Windhurst Riding & Training Centre : Truly Natural is our Normal

01/05/2024

ANNOUNCEMENT
This page is closing at the end of January.
Please catch up with me at:
Equestrian Coaching with Brenda Robson.

05/20/2023

Great Eats!

03/15/2023

Trail Riding Preparation

Step Four: Ride the ZONES

If you have been applying the strategies included in the previous emails then you are probably "jumping at the gate" to get out and really trail ride, right?
But don't rush, here is your homework - yes, there is still planning to do.
Look at the property you where you keep your horse and define at least 5 ZONES that you can ride on. Each one will present a different challenge for your horse and for your connection of trust.
Consider the footing (grass or gravel), the view (open space or a lane), obstacles (vehicles, firepits, stumps etc).

Expect that your horse may react to anything outside ... read on in the newsletter series.

03/11/2023

Horses want to get grass a lot when we are out on the trails. If they are eating are they relaxed or can they still SPOOK?

It is my experience that YES, they may still spook if grazing!

I discovered this tip while out riding my mare Fresca. She never wanted to leave the stable area. I don't know why but I used a few tactics to get her to go further and further. Just going down the lane was stop and go, then once on the road she was on high alert. It was the same thing going out to the bush trails.

BUT ... this one day as we got further into the bush we came across my husband's apple pile for the deer.

03/11/2023

It’s All About Trail Riding!

Step Three: Get Outdoors!!!

Horse owners often mention that they have problems when simply leading their horse from the stable to the paddock.

Things like REARING, PULLING BACK, STRIKING, BOLTING, CALLING are common … and maybe you can think of others.

So this leads me to confess - I used to think it was foolish to take your horse for a “trail walk” on the rope. Secretly, I just had never needed to do that.

But here’s what I learned just this past fall.

02/27/2023

There is an entire sequence of Trail Ride Prep Steps available to get your horse ready for this season with confidence.

Trail Ride Preparation: Step Two

Good connection requires these 3 states to be present in all we do.

1. Is he calm - his emotional state
What should I see if my horse is CALM?

2. Is he relaxed - his physical state
What should I see if my horse is RELAXED?

3. Is he responsive - his mental state
What should I see if my horse is RESPONSIVE?

If any one of the qualities … calm … relaxed … or responsive is missing then he is not ready for more.

The Newsletter expands on these 3 tips - see comments.

01/27/2023

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01/27/2023

Trail Riding season is coming - YAY! Snoopy and I are getting prepared to have confident and trusting rides, therefore SAFE rides.

Step One: We Learn About Each Other

This week Snoopy and I are testing our connection and trust.
* I start by managing my self-talk in our sessions
* I also evaluate his responsiveness to my requests.
There is NO WRONG ANSWER for him!

There are several self-talk statements I choose from to keep my mind focused and my emotions under control ...

To read more about how this plays out you can sign up for my newsletter on the Windhurst website.