The Savvy Herd

08/03/2026

❤️

Have you heard of the SA Boerperd? 🐴🇿🇦
Breed # 149 in the Quest — watch here!
▶️ https://youtu.be/wZM0R-zpWk4

✨Featuring: Rooigras SA Boerperd stud & Tonkin-Biering Equestria ✨

16/02/2026

Stop Shrinking. Your Horse Notices.

There is a quiet habit many women perfect long before they ever own a horse. It is the habit of becoming smaller. Do not inconvenience anyone. Do not impose. Do not be too much. Be agreeable. Be easy.

It works in human society. You are rewarded for it. You are described as kind and low maintenance. Shrinking keeps things smooth.

Then you buy a horse.

And the strategy falls apart.

Because horses do not interpret shrinking as kindness. They interpret it as irrelevance.

When you hesitate because you do not want to upset your horse, when you soften your request halfway through, when you step back the moment you feel uncertain or judged, your horse does not admire your sensitivity. Your horse simply concludes, “I’ll organise this.”

So it scans the environment. It drifts. It disconnects. Not because it is dominant or damaged, but because you diluted your own significance.

This is the part people romanticise as connection. They imagine something mystical has happened when a horse is “with you.”

It is not mystical.

When a horse is with you, it is oriented toward you because you make sense. Because following you reduces uncertainty. Because you feel organised and predictable. Attention is not magic. It is learned relevance.

And relevance requires you to occupy space.

You cannot guide a horse while apologising for existing. You cannot ask for attention while quietly believing you should not have it.

This is not about dominance or force. It is about tolerating being significant. Staying present. Allowing yourself to matter in the interaction.

And here is the beautiful part.

Horses have a way of teaching you that you do matter. They need you to be heard. They need you to be important, not for ego, but for security.

You are already that person.

Your horse simply needs you to believe it too.❤

Now share this far and wide.🙏
Somewhere out there is a woman rehearsing how to be smaller tomorrow. She needs this interruption. ❤
Collectable Advice 156/365. Save it. Share it. But please do not copy and paste.I have retired from shrinking. Including around my own writing.😜

09/02/2026

The best part about being with your horse
isn’t the riding.
Or the goals.
Or the results.

It’s the being.

Standing with them while the world goes quiet.
Leaning into their warmth.
Breathing at the same pace.
No masks. No performance. No explanations needed.

With your horse, you don’t have to be productive.
You don’t have to be impressive.
You don’t have to be “on”.

You just get to exist
muddy boots, tangled hair, tired heart and all
and still be completely accepted.

In a life that asks us to be everything to everyone,
horses remind us that presence is enough.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need. 🐴💛

09/02/2026

The idea that horses require equipment like whips, spurs, or complex tack to perform is a common misconception. In reality, training is built on trust, clear communication, and mutual respect. When you focus on developing a strong bond with your horse, you'll find that you need less equipment, not more.

- *Trust is key*: Horses are sensitive animals that thrive on predictability and trust. Using force or relying on tools can damage this trust and create anxiety.
- *Body language matters*: Horses are experts at reading body language. By using clear, consistent cues, you can communicate effectively without needing gadgets.
- *Natural movement*: Horses move naturally and respond well to subtle guidance. Over-reliance on equipment can hinder their natural movement and balance.

As Pat Parelli says "The best equipment is the one that's not needed."

31/01/2026

Savvy Posiedon
one of my personal steeds & best friend
What a powerful land dragon with the most gentle soul 🖤

Foals born on our farm choose trust from day one 🌾 They gallop to us in the paddocks, craving connection – not because we're the food bucket, but because they've decided we're worth it. Ask for a little extra exercise? More like they're demanding attention on their terms 😉. And yes, they get a bit possessive if they're not the centre of our universe 😂.

These horses mirror what we teach them. Give respect, love, and trust from the start, and they'll give you their all. No domination, no force – just mutual understanding. It's living proof: there's no such thing as a 'problem horse', just a breakdown in communication.

As Monty Roberts says, 'The horse is a mirror to your soul.' What do your horses reflect about you?

21/01/2026

Turns out, he rescued me...

Ill never forget the day we fetched him, "my shining light" aka "Marley"
As well as 3 others, one of which is his sister. They were all in a common situation, living untouched with a big herd on a farmers land in the middle of a drought and struggling to say the least. My parents and I were offered to give them a second chance.

They had no experience of humans other than being herded to different pastures or cattle grids so getting into a horse box and trucking them home was a challenge in itself but we managed to get all 4 trucked and arrived home in the middle of night, with our next challenge of getting them into separate paddocks as 2 of the horses were still Stallions (Marley being one of them)
Halters were introduced, both stallions were gelded and once healed the training would start.
Of all four horses Marley was the most difficult to get through to, he was so driven by fear that most of the time he would attack me.
After months of trying different methods I was about to give up, I'd got through to the others and I even questioned if Marleys eyesight was damaged, he would attack and or run blindly it seemed.

But I never gave up on this horse. I spent hours just sitting and observing him, I can't tell you exactly what he or I did but we went from opposite ends within in a few days. He gave me permission to ride him but without a bridle or saddle, and so one day him and the herd were running in from their paddock to the stables and I took the opportunity to vault on his back. From that day on he did anything I asked
And my horsemanship journey truly began.

15/01/2026

Be the reason someone believes in goodness again ✳️