Tea Time with Elsa

Chatting about: Quiet Moments to Solve Big Problems… In this episode we talk about how big problems are seldom solved in the moment they happen. The way we solve big problems is in the better preparation for the next time it comes up. Originally aired on: April 30th, 2024

Chatting about: Patterns of Trust… In this episode we talk about trust and how it is built from past experiences. So how do I build the kinds of habits that make the horse feel I am trustworthy and the kinds of habits that make me feel my horse is trustworthy? Originally aired on: April 23rd, 2024

Chatting about: In With The New… In this episode we talk about replacing old or bad habits with new and good habits. It’s important we don’t take away old stabilizing habits before we have begun to introduce new and better habits to support the horse better. Showing the horse we understand their past identity so they can grow into their future identity. Originally aired on: April 16th, 2024

Chatting about: Social Pressure… In this episode we talk about social pressure in herds and what it takes for horses to make an effort to be like each other, herd cohesion. Originally aired on: April 9th, 2024

Chatting about: The Purpose of a Push… In this episode we talk about the reasons we might use pressure in the relationship with our horses. Are you trying to get something from your horse? Or are you using pressure in a way that actually causes them to feel better in their life? Originally aired on: April 2nd, 2024

Chatting about: Recommendations… In this episode we talk about sources of information. I would like to encourage everyone to learn primarily from their own horse. I believe we need to adapt training to the horse in front of us. There are many trainers who can give us suggestions to think about, however, only your horse can tell you if that information is useful in your relationship. Originally air...

Chatting about: Pattern Recognition… In this episode we talk about our ability to see patterns and reinforce the specific patterns that make relationships better. If we see patterns that are making the relationship worse, what are our alternative choices? Originally aired on: March 21st, 2024

Chatting about: Entertaining One’s Self… In this episode we talk about the tricky moments when the horses choose to ignore us. If we are going to train in freedom the horse is allowed to ignore us and the way we respond to those situations (entertaining ourselves) builds more and more potential for positive interactions in the future. Originally aired on: March 13th, 2024

Chatting about: Environmental Pressure… In this episode we talk about the part environmental pressure plays in the relationship between horse and human. When stress is too high we will see more fight and flight behaviors. In Freedom Based Training® we work in situations where pressure and stress are low, strengthening their nervous system to a point they can thrive and cooperate with others even i...

Chatting about: The Contagion of Curiosity…  In this episode I talk about curiosity in both human and horse and how the expression of curiosity in one tends to stimulate curiosity in the other. Curiosity is like a magnifying glass for gathering more information to live life better together. Originally aired on: February 27th, 2024

Chatting about: Contrast… In this episode I talk about contrast and the place it holds in training. Often people say stretching the comfort zone requires discomfort, I disagree! Expanding the comfort zone does require some sort of contrast. Contrast is on a spectrum with the intense side of the spectrum creating faster change, the less intense side of the spectrum creating gradual smooth change. L...

Chatting about: Training horses and training people… In this episode I talk about the different levels of training and the art of asking for collaboration. We talk about the idea that we, horses and humans alike, want more of what we don’t have enough of, and less of what we have too much of. I explain how I set up my training so that my horses want more of the things that I want too, and how I st...

Chatting about: It doesn’t matter why… In this episode I talk about the question why. As a teacher, people ask me why all the time, and as a researcher I love the question why. We can simplify the question “why” versus the question “what” by looking at our time frame. What is an in the moment question. “With the information that I have, what are we going to do now?” Why is a reflective question. “...

Chatting about: Apologies… In this episode I talk about reflecting on the moments that we have experienced with our horses where we feel that we could have done better. As we know better we do better, but before we know better we have to do the best that we can. As we know better, our actions speak louder than words. We can put in our best effort to learn what actions we can take to prove to the h...

Chatting about: Triggers and glimmers… In this episode I talk about the reactions that we generate from the memories and associations of certain stimuli in our own lives and our horses’ lives. We rarely can improve a situation in the moment it is happening as there is already an excess of information entering our horse’s nervous system. All of our training is contributing towards future glimmers o...

Chatting about: Practice levels… In this episode I talk about the different levels of training. From observing the horse so we can train with a feel and timing that is adapted to the horse, to responding by taking action before the horse gets concerned, to impacting some change in the interactions with the horse. Originally aired on: January 16th, 2024

Chatting about: Strength and weakness… In this episode I talk about how strength and weakness plays in our relationships and motivators for connection. Problem solving together and the act of becoming stronger together is what creates connection and a bond between individuals. In Freedom Based training we want the horse to enjoy and feel good when they have our company, but we don’t want them to f...

Chatting about: Simplicity and complexity… In this episode I talk about neither simplicity or complexity being better than one or the other and them both having a time and place in different parts of horse training to improve our learning and understanding and our relationships. We talk about the effectiveness of simplicity and complexity on a spectrum and the parts they both play in our relations...

Chatting about: Parallel lines… In this episode I talk about what I have learnt over the years about parallel lines in herd dynamics and horse body language. We talk about horses using parallel lines as a way of being in harmony with each other and the idea that when we are practicing Freedom Based Training® with our horses, making the simple effort to be physically parallel to the horse when we p...

Chatting about: Flow… In this episode I talk about what it means to flow with our horses. In a pragmatic sense, flow, harmony or passive leadership is the rewards system that we build with our horses to respond to the behaviors that we appreciate the most for our relationship. But it can mean so much more than that. Flow is when everything is headed in the same direction. Flow is the acceptance of...

Chatting about: Thoughts, words, actions, habits, character, destiny… In this episode I talk about the saying that goes: “Watch your thoughts, they become your words, watch your words they become your actions, watch your actions, they become your habits, watch your habits, they become your character, watch your character, it becomes your destiny” in the context of working with our horses. Original...

Chatting about: Play versus fight… In this episode I talk about the differences between play and fight on a spectrum, and how to tell the difference even when the behaviors are subtle, so that we can respond to the horse to prevent them from feeling unheard and escalating to higher stress actions that may compromise our sense of safety. Fight is when a horse pushes into another's space while feeli...

Chatting about: Rest… In this episode I talk about the importance of rest for our horses and what the different forms of rest can look like. Rest for horses can be as obvious as laying flat out on their side, deep in a dream state, or it can be as subtle as a pause in the use of their senses. We talk about the dynamic that rest has in our training and the differences in the ways that we respond to...

Chatting about: Priorities … In this episode I talk about the priority of Freedom Based Training® being to develop our horses’ emotional maturity and improve the feelings that our horse has in association with us, our leadership and any activities we want to do together. We talk about how we have the freedom to shape our training and our relationship with our horse however we want to and how we ca...

Chatting about: Focus versus distraction… In this episode I talk about being aware of whether our horses’ feelings are getting better or getting worse from an emotional standpoint and then being able to hone our feel and timing to offer the right kinds of distractions that we know are likely to help our horse feel better before they start to feel worse, or flowing with what they have chosen to foc...