Positively Together

“Hello look at me I am being very halpful”. Who else has a horse that is super keen to help with jobs that do not require the help of any horses?!

These two did some lovely work in their lesson today so we celebrated by finishing up with some bridleless play 😍 I love expanding kids views of what “success” and “fun” on a horse looks like. Students who come to me from traditional riding schools and pony club tend to want to go fast or jump. Once they’ve been with me for a while they ask to play fetch with the pony, ride bridleless, play horse football, liberty or any other number of activities that the horse really enjoys too.

My beautiful pupper is SEVEN! Awhi’s name means to cuddle and hug and cherish. Never has a dog been named more appropriately (thanks mum!). He is truly an angel in a dog suit, nicknamed “Peter Perfect” by one of my training clients. I love you to the moon and back buddy. Please stop getting older now k

It definitely takes courage to open ourselves up to new information that challenges our current beliefs. This is why I feel so strongly that we must always be encouraging and welcoming to everyone regardless of where they are on their horsemanship / training journey. Behaviour is best shaped through positive reinforcement and small steps (successive approximations). That includes human behaviour!

"The reason it's difficult to learn something new is that it will change you into someone who disagrees with the person you used to be.
..Sign up for a lifetime of challenging what the self believes. A journey to find more effectiveness, not more stability."
- Seth Godin

Awhi and I spent today at a Rally O seminar. Such fun! Rally O suits my soft little velcro dog better than agility (because he never has to leave my side!). He really enjoys it. And I just love hanging out with friends and training dogs and learning from quality coaches. 🤩 Thanks so much to Kristina Beresford for coming up to teach, and Karen Morrison for hosting