Spin is normally associated with dog tricks but you can train your horse to spin, too! Trick training is a great way to build your relationship with your horse and improve your training skills and communication with your horse through some fun behaviours. In this video, you’ll see how to break down the spin and teach it using positive reinforcement. Have fun and happy horse training!   ➣ If you’d like to find out more about my positive reinforcement horse training approach and learn how to clicker train your horse this way, please check out the Connection Training Club. The CT Club is an ..read more

Trick training is fun and a great way to build your communication and relationship with your horse. It can be done with young horses, tiny horses, old horses, horses on box rest… and fit, in-their-prime, active horses. Trick training engages their minds, so it can help to satiate and relax horses with limited movement options (old, young, box rest, rest days etc) and they all enjoy learning. The more they learn, they better they get at it. And the more you train, the better you get at it. And the more you figure out together, the stronger your bond and communication. I also love trick training ..read more

Introducing a young horse to tack and rider for the first time should be a relaxed and rewarding experience for both of you. This compilation of horses and riders shows our process of using positive reinforcement to start / back / break (I hope not!) young horses. We have more in-depth videos on mounting and riding  horses in our Riding with Connection Category here.  Many thanks to all the wonderful CT Club members and coaches who shared their videos of their gentle, compassionate horse training from all over the world: Helen Smith and Humphrey Rebecca Musselwhite and Zulu Lesley W ..read more

I’ve always wanted to teach my horses to lie down on cue, but I’ve also had reservations about it, too – so many horses are forced or contorted into the lie down, which is horrible to do and, for me, entirely ruins the magic of your horse lying down with you. So, I decided to train it in a more relaxed way by ‘capturing’ it and building from there. In this video, you’ll learn my approach to teaching the lie down using clicker training, or positive reinforcement, so that my horses enjoy the process and love to lie down! ➣ If you’d like to find out more about my positive reinforcement horse tra ..read more

Come and see our new place in the French Pyrenees! We moved with the horses and managed to acquire 3 new additions here, too… This is a big move for us, but one we’ve dreamt of for years and we’re so excited about this next chapter! Horse training (and online coaching in the CT Club) will continue as it has done, only with better weather and even better views ➣ If you’d like to find out more about my positive reinforcement horse training approach, please check out the Connection Training Club. The CT Club is an online membership site where you can get access to hundreds of step-by-step train ..read more

One of the great things about 2020 for me (focusing on the bright side!) was being able to stay home and spend more time with my own horses. One dream I’ve always had is to be able to explore and play with my horses at liberty in the big wide world. We’ve always done tons of liberty work at home, but within the safety of an arena or field. It takes a lot more trust and training to take off the ropes out and about. This year, I began training for and working my horses at liberty away from home. These were my training steps: 1. Work at liberty in a safe environment at home, especially focusing o ..read more

Well, it’s the last day of 2020, but, like most people, we’re looking ahead to 2021 and the horsey things we’re planning…  At Connection Training, our aim is to make positive horse training clear and accessible, so that you’re confident you can work with your horse in a way that:   Gets results (from easy hoof handling to genuinely happy hacking)  Know what techniques you’re using and why (understand the principles so that you can apply it to your horse, rather than following a rigid program that doesn’t work for every horse)   Is fu ..read more

Do you want your horse to willingly line up to be ridden and to immediately connect with you when you’re in the saddle? Then this video is for you! I show you the process I took when working with a mare who bolted as soon as anyone tried to mount. This technique taught Lubie: How to line herself up to be mounted To stay connected with the rider as the person moved from the ground to the saddle (this is a big one as many horses lose connection when you mount leading to more anxious ridden behaviour than groundwork) To stand still calmly once the rider was on board and wait while the girth’s ad ..read more

How can it be a good thing when you ask your horse to do something and they say ‘no’? This resistance can be anything from a lack of response to your cue right up to behaviours such as bolting, rearing and kicking. And that’s always a bad thing, right? Well, actually, it can be safer, fairer and enable you to achieve your goals when your horse says ‘no’. The key is teaching your horse to say ‘no’ gently and to understand and listen to that resistance. In this video, I explain how allowing your horse to say ‘no’ brings these benefits: – Keeps you safer and builds your confidence (hugely) – Is f ..read more

Behind-the-scenes view of how we train our horses when we’re out hacking and dealing with real-world scenarios. All of our training is done using positive reinforcement, or clicker training. We aim to keep the horses feeling good and enjoying the things we do with them. Both horse and human need to happy about the exercise in order to have a positive experience together. Sometimes that means that we take things slowly to build the rider’s confidence or skill and sometimes we change plans to work at the right place for the horse. This builds the best connection ever and means that your time wit ..read more