Watch the feet

I’m often asking people to ask themselves, where is your horse, mentally? Is he here with you or is he mentally back at the barn or with his buddies in the pasture? There are a number of things we can look at which give us clues as to what the horse is thinking about. Let’s say you are longing. The obvious things are eyes and ears of course. We can also look at the head and neck. A kink in the...

Developing a Soft Feel with Clicker Training

I’ve been working with a new horse recently. It has been so interesting because it has given me a chance to really think about what I click for in the beginning, especially when the horse isn’t “with me”. I wanted to write it down while it was still fresh. This mare is 10 years old, and pretty set in her ways of bracing and leaving when she is uncertain. The first session I spent just...