OUR PHILOSOPHY.
Our educational philosophy is founded on mutual respect and understanding; treating the horse and human in equal parts. This balance promotes longevity of learning and encourages an equal distribution of responsibility between horse and human. Our teaching focusses on positive reinforcement knowing the success of any learning for horse or human is directly limited by its delivery.
On Confidence.
Confidence grows with knowledge and understanding; this is true of both horse and human.
For the human we shouldn't take anything for granted. We pursue a knowledge beyond our current needs to develop readiness and adaptability for the future. And while we seek certainty in days yet to come, the horse wishes for comfort in the present moment; we offer this through consistency of expectation.
On reliability.
A fair anticipation of reliability can only come from consistency. The horse takes comfort in knowing expectation; both their expectation of the human and the humans' expectation of the horse. It is only through consistency can we honestly expect accountability; anything less than this would be an injustice to the horse
On delivery.
The success of any learning for horse or human is directly limited by its delivery. Carelessly shared, good lessons impart little value and more often impede acknowledgment of those (lessons) yet to come. As horse men and women we ought to extend this understanding to the horse just as humans we owe it to people too.
On Pressure.
We encourage the horse to explore through pressure and seek relief in a desired response. The timing and means of both (pressure & relief) have everything to do with the horses' frame of mind and ultimately the retention of any intended outcome. This is a dynamic balance and to avoid a 'flight or fight' response we ought to adjust to fit the situation.