Lucy Chester Horsemanship

17/04/2025

May Dates 🌺
Let me know if you'd like a lesson either in comments or via message 😀 I have a clinic and talk near Alton, Hampshire this month see below for details.

Sat 3rd - Chobham/Woking (spaces)
Sun 4th - Hartley Wintney/Wokingham (FULL)
Sat 10th - Epsom/ Reigate (FULL)
Sun 11th - Clinic for HRRC (non-members welcome) Broadlands RDA, Medstead, Alton, Hampshire GU34 5PX. Booking info in comments.
Tues 13th - Great Bookham/ Chilworth (spaces)
Weds 14th - Available
Thurs 15th - Available
Sat 17th - Oxted (spaces)
Sun 18th - Hartley Wintney/Wokingham (FULL)
Tues 20th - Loxwood/ Shalford (1 space)
Sat 24th - Talk on Equine Behaviour and Body Language @ 7.00PM for HRRC at East Tisted Village Hall, GU34 3QW. Booking info in comments.
Sun 25th - Churt & surrounding areas
Thurs 29th - Private Clinic
Sat 31st - Claygate
Sun 1st - Bromley (FULL)

Photo: It seemed very fitting to have a photo of lovely Mai for May! Sandra has done an amazing job building Mai's confidence.

17/04/2025

Forever the yard weirdo!

12/04/2025

At the Equivet client evening on Thursday, I demonstrated how you can train co-operative care for injections or blood draws with a horse and pony who had never been clicker trained before. Both boys were absolute stars (big thanks to Katie Nodwood House Equine for letting me borrow them - they were amazing!!) and very keen to have their fake injections once they realised there were a few hay cobs in it for them 😅🤩 Great to see so many clients there. Thank you to Equivet Mobile Horse Veterinary Services for inviting me 😊

09/04/2025

Looking forward to demonstrating how to help your horse be calm and confident with injections/ blood draws 💪🏻🥕 If you’ve signed up but can no longer attend, please let the office know as there is a waiting list for the event. Hope to see some of you there ☺️

We look forward to welcoming those that have booked for our Veterinary Masterclass evening tomorrow.

As we have a waiting list for the event, please do let us know if you can no longer attend.

As well as Dengie goodie bags, we will have plenty of refreshments and a fabulous prize giveaway

See you tomorrow at 6.30pm

05/04/2025

Super clinic today at Woodstock Lane South. Beautiful sunshine ☀️ and the horses enjoyed themselves. Lovely to see the progress during all sessions and so amazing that all the liveries cheered each other on - celebrating each others successes 🥰

We worked on:
- Calm around food
- Building confidence with obstacles
- Waiting on a mat or at a cone
- Liberty
- Novel object confidence

Woodstock Lane South have a livery space at the moment. It’s a super yard in Claygate with a great bunch. Please contact April Whalley for more details.

If you’d like to book a private clinic at your yard, I only have space for one per month June, July and August. 📔 Happy to travel for these 🚗

04/04/2025

Join us for an evening learning about Equine Body Language and Behaviour 📚 at the East Tisted Village Hall hosted by Hampshire Rural Riding Club (HRRC).

Discover how horses communicate stress and discomfort from evidence-based sources with plenty of video and photo examples as well as case studies. This in-person event is an opportunity to connect with like-minded equestrians and ask Lucy questions during the Q&A. A great opportunity to understand and enhance your relationship with your horse 🐴

Date: Saturday 24th May 🌻
Time: Doors open 7pm. 7.30PM start. Talk is 1 hr and then there will be a Q&A. Approx finish 9pm.
Venue: East Tisted Village Hall, Gosport Road, East Tisted, Hampshire GU34 3QW.
Price: £15PP (plus £1.96 Booking fee with Eventbrite)
Please note it’s a cash bar. No card facilities at venue.

LINK TO BOOK in comments - or email me [email protected] 🥰 Book now as tickets are limited.

Please tag or share with anyone who might be interested.

04/04/2025

When I first met Di around 6 years ago, it was because Sooty was very reactive and would push through you when scared. What a difference now. You can absolutely build a horse’s confidence and this all transfers to the saddle. Sooty isn’t just an easy horse, Di has worked so hard to ensure he is physically comfortable, having his needs met and training in between sessions with positive reinforcement. Sooty’s reactive spooking and bolshy behaviour could easily have been labelled as ‘rude’ or ‘dangerous’ which would have resulted in punishment when really it all came from a place of stress and fear (as it so often does). We didn’t need to train the behaviour away with pressure or punishment - it happened because we removed the root causes and built his confidence, he didn’t feel fearful/ stressed anymore so therefore stopped spooking. He is so calm and confident now - nothing phases him. He didn’t even spook when my pink mat took flight in the wind and landed on his bum (!) Really so proud of this pair, it has been amazing to watch their relationship and communication grow through the years 🥰 also love that he does not spook at going through the jump 🤣 they always have choices in R+ and that was a perfectly acceptable choice at the end of the lesson 😴

02/04/2025

Summer Camp in Chelmsford, Essex! ☀️

Treat yourself and your horse to a holiday! You will be surrounded by like-minded people in a supportive, no-pressure environment. It’s all about confidence building for horses and humans, making lasting memories with your horses and HAVING FUN.

You can spend all your time on the ground (unridden horses welcome) or you can do a mixture of groundwork and ridden work - it’s up to you. The camp will be very flexible with options to fit everyone.

The facility has a large indoor arena, a minimus cross country course, hacking available and a gallop track. All goals big or small will be supported and celebrated.

Have a go at liberty, trick-training, big and small obstacles, minimus cross country jumps (on the ground or ridden) and ride around the gallop track at any pace.

Limited to 10 spaces. Most activities will be done in groups of 5 to ensure everyone gets enough support. Liberty or trick training sessions will be 1:1 and you can watch and learn from each other.

Price includes all food except Saturday night where we will order in pizza. Horses have stabling and can be hand-grazed around the venue and will be kept busy with sessions during the day so hopefully won’t spend too much time in there!

Camp in your lorry or trailer or bring a tent! Lucy and Millie will be staying on site. There are toilet and shower facilities and a club house we can use for activities and talks.

Register your interest by commenting and messaging me your email address. More detailed information (including itinerary and booking form) will be sent out W/C 14th April.

£100 deposit required to secure space. Payment in instalments available.

Please tag or share with anyone who might be looking for a camp like this! 🥕

Equus with Millie - Accredited Equine Behaviourist and myself hope to see you there x

31/03/2025

Positive reinforcement is not just transactional 🥕.

It builds trust and the relationship even for tasks a horse finds aversive (but are necessary for their wellbeing) like eye drops. Today was day 3 and Tao has had enough (so have I 😅) but he is still co-operative and it is safe for me or anyone else to administer his eye drops. He is not just a really good boy, a lot of training has gone into eye care due to a number of eye issues over the years.

Everything can be done kindly. I never want big behaviours - like him throwing his head up, rearing or trying to run off. By thinly slicing behaviour, understanding body language and how horses learn, you can set the horse up for success and keep them well below threshold (and yourself safe). You can see that Tao stays nice and still - trusting me not to hurt him. Doing the unpleasant thing doesn’t damage our relationship because he is associating the eye drops with something nice (a treat).

If you want to learn more about this approach, get in touch with your local clicker trainer. It might be cool for any R+ trainers from around the world to post the area they cover below so people can find you ⬇️ +

25/03/2025

Just a reminder, our next CLIP CLOP CLUB meeting is this coming Saturday! All are welcome. A chance for like-minded equestrians to meet and chat over tea and biscuits. We had 25 people last time, which was amazing.

Date: Saturday 29th March
Time: 10.30AM - 12PM
Venue: Liz's Yard (GU10 Area - Churt). Full address sent to those attending.
Price: £5 per person to go towards refreshments and the rest will be donated at the end of the year to charities chosen by members of the club.

Come along to hear about Liz's recent trip to America where she will share some of what she learnt including a short demo with one of her horses. Lucy will be doing a Q & A for 10 minutes so bring any questions with you. We will be discussing the future of the club, guest speakers and grand plans. Lots of time for coffee, snacks and chats!

Liz will have a 'Bits and Bobs' table if you have anything horsey for sale. Also please feel free if you're an equine business owner to bring a card or leaflets to add to the table.

Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect for refreshments. We hope to see you there.

Photo from my demo last year as we didn't get any photos from the club meeting!

21/03/2025

Join us for an evening learning about Equine Body Language and Behaviour 📚 at the East Tisted Village Hall hosted by Hampshire Rural Riding Club (HRRC).

Date: Saturday 24th May 🌻
Time: Doors open 7pm. 7.30PM start. Talk is 1 hr and then there will be a Q&A. Approx finish 9pm.
Venue: East Tisted Village Hall, Gosport Road, East Tisted, Hampshire GU34 3QW.
Price: £15PP (plus £1.96 Booking fee with Eventbrite)
Please note it’s a cash bar. No card facilities at venue.

Discover how horses communicate stress and discomfort from evidence-based sources with plenty of video and photo examples as well as case studies. This in-person event is an opportunity to connect with like-minded equestrians and ask Lucy questions during the Q&A. A great opportunity to understand and enhance your relationship with your horse 🐴

Feedback from my last talk:

'Amazing talk! Even though I've had a few lessons with you directly. I learnt so much more from your information and case studies. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such an easy way to understand.'

'Great evening, we really enjoyed it. Thank you.'

'A wonderful and informative talk as always. And well attended. Came away learning so much. Thank you.'

Learn to accurately read your horse's body language and behaviour to improve communication and your relationship as well as their wellbeing.

20/03/2025

April Dates 🌷🌱
Please forgive me for having less availability in April and for not taking on new clients unless there is space. I have important paperwork I’ve been trying to finish since October. So I’ve blocked out 2 weeks to get it done 💪🏻

Sat 5th - Claygate (FULL)
Sun 6th - Hartley Wintney/ Wokingham (FULL)
Tue 8th - Hartley Wintney/Wokingham (poss 1 space)
Thurs 10th - Woking/ Chobham (FULL) Eve: 6.30 - 8pm Equivet Open Evening @ Nodwood (Churt) - see pinned post for details or Equivet page.
Fri 11th - Medstead (FULL)
Sat 12th - Epsom (FULL)
Sun 13th - Private Clinic (FULL)
Fri 18th - Bookham Area
Sat 19th - Churt Area (spaces)
Tue 22nd - Woking/ Chobham (spaces)
Sat 26th - Oxted (FULL)
Sun 27th - Bromley (FULL)

Upcoming Events:
Sunday 11th May - Clinic at Broadlands RDA for HRRC (Medstead Area). Link to book. https://www.myridinglife.com/eventdetails.aspx?id=504959

Saturday 26th May - Talk at East Tisted Village Hall (Medstead). 7pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets on sale tomorrow.

Summer Camps ☀️
June 27th - 29th. 1, possibly 2 spaces.
July 4-6th is full but you’re welcome to be on the waiting list.
August 29-31st - Chelmsford Essex camp with Millie Martin (R+)

Photo: Liane and superstar, Henry 🤩

20/03/2025

Thank you Countrydale for keeping me warm this winter and now during the spring snap. I get so cold out teaching and having to keep Tao moving whatever the weather. It’s so hard to find riding leggings that don’t slip down and that are true to size. Really happy with these 🥰 They are great value for money too

14/03/2025

Oasis was severely needle shy and has had to be sedated (oral sedation) for it to even be attempted. Despite that, it had become increasingly dangerous as he is so fearful. The gentle approach works for all horses. Look at his gorgeous expression with Vicky 🥰 If I could have taken him home, I would! Very trainable, lovely boy ❤️

Oasis MAC - PRE/Spanish Stallion

12/03/2025

TWO events coming up near Alton for Hampshire Rural Riding Club (HRRC). Non-members welcome too.

Sunday 11th May clinic: To book - https://www.myridinglife.com/eventdetails.aspx?id=504959

Saturday 24th May @ 7pm talk: Save the date. Venue: East Tisted Village Hall. Details to follow next week. Topic: ‘Equine Behaviour & Body Language’

12/03/2025

Dear Zoetis,

Please make your wormers taste better.

Sincerely,
Horses, owners and trainers.

I was having a conversation with trainer friends about this. It doesn’t matter how positive you make training, there are certain things that horses just do not like. The taste of Pramox is one of them (video was from 2 weeks ago). You can make it as nice as possible but ultimately, if something is really unpleasant or painful it’s very hard to convince them otherwise.

I will have a lot of work to do before next year. He’s been having quick fix so think he was expecting that 😅. I try and do this training with the actual wormer and thought he would be able to smell it, but apparently not 🙈. My fault as I had no time and hoped it would be fine because it was last year, but I should have done training leading up to the day of worming. Trainer fail. Never make assumptions!

You can see in his expression how much he enjoys training and this is what I love the most about R+ (positive reinforcement). He is free to walk away. But he doesn’t. He wasn’t so keen after tasting the wormer 🙈

Zoetis