Velvet had always been a sweet-natured horse, good to ride and handle and then one day she turned a corner; no ‘brakes’ when being ridden, did not want to be caught, rearing in hand and dragging people about as she was led. What happened? Aged 7, Velvet was not the horse that I had known for the past three years.

Feeling very out of my depth and having lost all my confidence with her, I needed outside help to find out what was going on. We arrived at Learning to Listen and once Velvet was off the wagon Stefan set to work; first to asses her physically and then to start establishing a partnership.

Ground rules were laid down through using several ground exercises including joining-up and working with obstacles. Then it was my turn to start rebuilding the trust between me and Velvet as I learned and applied the same techniques and exercises Stefan used.

When Stefan started to ride Velvet, she very quickly learned that she was rewarded for her positive behaviour but when she decided to take over, she had to take responsibility for her actions and work harder. The best way to rebuild my confidence was to be pushed out of my comfort zone, learning to trust both Stefan and Velvet. Soon I was going for long rides and enjoying the countryside scenery!

Once the training stops and you go home that is when the work begins. Working with horses is a continuous process for both horse and owner. There is not a day goes by that I do not keep in mind what I have learnt from Stefan so that Velvet and I are clear on what we expect from each other.

Back