Have you ever seen a horse and rider work together in partnership, seemingly effortlessly and completely in balance with each other; as one, synchronised, in harmony?

At Equine Insight, we believe that whatever equine discipline you choose, you and your horse’s enjoyment and success will be greatly enhanced when you understand the theory, technique, and timing of training a horse to work with you using the horse’s natural instincts in a non-violent pain free approach.

On a unique one to one basis, we will guide you step by step through every stage of your training, be this: from your hand to your horse (ground work), from your feet to your seat (transition from ground work to ridden work) and your seat to the show (more advance work and show preparation).

Gaining a horse’s trust is the oldest way of teaching them and in recent years this ‘concept’ has been re-branded as part of the horse whispering or natural horsemanship phenomenon.

The facts are simple: if we as humans are going to communicate with horses, train successfully, have fulfilling partnerships and stay safe, it’s easier for us to learn the horse’s language rather than the other way around. The more we look at things from the horse’s point of view, the easier it becomes for us to provide the stability and leadership horses need to be mentally and emotionally balanced.

Ground Training – from your hand to your horse. With ground training your horse will learn to respect you, your personal space and to find security in you. The key to successful training lies in providing a firm foundation.

Catching. If your horse is not freely willing to walk towards you in the field or greet you at the stable door, it’s time to ask yourself where your relationship stands and what you can do to change this situation.

Clipping. Clipping does not need to be a tug of war between you and your horse. Some horses take clipping in their stride whilst others are more sensitive and even phobic. We encourage the horse to accept the process willingly.

Desensitisation. Desensitisation training aims to put in place coping strategies for you and your horse. By using exercises we can teach a horse to become confident and adopt a more rational approach to coping with what is going on around him; placing you in a vital position of trust.

Farrier/Shoeing. Working with you, your farrier and your horse to make this a trouble free part of your routine. We demonstrate and apply practical methods that will enable you to present a polite horse to your farrier.

Headshy. Horses may become headshy as a result of some form of trauma to the head area. However, horses are amenable creatures and when trained and handled correctly we are able to help the horse overcome this fear quickly.

Loading. Perhaps one of the most asked about ‘problems’. Firstly, it is a natural instinct to a horse not to want to go into a confined space; to a flight animal it equals entrapment! Through leadership and trust it is possible to change the horse’s negative perception of loading to one of calm acceptance.

Pre-Backing. Pre-backing your horse will reduce the stress and trauma that so many horses experience when they are first backed… it makes the day that your horse gets a rider on its back just another day! It is essential to lay solid foundations to speed up the transition in training from ground to ridden work.

Starting Gates. Standing confidently in the starting gates is the gateway to a Thoroughbred’s racing career. When race horses develop a negative attitude to the gates, force is often used to push or pull them into the gates, reinforcing the ‘bad attitude’. When trauma occurs in association with the gates it can become a difficult and often dangerous affair for both the horse and jockey.

Aggressive behaviour. Identifying the trigger to this can provide a reference point from where the behaviour can be dealt with in a safe and effective manner. This allows the relationship to be rebuilt and the behaviour to resolve.

Ridden Work – from your feet to your seat. Dealing with mild issues to the more advanced problems such as rearing, bucking, napping, bolting, mounting problems etc.  Before any ridden work is undertaken, we will first determine if your horse can cope with the physical demands placed upon him and then decide on a course of action.

Consultations. Equine Insight training is carried out at your location and with as much participation from you as possible. The training involves not only teaching your horse and working through the ‘problems’, but also teaching you how to deal with certain situations to prevent the problem re-occurring in the future.  We believe that in order to get the best results, it is beneficial to all parties to carry out training where the problem occurs. 

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