Holt Your Horses

27/07/2025

RIDING BRIDLELESS IN A AN ARENA WITH OTHER HORSES ON THE 6TH RIDE.

This photo is from a clinic in Holland or Belgium about 8 or 9 years ago.

It's of an amazing lady named Jo, and her horse Asphodel. I believe he is an Arab x Connemara. By the time Jo came to the clinic Asphodel had 4 or 5 rides, in a round pen.

Jo is British, but lived in Germany at the time, and she had spent a lot of time STTDP (Stick To The Damn Plan). Sticking to the plan involves making sure each step in the horses education is good before moving on to the next step.

One of the steps that Asphodel took a while to get good at before the clinic was the transition from the ground to the saddle (actually the mounting block to the saddle). Jo would pick her foot up to put it in the stirrup and her horses head would raise slightly, so she'd work on that till it was good (meaning it no longer concerned her horse, even slightly).

Then the next day that was good, but when she placed her foot in the stirrup, her horse would tense slightly. She worked on that until it was good.

Then next say she could pick her foot up, and place it in the stirrup, and her horse was good, but when she went to bounce slightly on the foot that was on the mounting block, her horse was slightly concerned. By the end of that session, that bit was good.

The next session she could pick her foot up, place it in the stirrup, and bounce slightly on the mounting block, and her horse was good, but when she bounced with enough energy to mount, her horse became a little concerned. She worked on that until it was good.

This was all at the place she kept her horse (so before she came to the clinic). All of the other riders at that particular barn would walk by and say things like "aren't you ever going to ride that horse", or "just get on and ride", or "you're wasting time, it will take forever at this rate", etc etc.

The final step was to be able to lift her foot, place it in the stirrup, bounce slightly, bounce more, then mount, and her horse was just as relaxed as he was before she even stepped on the mounting block. So the process, from the mounting block, to actually sitting on her horse, took 5 days. So of course everyone at her barn (livery, whatever you choose to call it) now thinks she's taking things way too slow.

Fast forward to the clinic, the first day she went to mount, she had to go back through that step by step process, but instead of taking 5 days, it takes over an hour, because he's in a different environment.. But then when she's on, her horse is completely relaxed, and we take that relaxation into the riding.

Which brings me to this photo.

By day 2, her horse can walk, trot and canter, without any steering (Jo was just riding in a rope halter) and he under his own control. Jo isn't controlling him, he is controlling himself. To show everyone there how important it was that Jo spent those 5 days working on the little things, we pulled the halter off and had her ride at a walk, trot and canter in an arena full horses (I had the others all stand still for this) without a problem. Jo told me that when she went home from the clinic and showed pictures to the people at her barn, they all changed their tune from "you are taking too long" to "oh you are so lucky you have a quiet horse, mine would never do that", but the truth is if they had taken the time with their horse that Jo had, they could be that lucky as well (I like the saying "you make your own luck").

Some people might think that 5 days is a long time for that one step, but if you are planning to ride this horse for the next 15 years, 5 days is actually 0.0913242009% of the time.

Before people start saying how brave Jo is, I want to direct your attention to a big sign on the wall in the photo, that you can't quite see all of. In full it says "I'm not brave, I'm thorough". Brave is knowing something dangerous is going to happen and doing it anyway. When you are thorough, and know you have your horse properly prepared, you don't need to be brave.

if you are interested in learning about all the steps involved in having a horse be able to control themselves like this under saddle, just go to our video library at videos.warwickschiller.com

07/07/2025

Playing the long game and making sure you do every step right will always be more effective than shortcuts. Also, sometimes (like this time), it takes shorter than trying to force horses into doing what you ask. The first time I went out to meet Thor, he was dragging his back left toe and had a swollen stifle. Of course, I did not even attempt to ride. I went out the following week to try I again and he was sound! All was good but I was a little iffy on his saddle fit…I should have trusted my gut with it. After hand walking and doing a little groundwork, I get on and he immediately tensed up. I walked a few steps to get a win and hopped off. His “custom” saddle was too narrow and pinched his withers when I sat in the saddle. He is a broke horse so his extreme reaction was not expected. He went on a diet and I worked on groundwork for one day a week for a couple weeks.

After finding a saddle that fit, and getting his groundwork dialed in, I tried again to ride last week. He firmly said no thank you, was chomping at the bit, and would not stand at the mounting block which he always did. I listened and we just worked on standing and chilling without the pressure of riding.

Today, I decided to try again without a bit. We warmed up on the ground over poles. Then, I took him to the block and he stood perfectly still. He looked at me pretty much said “go for it” so I did. We then had a perfect ride! We just walked because I honestly didn’t even expect that.

I could have easily pushed it and hopped right on when we found the right saddle but that would have likely led to some fireworks. Those make everything worse for horse and rider. Also, I am old and have anxiety. I don’t want to deal with all that. Even if I hopped right on and cowboyed through it, it would have probably taken the same amount of time if not longer to get to where we were today. Calmly walking, steering, stopping, backing, and walking over raise poles. He was truly phenomenal after such a negative initial sort of ride.

There’s a saying that goes something like “if you go in acting like you have all day, it’ll take 2 minutes. If you go in acting like you have 2 minutes, it’ll take all day.” This has worked with so many horses that have difficulty being caught or giving oral medication. It especially works with riding and working towards goals under saddle! All this to say…listen to your ponies instead of punishing communication. You’ll achieve so much more that way!

16/06/2025

✨The runs where it all falls apart…
Where the stop doesn’t come, the lead change gets messy, or your mind goes blank mid-pattern — those are the ones that teach you what a ribbon never could.

Because the losses pull you into the details.
They sharpen your awareness.
They strip back ego and reveal where the real work begins.

Trophies are great. But lessons? They last longer.
So if today humbled you — good.
It means you’ve been handed your next level.

08/06/2025

29/03/2025

This page has been quiet for a while but that may change soon…so hello! Being candid and honest is something I have always strived for. 2024 brought me quite a few learning experiences as a professional. It also brought me some burnout. Burnout is incredibly common in our industry so let’s talk about it and how I like to handle burnout.

If you are burnt out you can’t give your all. Your horses deserve the most you can give them so trying to push through burnout when you have nothing left for them will impact your training sessions. At the end of the day, too, protecting your peace should always be your priority.

When I hit burnout (which has been quite a few times in my 20+ years as a professional), I take a step back from earning income from horses. Then I focus on learning more, riding different disciplines, and just remembering why I do this. To give horses the care, respect, kindness, and good horsemanship that they deserve for all they do for us. The more I better myself and care for my mental health, the better I can do for them.

Big things are coming maybe sooner than originally planned! Stay tuned for more! I am not currently taking clients as I have gone back to another passion of mine which is working with people in addiction recovery. I am also furthering my education….all of which hint to what may be on the horizon. Thank you all for the support through all my years!

24/08/2024

30/07/2024

As there is still a huge emotional response from current equestrian news events of recent days it is important to not get stuck in the negativity of these events. I am sure that there is much disappointment, sadness and shock from what has come to light however blaming, shaming and arguing amongst ourselves is really not a productive way forward. We need to take the situation and turn it into something positive. We need to learn some lessons here, we need to think about what is the way forward in Horse sport before it gets lost completely. I truly believe it is possible to find a way forward for the good of the Horse and to enable top level sport to continue, with the emphasis on welfare and happiness of the Horse, instead of getting stuck in this unproductive negativity let’s use this to find a way forward for the sake of our horses

What are some changes that could be made to the sport in order to put welfare in a much higher regard

Changing rules regarding tack, especially bitting and nose bands (much more in depth than current vague not adhered to rules) and giving/rewarding the opportunity to wear less tack rather than more controlling aspects of equipment

Developing a new scoring system which focuses more on correct function and biomechanics and less on extravagant flashy movement will enable a focus to be more on soundness and longevity of our Horses. It would help develop correct muscle structure, relieve stress and promote a more relaxed way of going. This would also require complete elimination of rollkur/BTV etc. developing a marking system in this way would make the sport less subjective because it could actually be marked on a more scientific biomechanical aspect eliminating the biases we currently see.

A focus on facial expression and an understanding of what these mean during competition and in warm ups could be used to enhance and develop a happier athlete with higher reward for those looking more relaxed and enjoying their work. Harsher marking/elimination for those looking unhappy or struggling

Using age restrictions for levels would prevent young horses being pushed to fast up the levels and being over faced with movements they are not strong enough to do yet.

All of these would promote better knowledge and training methods and restore priority to The Horses well-being. Just some thoughts on turning this around Yes, implementing new rules, regulations and guidelines would take time and effort however we have ended up in a place no one wants to be so I’m sure making changes would benefit everyone especially The Horses

🐎

29/07/2024

Effective, lasting, training occurs when you find the balance between enforcing boundaries and kindness. We don’t do our horses any favors when we don’t have boundaries. However, enforcing those boundaries does not need to mean physical harm to your horse! Vocal and other sound-related corrections are extremely effective (I’ll hit myself before I’ll hit a horse). Stopping and backing will go a long way! All contact you make with a horse should be in communication…not punishment. Treat them with kindness and you’ll receive kindness and trust in return ❤️

24/06/2024

06/05/2024

“Horses are ‘too dangerous' to train with food”

But did you know?

🐘African Elephants, the largest land mammal, have been trained to take injections and many other husbandry behaviours.

🐻Bears, who have a bite force of over 1,200 PSI, have been trained to have their teeth cleaned and to give hair and blood samples.

🐯Tigers, with claws 4 inches long, have been trained to back up their tails into their handler to get injections and to accept fly spray on ears.

🦓Zebras, who have been known to kill lions in a single kick, have been trained to voluntarily walk onto a scale, stand still and get weighed.

🦛Hippos, the worlds deadliest mammal, have been trained to have their teeth brushed and blood drawn.

🦧Chimpanzees, who have 5 times the arm strength of a human male, have been taught to get their temperature checked and teeth inspected.

🦒Giraffes, the tallest mammal in the world, have been trained to have their hooves handled and trimmed.

This is just a small sample of the amazing things that have been taught with clicker training / positive reinforcement (R+). No force or fear needed! All these behaviours have been taught with food. If these larger, more dangerous animals, can be trained safely with food, so can your horse! 🐴🦄

Note: Just like all types of training there is a learning curve and methods of ensuring the safety of both the animal and the trainer. Sometimes that requires protected contact but most importantly requires a thorough understanding of the animals needs/body language.

Inspired by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin(included in comments!)

25/04/2024

Good training is boring and takes longer…but it will always last longer.