two mustang mares and tried out some new ideas of training with them. The results were good, but we were not nearly as fast to make progress as I expected. I took a “long walk” across the ocean to teach in Europe for four weeks and half way through my trip I think I figured it out. Now I am on my way home to see if I can prove to my mares I learned something while I was away, and can do better now.

Chatting about: We All Get To Decide What Is Important?…

Originally aired on: May 5th, 2026

In this episode we talk about how we all get to decide where to focus and where we focus and how we show what is important to us as an individual. However, if the relationship to others is important, then what we focus on gets shaped by what is important to them. This is the primary way we show a horse that our relationship to them is valued.