Horse and Human Harmony

06/04/2026

There’s been a lot of videos circulating about horses losing their s**t at the Royal Easter Show, and I think it’s important we approach it with a bit of perspective and empathy.

Horses aren’t machines, they’re sensitive, reactive animals trying to cope with overwhelming environments. Noise, crowds, unfamiliar smells, tight spaces. It’s a lot. Sometimes what looks like “bad behaviour” is actually fear, confusion, or a horse that’s simply over threshold.

I’ve been there myself.
I took a young Thoroughbred filly to a rodeo, thinking it would be a great experience for her. She was fantastic at home, out on trail rides by herself but she completely fell apart. She became so anxious that I couldn’t safely lead her out of the warm up arena, and I remember feeling very alone in that moment. No one stepped in to help, even though it was clear we needed help. Instead I faced bullies because I refused to walk a horse who lost their mind up a narrow walk way where young children were riding.

That experience stuck with me.
Because the truth is, this happens to the best of us. No matter how experienced you are, no matter how well you prepare, horses can still react. It’s part of working with a thinking, feeling animal.
Maybe instead of judging from the sidelines, we could shift the culture a bit.

If you see someone struggling with a horse in a high-pressure environment, approach calmly and ask if they’d like a hand. Something as simple as helping create space, opening a gate, or assisting in safely removing the horse from the arena can make a huge difference for both horse and handler.

We all want better outcomes for our horses. Supporting each other is part of that.

05/03/2026

Scrolling through my feed I'm seeing more and more about brace in horses and how important it is to understand so here's a little run down of why!

Anyone can make a horse move but not everyone helps a horse want to move. When you hear a trainer talk about the importance of brace and fluency, listen!
They notice brace before it becomes resistance. The ones who see any resistance in movement, tightness in the jaw, the ribcage, the hindquarters and understand that physical restriction is often a reflection of mental uncertainty.

Brace is information that you can push through or get curious about.

A trainer who focuses on brace will help build a solid foundation that develops confidence in a horse’s decision making. When a horse feels understood and not overdriven, they start to think through pressure instead of react to it.
That’s where real freedom of movement comes from, mentally first, physically second.

And that’s what creates a willing, confident horse.

25/02/2026

Float training is layered and comes down to leading and clear communication.

One important piece?
Not allowing the horse to step off the float without a cue.

In this video, you’ll see the horse make a mistake. Instead of getting emotional or escalating pressure, we simply correct the decision and redirect the thought. Then we give them the opportunity to make a better choice.
The lesson isn’t “stay on because you’re trapped.”
The lesson is "wait for direction".

Just like a horse shouldn’t walk off without you asking them forward, they shouldn’t back off the float without being asked.

Coming off the float needs to be your decision.
When we control the thought, we control the movement.
When we control the movement, we build safety and confidence for both horse and handler.

16/02/2026

I haven't picked it up yet but super excited about my new toy!
Locally printed SOR, you can have your own for $350! This is such a valuable tool to have which helps show clients about the biomechanics of the horse weather its for training, bodywork or chiropractic work or to simply have for your own education or pleasure.
Rob Magos is your guy with a top of the range 3D printer with quality filament. Lead time is 2 weeks so if you want one, get your orders in ASAP by messaging Rob directly!

30/01/2026

I feel this personally so I too am at war 💪

Who I’m at War With (Part One)

I am at war, and to be clear, I am not at war with you, your horse, or your current level of competence, coordination, confidence, or general life togetherness. I am at war with the parade of arseholes from your past who installed deeply stupid ideas in your head and then disappeared.

Every time I work with someone, I can feel them hovering. A parent who thought criticism was motivational. A teacher who confused authority with insight. A bully who peaked emotionally at fourteen. An ex-partner who weaponised doubt and called it honesty. Possibly a coach who mistook humiliation for instruction. These people now live rent free in your head, offering commentary you did not ask for and should not trust.

They tell you that you are too old, too slow, too stupid, too uncoordinated, too hopeless, and uniquely terrible with horses. They tell you I am judging you, even when I am not, because judgement has been the dominant language spoken to you for years. They tell you not to try, not to risk, and definitely not to start here, today, with this horse.

The impressive part is that most people think these voices are their own. They call it realism. They call it intuition.

So no, I am not fighting you. I am fighting ghosts. Loud ones. Confident ones. Arseholes with no data.

Here is what ruins their day. Humans are not fixed. Skill is not a personality trait. Confidence is not something you are born with or denied by the universe. Humans learn extremely well when someone believes in that capacity and knows how to teach.

I was lucky. Many of my own demons were intercepted early. Lies were challenged. Damage was contained. That made me resilient, and I refuse to waste that luck by standing quietly while other people drag old wounds into new moments.

The war I fight is for your right to begin. Here. Today. As a human who can learn. I win it with evidence, not platitudes. With a horse beside me, proving things are possible.

Those voices hate that.

They do not get the final say. Not today. Not with this horse. Not on my watch.❤

Collective Advice 143/365. Saving and sharing encouraged. Copying, pasting, or laundering through AI is not.😆

28/01/2026

28/01/2026

I was scrolling through my memories and spent time admiring these beach photos when I noticed my toes 🧐

Does your big toe call you out? Does your big toe point up without notifying you? Mine does, just look closely at the photos 😂

No, it’s not trying to escape the boot.

A lifted big toe while riding is usually your body quietly screaming:
“I’m bracing for dear life.”
Here's a few things that may be going on 👇

🔹 Balance panic (the polite kind)
If you don’t feel 100% secure, your nervous system goes looking for stability. Sometimes it chooses the big toe. Because obviously.

🔹 Tight calves / stiff ankles
If your ankle won’t soften, the toe lifts to compensate. Think rigid peg leg, but make it subtle.

🔹 Pelvis not vibing with the horse
When the pelvis locks up, the tension has to go somewhere. It travels down the leg and pops out dramatically at the toe. Classic.

🔹 Thinking too hard
Concentrating = holding breath = tense feet = toe auditioning for a solo.

🔹 Stirrup shenanigans
A slightly short stirrup or standing into it instead of letting weight drop can send the toe into “UP” mode.

What helps (without yelling at your foot):
✔️ Heavy thigh, soft knee
✔️ Let the heel melt down (don’t shove it)
✔️ Wiggle your toes mid-ride (yes, really)
✔️ Breath. your toes know when you’re not
✔️ Stretch calves + move feet off the horse

The big takeaway:
Your toe isn’t the problem.
It’s just the messenger saying: “Something upstream isn’t settled yet.”
And honestly? Horses notice this stuff before we do 😉

Anybody else have a rebellious big toe? 😂

12/01/2026

Why do horses hug the fence when riding?

When a horse consistently sticks to the fence line, it’s rarely about being stubborn or evasive. Most often, it’s about security and balance.
Horses may hug the fence because:
• The ground along the fence often feels firmer and more predictable
• It aligns with their natural instinct to stay close to boundaries like trees or edges, which feel safer
• The fence provides a sense of support when a horse feels unsure, unbalanced, or mentally overwhelmed

One effective technique is to bend the horse into the fence. Outside rein and outside leg to put the horse into a C shape. This removes the fence as a crutch, encourages the horse to step underneath themselves, and helps them find their own balance without creating a fight. From there, you can guide them back off the fence once they feel more organised in their body.
The goal isn’t to trap them or drive them forward, but to help them let go of the need for external support and build confidence in the open space and make the fence hard work.
When we understand why a horse seeks the fence, we can help them move away from it calmly, willingly, and with trust.

10/01/2026

Small training tip for fence huggers ⬇️

07/01/2026

Horse 'Desensitising'- When “Standing Still” Isn’t Success

Let's watch this video twice. Once now, and once after reading this.

What some people see in this video is a horse accepting the pressure of the rope hitting the saddle.
She’s standing still, I’m swinging away, and it looks like we’ve successfully desensitised her… right?
Wrong.

This horse is shutting the outside world out and bracing herself, waiting for something catastrophic to happen. This is very personal to her and she’s struggling to change her thoughts.
This is dangerous for a number of reasons, but my biggest concern is safety.
A horse that becomes fixated inwardly, especially under saddle is a ticking time bomb 💣

Let me explain-

When we desensitise a horse, we often think we’ve been successful when they stop moving their feet.
But still feet don’t always equal a calm, thinking mind.
What we really need to assess is the horse’s thoughts, and we read those through:
• their body
• their ears
• their eyes
• their muzzle

Are they scanning the environment and are they aware of what’s happening around them? Are their eyes and ears moving? Are they taking in smells?
Or are they fixated on what’s happening to them?
I learnt about the mind-to-body ratio from Kerry Thomas, and it completely changed how I see training. It helped me recognise where a horse’s mind is in relation to their body and how important it is for the mind to be able to be ahead of the body.
When a horse’s mind is stuck inside its body, it struggles to think outwardly or forward through stressful situations.
When a horse can think before an obstacle, we dramatically increase the chance of a successful outcome.
That obstacle might be:
• A jump- the horse assesses how to navigate it
• A car on the road- the horse sees it and evaluates the level of threat

When horses think externally, beyond their bubble, they build confidence and make better decisions.

So back to the video.
We can now see this horse isn’t actually coping with the rope pressure at all.

So what do I do?
I introduce the stimulus and allow the horse to respond however they need to.
That may look like:
• running away
• rearing
• backing up quickly
• kicking out
• freezing

I don’t tell them off.
I don’t try to hold them still.
I go with them through the response while maintaining enough connection on the rope so they don’t leave completely.

With this horse, we moved from movement to freeze. When a horse freezes, I wait for a change like a head bob, an ear flick, any sign of a different thought. If I don’t get one, I ask the horse to do something simple. I put a feel on the halter to gently interrupt the thought, while the rope continues to touch the saddle.

This encourages the horse to think about something else and builds confidence to move when they don't know what to do.
Their mind starts to come out of their body.
The pressure is still there but they’ve done something different and their world didn’t collapse!

This is one way I help a horse soften in the mind when they get really stuck internally.

03/01/2026

What do we actually do when we hit regression?

First, take a breath. 😮‍💨

Remembering regression can sometimes 'just happens'. But often when a horse struggles further down the line, it’s often because they’re being asked to perform a task that relies on a foundation that isn’t quite solid yet. That doesn’t mean the foundation is bad, it just means it needs more time, clarity and support.

•Don’t push through it.
•Don’t label it “naughty”.
•And definitely don’t skip ahead hoping it will fix itself.

We go back to the beginning of our groundwork to look for the first point of worry or anxiety. Work from the very beginning through each step, slowly and deliberately, until we find the point where the horse:
•Hesitates
•Loses rhythm
•Holds tension
•Disconnects mentally
•Shows worry or anxiety

That point is the horse simply telling you, “I need a bit more time here.” Every piece of groundwork lays a foundation that later becomes ridden work. When we revisit groundwork, we:
•Build confidence
•Strengthen understanding
•Feel supported rather than rushed

Groundwork teaches the horse:
•How to organise their body
•How to respond to pressure with understanding
•How to regulate emotions
•How to think while moving

If a horse hasn’t fully processed or felt safe in a particular stage on the ground, that gap doesn’t disappear once you sit on them. It shows up later as:
•Resistance under saddle
•Tension in transitions
•Loss of softness
•Confusion or shut-down behaviour
•Regression is information

The goal isn’t to perfect a movement, it’s helping the be fluid and confident. When you revisit the basics and allow the horse to fully process them, you’re not “going backwards”.
You’re:
•Building confidence
•Strengthening neural pathways
•Creating consistency between groundwork and ridden work

When you return to riding, the horse often feels:
•Softer
•More confident
•More willing
•More connected

Regression doesn’t mean stop.
It means slow down, fill the gap, and then move forward together.
That’s how you create horses that don’t just cope, they understand. 🐎