Heart to Heart - Equine

12/05/2026

Horses are big, fast flighty animals, and yet we do some amazing things with them. How do we make sure we stay safe?

This is the topic for the next live call inside the Calm & Connected Horse comminuty.

It's free to join! Become a founding member and get access to the live call and previous conversations on topics relating to horse behaviour and informed training.

Let me know if you want the link.

11/05/2026

Your horse is far more likely to relax when they can reconnect with you.

When a horse gets nervous, many people try to soothe them straight away, but often the first step is helping them shift their focus. If their attention is locked onto the scary thing, they may struggle to take in your reassurance. Instead, give them something simple and familiar to think about, like a change of direction, a halt, backing up, or transitions between gaits. These small requests help interrupt the spiral and bring their attention back to you.

From there, your calmness becomes something they can actually notice and respond to. Slow your breathing, soften your body, lower your energy, and avoid adding tension through your movements. Then repeat the process as needed. Every horse and situation is different, but the more communication and trust you build in everyday moments, the easier it becomes to guide your horse through the hard ones.

I've recorded a 20-minute talk about helping a nervous horse relax, you can listen to it for free inside the Calm & Connected Horse community. Plus there’s more training and horse behaviour content in there, all free for founding members. Comment CALM to get the link.

09/05/2026

This might look like a simple moment.

A child.
A horse.
A quiet ride.

But this is the part I pay the most attention to.

Not whether the horse is “behaving”…
but whether they feel okay underneath it.

Because when a horse is truly settled, you see it:

- the lowered head
- the softness through the body
- the absence of tension

That’s what creates safety.

Not control.
Not compliance.
Not just “good training”.

And this is the part that often gets missed.

We focus on what the horse is doing…
instead of how they’re experiencing it.
What do you notice about your horse in moments like this?

—
If you want to understand this on a deeper level and learn how to recognise what’s really going on with your own horse, I share more inside my free Calm & Connected Horse community.
You’re very welcome to join.

And if you’re not sure what you’re seeing with your horse, feel free to message me—happy to help you figure it out.

08/05/2026

Most people would look at this and think
“calm horse.”

But this isn’t something you get by chance.

This is what it looks like
when a horse feels safe enough
to soften.

No force. No holding. No fixing.

Just a nervous system that’s no longer bracing.

This is often the part people skip.

What do you notice about your horse in moments like this?

06/05/2026

If your horse “won’t stand still”… this might be why.

We often try to train stillness.

But a horse that can’t stand still
usually doesn’t feel settled enough to stand still.

So we hold them. Correct them. Ask again.

And they move.

Not because they’re disrespectful—
but because something in them isn’t okay yet.

Stillness isn’t something you install.

It’s something that shows up
when the horse feels safe enough.

Have you noticed this with your horse?

04/05/2026

Your horse isn’t “buddy sour” in the way you’ve been told.

They’re not trying to be difficult.
They’re trying to stay where they feel safest.

And when we keep pushing them away from that place…
we often create more of the behaviour we’re trying to fix.

The calling, the planting, the rushing back—it’s not random.

It makes sense to the horse.

The question is…
are we working with that, or against it?

Does this sound like your horse?

If you want to understand what’s really going on underneath this, I go deeper into it inside my free Calm & Connected Horse community. You’re welcome to join.

Or feel free to message me if you want help with your specific situation.

28/04/2026

Do you have a horse in your life that you love dearly, but you’re struggling with unwanted behaviour?

Maybe you’ve tried different methods. Maybe you’ve been given advice that didn’t work, or didn’t sit right with you.

You long for the freedom and peace that horses are meant to bring… but reality feels very different. You might even start wondering if you’re the right person for this horse. You may consider sending them to a trainer. But what about the connection between you and your horse? No one else can build that for you.

When we begin to see behaviour as communication, everything shifts. There’s no quick fix, no single exercise that will solve it. Instead, we look at the root cause — the emotions and unmet needs behind the behaviour — so we can genuinely support the horse to feel safe, confident, and at ease.

I’m offering online Behaviour Clarity Sessions. They’re usually $95, but each member of the Calm & Connected Horse community on Skool can access one session for free.

In exchange, the session will be recorded and shared inside the group, so others can learn from it too.

In these sessions, we’ll get to the bottom of your horse’s behaviour and find your next clear step forward — one that supports your horse in the kindest way available to you. There’s no other horse-human combination like yours, and any helpful guidance needs to reflect that.

Comment CALM or message me to get the link. There's no commitment, come and check it out.

A supportive community for compassionate horse lovers who want to create a calm, safe and connected partnership with their horse.

28/04/2026

Sending your horse to a trainer can either move you forward or set you back.

A good trainer brings experience and clarity. They can show the horse something in a way that is consistent and easy to understand, which often helps the horse settle and learn faster. In the right environment, it can also be a positive experience for the horse to step out of their usual space and spend time with someone who handles them in a calm, clear way.

But the part people don’t think about enough is what happens when the horse comes home.

If you’re not working with your horse in the same way the trainer does, the horse ends up caught between two systems. That’s where confusion starts, and often things don’t just go back to how they were… they can get worse. The horse isn’t being difficult, they’re trying to make sense of mixed messages.

There’s also the reality that most trainers are paid for results within a timeframe. That can push things along faster than the horse is truly ready for. Some horses need time, quiet, and consistency more than they need to be “worked”. Not every setup allows for that.

So it’s not really about whether sending your horse away is good or bad. It’s about how it’s done.

If you choose this path, find a trainer who aligns with how you want to be with your horse. And just as importantly, make sure you’re part of the process. Either have the trainer teach you to train your horse, or get lessons to support you, so you can continue in the same way when your horse comes home.

This is long-term work. The goal isn’t just what the horse can do with the trainer now, but what the two of you can do together afterwards.

If you want to go deeper into topics like this, I’ve created a Skool community called the Calm & Connected Horse. It’s free to join at this stage, and you’re welcome to come in, ask questions, and learn alongside others who aim to truly understand their horses. Comment CALM to get the link.

26/04/2026

"Unpopular opinion"
Why does every second post start with these words, regardless of how popular the opinion really is?
🤷‍♀️

22/04/2026

Question posed for our next live call:

"Anxious horses - how to help them feel confident and and not stress them further without them thinking they are right to be anxious.

I wonder sometimes if we go too gentle and stop everytime a horse is upset do we teach them, they were right to feel anxious, but we certainly can't go too passed what they are comfortable and ready for. I think there is a very fine line between building their confidence and tipping them over the edge of anxiety and keen to hear some suggestions and have help with that issue."

JOIN US FOR FREE

A supportive community for compassionate horse lovers who want to create a calm, safe and connected partnership with their horse.

21/04/2026

The full discussion is one hour long. You can access it for free inside the Calm & Connected Horse community.

Comment JOIN to become a founding memeber in the community and get access to a new topic every week.