Chatting about: Arcs, turns, and intersecting lines… In this episode we talk about the social strategies of horses working together in herds. What do they want from each other when they approach in a direct line? Why do some get corrected all the time and others don’t? How do we use this information to walk into a herd with the awareness that can replace pressure. How do we share that awareness with our horse friends so they need less and less pressure from each other as well? Tea Time Descriptions Originally aired on: December 10th, 2025
Chatting about: Stacking the Wins! In this episode we talk about noticing the quality of each interaction we have with our horse. When we adjust the level of difficulty correctly for the horse on that day, in that environment, then the horse is able to feel like their wins stack up from moment to moment. Once we have stacked enough wins we can start asking the horse to stretch a bit more or try to do a bit better than usual (emotionally, mentally or physically). Stacking the wins is usually an emotional experience that builds the foundation for any challenges that may follow. Originally aired on: December 3rd, 2025
Chatting about: Training Obedience versus Training Interest… In this episode we talk about how we might look at training on a spectrum between obedience and interest in the horse. While we can train to have both in the horse, we probably have to prioritize one or the other in each moment of practice. Each side of the spectrum comes with different benefits and challenges. Originally aired on: November 18th, 2025
Chatting about: The 13th Rabbit… In this episode we talk about the story of the thirteenth rabbit and how anxiety, or fear, or anger stacks if we don’t notice it and take the time to allow a horse to fully process it. Not everything needs to be fully processed as it happens, but it is good if we know our horses and how much stacking they can handle before we need to take time for processing. Originally aired on: November 12th, 2025
Chatting about: Associations… In this episode we talk about building positive associations in horses. The tendency is to wait for something to go wrong, the horse to feel overwhelmed, and then ask how to solve the problem. This is of course something we can do, but it is so much better if we build positive associations with novelty and change before we put them in new situations. Studying what we can do right ahead of time, so that things don’t go wrong later is a beautiful art to play with. Originally aired on: November 5th, 2025
Chatting about: Optimism and Pessimism… In this episode we talk about the factors that make a horse more optimistic or more pessimistic. Once we can see the ingredients that go into developing optimism we can improve a horse’s quality of life. Originally aired on: October 10th, 2025
Chatting about: Sensitization, Desensitization, Flooding and Learned Helplessness… In this episode we look at the spectrum of possibilities we have when helping horses live well in a human world. Seeing possibilities as options with positive and negative aspects helps us to make the best decisions for each horse in each moment. While most of us will not choose the more extreme options of training, it is good to be aware of what they are. Originally aired on: October 21st, 2025
Chatting about: Watching… In this episode I talk about the power of watching our horses, and what exactly it is that I am watching for. There is so much to learn before we attempt to interact well with horses. When we understand each one as an individual while also seeing them part of a bigger environment, we then can become the partner they need. Originally aired on: October 14th, 2025
Chatting about: Escalating Pressure… In this episode I talk about the different ways we can see and understand escalating pressure. While I may personally choose the most gentle types of pressure I can find, I appreciate there are interesting pros and cons to every choice we make in our relationships with horses. Originally aired on: October 7th, 2025
Chatting about: Less Is More… In this episode I share a very personal growth experience with my herd. I am often torn between satisfying the public expectation of proving I can teach horses to do many normal domestic horse tasks with less pressure than most, and my desire to do less in favor of learning more from the horses. We can replace dominance with awareness if we are willing to take the time to do so. When my desire to do less and learn more wins out over meeting public expectations, the results are often better than I could ever expect. Originally aired on: September 30th, 2025
Chatting about: What Is A Challenge… In this episode we talk about an exercise I do with horses to figure out what may or may not feel like a challenge for them in the environment they are in. Then when we know where the edges of their comfort zone are, how we might stretch them in a way the horse is interested in developing. Originally aired on: September 23rd, 2025
Chatting about: The Pros and Cons of Distraction… In this episode we talk about why and when I why I teach distraction as a good choice in the relationships with horses. Trainers who have tools to keep a horse from leaving them will sometimes choose to wait through a cycle of concern in the horse, allowing it to pass naturally. Without tools we may, or may not, be able to do that successfully. Practicing distraction before we need it builds the skill, then knowing our horse well enough allows us to use that skill when it is needed. While also allowing our horse time to self regulate when that is possible. Originally aired on: September 16th, 2025
Chatting about: Chatting about: Timing, Technique and Pressure… In this episode we talk about the key factors horse trainers focus on and how we might think about it differently. Originally aired on: September 9th, 2025
Chatting about: Do The Ends Justify The Means… In this episode we talk about the dilemma that all of us face when considering the amount of pressure it might, or might not, be reasonable to put on horses toward an end goal. Originally aired on: August 12th, 2025
Chatting about: Tell me how you feel… In this episode, we talk about different ways to measure progress with our horses. It is easy to measure progress by taking notice of the tasks that can be accomplished, it is more nuanced and more interesting to me to measure progress by asking horses how they feel in the pauses between activities. Originally aired on: June 17th, 2025
Chatting about: Solving for Better… In this episode, we talk about how we can see an issue that needs to be solved and cut it in half, and in half again until the part we are working on feels set up for success. I recently had some new revelations about how this applies to horses who struggle with the feeling of touch, as well as how it applies to horses who need greater development in either self-regulation or co-regulation. Originally aired on: May 27th, 2025
Chatting about: “Emotional Cycles”… In this episode, we talk about seeing the emotional cycles of a horse from moment to moment and using that awareness to better time our active and passive moments. First we watch the horse and learn about their cycles. Then we use our active and passive moments to prove to the horse that we understand them. Then we start timing our active and passive moments better to leave the horse wanting more of the right things and less of the wrong things. (The way I think of “right things” is in general anything that makes the horse feel better and more cooperative and “wrong things” is in general anything that makes the horse feel worse and less cooperative.) Originally aired on: May 6th, 2025
Chatting about: Fear in Horses… In this episode, we talk about understanding a horse’s fear in a categorical way. Their responses will be in either Fight or Flight and they will tend to be in reaction to one of four elements: movement, touch, approach, or sound. Once we can see a horse’s tendencies categorically, we can more easily break down the fear into bite sized pieces that they can learn about, growing their confidence incrementally. Originally aired on: April 30th, 2025
Chatting about: Non-Negotiables In this episode, we talk about the Non-Negotiable factor of space between partners if either one feels unsafe. If we cannot create space between partners in the moments that challenge safety we will need to consider using, more pressure, dominant training, or the presence of a fence between horse and human. Freedom of choice comes after we can trust the basic elements of acting safe around each other. Originally aired on: April 22nd, 2025
Chatting about: “Balanced Gratitude”… In this episode, we talk about how powerful gratitude is in horse training when we use it in a balanced way. Is the glass half full? Half empty? Or Both. I believe that seeing both the good and the difficult aspects of training is profoundly important with our horses. Originally aired on: April 4th, 2025