Jenee Edwards Equine Coach

21/09/2025

Today didn't go as planned. It seemed like Crosby had turned into a very reactive, snorting dragon overnight, but as a friend reminded me, he is a young horse learning to deal with his emotions. 🙏

Horses are a living, breathing being, shaped by mood, energy, health, the weather, herd dynamics, and more. Unlike a machine, they don’t perform the same way every time. What felt easy yesterday might feel impossible today. That doesn’t mean you’ve gone backwards; it means you’re training a horse, not a robot. 🥰

15/09/2025

REMINDER🐎

🤩Course Design Zoom Session 🤩
17th of September 2025 at 7.30pm.

You don't need to be an inspiring Course Designer to attend this session.

Course Designer, organising committees, riders and volunteers will all get something out of this session.

If you need a link, message us here or contact the office. 🐴

15/09/2025

What's in the words?

The words we use are so important, not just when speaking but also written down.

I was interested in seeing an update to the FEI Judging handbook.

Do you see what's missing in the new text? 🤔

08/09/2025

Being higher than the horse changes the picture completely. On the ground, we’re beside them, where they can easily see and feel safe. Above them, we’re suddenly in their blind spot, looming over their head and spine. For a young horse, this can feel threatening or confusing.

Before ever getting on, I introduce height in a slow, thoughtful way:

*Standing on fences, steps, or mounting blocks near them until it feels normal.

*Reaching over the back, patting the opposite side, and moving calmly in and out of their vision.

*Rewarding curiosity when they look, sniff, or stand quietly as I move above them.

The goal is to make “being higher” just another part of daily life—not a sudden surprise on backing day.🤩

07/09/2025

This weekend I introduced the driving reins to Crosby. Driving can be one of the most useful tools you can introduce, also called ground-driving or long-reining. This practice builds a bridge between in-hand work and ridden work, helping your horse understand rein cues, steering, and forward energy without the added complexity of a rider on their back.
It’s not about “controlling” the horse, but about communicating:
*Direction (turning left and right)
*Transitions (walk–halt–trot)
*Straightness and rhythm
Reducing stress when ridden because the communication system is already familiar.

Driving prepares a horse for a rider by:
*Establishing steering and brakes before a rider is in the saddle.
*Encouraging self-carriage, the horse learns to balance.
*Building confidence by showing the horse they can move forward while still feeling supported by your voice and rein aids.

For me, driving is about more than just preparing the horse "practically" but it also helps physically and another way to strengthen connection. The reins become a line of conversation, where softness and feel matter as much as they do under saddle. Done with patience, driving helps a young horse feel safe, guided, and ready for the next step, carrying a rider.🤩

20/08/2025

So I had a $50 gift voucher for Bunnings so I thought let's buy some fake grass for a new varied footing obstacle seeing TTT 3PE not far away.

I then thought that I might make an post on how to train the varied footing, especially as every level will need to ride one. 🤔🤔

Well my model decided to show you what not to do instead 😆😆

Firstly eat it, then you scrunch it up as much as you can. 😆

Although I really don't mind as to me it shows me that he is comfortable and confident in interacting with something completely new and foreign to him which makes me so excited 😍🤩

15/08/2025

The issue is not the lack of science that supports bitless, it's the human behaviour response to change, we need strategies to overcome 🙏

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16UTtsX9Wi/

Champing at the Bit.

Champing at the Bit for Improvements: A Review of Equine Welfare in Equestrian Sports in the United Kingdom
Tim Q Holmes
Ashleigh F Brown

"Despite bits having been used for thousands of years as the primary means of control during riding and driving, it is often assumed they are both essential and ethical; however, research indicates that they can cause discomfort, pain, oral lesions, behavioural inhibition and, thus, also create fear and distress [188,191]. Any bit can create poor welfare if used incorrectly such as with excessive pressure, or by inexperienced riders/drivers [187,200].
However, risks are magnified with ‘stronger’ types of bit, which exert greater pressure or more severe action on the animal and, therefore, have more capacity to inflict pain and injury [77].
Mellor and Beausoleil [201] stated that “most horses exhibit clear behavioural evidence of aversion to a bit in their mouths, varying from the bit being a mild irritant to very painful”. In addition, certain types of bits may be associated with a reduction in the swallowing frequency of horses [202], and there is also evidence that bitted bridles can cause breathlessness, resulting in negative welfare impacts on horses [201].
When horses wearing bitted bridles and bitless bridles were compared, those wearing bitted bridles exhibited more chewing, opening of the mouth, pawing the ground and tail swishing, and during long-reining, their heart rate and heart rate variability were higher [203]. The study also found that horses wearing bitless bridles exhibited more head lowering during long-reining compared to those in the bitted bridles, which suggests that horses wearing bitless bridles performed at least as well as, if not better than, those in bitted bridles [203]."

"Additionally, conclusions drawn from scientific evidence should not be ignored and overridden on the basis of the large number of people who participate in the sport or the large sums generated. Comparisons could be made with the climate change debate or even the to***co industry debacle, where the evidence exists but the human elements, including perceptions, attitudes, values, power and connections of individuals, overly influence the debate, leading to little or slow change.

A fundamental problem is that stakeholders, from scientists to managers to policymakers, all have different values, approaches, interests, and goals and therefore come up with many and varied answers to the problems. Scientific evidence demonstrates that equids are suffering for sports and, therefore, there is a need to build on evolving new processes that incorporate animal welfare science together with human behaviour change strategies."

https://worldbitlessassociation.org/resources/champing-at-the-bit-for-improvements-a-review-of-equine-welfare-in-equestrian-sports-in-the-united-kingdom/

14/08/2025

Breed your own Tallyman this season 😍
Frozen semen available this season at discounted rates.

One dose (8 straws) for $600.
Two doses (16 straws) for $1100.

If you want more than 4 doses, I'm happy to work out a bulk price for you.

No live foal guarantee on frozen semen.

Tallys progeny are kind hearted and athletic. They have excelled in show jumping, eventing, dressage, showing, liberty and bridleless.

PM me for more information ☺️

12/08/2025

Lets talk about the Halt.

In 3PE we see different terms as we move up the levels of what is expected from the halt.

Calmness of Halt (L5) – “Horse shows no tension or resistance; stands quietly; attentive to the rider’s aids.”

Steadiness of Halt (L4) – “Halt is maintained without movement, square in front, loss of alignment, or changes in contact until asked to move off.”

Quality of Halt L3+) – “Square and straight; horse remains ‘on the aids’; weight evenly distributed; balanced and attentive; smooth transitions into and out of halt.”

If you think of it simply:
• Calmness = mental relaxation.
• Steadiness = holding still.
• Quality = the whole package of correctness, balance, and presentation.

23/02/2025

I often have riders ask if they can have a lesson on the ground or start on the ground before riding. My answer is "absolutely, yes!"

Giving horses the opportunity to look, sniff and explore is an important part of training.

Today I used the opportunity to show my 3yo a few obstacles I had set up. And in true Crosby style he had to taste a few too. 😆
This will be helpful when he is a ridden horse in the future.😃

*Side note, I do not allow unbroken horses in my lessons 😉