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Sound Start Starting/breaking horses with a strong focus on building a solid foundation to support a successful future under saddle.

25/09/2026

This is Reno, she's a 14yo Paint mare who was shown as a junior horse and then sold on to her current home where she has been used for a bit of everything. She is also Georges mother!
Reno is with me on lease and has been bred to my stallion Tally S A Sudden Kiss, but she is very quiet so I have put her back under saddle and she will cart a Youth rider around this season also.
Reno needed a pretty big tune up on day one, she had forgotten how to carry herself in a useful way and resembled a lama more than a well bred western horse! She was also super speedy with no focus, she didn't know where she was going, she just knew she needed to get there quickly!!
So, lots of lateral flexion to help her with her upside down top line, lots of circles when she rushes off leg or ... just rushes off (I just pull her in a circle and let her run into herself and once she drops her poll and slows her feet I let her out again) ... in todays session I also started to get her to slow her feet and lower and soften her face to my spur and light inside rein contact ... lastly ... once she started to really get it and maintain a jog, I stopped her as a reward (catch them before they make a mistake and then look for a few more steps next time) ... she's a lovely mare and my Youth rider is doing well working with her already.

25/09/2026

Another session with George from last week, this time out in the arena where I will test Georges focus and softness now he no longer has the walls of the round pen to help him.

21/09/2026

This was last weeks session 3 with George, I'll let the video do the explaining, session 4 from last week should be ready in the next day or so.

I'd like to thank the committee from the Ballarat Ranch Horse Association Inc. for hosting me over the weekend. What a g...
20/09/2026

I'd like to thank the committee from the Ballarat Ranch Horse Association Inc. for hosting me over the weekend. What a great club!
We started day 1 of the two day clinic with some ground fundamentals, followed up after lunch with transferring those fundamentals under saddle. Day 2 we started applying those riding fundamentals into practical uses, always looking for lightness and softness.
We had a great group of ladies and i saw some positive changes from each and every one of you. I really hope you all enjoyed yourselves!
Below are a few photos from yesterdays session.

Can’t complain about a freshly groomed arena and a beautiful sky!!!
18/09/2026

Can’t complain about a freshly groomed arena and a beautiful sky!!!

15/09/2026

Today we have a video of a young QH boy who arrived with me a little over a week ago. George very quickly showed us he was a bit herd bound and suffered anxiety when the horses around him moved more than 10 or so meters away. This issue came up during his first training session and it was a perfect opportunity for me to start working on getting George to self regulate his anxiety and find focus again. He is a lovely boy and I'm looking forward to sharing parts of his breaking journey with you all!

Training isn't a dirty word and good training opens communication and forms strong relationships between you and your ho...
09/09/2026

Training isn't a dirty word and good training opens communication and forms strong relationships between you and your horse! You can't build a strong relationship without trust and trust comes from asking your horse uncomfortable questions and then helping them to find good, safe answers.

01/09/2026

Good morning! I've been working with this guy over the last few weeks, with a lot of focus on getting him soft through the ribcage, poll, getting his hips and shoulders freed up and lots of lateral flexion. These are all key ingredients before you move onto other things. Yesterday I started to focus more on his "leaking".

So he draws or leaks to different parts of the arena and a common go too, to try and fix this is to use your outside leg ... but that usually results in micro management and a slightly drunken sailor (can't walk a straight line!) ... so to put the responsibility back on Ben, I gave him a lose rein and whenever I felt him start to leak or draw to an area off his straight line, I'd pick up on the opposite rein, use my inside leg and have him travel in the opposite direction.
You'll see at the start of this footage I pick up and send him off in the opposite direction a lot, but as the video progresses he starts to understand he needs to stay on the line I gave him ... he gets so good at it that he gets to the edge of the arena and then I need to make a choice.

It's a fantastic technique to put the onus back on the horse and teach them to stay and wait!

Now, one other thing i'd like to mention here, and thats where Ben's head and topline is at ... I have not "created" this through contact or draw reins ... this is the result of the better your lateral flexion the better you're vertical flexion becomes! ... lots of softening work from nose to tail, left and right, rewarding the slightest give and holding when they are bracing and resistant.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

28/08/2026

Sorry i haven't had many updates lately, i have been quietly working away behind the scenes!
Today i wanted to share Loki (Tally S A Sudden Kiss) and his progress. If you have been following along for a while you'll know he's a 7yo PHAA stallion who had approx 3 months training as a late 2yo before Covid ruined his whole show preperation. We all know how long Covid kicked on for and sadly Loki never went back under saddle, instead being used as a breeding horse.
I bought him October last year and finally got him back under saddle a few months ago ... he's a lovely horse to work with and really digs deep if asked, he has so much natural talent ... i've worked on balancing him up as he had a lot of body issues ... so over the last few months we have worked on softening his rib cage, poll, jaw, gaining controll of his hips and shoulders, mastering counter canter and the last few days we have started working on lead changes... we are a long way from having a solid lead change, but today he showed me he has a grasp on what im asking for ...

18/08/2026

Good morning! Its been a few weeks since I've posted and that's mainly due to some horrible wet weather! Luckily things have improved a little this week.
A couple of weeks ago I added this Thoroughbred mare to my breeding team. She's 7yo and only a couple of months off the track, so she is still in let-down mode. Before I breed with her, I'd like to know how she is under saddle and how her mind is! So I've started working with her with that being my end goal.
I know a lot of you already own TB's and have the issues that go along with them, stemming from their racing past, so I'm going to share my journey with Ned in hope it will help TB owners.

Below was the second time I worked with Ned and the first day I had saddled her up. A few things I'd like you to take note off, her posture, high head, anxious mind ... constantly looking off down the paddock.
Once she starts moving, watch her action ... she's stretched out, flipping her feet around like she has flippers on, head is high and there is no engagement from her mind or her hind end!
I haven't included any real "work" in this video because I'd just like everyone to get this image of a true Off The Track Thoroughbred in their minds. She moves like she has been taught to move, and she has been taught this so she can RUN ... her body facilitates running fast atm, and I am now going to change this so she can go on and facilitate a more user friendly job, as a safe, recreational riding horse.
So, I have spent 3 sessions teaching her how to actually use herself in a move efficient way, how to move her hind quarters, how to stand her shoulder up on a circle, how to bend her ribcage, how to move away from pressure ... I will upload some of this in the coming days ... but all these little parts will help Ned to reconfigure herself, and will help to keep both of us safe ... so as they say, Watch this space :)

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Mount Waverley, VIC

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
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