Animal-Balance

14/10/2026

It was such a pleasure to visit the lovely Larri at Horse Haven - Holistic Livery & Ethical Training the other week. An absolute privilege to work on one of her clients horses, and learn more about her fantastic facilities.

11/10/2026

🦋 There is something extraordinary about the moment you begin to see the horse through different eyes.

When you have spent years immersed in conventional horsemanship, recognising the horse as a sentient being, capable of emotions, feelings and desires of their own, just like us, can take time. You think you know but actually you don’t.

It feels rather like emerging from a chrysalis and becoming a beautiful butterfly.

But there is a painful part to that transformation.

Because as you spread your wings, you look back and begin to see the ugliness of what we have normalised. The choices we have taken away. The voices we have silenced. The pressure we have justified. The freedom we have restricted. All in the name of human desires, ambitions and ego.

And you realise that loving a horse and truly understanding their needs are not necessarily the same thing.

But I promise you, when you put down the need to control and pick up the empathy in your heart, something wonderful happens.

You begin to question everything. Every piece of equipment. Every training method. Every expectation. Every time a horse says no and we have been taught to make them say yes.

Does what I am doing empower this horse’s spirit, or does it slowly break it?

And once you begin to see the world through their eyes, there is no going back.

Because on the other side of that awakening is a light that floods your heart with a happiness you never knew existed.

A relationship built not on control, but on trust, freedom, choice and mutual understanding.

So I want you to spread your wings. Open that door.

Welcome to the beautiful world of recognising the horse’s agency.

After all, it is Sunday. What better day for an awakening of the soul? 🦋👐

10/10/2026

A great reminder of how dog breeds used to look, back when they were bred for function, rather than form!!

If you are buying from a breeder please ensure you choose one who puts health, long term soundness and quality of life, above looks.

01/10/2026

Is the use of whips necessary in equestrian sport? Do you feel children should learn to use a whip as part of their riding education?

I personally no longer use whips and have not done so for the past 10 years. As a child in the 80s and 90s; I was taught to use a whip for punishment, to make the horse do my will. Very little thought was given to why the horse might not respond when given an aid, it was just assumed that the horse was choosing disobedience and deserved to be punished. Likewise if the horse was offering unwanted behaviours such as bucking, napping, shying or bolting, I was taught that they were being 'naughty' and needed to be punished.

Over the years, the more I learned about horses, the more I began to realise that disobedience or naughtiness are really human concepts which animals simply don't understand. The horse who doesn't respond to an aid may have numerous reasons for not responding:
- They could be confused about what is wanted (deciphering the complex array of weight shifts, constant leg and hand movements and random vocal sounds... to figure out exactly what is wanted must be incredibly challenging!)
- The behaviour may not yet have been generalised (A behaviour needs to be taught in multiple locations and under a variety of conditions before the horse truly KNOWS how to respond when the cue is applied)
- They may have physical restrictions which make it uncomfortable to perform the movement (these can vary from day to day and may result in inconsistent performance)
- Their Tack may be causing discomfort or prevent them from moving freely
- Or they may simple not enjoy the behaviour we are asking them to perform and therefore lack intrinsic motivation.

If the only method we have to motivate our horses is the use of punishment and intimidation, it becomes easy to overlook the genuine reasons that the horse might refuse or 'misbehave'.

All that said I do not believe whips are inherently abusive, and I do know professionals who use them without causing fear or stress to the horse. But I personally don't believe they are a necessary item of equipment and I think it's great that this equestrian centre is discouraging their students from using them.

Do you ride with a whip? And where do you feel the line is for correct use Vs abusive force?

29/09/2026

The girls had a hair cut today. They are both embarisingly over weight, despite my best efforts this summer. Will have to rethink management for next year :(. Hopefully now they will start to slim down a little, using up the fat stores to keep warm.
It seems a never ending battle with natives. Idris is also rather rotund, although he has dropped off a little over the last week with the nights getting colder.

What management practices do you use to maintain a healthy body condition score?

19/09/2026

I'm back in Hampshire next week and have availability for a couple of appointments on thursday 24th. Ideally around the Southampton / Newforest area.
Drop me a message if you would like to book.

21/08/2026

If you feed Years dog food the company has advised to stop immediately and have your dog checked by the vet.
Signs of 'Dry eye' can be subtle initially and if left untreated the damage can be irreparable, so early diagnosis is essential to prevent suffering.

A ‘potential link’ has been found between a key ingredient, buckwheat, and an eye condition

08/08/2026

A tallented young lady I recently met is doing her gold crest award research project, looking into Somatic mirroring in horses.

If you work with or spend time with horses please complete her very short, anonymous survey.

01/08/2026

Absolutely gorgeous day, nice cool breeze and stunning view. What more could you ask from the Cardigan Show.

Come say hi, give your dog some water and treats and have a chat :).

07/07/2026

I've just started reading 'The School of Horsemanship' written in 1731 by François Robichon de la Guérinière - director of the Royal Stables of France and considered by many to be the Father of modern dressage.

The opening paragraphs give food for thought:

'All arts and science have principles and rules governing the methods resulting in those discoveries that lead to their perfection... the practice, stripped of sound principles, is nothing more than routine that only results in a forced and uncertain performance and a false brilliance that fascinates the demi-connoisseurs, who are often amazed by the horse's kindness, rather than by the rider's skill...'

'This lack of principles indicates that the students are not at all able to distinguish between faults and perfection. Their only resource is imitation, and, unfortunately, it is definitely much easier to turn false practice than to achieve what is correct.'

Considering the prevalence of unethical training practices in top level competition at this time... it seems that not much has changed :(