Canter Therapy

Nahshon Cook is a insightful horseman and has an incredible vocabulary. His unique way of saying describing things help people to better understand the connection we have with horses. This episode discusses the rehabilitation of horses’ bodies and minds, and link the two have with each other. We also talk about the influence that humans have on their horses, and in turn that horses have on their h...

This week we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Lysette Smith from Candid Equitation. Lysette has such an incredible amount of experience travelling the world, working with horses. She has learnt to keep horses in both extremes of heat and cold and worked in numerous professional stables in a range of disciplines. If that isn’t cool enough (it is), Lysette has also overcome both cancer and...

2022 is coming to an end and it’s time to reflect on the year we have had! It’s a great opportunity to set our intentions for 2023 and goal setting can really give us purpose. Shelley and Kat discuss the year they have had (including Equitana) and some of the things they are working on for next year. Thank you for all the incredible support of our listeners this year and we are so excited for next...

In this episode Kerry talks about his visit to Australia and the Herd Dynamics Seminar he will be appearing at on the 25-26 March 2023 at Sutton Forrest, New South Wales.   If you are interested in attending this event please see website for more information: https://www.calmwillingconfidenthorses.com.au/blogs/herd-dynamics-seminar 

In this episode Shelley and Kat discuss the needed stepping stones along the way of choosing your horsewomanship path. How to choose a mentor, how to sort through the information on social media and so many other tangents and rabbit holes.

Our herd dynamic conversations continue with Kerry M Thomas.  In this episode we delve into what it is Kerry is evaluating when he goes to yearling sales to help owners to select their next race horse.  Kerry reveals his process of creating a short list and how he has reviewed and adjusted his evaluation techniques over time.

Everyone is wanting to do the best for their horse.  But how do you do that in a world full of polarised advice.  How do you sort out the trends from advice that is good and advice that just "looks" good but can be flawed. Tami Elkayam gives us her advice how to navigate the horse world.  How to be open minded, but not so open minded our brains fall out! Find her on Facebook at: Tami Elkayam Equin...

Training Using Herd Dynamics: Another great episode with Kerry Thomas. In this episode we talk about the practical application of training horses based on a horses’ herd dynamics. Horse can be defined as having either individual or group herd dynamic tendencies and these tendencies are going to impact the way they learn, how quickly they learn and more importantly, the best way to train them.

There are some common things that we see again and again in horses. Often these horses are struggling with their current training and when you take a closer look they have an unsoundness. When have an obligation to our horses to ensure they are as comfortable as possible so that they can learn as best as possible.

PTSD in Horses: And we are back for Part 5 of our Herd Dynamics Series. In this episode we dive into the idea of PTSD in our horses and what it looks like. PTSD doesn’t just happen from that time your horse was beaten with a whip, it’s much more complicated than that. We need to be aware of the ways in which we keep horses and the impact of their living environment has on them. Every physical resp...

Breed Traits: We are so excited to have Kerry back for Part 4 of our Herd Dynamics Series. This week we got to delve into a conversation about breeding horses and the consideration of herd dynamics when choosing mares and stallions. While athleticism and conformation are important aspects, we feel that behavioural genetics are often left out and harder to define. Kerry talks about his experiences...

Amy Skinner is an incredible influence in the equestrian world. She writes amazingly and manages to merge the ideas of horsemanship and classical dressage for relaxed and harmonious relationships with our horses. Find her on Facebook and Instagram @Amy Skinner Horsemanship https://amyskinnerhorsemanship.com/

Tami Elkayam is an equine bodyworker based in San Jose, USA. She is an incredible equine body worker, writer, artist and educator that can change the way to see and appreciate horses bodies forever. In this interview Tami describes how her journey started and how her intense interest and passion for understanding the horse's body has furthered her education and ability to track down the root cause...

Understanding Outsourcing: We are joined again by Kerry Thomas for Part 3 of this fantastic conversation about Herd Dynamics. In this episode we talk about some real life situations, delving into it from the horses point of view and understanding them better. We discuss horses going out and about at competitions, separation anxiety and how to thoughtfully manage herds at home. To find out more abo...

Recently there has been lots of discussion about the autonomic nervous system. Shelley and I discuss the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and their impact (or lack of) on the way that we train horses. Inspired by the explanations of the stress response described and documented by American Psychiatrist Bruce D Perry, a well-known expert in trauma.

Luke Thomas is the absolute master of handling foals. Over the last few years he’s handled thousands (literally) of foals and learnt how to ‘hack’ them. You’ll be surprised when he explains what he can achieve in 10 days with only 10-15 minutes a day

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...