Equine Connection Freelance Training

05/31/2026

In preparation for my clinic next week in Aiken, SC, I'm brought back to an older blog post I wrote on Education to the Bit. In our clinic, we will go into much more detail, and far beyond this, learning what all we can feel through our hands, and what our hands can offer the horse. We will take a deep dive into anatomy and biomechanics as usual. There are still a few spots available, so if this blog piques your interest, you should at the very least join us for our classroom sessions in the mornings!

https://www.equineconnectionfreelancetraining.com/blog/ihaxax3p2decahe0j9iyeh4f6di45d

Samantha Charles

Educating the horse to the bit in-hand is a kind, rational approach to training. Through soft, intelligent hands, we can teach the horse to unlock their jaw and tongue, thereby unlocking their whole body from the neck, chest, belly, back, to the hind legs. We can teach the horse to bend and extend t

05/23/2026

"Dressage is not to have only the movements, to show half-pass, shoulder-in, flying changes, passage and piaffer.

Dressage is to have the horse relaxed, with a good feeling, and if dressage is good, the horse becomes better balanced for other things, such as jumping.

That's dressage.

The body is relaxed because the mind is relaxed. Both things are important."
- Nuno Oliveira

05/18/2026

We have some amazing clinics coming up this year, thanks to my incredible host Samantha Charles in Aiken! It's such a blessing to get to work with her and her community of deeply curious and empathetic horse people. I can't wait to continuing growing and learning together each month! If you can make it to either of these locations for the remainder of my 2026 clinics, please join us! The classroom workshops always lead us into deep discussion of biomechanics, energy, feel, classical theory, and so much more. You don't have to bring a horse to participate in a meaningful way in my clinics-- they're not your usual clinic format. They're intensive community learning experiences. I'm so grateful that I get to do this work, thanks to everyone who has trusted me with their horses and supported me

05/13/2026

We still have open spots in our clinic this weekend! If you can’t bring your horse, Saturday is a perfect opportunity to delve into the material and practice basic positive reinforcement skills so that you can bring them back to your horse with clarity and in-depth understanding.

This clinic is perfect for people with horses who are:
🐴Pushy
🐴Anxious
🐴 Unmotivated
🐴Dull, Frozen, or Shutdown
🐴 Learning Liberty
🐴 Needing clarity in advanced movements
🐴Struggling to stand for the farrier
🐴Difficult to provide basic medical care for
🐴Troubled with trailer loading

This list could go on forever. Knowing how to use positive reinforcement effectively is a basic skill you should have in your toolbox! 🧰

Sign up link in the comments⬇️

04/20/2026

https://www.equineconnectionfreelancetraining.com/blog/accepting-what-is-without-trying-to-change-it
A lesson that keeps coming up for me in the last few years is to accept what is without trying to change it. I’m a trainer and a teacher and a healer. I create change by definition. It's my job. And yet, when the focus is on making change and on fixing problems, we lose our way. This post meditates on the many ways this lesson has presented itself, as a way for me to try to process and consolidate the message. If it serves you too, I’m grateful.

A lesson that keeps coming up for me in the last few years is to accept what is without trying to change it. I’m a trainer and a teacher and a healer. I create change by definition. But when the focus is on making change and on fixing problems, we lose our way. This post meditates on the many ways...

04/18/2026

I am honestly a little shocked to see I have gained over 200 new followers over the last few weeks! As someone who has always done my work fairly quietly and has been largely avoidant of posting on social media, this blows my mind. Thank you so much for your interest in my work. It seems my latest exploration into the rabbit hole of hoof care has gained a lot of attention. For those who are just joining the party here, I thought I should introduce myself, especially given that the hoof care is only a small (albeit very important!) piece of the puzzle.

My name is Annemieke Buis and I'm a trainer and educator based in Salvisa, KY. My niche is using classical dressage, primarily in-hand, to help horses and humans regulate their nervous systems and find healthier posture and movement. I think of posture in terms of the emotional, mental, and physical-- fundamentally we have to feel safe, and this parasympathetic state is the basis of posture in my mind. Then, we have to have understanding of why we're here and what we're doing-- we have to develop a language with our horses that both of us can understand. Then with that basis of relaxation and understanding, we can heal the body. I work with lots of horses who have experienced significant emotional and physical trauma. I also work with some very fortunate horses who have been blessed with love and care for their whole being. And what's so interesting is that the work looks very similar. The way we heal a body looks a lot like the way we build it up to feel strong and supple and capable and safe for a lifetime... So this is the crux of my work.

Often times this work is very slow. Sometimes it looks like we're doing nothing at all, if you don't know what you're looking at. A lot of time it looks like letting horses "get away with a lot", if you don't come from a place of wanting the horse to be a willing, communicative partner. But if you stick around long enough, I think what will blow your mind, and what blows mine each day, is that so much of what we've been taught to teach horses to do and position them into comes naturally with the right foundation. It is so beautiful.

So cheers to all of you who are open, even just a bit, to this kind of work-- and if you came here because you care about understanding the form and function of your horse's feet and how it impacts their entire posture, that's amazing. I'm glad you're here. I hope the little bit of my work I'm brave enough to share in facebookland resonates with you.

This post was long enough, but if you want to read more about me, I'll post a link to my website and my patreon in the comments. Thanks you all!

04/17/2026

Hey, Kentucky locals-- I haven't forgotten about you! I am offering an expanded version of my Intro to R+ Clinic May 16-17. I will be offering very few local clinics this year due to increased demand to travel out of state for clinics, so jump in while you can!

Last year this clinic program was such a hit that we realized it needed to be stretched to 2 full days-- one to do all our classroom learning and watch demonstrations, and another devoted to private sessions with your horse and me! Participants who stay the whole weekend will get THREE private sessions on Sunday!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/SDN2fWRRM5gL8iRNA

04/15/2026

We still have a few open spots in our next clinic at Undasa in Aiken, SC! This clinic will help you understand the form and function of all classical lateral work, and how to train it in-hand. Then on the second day, you'll learn about how to use the language of the aids and the flow of your body to ride your horse in the lateral movements. Anna Lewis will guide us through Qigong practices both days to help us better shape and move energy within our bodies, in our environment, and in our horses. It will be an unforgettable collaboration!

Sign up at the link below!
https://forms.gle/wnJQbVQgQRHv1Jyd9

12/30/2025

This is one of the reasons I love the passenger game that Heather Lomax taught me! Getting on your horse and telling them "you choose the direction, I'll choose the speed" allows you and your horse to get centered. The horse has the liberty to scan the environment and explore the space as they feel safe and able to do so. You can gather information about the choices they make, and have a better sense of where their nervous system is at. It keeps you from micromanaging and helps you find that "forward first" feeling, and the ability to give up control. When your horse goes to a corner or hangs their head over the fence, instead of grabbing the reins and twisting your body to send them somewhere you want to go, you can just ask them to go forward and choose a direction. When you and your horse begin to flow, then your aids can actually be helpful and create more harmony and meaning in the work!

The Art of Not Making It Worse😆

Sensory gating is the nervous system’s filter. It controls how much information gets through so the brain does not get swamped.

When that filter opens too wide, sensory gating failure occurs. Too much comes through at once. Not because something is wrong, but because the nervous system thinks it needs more information to stay safe.

You already know this. Think about driving in fog or heavy rain. The music goes off. No one is allowed to talk. You lean forward like that helps. Less distraction equals better control.

That is not panic. It is competence.

Now imagine that same filter opening because you are tired, sore, stressed, or overwhelmed. Suddenly noise is unbearable and tiny irritations feel personal.

Same filter. Different reason.

Horses are no different. Away from home, separated from the herd, dealing with novelty, fatigue, or pain, their sensory gate opens. They scan, spook, react, and struggle to focus. Not because they are difficult, but because their nervous system is monitoring for risk.

Here is where humans make it worse.

We add more. More talking. More patting. More correcting. More control. More micromanaging. The system is already flooded and we turn up the volume.

This is why “look up and ride somewhere” is such powerful advice. It reduces noise, stops micromanagement, and gives the horse time to feel safe, secure, and able to focus.

If you always seem to end up with spooky, sensitive horses, it might not be bad luck. You may be unknowingly overwhelming their nervous system.

Calm does not come from more control. It comes when the system no longer needs to monitor everything.

Just like driving in fog, you don’t close the filter. You reduce the noise so you can cope with it.

Collectable Advice 113/365
Ideas worth saving, sharing, and thinking about. Not copying. And definitely not running through AI and reposting with confidence.