Lockie Phillips of Emotional Horsemanship joins Samantha Baer to challenge the industry’s favorite half-truths. They dissect what “empathy” actually means beyond buzzword status, why feel is a trained sense—not mysticism—and how escalating pressure became the default solution for imaginary emergencies. Lockie outlines a richer pressure alphabet (soft, firm, sliding, bouncing, motivational) and explains why horses need the right kind of confusion to become responsive instead of reactive.
They dive into whips as “arm extenders” vs. plain old whipping, optics in modern sport, and how public scrutiny will force better behavior—whether we like it or not. Samantha shares real-world trailer-loading and show-environment stories; Lockie discusses rehabilitating a high-talent sport horse by first allowing “average” movement and teaching polite refusal. The throughline: emotional soundness creates physical soundness, partnership, and safety.

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