Canter Therapy

A fascinating interview with Amber Espinoza from Isidro Espinoza Horsemanship (Arizona, USA).  Amber and Isidro train horses for the public and have a special interest in competing in Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions and Endurance racing.  We discuss common problems of taming mustangs, the needs of working with these horses and the lessons they teach. Amber also describes the complexities of...

Inherent Tendencies Verses Learned Behaviour In this second brilliant conversation with Kerry Thomas we delve into more insights into herd dynamics and how important it is to recognise and appreciate the horse at this level of their individual hard wiring.   Kerry introduces the idea of a horse's individual herd dynamics and the extent of their basic instincts to outsource to a herd the proce...

If you are struggling with your horse's frame, steering or posture because your horse is pulling your arms out of their sockets, won't settle into the contact, grinds its teeth, chomps at the bit, throws its head, gets its tongue over the bit, over-bends, avoids the bit it is heavy or hard in the mouth, leaning on the bit, avoiding the bit, being resistant, chomping the bit, putting the tongue ove...

If you have listened to a few of our episodes you will have probably heard Shelley mention Kerry Thomas. Shelley initially found him when she went down a rabbit hole looking for more information about separation anxiety. Kerry has a very unique way of looking at and defining herd dynamics. We talk about how these dynamics are connected to a horses’ individual sensory soundness, and in turn, their...

When we take on an Off the Tracker we sometimes forget or underestimate the rehabilitation that needs to be done. They require a lot of time and a team of professionals to help rehab them both mentally and physically. Thoroughbreds are one of Shelley's absolute favourites and in this episode we talk about the many aspects that need to be understood when we expect these guys to just fall into a lif...

There is so much more to 'trail riding' than just getting on your horse and going. It is imperative that our horses have a good foundation in order to be safe and willing companions out on the trail. Shelley and Kathryn talk about the many aspects that are involved, what sometimes goes wrong and some exercises to help us work through the challenging times.

The influence our core beliefs have on our horse training can be astounding. Horses bring so much awareness to the things we need to work on. Shelley recently wrote a blog on people pleasing and it’s affects on the way we work with horses and why it doesn’t work with horses. In this episode we discuss it in a bit more depth and talk about why having strong boundaries is being kind and compassionat...

Roger is a red headed pony, owned by Kathryn, and the reason that Kathryn and Shelley met. He was a worried, sensitive and reactive horse who tested Kathryn in so many ways and has taken her on a journey to meet and learn from so many people. Roger has struggled with many physical issues such as stringhalt, dental issues and unsoundness as well as teaching Kathryn about conformation, mindset and d...

‘The horse does one of two things. He does what he thinks he’s supposed to do, or He does what he thinks he needs to do to survive.’ -Ray Hunt Horses aren't born with naughty habits, although some do have more of a tendency to learn them, everything that a horse learns is taught. Horses often learn by accident, they learn by the ‘release of pressure’. There is also a motivation for the behaviour a...

When Shelley went to renew her insurance policy she found some of the paperwork to not only be entertaining but quite concerning and a reflection on the current beliefs in the equine community.

Ross Jacobs is an Australian Horseman who has a way of working with a horse that benefits both the horse and rider. He focuses on what a horses thoughts are, primary and secondary, and the ways in which we can influence and change them. Due to horses submissive nature it is easy to get horses to do things but more focus needs to be put into the way that they feel when doing these things. You can f...

Brendan O'Reilly has many talents both with horses and completely separate. He fought professionally as a mixed martial art fighter and now spends his time as a saddle maker and starting colts. This episode discusses the similarities that horses have with other parts of our lives and the things that they can teach us. Instagram: oreilly_coltandsaddle Website: oreillysaddlery.com

Lindsay is a super interesting and incredible woman from New Zealand. She is such a supportive, knowledgeable and thoughtful horsewoman and it was such a pleasure to listen to her stories. Keep an ear out to hear the story about the pig!

Recently, Shelley and I have been asking our guests questions from a list that we put together. We thought it was time that we started answering some of the questions ourselves. This will be the first of a few podcasts of Shelley and my answers and we may.... get a little off topic.  This episode covers a bit more background on us and the things that frustrate us most about the industry, as w...

We got brave and asked Karen Rohlf to come on our podcast! Karen has been mentioned by many of our guests as being pivotal in influencing their journeys into horsemanship from dressage. She is a leader in combining the art of dressage and horsemanship and bringing together these two worlds that can appear as different cultural landscapes.  You can find Karen on Facebook at: Dressage Naturally...

When you listen to Pauly Daniel speak you can't help but notice his connection and affinity with horses. He has an incredible dedication to self improvement and an unwavering commitment to true horsemanship.  You can find Pauly on Facebook at: Daniel-Tessari Horse Reflections on Instagram @dthr_horsetraining

In this weeks podcast, Shelley and Kathryn had the pleasure of speaking with Lisa King. Lisa has found a way to apply horsemanship to dressage in her own way. She has an fantastic understanding of emotions and the way they impact both the horse and rider. In her day to day life, Lisa specialises in building relationships, developing young horses and working with horses with behavioural problems.&n...

When it comes to horses, there is a big group of people that struggle with their confidence in the everyday tasks with their horses. You are not alone. Shelley offered a short one week course in her private Facebook group. In this podcast we discuss some of the results which might surprise you! And also give you some ideas on things to do to help improve your confidence with your horse. If you hav...

Shelley, Kathryn and Amalia all discovered there was more to horses by first discovering horsemanship. Amalia focuses on helping riders achieve connection and communication with their horses so that they can be happy, willing and relaxed partners.  You can find Amalia on Facebook at: Amalia Dempsey Horsemanship and on Instagram at: amalia_horses

Can you choose the horse first and the sport second? Competition has a fantastic role in giving our training purpose and direction but it can be a hard balance to find where to push our horses versus when to back off.

Understanding reinforcement and punishment in horse training. We talk about the 4 quadrants of behaviour and how each is applicable to the work we do with horses.

What is ‘groundwork’? When does it start? What does it look like and how do we do it?

Now that Spring is upon us it's a really important time to be hypervigilant about laminitis. Laminitis comes in many forms but feed-induced laminitis is preventable and it is our job as horse owners to educate ourselves so that we can make the best choices for our horses. It is incredibly painful and not something that anyone wants to go through so it's time to have a look at your management pract...

We all have a preconceived idea in our heads about this magical relationship we are going to have with our horses. Sometimes the reality of what actually happens can break our hearts and leave us feeling defeated. It is nice to know that these relationships are meant to go through rough patches that test us in order to create better relationships or to take the partnership to the next level.

It can be really challenging to find the motivation to ride your horse each week. There are always 101 things to do before you ride or another excuse not to get on your horse... breaking these habits is hard but we can do it! Books: Atomic Habits by James Clear The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins