Soft and Sound, North Bovey (2026)

10/06/2026

Yesterday something major happened for Capri and I - after 4 months he managed to trot on the lunge.

Not passage, not extended trot. Not jack knifing out wildly through his shoulder. Not bolting off. Not leaping then shooting then leaping then shooting . Not offering his standard ‘donkey’ move of dashing off with his nose in the air and jamming his poll to the outside.

Just a bobby basic normal horse trot with his spine, mind and feet in agreement.

If this was a 4 year old horse this would usually happen within a matter of a couple of weeks. However, it turns out for an older horse, with very strong opinions and a history of largely running his own life in a small environment - this had has been a huge deal.

It’s been an interesting learning experience for me. I guess that’s one way of putting it. Getting a green unbacked older horse has many advantages physically. He is mature, with all his bone fusing done and his body as strong and fit as it can be. I don’t need to worry about asking him to do things in the same way I might be concerned with a younger horse.

The challenge instead has been his mental pliability. He hasn’t seen much of anything at all in the last few years so he finds ‘everything’ concerning. This was really the work of the first two months. Just to be able to ask him to keep his attention with what we were doing. He felt alarmed by everything and anything and found no peace anywhere.

The next job was to see if he could stay with us rather than leave all the time. He has been very used to taking his feet where his thoughts went. The concept of containment was a huge deal for him and resulted in bolting. His thoughts would leave and his feet would follow - despite being attached to me. This caused us both some trouble.

And the finally major learning has about balance and speed control. He wants to do everything with the volume turned to 15. This is all very well and good when you’re the master of your own destiny, but when you’re attached to me and on a circle, then powering down is the order of the day. Because each time he’d offer full steam ahead he’d be out of balance and panicking. Sometimes it’s felt like he would never understand this possibility. More to the point, it felt like I would never work out how to help him find a different solution to the problem.

Yesterday he trotted at normal speed on both reins. A very minor achievement for many horses and humans. A cause of great celebration for Capri and I.

09/06/2026

Canter.

We know it's good for our horses' bodies, and it's good for our souls. And yet, it is one of the gaits we may avoid (particularly in the arena) because it shows up a whole load of things which feel best swept under rugs various.

There are a number of reasons canter may be sticky for us and our horse. It is asymmetric in a way that walk and trot are not. As in, it is very different on one side to the other. Even without our horse's natural propensity to be right or left sided, it is not 'the same' on each rein. Combine that with our own natural preference for cantering on one lead (if I 'think' of canter, I always mentally canter right) it can quickly feel like a complicated suggestion.

For a number of reasons (one of them simply being you're collectively going faster) it challenges our horse's balance. A naturally to-the-front-end weighted creature, when combined with speed and turning (say, on a circle) these forces can create a significantly destabilising effect.

And, in canter, a horse really needs to use their head and neck. Certainly, early on in their education, they would choose to take their neck to the outside to counterbalance themselves. This is normal and appropriate; yet many horses have had this restricted by ways of training which insist on a set head and neck position. This means they have had to learn coping mechanisms, such as leaning on your hands, or bracing, or running.

As a rider, we may not be used to the physical ask of canter. Our seat needs to move with our horse's back in a series of backwards loops, and our elbows, wrists and fingers need to be pliable and moving with the circular action of your horse's head (in order you don't block their movement). We need to do all of this while balancing ourselves over another living being moving at speed. In our everyday lives we're mostly not undertaking such physical challenges.

And then, before we even get into canter - how do we ask for it? Looking back I realise I was never told anything other than, "Get to the corner and canter". This may or may not involve a whole lot seat scrubbing and chucking myself forwards in the hope that my horse will also launch themselves forward into canter.

It was only when I was lucky enough to get educated in the ways of the Legerete that it was revealed to me there are many helpful and thoughtful exercises to help set us both up for success. We can do a whole lot better than just 'more cantering'; and instead use our powers of observation and feel to learn what our horse needs from us.

In the Soft & Sound membership group we are sharing cantering videos to understand which specific exercises could best help us actually enjoy canter and benefit from it. You can join us now if you would like to know more about this amazing gait.

You also get the benefit of my high end illustrations, absolutely no AI involved, as you may be able to guess...

04/06/2026

Next weekend we have Légèreté Master Teacher Catherine Marshall coming to Ayton PRE in Devon. Due to horse lameness there is now one rider space available on this 3 day clinic.

It doesn't matter what stage you or your horse are at - you will both get something useful from this clinic. Catherine is a quiet, empathetic teacher; who understands the principles of Légèreté to a very high standard. She spent many years training directly with Philippe Karl and is a very accomplished rider in her own right.

I will be there, as will many other members of the S & S community. I hope someone will grab this opportunity to ride for 3 days in the best venue in the SW!

Plenty of opportunity to spectate too.

Please contact Catherine directly on [email protected]

03/06/2026

The truth of young horse dreaming.

When you buy a young horse you never quite know how it is going to pan out - but it always starts out so full of optimism and hope. There is nothing like a foal for inspiring this in a person. Every foal is perfect and glorious and wonderful.

However, the truth for many of us is the discovery that not all young horses are meant to be riding horses - however much we wish that was the case. I know this is the reality for several of my students and it can feel like a very lonely road - because we often don't talk about it. We just quietly grieve for what we had imagined was going to be, and readjust to what actually is.

I bought Ellesar as a yearling, having admired him as a foal. He is everything I want in a horse; well put together, trainable, very sweet natured, easy going with other horses. Can be lead by children and is great with small animals. Plus, he is ridiculously good looking.

However, at the end of this month, at the grand age of 7, he retires to a non-ridden companion home. On the one hand I couldn't be more delighted to have this person offer him a home - she is a student and a truly wonderful human who is so happy to have him join her. I am very lucky and so is he. She can give him the restricted grazing he needs, with access to a friend and a human who will shower him in attention. From his perspective, this is all grand.

But, for me there is a big sadness which has to be stuffed down, because being sad doesn't change anything. Obviously, this is not what I hoped for, or dreamed about, or spoke to him about when he was a little horse. I thought we would have many years adventuring together, and going to clinics, and riding back across the moor of an evening with friends. However, aged 3, he began to show signs of physical discomfort and we discovered his hocks were a real mess. And with the onset of metabolic issues it has become clear that despite our collective best efforts, he cannot be ridden and stay comfortable.

My young horse doesn't mind. He will have a lovely life as a horse with friends and being cared for. But I do mind, if I am allowed to be honest.

As do many of my friends and students who see a similar progression from foal to young horse - where somewhere along the line they learn that this will not be the life they had planned together. And if we are ethical, and care about the actual horse in front of us (rather than our dreams and hopes) we say 'I must do the right thing by this horse', and sacrifice our desire to ride them.

If you are going through this, you are not alone. I know many people who have had the same sad conversation with their vet, as they stand with their hand on their young horse's neck, re-calibrating their dreams of the future, paying their bills and thanking everyone who has helped this young horse not become yet another 'ridden horse in pain'.

02/06/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who came to this weekend's demonstration and lessons, it was a hot day, but a good day.

The focus was Classical in-hand training and lunging. However, we did a little detour into some things which were important to a pony in the moment.

It is always a pleasure to work with people who care this much about doing well by horses and who are prepared to dig deep, challenge themselves to learn more about who they are and what their horses need.

I certainly don't have all the answers, and every approach to horses is imperfect. But we just keep trying to do the best we can and see what might be most useful to our horse (or pony).

As ever, a huge thank you to Ayton PRE East Beere Farm and Nicola white for hosting us in such style. Sorry I haven't got any photos with you and your lovely mare.

There will be more demo days later in the year.

01/06/2026

Advice please.

It’s been brought to my attention that a very big name, promoting their own hacking course, is using wording which is pretty much a direct lift of my own description of my Art of Hacking course.

I’m assuming they’re using AI which is lifting my copy.

I’m only very small fry compared to them - so not sure what I can do? But it feels rather galling to see my own home spun words being used as part of their huge marketing machine…

30/05/2026

‘Oh he’s very good at standing still’.

My neighbour said this yesterday about Capri and I felt I needed to call The Red Mare and ask to be allowed on the podium.

Most of you know the backstory of this horse, he was gifted to me as a project as by the age of 8 he was very under exposed regarding life. He arrived at the start of March; exploded off the lorry and didn’t keep his feet still for the first two months he was here. He was utterly exhausting to be around and I can only imagine how it felt to be him.

I had to call on every idea and approach I had up my sleeve and in the end resorted to sitting on a chair in the middle of the arena with Capri on a 22’ rope and me with a book in my hand. My plan was to read and do my absolute best to ignore the powder keg on the other end of the line. Other than when he attempted to come over the top of me, I just kept reading - even in the never ending terrible spring gales.

And this, along with every other bit of insight into horses I had, began to change things for Capri. He started to see that just ‘being’ was possible. He stopped frantically searching for treats, or an interaction, or a ‘we-must-be-doing-something’ action and started to wonder about hanging out.

Yesterday was our third ever walk off the farm. We have worked through the bolting on the ground and his understanding of leading is pretty good now (my standards are fairly high…) so it feels like it’s an acceptable ask.

For the first time we went all the way to the next house (we live in a remote part of the moor) and there were builders doing buildering things and they were a cause of curiosity rather than concern. And they said ‘That’s a nice looking horse’ and I was sure Capri heard that.

Then my neighbour came out and said what a pretty face she had (Capri isn’t worried about his pronouns) and we chatted and Capri stood and looked around at this previously unseen part of the planet for ten minutes. It was only as we went to leave and my neighbour said ‘Isn’t she good at standing still’ that I realised how different things are. And remembered the hours of wearing my thermals whilst sitting on a plastic chair and trying to turn the pages of a book in the wind, while Capri danced this way and that on the end of the line.

Small Olympian sized changes.

29/05/2026

This June Légèreté Master Teacher Catherine Marshall is holding an open clinic in Devon, at Ayton PRE. There are spaces for spectators and it is a wonderful venue to spend time at.

We very much hope that there will be a Foundation Instructor training course in the South West in the future - this is a chance to find out more about the French classical school and the it's interpretation though the Ecole de Légèreté.

Catherine will be meeting a group of horse and riders for the first time, all at very different stages in their education. You will see her ride the horses to assess how she can best help their riders, and then teach them how they can most benefit their horse.

Catherine spent many years learning directly with Philippe Karl himself and is a very competent and experienced rider. She has trained her own horses to a very high standard according to the principles of the school.

Almost all of the riders attending are from the Soft and Sound community, so it will be a great opportunity to catch up and spend time with like minded people in a welcoming learning environment.

Event details below...

29/05/2026

In the membership we are looking at the subject of canter.

This is something I feel well placed to teach on, as for a long time it was a matter of extreme hideousness between Desmondo and I. I would do anything to avoid cantering, even though my teacher insisted we should do it 'often'.

People who watched the early days of the Legerete instructor course may well remember Des and I dashing around the arena at high speed, Philippe's head in his hands, and mine whipping back onto Des's rump. Riders far greater than I got to improve the situation and got off again saying, 'It's harder than it looks'. The 'It' being Des generally, and Des's canter specifically.

I had bought myself a Lusitano and I assumed as such a great canter would be a given. We all now about ass's and er, me and you. Or me and Des.

Because, the problem with the Ecole de Legerete is that you are not allowed to cover the problem up - it's a stinker that way. You are not allowed to just pull on that curb, hold your horse's neck in place and set your thighs against the saddle blocks. Had I been 'allowed' to do that (which is sadly a common sight ) I could have trapped Des in a vice like grip and charged around 'under control'. Looking flashy, easy for me, but extremely difficult for the horse. One of PK' infamous expressions is that instead it should be, 'Difficult for the rider and easy for the horse'.

This means the horse must be allowed to use their head and neck as they need. They must be allowed to show us the truth of their physical and mental balance and it is then our job to improve the situation for them. Not just paper over the cracks. We must use our brain, not our brawn (or our curb).

Therefore, with the help of some great suggestions from Sylvia Stossel, and with a huge amount of research in places various, I set about unpicking what was going on and trying to improve the situation. Incremental gains would be a generous description of how it proceeded.

BUT, this is one of those times in which things did actually get better. A lot better, and today Des's canter while still 'not easy' is something of which we are both proud. I mean, Des was probably pretty proud of his warp speed canter for all I know. These days. we canter all the time - it feels good. He is balanced, mobile and relaxed, I can smile and enjoy the scenery. It only took a decade, but maybe good things never come easy.

The upshot of this is that I do know how to help people with problems in canter, and this one horse and I have completed the Top Trumps of 'Canter challenges'. If you would to join us for the ride, please do.

Deets below.

28/05/2026

Why I don’t desensitise my horses.

There are a lot of little plastic clackers kicking about in the horse world at the moment. And there are a lot of horses who are experiencing small plastic hand clackers being clacked around their person.

And it feels quite controversial to say I don’t own any and have no intention of buying any. Edge of the seat stuff, I know.

Now I don’t have a gripe with the clackers per se; other than none of us really need any more plastic landfill. But, what a lot of horses are being taught with these and other means - is to ignore life. To find a way to shut out noise and movement and energy. And what all too often I am seeing is that they’re being trained to exist in a state of semi-perpetual shut down.

Learning to block out life might be vital for a police horse, they have to find a way to shut out much of what they experience to do their job. But I want my horses to stay ‘awake’. To stay sensitive and responsive and curious, and retain all that horseness that we love about them. It’s why I have them in my life rather than the much more sensible choice of a push bike.

The pursuit I have set myself instead is to show my horse how to refer to me. To be sensitised to our relationship and to seek my guidance about how to how to respond to energy or noise or movement. I have witnessed the most brilliant horse people I know doing this, so have hung my hat on their night stand. I think I’m mixing my metaphors, but you get the gist.

It is ‘relatively’ easy to overwhelm a horse with noise and energy to the point where you can drape them with tarpaulins and stand on them letting off fireworks. A horse can assume a freeze position and remain there. It’s much much harder to have a horse awake and present enough that they can constantly converse with you about what they should do in relation to all these crazy things the human world throws their way.

One of my favourite pieces of equipment is a flag. A flag can say many things to a horse. It can draw their attention and direct it. It can provide micro suggestions about go or slow, or shape your body like that or this. It can, very importantly, help a horse to take guidance from you about whether energy is about them or not. The energy of a flag can really make sense to a horse. If I only was allowed one piece of equipment it would be a flag. When you meet a horse who does not respond to a flag this usually tells a tale of desensitisation which can be hard to unpick, I feel sad for these horses where a central part of ‘being a horse’ has been lost. I don’t want a ‘bomb proof’ horse, I want them to ask the question as to whether we should get the hell out of here if a bomb is going off.

I know we need to not blame the clackers - but the ex*****on of the clacking. My dislike of clackers is not personal. But the need to take away the sensitivity of a horse feels a shame. Considered exposure yes of course, they learn through contact with life and experience. Education to ‘what to do if…’ absolutely. And most intriguing to me is the possibility of sensitising a horse to ‘us’ - to checking in with me about what to do when. This feels like the holy grail rather than teaching a horse to not be a horse.

Soft and Sound

10/06/2026

09/06/2026

04/06/2026

03/06/2026

02/06/2026

01/06/2026

30/05/2026

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