CLAN OF THE HORSES

- I have learned so much about pressure and control, but if you get a real connection you can just ask the horse and wait and it will happen, says Jasmin Schacht. We met for the first time about 20 years ago and I have never forgotten the first time I met her red thoroughbred horse Mayday...

It's crucial to bring this perspective with us: we must remain humble and remember that horses expressing pain, discomfort, or uncertainty should always be taken seriously. Just because we don't always understand what triggers a horse's behaviour, doesn't mean it originates from nothing. It never does. In todays podcast episode, the topic is the horse seen from the inside and my guest is veterinarian and anatomist Ivana Ruddock. www.livebonnevie.no

- Often, when our strategy is to increase pressure, taking a step back—allowing the horse to breathe and process—is a far better way to move forward. Synchrony is what horses want, and what they're always looking for. As a rider, you should seek it out too. Because when you and your horse are truly in sync, riding is effortless, says Dr. Steve Peters, who is a leading authority on equine neuroscience. ✅ For clinic schedule see: https://horsebrainscience.info/2025-schedule/ ✅ For visual content see: https://www.livebonnevie.no/blog/pressure-and-relief NOTE: I have no commercial affiliation with Steve or his clinics. I'm sharing this information purely because I believe in the value of his important work.

This week’s podcast guest is fine artist and photographer Crispin Parelius Johannessen, who has spent more than 15 years photographing horses in equestrian sports. I hope you view this episode as an invitation to question not only what you see - but why you see it.

In this episode, I revisit Sue Dyson, one of the initiators Horse and Hound referred to as top equestrians when we launched our petition campaign New Era for Equestrian Sports #LetHorsesSpeak in December 2023. Sue Dyson is a specialist in veterinary medicine and rehabilitation, a surgeon specialist in Equine orthopedics and I've come to know her as a professional who has dedicated her life to improve horse welfare. www.clanofthehorses.com

- Sometimes the horse exhibits behaviour that we mistakenly interpret as disobedience, but it's actually a cry for help. In such cases, it's not effective to ride for a trainer who instructs you to look straight ahead, keep your hands still, and use your legs, says Elaine Butler, who was forced to change her approach when she bought a horse that wouldn't yield. www.clanofthehorses.com

- We need to start with the assumption that animals aren’t looking for conflict. They don’t want conflict any more than we do. But animals will become aggressive if they become frightened. So the number one point is never to scare them, says Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Animal Welfare, James Serpell. www.clanofthehorses.com  

- Rather than focussing on the footfall of your horse, feel the rhythm in the movement of his spine. It is like the rhythm of a song, and you can move with it, says Jeff Sanders. Photo: Amanda Melchior. www.clanofthehorses.com

- Offering our horses scentwork and exploration exercises not only reduces stress and make them more confident. It can also be a brilliant tool when horses struggle with what we often refer to as behaviour problems, says the Dutch trainer Rachaël Draaisma.

- What I teach can be tricky to teach people because they often expect a series of steps, but what I try to teach them is how to be more aware, more intuitive and more creative, says horse trainer Amy Skinner.

- Being the leader is not being the boss. A true leader is the servant of the follower. You serve everyone and everything but yourself. That's when riding is fun. When you do it as a service to everything around you - including your horse, says Arne Koets, who teach and practice historical dressage and mounted combat.

- A short update regarding delayed podcast episodes.