Equine Savvy

21/08/2025

Great post regarding ears back not necessarily always meaning your horse is cross. X

21/08/2025

Very interesting

𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧

While on a clinic some time ago, and again at a competition yesterday, I noticed a rider carrying their phone in their rear (right) pocket while riding.

This should be avoided at all levels.

Placing a phone in the rear pocket is likely too:

1) Significantly affect the function of the rider’s seat
2) Compromise the effectiveness of the rider’s seat aid
3) Induce/create rider asymmetry
4) Lead to uneven loading of the saddle and horse
5) Compromise rider-horse interaction

Although carrying a phone while riding can be useful for safety and other purposes (apps), alternative locations should be considered.

Image of a rider sitting on a pressure mat with their phone in their right back pocket.

Note: sharing as an observation. We have not shown this experimentally (yet).

20/08/2025

Spot the horse who has found comfort following the tail! 🤣

19/08/2025

Places are booking up fast!!!

As last years online private mentoring went so well and the students not only carried on through the whole of the winter but came into the summer so much more advanced, motivated and ready for the courses. Claire is releasing the same set up again this year.

Please note that the course was full last year with only one place that became available in February, so if you are interested then please don’t leave it.

This year there will be 3 levels to suit all budgets and commitments.
GOLD -3 spaces remaining
SILVER - 2 spaces remaining

It is not necessary to do home videos for the course but it can help to access a situation and educate your eye.
You are NOT tied into the whole winter. We just ask that should you need to leave that you provide 1 months notice so that we can refill the place.

MORE INFO
https://www.equinesavvy.co.uk/online-coaching

TO RESERVE a place please contact Claire directly.

14/08/2025

It's that STUBBLE time of yeahhhhhhhh!

10/08/2025

I wanted to share a great question we had from one of our students today… (and my answer)

Question;

I'm coming to the intensive week soon, and wanted to ask what is the best thing to do when I'm hacking and my mare spots something spookie and get tense and up right in her neck.. Is it best to bend her or allow her time to stand and digest?

Answer;

Great question which has many levels to it, so the basic answer is that depends;

Upon her level of interpreted fear, education in thinking through pressured moments and your ability to lead her successfully through the situation without becoming a predator yourself (especially if you feel nervous or threatened at that moment).

So as you can see it has many factors but in short yes sometimes just allowing your horse time to look and digest is the perfect solution but sometimes the horse or horse/human combination may need more knowledge, skills and support… hence why we created our hacking project as so many horse lovers were just SURVIVING their hacks and not enjoying them with happy relaxed horses.

It is inevitable when riding out that at some point someone or something will make your horse feel nervous or threatened. How well they cope at that moment will depend entirely upon how well you have prepared them and yourself to deal with the pressure of this.

Hope this helps.
Great question

If this resonates with you and your would like to know more about how we prepare our horses and their human partners to excel in these moments then please get in contact today.
https://www.equinesavvy.co.uk/hackwithconfidence

Equine Savvy teaches Horsemanship, Behaviour, Liberty & Multiple Horse Skills; Horsemanship & Behaviour Confidence & Understanding Liberty & Bridleless Riding Horsemanship in Essex

10/08/2025

Love this point from ben. Think its so easier for us to understand when you put it into perspective xx

10/08/2025

The GREAT thing about having a 'sharp' or 'spooky' partner is that they teach you sooooo much along the way. About how horses learn, how they experience the world and most importantly how instinctive they are. It's easy to forget that we are sitting on 500kg of prey animal sometimes! And we often get into trouble when we expect them to behave NOT like horses and more like well, us! 🤣

But of course Partnership between humans and horses is ancient and can be so fulfilling for both parties (I believe)

When you've had a spooky horse, every spooky situation you come across is basically a training opportunity. Today we came across these big piles and so I had fun with playing with getting the horses confident to trot around and between them. Which of course is not something they would naturally usually do. But anything is possible with good relationship training and trust (both ways!)

05/08/2025

Trailer loading your horses really can be easy, relaxed and no-drama.

Here is my non-horsey boyfriend loading my horses at a clinic we are travelling home from this morning.

Boyfriend-proof* your horses with loading by approaching it using psychology.

*also works for girlfriends/husbands/kids etc

03/08/2025

The baby had a big day yesterday and so did I! So so happy with how cool and calm he was. I was definitely more emotional than him lol 😆 . Happy day 🥰