Ballan Horse Agistment & Coaching

05/05/2025

Thanks Ballan Pony Club, for a lovely day on Sunday :)

I had a lovely day coaching at Ballan Pony Club yesterday. Riders of all ages and abilities did some in-hand work with their horses/ponies, to have the opportunity to look at their horse's back in motion, without the saddle on.

We also learned about the different muscles involved in raising/lowering the horse's neck, how different neck postures effect the rest of the horse's body and movement.

We learned to recognise when the horse's under-neck is softly swinging, as demonstrated by one of my former school horses in this photo. Nowadays most of my students are adults, so teaching at Pony Club is a lovely reminder of the curiosity, openness and enthusiasm for learning that the young riders have.

A reminder to bring that "beginners mindset" and sense of play and exploration to my own work with the horses, because if you're only looking for what you're expecting to find, that may well be all that you see!

13/04/2025

A fuss-free and fun outing for you and your horse.
Riding optional, unstarted horses welcome.

Send a message to learn more

13/04/2025

The recipe for coming home feeling like a winner after an outing with your young/green horse :)

How do we get from "green as grass" to a calm and reliable riding partner that you can take anywhere?

It can feel like such a long journey that you're missing out on doing the things you want to because your horse isn't ready yet. Or maybe you thought your horse was ready so you gave it a go but it didn't work out and now it feels like you've gone backwards, or stuffed it up, and don't know how to get back to good.

Pictured below is a horse I've been working with for the last few months, called Polly. She's not a young horse (in her teens, in fact) but had been out of work for several years and we didn't know if she'd been to Club rallies before.

I wanted to take Polly to a clinic with one of my favourite trainers, but it was an expensive clinic, over 3 hours drive away and we'd have to camp overnight there. It was a big commitment of resources to get us there and I didn't want to "waste" my time and money if Polly was too stressed or unsettled to be able to participate in our lessons or learn anything while we were there.

Here's what I did: I booked us in for a lesson at Riding Club, planned to allow the whole day so we wouldn't be rushing to get there on time, or needing to get home again to do something else (aka set myself up to be calm and present). I made sure we arrived really early, so Polly would have plenty of time to relax in the yards and take in the busy atmosphere, and for me to walk her around the grounds before our lesson time to let her become familiar with the environment. (aka set my horse up to be calm and present)

Before our lesson started, I explained to the coach my intention was just to give her a positive experience out and about and be able to ride calmly in the arena, and that we weren't all that fit and may not last the full hour. (aka I pre-set the expectations with others involved).

I reminded myself to listen to my horse as she showed me how she was feeling and how equipped (or not) she was to take on this kind of outing. I reminded myself not to get caught up in wanting to achieve anything in particular, and not to compromise on my horse's wellbeing for my own ambitions. (aka. pre-set my own expectations).

As it turns out, Polly was a superstar, she stood calmly in the yard munching on her hay bag and she was calm enough walking around the grounds that I felt it would be okay to attempt the lesson.

Polly was somewhat distracted by the horses showjumping in the next arena while I was riding, but otherwise took everything in her stride. We didn't finish the lesson because I felt she was getting tired and becoming resistant to moving forward (which she never is at home) so I politely excused myself from the lesson at that point.

Success! We went home feeling like winners! Feeling like it would be okay to book in for the clinic away from home, and feeling grateful for the experience and that I stayed true to my principles and held my horse's wellbeing as my highest priority even while expecting her to cooperate and participate in activities that were fulfilling my human ambitions!

The HOW is much more important than the WHAT that we do with our horses, and finding that harmony between participating in our chosen activities/equestrian sport and respecting our horse's half of the partnership can be like walking a fine line, not always easy!

My four keys to feeling like a winner no matter what are:
🤩 setting myself up to be calm and present
🤩 setting my horse up to be calm and present
🤩 pre-setting expectations with others involved
🤩 pre-setting expectations with myself (and sticking to then!)

If you've got a young (or not so young but still green) horse and you're looking for a low-fuss outing to give him positive experience going somewhere new, that's what my Young Horse Social Days are all about 🤩 If this sounds like something that could help you, see the Events page for upcoming dates and locations.

19/01/2025

Why spend time working your horse from the ground? Part One.

There's a myriad of reasons/benefits and the ones that shine brightest for you will depend on where your horse is at right now...

🐴 The Young Horse - the closer we keep him to us (ie. the shorter the line we give him) the more we can influence him.
The young/green horse has not yet learned to take his cues from our posture and movement and he may get distracted or feel "too alone" and without guidance out on the end of the lunge, where things can quickly escalate into behaviours we can't control, or unhealthy postures that we can't correct from a distance.

🥦 Healthy movement - observing our horse in movement from the ground give us a view we don't get when riding and allows us to really look and really see just what's going on. We can influence the horse to change the way he's using his body and promote healthy movement, so that he's using his body in a biomechanically sound way, that's going to promote strength and balance, while reducing wear and tear.

⚖️ I'm not talking about gadgets that get strapped onto the horse, by the way. I'm meaning a carefully considered use of exercises (both standing and in movement) that teach the horse to find his own balance, to use his body with ease and to move in self-carriage, even if just for a few moments at a time as the young horse finds his way in a body that's constantly growing and changing.

📚 Education - through the timing of our aids and rewards, we can teach our horse all of the things we'd like him to understand when we sit on him. As well as refine his responses and allow him to learn "the right answers" so that when we ride it already makes sense to him, and he already has an idea of what we're wanting from him.

❤️ Bonding - working closely with our horse can develop stronger bond between us, establishing a system of communication and understanding, and building trust and confidence.

✉️ If you'd like some help getting started (or re-started) doing ground work with your horse, send me a message via https://www.facebook.com/JessicaBClassicalDressage

15/01/2025

We are back from the summer break and looking forward to a BIG year in 2025! Our coach Jessica Bryce Classical Dressage Coaching is available for lessons and can travel locally to to your home/agistment or you can come to our sand arena (pictured) between Ballan and Gordon.

> dressage lessons (following the classical principles)
> poles and jumping lessons
> in-hand work (bridle or cavesson)
> basics for the young horse
> dressage test training
> confidence building
> refinement of the seat/position and subtle aids

Note: lessons are available to riders with their own horses only, as we don't have school horses anymore. Send us a message if you'd like to know more.

20/11/2024

Going away this summer? We can take care of your horse while you're away, short-term/holiday agistment available. Send us a message if you'd like to know more.

15/11/2024

Group paddock agistment is now full. However; there are a couple of DIY Private Paddocks available, with either less feed or more feed to suit your horse's diet. Large paddocks, natural shade, electric fences and town water. Send us a message if you'd like to know more.

16/10/2024

Agistment Available - PRIVATE PADDOCKS - our private paddocks are a generous size with electric fencing, town water and the shade of an established row of pine trees along one side.
These paddocks are large enough for 2 horses (same owner) and our peaceful farm is best suited to retired or leisure horses as riding facilities are limited.
Easy to get to from Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh, we're right on the edge of Ballan township and just 3mins from the Western Fwy. If you'd like to know more please drop us a line.