RoaR ‘Horse & Rider Training’

07/04/2025

🚨 IMPROMPTU MINI CLINIC – SPOTS OPEN! 🚨
🐴 Foundation In-Hand Responses This Week
🧠 Followed by Under Saddle Work Next Week (Easter Saturday)

Had a few people ask for this... We have finished our term riding, so I’m jumping in and looking for further EOI for running a two-part clinic series starting THIS WEEK!

Small personal group of 6 combinations.

👉 Week 1: In-Hand Foundation (Equitation Science)
👉 Week 2: Under Saddle – Building on the groundwork

Whether you’ve got a young horse, a fresh OTT, or just want to get things back on track, this is your chance to start (or restart) and help to learn the tools to create a horse that’s calm, responsive and safe.

This week’s focus
✅ GO – Up a gait / quicker / longer strides
✅ STOP – Down a gait / back / slow / shorten
✅ HEAD CONTROL – Up/down with lightness
✅ TURN – Indirect turns
✅ YIELD HQ – Calm hindquarter yield

🗓️ Starts Saturday - 12th of April that’s THIS [Day]!
📍 623 Parkers Road, Ward Belt
⏰ 10am - 1pm
💲 – $120 per session
🎟️ Limited spots – message or call NOW to save your place!

Let’s make this a fun, practical session that sets you and your horse up for success, groundwork this week, saddle next!

Tania 0407-803-004
[email protected]

26/03/2025

🟨⬛️🟨⬛️🟨⬛️🟨⬛️🟨⬛️🟨⬛️🟨

26/03/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18VPgWcv3v/

27/12/2022

13/11/2022

❤️

“Thoroughbreds, they’re too high strung.”

No, it’s because you shove him in a stall without enough turnout and companionship to keep his mind and body happy. Sorry to break it to you, but the 10lbs of sweet feed exacerbates this issue too. Flight is bred into these animals, it’s our job to keep them as comfortable and happy as we can.

“They’re such hard keepers, my feed bill is through the roof.”

Cut out the grain and replace with quality, 24/7 forage. Stay on a deworming schedule, and scope/treat ulcers accordingly. Happy tummies make for a happy weight….. and no, 4 flakes of hay a day is not enough.

“Every thoroughbred I’ve known has horrific hooves.”

Figure out the root cause, and create a plan. Shoes are not the cure-all. Diet and proper exercise is a huge part of this issue. No, 25 more supplements, a different grain and hoof oil will not help.

“They are SO injury prone!”

Keeping them in a small paddock and a stall is not “spoiling them” or keeping them “safer”. What’s the first thing a horse wants to do after a night of turnout?….. RUN, BUCK, ROLL, JUMP, REAR and after all that, a shoe is loose or a leg is hot. Allow them to be horses and be able to spread that energy throughout the day and night with a herd.

No matter the issue, don’t blame the breed. Your expensive, fancy breeds out there? Yeah, the thoroughbred made those. Those beautiful western Quarter horses? Yeah, the thoroughbred helped shape those too.

From the racetrack to being reliable ranch horses, the thoroughbred is truly one of the most adaptable, honest breeds. Yet, why do we criticize them more than any other breed? Outdated practices. Those days of “A coffee can of oats.”, “Hard tie him to a tree for a day.”, “2 flakes of hay in the morning, 2 flakes at night.”, “Ride him until the pad is wet and he won’t fight.”, “Stall him so he won’t get hurt or cause problems.” and “They’re horses, they’ll get over it.” Those days are over.

Horses need now, more than ever, acceptance, compassion and understanding. Thoroughbreds have done so much for us, we are overdue on giving back to them. What breed has the largest heart of any other? The thoroughbred, both metaphorically and literally. Get the thoroughbred, your soul will thank you.

-Ella Gray

28/10/2022

25/10/2022

Oh so this. 💖🙌

13/10/2022

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=185266167359538&id=100076284663228

Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of terrified, badly handled or completely unhandled horses. Horses that chased me out of the yard. Horses that had been taught to kick and fight and buck.
No matter how difficult the horse was, no matter what problems I had and no matter how frustrated I felt, my NEVER EVER list applied in every situation. And it always will.
Here's just some of my NEVER EVER LIST:

1. It’s never ever okay to use a flag or a tarp on any horse, no matter how frightened the trainer may be.
2. It’s never ever okay to use restraints or to rope a horse’s legs.
3. It’s never ever okay to tie any horse up to pull and fight.
4. It’s never ever okay to run a horse in a round pen in the hope that he’ll eventually come to you or ‘learn to respect you.’
5. It’s never ever okay to use special halters and gadgets on a horse’s head.
6. It’s never ever okay to hit any horse around the head with a flag.
7. It’s never ever okay to saddle a young horse and let him buck around.
8. It’s never ever okay to leave a horse in a yard with a saddle or a bit and bridle on, in the hope that ‘he’ll get used to it.’
9. It’s never ever okay to push a horse to the point where he’s sweating and distressed.

See more here:👇
www.fearfreehorsetraining.com/no-ifs-buts-or-maybes/

25/08/2022

YOU CANNOT BECOME “THE HERD LEADER”.

I hate having to break it to you but you cannot become the herd leader… no more than a horse can become the leader of a herd of rabbits, or a cougar can become the leader of a herd of horses. Not only you don’t spend 24/7 living with your horses and don’t have the same needs as them but also the "all-mighty herd leader" is more of a man-made concept.

Recent studies on movement initiation in feral groups have shown the following:
- Initiation by departure can be displayed by any member of the group. Anyone can lead, anyone can follow!
- Initiation by departure is not limited to particular females. e.g. lead mares.
- Departing high-ranking horses are followed by other more often than low ranking one.
- The most motivated horse initiate departure. For example, marches towards water are almost always initiated by lactating mares.
- Departing by herding is only displayed by males.
(K. Kreuger, Flauger, B., Farmer, K. and Hemelrijk, C. Movement initiation in groups of feral horses. Behavioural Processes 103, 91-101.)

Another important thing to remember is that horses avoid aggressive dominance display. Aggression is counter-productive to their survival goal. Think; if feral horses spent all their energy fighting most of them would be injured, in poor condition and they would kill each other or be killed by predators. There is little aggression in stable herds, however abnormal level of aggression may be seen in domestic horses kept on livery yards that run inappropriate horse management. A training system holding beliefs such as “learn to be the alpha horse” and instructing you to use aversives (therefore aggression) to move your horse and his body parts is not based on science and is not natural. (No matter what they decide to call it!)

Learn more:
- Read this short article “Who is in a lead?” by ethologists Lucy Rees and Victor Ross who study the natural behaviour of Pottoka ponies. https://goo.gl/TYsSss
- Another great article by Simon Margulis, made with the same ponies “Moving feet”: https://goo.gl/pQjR4C
- Are you confused by what I mean by “aversives” check out this short article: http://goo.gl/QkvASd

18/08/2022

Susanne Carter is so excited with the positive change in her horses that she is going to study the ES diploma- How awesome 🙌

18/08/2022

Thank-you Quentie for your review!

Joseph is a sweet boy. I can’t wait to see you both out and about 😊

18/08/2022

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-08-18/horse-welfare-stable-social-isolation-immunity-behaviour/101341016?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=facebook&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web&fbclid=IwAR0r436CB1VgfDsyJ7BLuKlc7czVyvtJRcp7mgWUj_Vg5JS0oAh5k6IFsJw

Horses kept alone in a stable displayed signs of stress in their immune system compared to those kept in a group, a new study has shown.