Christmas does not seem that long ago and now we are at the end of January. In Australia I think the warm days of December and January are now behind us. From memory I think those of you in the U.K. still have some cold weather ahead of you. Australia has had a great summer in sport capped by Australian, Ash Barty winning the women’s Australian Open tennis final. Barty’s mind set coach, Ben Crowe is more about being on purpose than on winning. Preparation to the position for the transition is a quote from Ray Hunt. It is not about the topic of the conversation it is about the quality of the conversation.

This month rather than doing a horsemanship article I have put together some of the Q & As that have come up over the last 12 months or so.

Question; How important is trust?

Answer; Trust is extremely important as is confidence.  In fact you might say trust comes with confidence. With some horses that might be the thing that stops you getting bucked off or run off with. It takes time to develop that with some horses that are really sensitive and their self preservation is close to the service.

Question; My horse braces with his flexion

Answer;  Flexion, regardless of your discipline is going to be play a part in your outcomes.  To start this conversation look at your horses poll.  If your horse is braced in the poll  that brace is going to come out in many other ways, through your horses back and flexion etc. This is also going to influence your horses behaviour. ( This is not the only thing that is going to influence your horses behaviour.)

As a suggestion I would also add, it is our presentation, sometimes the way we are asking is building the brace. If we can feel when the horse is well balanced, the timing of our aids and questions will be reflected with a feel that is good to both your horse and you.

We are now halfway through September and no doubt it is starting to feel  autumnal in the Northern hemisphere and in the Southern hemisphere we are heading out of winter and waiting for summer.

We still have horses coming and going here at our home facility. There is also a home course planned for November as well as courses in Emerald and Brisbane. More information on courses and schedules can be found on the website.

I have put together another horsemanship article below – Happy ReadingFor many people around the world, their introduction to horses starts at a young age and then there is a break with many returning to horses in their 30s and 40s, some start at this age as well.

To be around horses for any length of time, there has to be a love of horses. Riding well, takes a lot of dedication and time, horsemanship is not just about riding. You can be a knowledgeable and educated rider and still not be able to trailer load your horse.  While I am probably biased, I am of the view, that the more we educate ourselves, the better we become with horses and for our horses.

Horsemanship is non denominational it is not a discipline or a competition, it is applicable to all horses. Our horses are a reflexion of ourselves and our abilities. Our confidence and ability to adjust to fit the situation is a reflection of our experience and education. As we become more educated and experienced we will be able to fit an array of horses and situations. The attitude and presentation behind what we do has a lot to do with the outcome, this is not just about learning some techniques and your horse is magically going to get into the trailer , stand still to saddle, not shy when going down the road etc.

It is more about who you to have become, to be able to fit your horse at that point in time. You can not walk into the round pen or arena pretending to be one person and then be another outside.

As I have said many times if we make our goal to  develop a dependable riding horse the rest takes care of itself. I had better go and start riding some horses.