Flutterby Equine

29/10/2026

Horses give us feedback we cannot always put into words. 🦋🐴

Imagine approaching a horse.

Are you rushing? Hesitating? Standing confidently, or unsure of what to do next?

The horse responds to what is happening in its environment, including your movements, position and behaviour. It might approach, move away, pause or simply continue doing what it was doing.

That response gives us something to notice.

In equine-assisted learning, these interactions create opportunities to explore how we communicate, how we respect boundaries, how we respond when things don't go as expected, and how we adapt our approach.

With thoughtful facilitation, the experience can help us recognise patterns and experiment with different ways of responding.

We don't need the horse to do what we expect. We need to be willing to pay attention to what actually happens.

Sometimes, the most valuable lesson begins when we stop trying to control the outcome and start noticing the interaction.

Flutterby Equine offers equine-assisted experiences that support personal development and team learning through meaningful interactions with horses.

No riding or previous horse experience is required.

Interested in exploring equine-assisted learning for yourself or your team? Send me a message to find out more.

27/10/2026

**Are you asking—or telling?** 🦋

When we ask our horses to do something, how often do we stop to consider what happens next?

We give a cue. Our horse doesn't respond as expected. So we repeat it, increase the pressure, or assume they're being difficult.

But what if the horse doesn't understand? What if the cue is unclear, the task is uncomfortable, or they need a moment to process what we're asking?

Our horses' responses give us information. Ethical training means learning to recognise that information and adjust our approach, rather than simply demanding the outcome we want.

At Flutterby Equine, I believe training should be about developing communication and trust—not just teaching a horse to perform a task.

**The next time you work with your horse, ask yourself: am I listening to the response, or am I only focused on getting the result?**

27/10/2026

Weaning is a major transition in a young horse’s life, involving separation from its mother and the beginning of greater independence.

Although natural, in managed breeding systems its timing and method are largely determined by people, making it one of the most stressful events for both foal and mare.

Practices vary widely, from abrupt removal and isolation to gradual separation, yet there is no clear consensus on which approach best protects their welfare.

The paper “Stable beginnings – a call to transform methods of weaning horses,” by Joanne Dwyer, Sarah L. Freeman, Brad Hill, and Amanda L. Roshier of the University of Nottingham, explores how UK equine welfare charity professionals view current weaning methods.

Because professionals often follow horses from birth through rehabilitation and rehoming, they are well placed to observe both immediate distress and longer-term behavioural effects.

Five participants from four organisations watched videos of mare-foal separations, reviewed welfare indicators, and took part in online discussions analysed through reflexive thematic analysis.

The study identified five themes: industry responsibility, flexibility for individual needs, challenges in assessing welfare, short-term impacts, and possible long-term effects.

Participants unanimously agreed that abrupt, isolating weaning causes short-term stress, including vocalisation, pacing, and agitation, and may contribute to later problems such as separation anxiety, stereotypies, and reduced resilience.

They also noted that change is difficult because breeders and owners differ in facilities, budgets, time, and traditions.

The paper argues that improving weaning welfare requires both stronger evidence and cultural change. Its proposed theory-of-change model supports a move toward gradual, welfare-centred weaning that considers the needs of the mare, foal, and caregiver.

27/10/2026

27/10/2026

🐴 Help us choose a date!

I'm planning a Bit & Bridle Fitting Information Session for horse owners, with practical demonstrations and information about how bit and bridle fit can influence equine comfort and communication.

Would you prefer to attend in November 2026 or February 2027?

Let me know in the comments or send me a WhatsApp! Your feedback will help me choose a date that works for as many people as possible.

Please note: this is a date-preference poll, not a confirmed event booking.

26/10/2026

Yes, this is a mule and not a horse, but an equine nonetheless!

In the end, we demonstrate self-carriage in its simplest form: I give a cue (ask for a walk). She keeps walking until I ask her to stop. It's simple, but overlooked more often than you might think!

She is telling me many things along the way. She is unsure about this, because no-one has ever asked her to do this before. She is used to following off the body of the human leading her, instead of walking off a cue only. She is used to walking when the person leading her walks. This is a very useful way of getting equines to move, until you need them to stand still for being brushed or for treatment by a vet, and then we wonder why they won't stand still, and punish them for it. But actually, we have been teaching them to follow our feet instead of teaching a cue to walk forward, backwards, or sideways. Think about what you're training, because whether you realise it or not, you are teaching something to your equine every single minute you are interacting with them.

Happy training!
EquineConnection HorseTraining HumanHorseInteraction FlutterbyConnectionFramework EthicalHorsemanship EquineWelfare Confidence EquineBehaviour

26/10/2026

Yes, this is a mule and not a horse, but an equine nonetheless!

In the end, we demonstrate self-carriage in its simplest form: I give a cue (ask for a walk). She keeps walking until I ask her to stop. It's simple, but overlooked more often than you might think!

She is telling me many things along the way. She is unsure about this, because no-one has ever asked her to do this before. She is used to following off the body of the human leading her, instead of walking off a cue only. She is used to walking when the person leading her walks. This is a very useful way of getting equines to move, until you need them to stand still for being brushed or for treatment by a vet, and then we wonder why they won't stand still, and punish them for it. But actually, we have been teaching them to follow our feet instead of teaching a cue to walk forward, backwards, or sideways. Think about what you're training, because whether you realise it or not, you are teaching something to your equine every single minute you are interacting with them.

Happy training!

22/10/2026

**Are you training your horse for an outcome, or for a better relationship? 🦋**

It's easy to measure a training session by what our horse achieves.

Did they stand still? Load into the trailer? Respond to the cue?

But there's another question worth asking: *What was the experience like for my horse?*

Training offers us an opportunity to build more than a set of behaviours. We can develop understanding, confidence, trust and cooperation along the way.

That doesn't mean ignoring the outcome or expecting every interaction to be perfect. It means paying attention to how we teach, what our horse communicates, and whether our approach is helping them learn.

Because the goal isn't simply to get a horse to do what we want.

**It's to build a relationship in which learning can flourish.**

💬 What is one thing you could approach differently in your next training session?

20/10/2026

**Are you training your horse for an outcome, or for a better relationship? 🦋**

When we train a horse, it's easy to focus only on what we want them to do.

Stand still. Walk beside us. Load into the trailer. Stand for the farrier. Respond to a cue.

But what if we shifted our focus?

Instead of asking only, *“How do I get my horse to do this?”* we also asked, *“How can I help my horse feel safe, understand what I'm asking, and become a willing participant?”*

The goal isn't to abandon the outcome. It's to change how we get there.

Because training isn't just about teaching a horse what to do. It's also about shaping how they experience being with us.

**A better relationship doesn't replace good training. It gives us a better foundation for it.**

🦋 At Flutterby Equine, we believe in happy horses and happy humans.

25/09/2026

What if we changed the question? 🐴

When our horse doesn't do what we ask, it's easy to think:

“How do I get my horse to do this?”

But what happens when we ask:

“Why is my horse finding this difficult?”

A horse that moves away, hesitates, rushes, braces or refuses isn't necessarily being difficult.

Their response is information.

That doesn't mean letting your horse do whatever they want.

It means listening while still providing clear boundaries, communication and guidance.

Because training isn't just about producing a horse that complies.

It's about helping a horse understand, feel safe, gain confidence and learn that communication works.

That's where Comfort, Communication, Confidence and Connection come together—with Trust at the centre. 💙

📖 Read this week's blog: https://flutterbyequine.wordpress.com/2026/09/20/what-does-it-mean-to-have-a-horse-as-a-partner/