From the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude toward the problem.” ~ Captain Jack Sparrow ~ How utterly absurd that a fictional character in a movie could possibly offer any enlightenment in the world of horsemanship! And yet, in truth, Captain Jack’s insightfulness is actually […]
Category: Care
Stalling/Caging Your Horse
Sometimes when we want to continue doing or believing something for whatever reason, (tradition, personal, peer pressure, etc.,) we tend to rationalize to justify the beliefs or actions of what we want to continue believing or doing. If we didn’t, we might be forced to admit that what we are believing or doing, (in this […]
Horses aren’t made to be ridden
Before you start sharpening the pitchforks, boiling the tar and collecting feathers, perhaps I should explain. It’s a beautiful cool Spring day and I’m going out riding with a very dear friend as soon as I finish writing this. In fact, we’d be long gone by now except for something that came up a little […]
What does Your Horses Heart Have To Do with Training?
I had an interesting conversation with an FT family member this morning. It brought to mind once again that as a human goes through the program with their horse, it is both a teaching, and equally important, learning experiential. What some may not realize is that the same holds true for me as well. This […]
Don’t Cut Your Horse’s Whiskers
I know the picture is of a Zebra but… the point of this is Whiskers! Do you think that a Zebra finds some rock or tree to rub off their vital sensory organs (whiskers)? Wild horses they too don’t stop off at the local barbers for a trim so why does it matter that humans […]
The Horses World
Over many millions of years, horses evolved a physique and patterns of behaviour that were necessary for their survival in the wild. Like all animals, they have to respond appropriately to events occurring in the world around them.
Maladaptive & Counterproductive Care & Training
Researchers on all sides of the nature vs nurture debate agree that the link between a gene and a behavior is not the same as cause and effect. While a gene may increase the likelihood that we, (or the horse in this case) may behave in a particular way
The Search
We would strongly suggest the very FIRST place to start is learning more about the specifics of the animal they are dealing with from the empirical studies of equine ethologists and research scientists. Why? Why learn about the Horse in his natural environment? Why take the time to learn about equine instincts, culture and herd […]
Training Merry-Go-Round
Our first step off our traditional ‘training merry-go-round’ would be acknowledging the tremendous difference between the normal intra-herd relationship and the Peer Attachment relationship (referred to by equine ethologists and research scientists as affiliated pairing
The New Horse
Nowhere on the face of the earth is there a more convoluted human activity. No license, no basic requirement of one’s knowledge, skill or understanding is required. Simply plonk down the money, and drag your horse back home