The principles that I adhere to are based on the evolutionary psychology of horses as prey and herd animals. I follow a horse-lead path in that I look to the horse to tell me what they need at any particular time. This may mean that I appear to work “slower” than some trainers, but I always put the horse’s wellbeing above whatever goals I may have. No one ever ruined a horse by taking too much time with them.
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I don't use punishment, neither do I believe in dominance based training. What I do believe in is allowing horses to have agency, the freedom to express their emotions and to have those emotions listened to. This is the foundation for building trust and a true connection.
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I have a particular interest in working with anxious horses, particularly ex-racehorses or those from a highly competitive background. The exercises I use work to focus the horse’s attention in the present and ultimately to teach the horse to be able to manage its own emotion when faced with a stressful situation. In the long term it’s better to give them the tools they need than to try to do the work for them.
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A comment I frequently hear from clients in reference to their horse is “I wish they could talk!” Well horses “talk” to us all the time, but they do it through body language. If you’d like to learn this language then I can teach you how to read the subtle cues your horse gives when communicating with you. I’ll also teach you how to become more aware of the messages that you are sending your horse with your own body positioning and how to improve this to make your training more effective.
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Whether you simply want to develop your connection or have a particular behaviour you'd like to work on please get in touch to discuss your needs.
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Common issues that I can help with include:
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Anxiety & Stress - Shutdown Horses
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Loading - Difficult to Catch Horses
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Separation Anxiety - Aggression - Headshyness
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Resource Guarding - Barging - Napping - Spooking
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Horses that are Difficult to Worm/Inject
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Foal & Young Horse Handling
OTTB Rehabilitation
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And much more...
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Behavioural Consultation
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Some issues are better suited to being dealt with in person, or maybe you would feel more confident having me on hand to help? Then an in person consult may be the best option.
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Before the day of the consultation, I would request a brief history of your horse and the issue(s) you're dealing with. This can be done over the phone, email or Facebook messenger. On the day I will take a more complete history, covering your horse's daily routine, any past veterinary history, and discuss in detail when your problem arose, how it has developed, and how it affects you both. Once I have a clear picture of the situation, and if it is safe and appropriate to do so, you will be asked to demonstrate the behaviour under investigation.
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I can then begin demonstrating ways to resolve the behaviour, talking through any techniques, and the reasoning behind them, to make sure you understand why they're being used and to ensure that you are confident in continuing the training with your horse once the session is over.
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Around an hour is allowed for each consultation, this can vary as each case is individual but will not exceed 90 minutes. I will use this time to gain a complete picture of the relationship between you and your horse; to demonstrate and implement training techniques; and to fully discuss any questions you have regarding training.
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Telephone/Video Consult
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If you're not sure whether you need an in person visit then a telephone consult is a great option.
Each call will last up to 30 minutes during which I will ask you to talk about your horse and describe the problem you're dealing with, how long it has been happening, along with some other details. I can then help you understand the likely cause of your horse's behaviour and discuss various techniques for helping to resolve it.
If you can provide a video of the behaviour in question then this is extremely helpful.​
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If your particular concern isn't mentioned above please feel free to get in touch to discuss how I can help you. For information on fees please click here.
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