Students are often mystified when their horse reacts to something while being ridden that they see every day when out grazing. It can result in frustration in the rider and a shift in feeling safe for both the horse and rider. As with many things horse related, it all comes down to survival. This article explores this topic and offers practical suggestions to help you and your horse move forward confidently together.

Exploring restrictive practices with horses isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about staying willing to reflect, to learn, and to soften our approach when we realise there may be another way. This article explores the topic from the perspective of compassionate horsemanship.

What do horses experience as followers? This article looks at this topic from a compassionate horsemanship view. When we ride with awareness of what it feels like to be the follower, we become the kind of leaders horses willingly choose to follow. It’s quite a different world that horses live in. For me it's a journey of understanding their reality from as many perspectives as possible.

Stopping in a bitless bridle isn’t about pulling harder, it’s about teaching our horse to listen to our whole body. When our seat becomes still, our core firms gently, and our breathing slows, our horse feels that the energy has stopped. The reins simply confirm what our body has already asked. With patience and clear practice, our horse will stop softly and confidently, no bit required. This article explores how to stop a horse in a bitless bridle easily and effectively.

Fear and the urge to control horses is something every rider experiences at some point. What is involved in this and what are the alternatives?

The balance between fast and slow twitch muscles in horses bodies is crucial to their overall performance and ability to excel.

Rethinking our relationship with horses; is the idea of control outdated? Moving away from control based methods towards a partnership.

'My horse doesn't like...' is this our horse talking or ourselves? Looking at clearing our minds and being with horses.

Exploring the subtleties of developing 'feel' with horses. This essential ingredient transforms our horse relationships.

Good leadership empowers other, how does this look in the horse world?

It's the spaces between with horses that are important, not the work. It’s in the spaces that the connection and trust is created.

I’ve created this term to help highlight a situation I sometimes see in my work with clients. The two words seem to conflict with each...

Looking at equine behaviour through the lens of acceptance.

Like many horse people, I always felt I understood horses better than humans, especially as I studied horses so extensively doing my...

Horse behaviour is a means of communication, and all behaviour has a functional element. 'Challenging' behaviour can be described as...

If we do something with a horse without their consent, what are we doing? What does that mean? Is that then a master/slave relationship?...

When we handle horses and especially when training, we are often using some form of reinforcement. There are two main types of...

Over the past few years, I’ve met a few horses who have undergone what can only be described as a transformation. While I am always happy...

I’ve heard critics of bitless bridles say they apply too much pressure to the horse. I find this an interesting statement. When riding in...

Every time we touch a horse we are communicating. One of the best things an instructor ever said to me was ‘put love in your hands.’ I...