The One and a Half Acre Wood

13/09/2025

WE HAVE A PROLONGED POWER CUT HERE SO NO WIFI AND NO MOBILE RECEPTION. We will answer any holiday program queries once or twice a day as we have to drive up the road to do so. Thanks for your patience and understanding 😊

05/09/2025

🐾 SEPTEMBER HOLIDAY PROGRAMME 🐾
Looking for something fun, hands-on, and animal-filled for your kids these school holidays?

Join us at The One and a Half Acre Wood in Whakamārama, for an unforgettable time of learning, adventure, and cuddles with our animals!

📍 80 Odey Rd, Whakamārama
🕘 9 AM – 3 PM
🍴 Lunch provided
👧 Ages 5–13
💲 $75 per day, per child
📅 Monday 22 – Friday 26 September 2025

✨ What’s included:
🐴 Horse time & pony rides
🐇 Petting zoo fun
🎨 Games, crafts & activities
🔥 Campfire lunch
🐑 Farm animal & eel feeding

Spots fill fast—don’t miss out!
👉 To book, contact Dianne at [email protected]

04/09/2025

🌿 We’re Hiring: Therapeutic Horse Riding Instructor 🌿

Do you love horses and people, and want to make a real difference? 🐴💚
We’re looking for a Therapeutic Horse Riding Instructor to join our team for 2 half days per week (with the potential to grow).

This role is all about combining your equine skills with a caring heart to support riders of all abilities. You’ll lead therapeutic riding sessions, work alongside a small team of volunteers, and ensure our horses’ well-being always comes first.

✨ We’re after someone with:
• Experience with horses, riding schools/trekking, and therapeutic riding
• Understanding of additional needs and neurodiversity
• A calm, adaptable, and caring nature
• Confidence to guide a small team of volunteers
• First Aid certificate (or willingness to get one)

Bonus points if you’ve worked with RDA or have a background in health, wellbeing, or caregiving.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!
📩 Email [email protected] with your CV and a short cover letter telling us about yourself and why this role excites you.

14/07/2025

Our new horse Milly! Over winter most of our programs are closed but we do have a few spaces left just for private riding lessons on Milly at the arena. Ages 8 years and up. $45 for half hour for beginners, $80 per hour intermediate level rider.
Email [email protected] to enquire

20/06/2025

My son just sent me this from his bedroom WITH OUR CAT SITTING ON HIS CHEST while he films this 🤦‍♀️

05/06/2025

A horse-owner’s rain-gauge

04/06/2025

Bookings open NOW for July Holiday Program - limited spaces as we are only running in the first week of the hols.

🌧️ If the weather is not kind, we are saving the second week for back up days

To book: email [email protected]

30/05/2025

I have just been sent this video and it’s a classic example of a young female cat (called a ‘queen’) in heat/season. She was a rescue and was booked in next week to be desexed but she’s beaten them to it 😂
If you see your teenage female cat doing this: KEEP HER INSIDE AT ALL TIMES with a litter tray and ring your vet for advice on desexing asap. If you let her out she will vocalise constantly and attract every entire male (called a Tom) within a 5km radius 😂
Heads up: queens can have their first heat as early as 5-6 months old!

24/05/2025

Our 16 year old boy Toby konked out in front of the heater in my office 🥹

21/05/2025

YES! Stop with the sticking your hand out! 🤦‍♀️

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/194wCjfg2H/?mibextid=wwXIfr

20/05/2025

Fantastic article!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Y9voxDizm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

5 Common Misconceptions About Horse Behavior—and What Neuroscience Really Says

By Jenn Currie | Brain-Centered Horsemanship

We’ve all heard them. The casual labels, the assumptions, the age-old advice passed down in barns and arenas. But when we pause and consider what’s happening under the hood—in the brain—we start to see behavior differently.

Let’s break down five common misconceptions about horse behavior and explore what neuroscience really tells us.

1. “He’s just being naughty.”

The Myth: The horse is misbehaving on purpose, maybe even to annoy you.

The Truth: Horses aren’t moral creatures. They don’t have a concept of “right” or “wrong” the way humans do—they have a concept of safe or unsafe. When a horse resists, reacts, or refuses, it’s not about defiance—it’s about survival.

Labeling behavior as “naughty” often causes us to overlook the real cause: fear, pain, confusion, or unmet needs. The brain’s number one priority is safety, and if a horse’s behavior is changing, it’s usually their way of communicating discomfort or distress—not plotting rebellion.

2. “He’s just testing you.”

The Myth: Your horse is trying to see what they can get away with.

The Truth: This idea puts the horse in a manipulative role they’re not neurologically wired for. Horses have a frontal lobe, but it’s less developed than ours. They can think a few steps ahead, but they do not plan elaborate schemes to test your patience.

Most of the time, what we interpret as “testing” is actually the horse seeking clarity, consistency, or reassurance. Their brains are designed to respond to the present moment—not to strategize about dominance.

3. “He’s pretending to be scared to get out of work.”

The Myth: The horse isn’t actually afraid—he’s faking it.

The Truth: Fear in horses is real and often misread. Neuroscience shows that when the amygdala—the brain’s fear center—is activated, logic takes a back seat. That freeze, spook, or bolt isn’t planned. It’s a reflex.

If your horse “acts scared” in one environment but not another, it doesn’t mean he’s faking—it means his brain is reacting to context. Horses don’t generalize well. A tarp in the arena isn’t the same as a tarp in the woods. If their brain perceives a threat, the response is genuine—even if it seems irrational to us.

4. “He knows better.”

The Myth: The horse is doing something wrong even though they’ve already learned what’s expected.

The Truth: Learning isn’t linear. Just because a horse performed something yesterday doesn’t mean they can execute it today under different conditions. Stress, distractions, pain, or lack of sleep can all impact recall and performance.

Think of it like this: the hippocampus—the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning—can become overloaded. If a horse is overwhelmed, they’re not being stubborn—they’re hitting a cognitive limit. They need time, repetition, and rest.

5. “He’s being disrespectful.”

The Myth: The horse is trying to assert dominance.
The Truth: This one is especially harmful.

“Disrespect” implies intent and moral judgment—something horses simply don’t possess. What looks like “disrespect” is usually miscommunication.

Horses speak through movement, pressure, posture, and energy. If your horse is crowding, biting, or ignoring cues, it’s not about dominance—it’s about confusion, anxiety, pain, or poor timing. When we replace punishment with observation and curiosity, we begin to teach, not just correct.

Why This Matters

When we mislabel behavior, we miss opportunities to teach, connect, and understand. Neuroscience doesn’t just explain behavior—it gives us a roadmap to build safer, more trusting partnerships.

As someone who’s worked with both horses and humans for decades, I can tell you: when we train with the brain in mind, the results speak for themselves.

Let’s stop guessing—and start understanding.

Want to Learn More?

Follow me Horse of a Different Color: Brain-Centered Horsemanship or visit horseofadifferentcolor.org to explore upcoming clinics, articles, and hands-on opportunities to dive deeper into brain-centered horsemanship.

28/04/2025

Please teach your kids!