AHS Horsemanship

08/06/2026

Some of the beautiful horses I have in training at the moment. Quite coincidental that 4 of them look very alike! 🥰

05/06/2026

Here is part of my starting under saddle process with ‘’Walt’, with ‘in-hand’ work, prepping them for that first ride.

What I’m doing here accomplishes a few things at the same time. Mouthing, bend & softening, leg aids, voice cues, while also incorporating desensitisation to movement and noise from the saddle while in motion.

I always start with all of this at the standstill of course and with one thing at a time gradually building up to this. But I find if it’s only done at the standstill sometimes once they start moving is where you can come unstuck. Horses may handle things standing still as they can freeze up. But if you can have horse walk calmly while dealing with movement, loud noises or flapping and not worry, just focus on what he’s doing, that’s where you get a horse that learns to think before reacting, learns to relax and to deal with pressure, and can focus on you rather than what’s going on around him.

Here I ask for bend (flexion) then put my hand where the leg would be and teach the leg aid along with a click voice cue. This teaches steering, licking up the inside shoulder & softness through the body and mouth. I also teach the stop by saying whoa and bend laterally to a stop (one rein stop). Then they usually pick that up pretty quick and start stopping just on whoa. That’s when I pick up the 2 reins, teach the 2 rein stop while asking for a give and softness in the reins.

When they are moving forward freely I then start getting them used to movement from the saddle, rocking it, making noise with it, flapping the stirrups and also pat them all over. I find all this to be very helpful in setting them up well for that first ride, and they then have a good understanding of what’s being asked of them…

03/06/2026

Ringo in training 🥰

27/05/2026

Great idea especially for those with itch! Highly recommend Clippitty clop rug cleaning and repairs

Fly mesh over eyes on hood, No more flies bothering your horse 😊

25/05/2026

Buying a well-trained horse doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way on its own

Horses are not programmable

Trainers cannot just lock in some buttons and owners expect them to stay there ..

you have to keep up with the training, consistency, time and behavioural /environmental care.

If you choose a young horse, get ready for a big journey ahead.
Rewarding yes,
frustrating yes,
worth it in the end - if you have the dedication, time and develop the skill set -hell yes…

And if you go for a foal, pheww 😅 , that journey gets even more demanding!!!!

Suitability is key & being aware of your own expertise and skills..

Happy horsing 🤠🤠

20/05/2026

Great to see Pony Club Australia incorporating horsemanship like this and setting a good example

You ask your horse to move forward, but they plant their feet.

You ask for canter, and they rush, pigroot or pin their ears.

You ask them to stand quietly, but they paw, call out, fidget or pull back.

It can be easy in those moments to say the horse is being naughty, lazy or stubborn. But unwanted behaviour is information. Labelling a horse as naughty, lazy or stubborn can stop us from understanding the cause.

The Pony Club Australia Horse Welfare Policy is clear that using terms like naughty, lazy or stubborn to describe unwanted behaviour demonstrates a lack of understanding.

That does not mean people are trying to do the wrong thing. These words are common in horse communities, and many of us have heard them used for years. But they can lead us down the wrong path.

When we call a horse stubborn, we may stop asking whether the horse is confused, worried, uncomfortable, in pain, tired, overwhelmed, or responding to unclear aids.

The Policy reminds us that horses need clear and consistent aids, and consistent expectations for their behaviour. When aids are unclear, or expectations change from one day to the next, the horse’s world can become confusing and worrying.

Good horsemanship means looking deeper. Before we label the horse, we need to ask:

❓ What is the horse trying to tell us?

❓ What part might our timing, pressure, training, handling or environment be playing?

❓ How can we make the right behaviour easier for the horse to understand?

Understanding the cause helps us support the horse, improve safety, and build better partnerships.

18/05/2026

100%

Thought for the day:
I still get asked regularly if I can take a young or green horse to further it's training.
Often as not the request includes a story about how everything was going ok but then one day outside pressures caused it to act up.
The request is generally to enhance it's knowledge or change their mindset so that they can handle all types of scenarios and be calmer and better behaved.
Often these requests are never attached to an aside like "can you teach me how I should handle and ride a green or inexperienced horse?".
The onus is all on the horse to be able to carry (no pun intended) the rider through any situation that may arise and keep them safe.
That is too much responsibility for a young or green horse.
Your horse needs some support and help while it gains experience.
Regardless of your knowledge of horses or riding or a particular discipline you may find a green horse a challenge if you are inexperienced with them.
Many older horses can be much more forgiving of mistakes and have more experience of the world.
It takes more than a stint at a trainers to make an experienced horse.
Often there is a way through but it takes the help of people with the experience. Hands on help.
It also takes a little fortitude and the ability to not make your horse feel trapped with your hands or legs no matter what occurs.
Most of what is called acting up would not have occurred at all if the rider had acted the way the horse needed them to.
The first thing that it takes is the recognition that to ride young or green horses you may need to have yourself trained.

18/05/2026

Lovely drizzly morning out at Sydney Mountain Trail. This is Lilly’s first time here, trying our hand at the obstacles after about 4 weeks under saddle ⭐️
She is being ridden with just the halter as per owners request 😊
A great place to get them out n about doing something different and building confidence 🐴

13/05/2026

Enjoying a trail with a couple horses in training