Tea Time with Elsa

Chatting about: Praise…

In this episode, we talk about using praise with horses. Why we might choose to, why we might not. The mechanics of developing good associations with praise if you want to use it as part of your relationship and how it might work better for some horses than others. I don’t think there is an absolute for anything with horses, but there are always factors that can be understood better to help us understand our choices.

Originally aired on: March 6th, 2025

Chatting about: Enough and Not Enough…

In this episode, we talk about a new herd integration with my horses and the timing needed between horses as they learn about each other’s likes and dislikes. Emotional training depends on the understanding of leaving everyone wanting more of the relationship, instead of less of it. I am fascinated by how the emotional training horses do with each other can also be used to nurture the relationship between horses and humans.

Originally aired on: February 25th, 2025

Chatting about: Environment Matters…

In this episode, we talk about how much the environment we are in with our horses always impacts our training. There will always be factors in the environment that raise or lower the horse’s stress levels and we are going to do our most profound training at the mid levels of fully aware (instead of resting), but more curious instead of concerned.

Originally aired on: February 11th, 2025

Check out the video at: https://youtu.be/gP1pPfnpbKg

Chatting about: Food Aggression…

In this episode, we talk about a different perspective around food aggression in horses. Many people believe food aggression is about resource guarding, or trying to get the other horses to leave. These things may be true, but I have noticed a few different things about it that are far more helpful to me in understanding and supporting my horses in living their best lives.

Originally aired on: February 4th, 2025

Chatting about: Creativity…

In this episode, we talk about creativity and anxiety being on a spectrum and how the two can not exist simultaneously. To be creative is to try things, assess, and try again. When you draw a picture, you draw a line, and then another line, and try one thing after another towards an end goal developed through experimentation. Horses can also learn this pattern of creativity when they try one point of focus, assess how they feel, and then try another point of focus. Experimenting with focus changes toward the end goal of feeling better in connection with others. This is the practice that Freedom Based Training® is based on.

Originally aired on: January 1st, 2025

Chatting about: Trusting Yourself…

In this episode, we talk about trusting ourselves in horse training. Most everyone has instincts or ideas about what they might want to do next. Then the question comes up, is that a good idea or a bad idea? I suggest you try it and find out. Trust your idea, then verify if the trust was warranted and adjust. This perpetually hones your future instincts to be better.

Originally aired on: January 15th, 2025

Chatting about: Time Matters…

In this episode, we talk about the time we spend “doing” with our horses versus “being” with our horses. There are so many practical things that need to be done with horses to keep them healthy and happy that sometimes we run out of time for the things that feed the soul. Even taking five minutes of BEING with horses in a way that values how they feel, and how we feel together, and what they are interested in, is worth it. What I found again this week is how much joy I get when there is the luxury of a little more time for being. Time matters, and when we have the good fortune to have a bit more to spend on the things that are important, it makes life so much better.

Originally aired on: January 7th, 2025

Chatting about: The Eternal Student…

In this episode, we talk about being a student of the horses and about studying patterns, habits, and cycles. When we come at learning from the position of learning with each other more than we are learning from each other the world opens up with possibilities. 

Originally aired on: January 1st, 2025

Chatting about: Finding Light, Playing With Darkness…

In this episode, we talk about the good and the bad, the light and the dark, the awake and the resting times, and how everything exists on a spectrum. Where we place our attention perpetuates behaviors in our horses, and because of that, we are going to place our attention more on the good, the light, and the awake times. The bad, the dark, and the resting times will also exist, so we may choose to distract a horse or redirect them or play with a horse’s natural need for rest in contrast to its times in light Awakeness.

Originally aired on: December 24th, 2024

Chatting about: Using Your Powers For Good Or Evil…

In this episode, we talk about the enormous amount of power we have in relationships due to the quantity of small responses we give in a million little moments. Horses tend to remember behaviors that trigger a feeling response in themselves and a change in behavior in others. Horses repeat what they remember. We have so much power to help them remember and then repeat the behaviors that bring a greater quality of life to everyone.

Originally aired on: December 18th, 2024