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.

Using the one rein stop with horses is a fabulous way to ensure we remain safely in the saddle and our horse remains calm. It allows us to guide rather than force, to redirect rather than restrain, and to prioritise the horse’s emotional and physical wellbeing. This article explores the ins and outs of this wonderful tool.

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.

What if we took “Should” out of our vocabulary with horses? Perhaps less frustration, fewer battles, and more understanding. Perhaps softer hands, calmer hearts, and deeper connections. Most importantly, we might find ourselves relating to horses not as tools to perform, but as sentient beings to partner with. And that is a change worth making.

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?

Spending more time being in the happy place with horses will change both their lives and ours. How can we do this? Read on...