Working in liberty with your horse is one of the most beautiful things there is, but there are 5 common mistakes in liberty that I see often. Because of these common mistakes, liberty doesn’t always turn out positive... You move closer, your horse walks away. You want your horse to walk with you, but your horse walks the other direction. You try something, but it just doesn’t flow…
You finally found the horse you always dreamed of. You felt an instant connection, and you imagined all the beautiful moments you would share. But once your horse arrived, things didn’t go as planned. Instead of joy, you are facing trauma... Your horse is tense, fearful, reactive, or even completely shut down. You start wondering: "What went wrong? Why is this so hard?"
It’s time to talk about something that’s becoming far too common in the so-called "true liberty" training world: using food treats to get horses to make contact and connect. True liberty and connection have nothing to do with food rewards. If you’re using treats to “train” a horse to spend time with you, it’s not liberty — it’s conditioning.
Some horses can be difficult to touch, and this can be due to a variety of reasons. If you're dealing with horse trust issues or you are trying to understand why your horse shies away from physical contact, it's important to recognize the root causes behind this behavior.
Everything comes in its own time, and everything I’ve been through with horses since I started at 13 has shaped me into the horsewoman I am today. All my learning experiences have also shaped Horsefulness Training into what it is now. With ups and downs, with important life and horsewomanship lessons ...
To truly connect with a horse is to be conscious about their natural yearning for freedom. It’s important to respect their right to choose, to lead, or to follow.
Many women don't always admit that they don't enjoy training their horse so much and actually want to learn more about natural connection and communication in liberty.
Poco’s owners had been trying to catch Poco, their new horse, for over three months… They were starting to lose hope. The horse desperately needed attention.
Yep, I let my horses herd me. Just like I teach my students to let their horse herd them. Sometimes people say "but they told me to never do that!"
Playing with your horse helps build a strong friendship between you and your horse. When you play together, it's not just fun – it makes you understand each other much better, strengthening the horse-human team.Many horses love The Chase Game. Why?
My students sometimes face questions like, "Can giving your horse so much freedom be right?" or "Won't this lead to problems? You need to be the boss!" I encourage you, just as I advise my students, to ...
During my last webinar, a participant said in the chat: "I hope to have a better relationship with my horse". My answer was: "Don't hope! Just work on it. Then you WILL have a better relationship with your horse!". It's funny sometimes how horse owners ...
Tip #1 - Horses are attracted to people who are calm and centered. Bringing your awareness to your breath is the simplest way to (re)connect with yourself. It's free, it's simple and it's effective! Even only giving attention to your breath will already make ...
It has now been 1 week since my family and I returned home from a month-long road trip to and through Portugal. The trip was fantastic, and we made a lot of great memories. However, there's 1 memory I don't like to think back on ...
When I advise people to spend time on Bonding Time with their horse, the answer is sometimes: "I already spend undemanding time with my horse in the field, so I know how it works, and I know how to do it". However, ...
In the riding school where I rode as a teenager, there was a mare, Muguette. She wouldn’t let anybody touch or halter her without pinning her ears and giving you a (very!) nasty look.
Joey was about 4 months old when he was taken from his mother in a brutal and aggressive way. Three strong men cornered him to grab him, then they forced him to go on a trailer without his mother while screaming at him and hitting him with a whip.
“Bonding Time” is the first connection exercise of Horsefulness Liberty Training. While you are doing it, it’s important to practice yourself in being fully present. This means: no distractions like reading or..
Pure presence with horsesWhenever I leave my house because I need to travel, I always say goodbye to my horses, no matter how short my travel will be. So the evening before
When we think about playing horses, we often see the image of young frolicking horses running behind each other in the meadow, bucking and playing dominance games. That’s right, of course, young horses play..
You must have seen it already: your horse drives another horse from its spot (or vice versa). That spot can be at the drinking trough, a spot in the shade, or just a place without clear meaning. Taking the spot of..
Who doesn’t dream of being able to lie down by their horse? Or even better: that your horse would lie down with you? To clarify, I’m not talking about “training” horses to do so. Of course,..
Latte is the 13 year old mare of Diana, from the UK. Diane is a member of the Horsefulness Liberty Training Program. Diane posted the video and comment below in the Members Facebook Group. “I just wanted to..
This week I stumbled upon footage of me and my 3 ponies, walking in liberty, in the nature reserve where they used to spend the summer. This footage is 4 years old and I forgot all about it… 1 year later Bhor, one..