Fear is a natural instinct for all living beings. It can result in lack of confidence and frustration. For the human this can generate feelings of failure & anger, for the horse this can result in negative patterns developing, which can result in more fear or displaced behaviours. If horse and human are in this position it easily becomes a negative spiral with no safe place.
We believe it is very important to progression to seek fears, expose them & address them. It is our responsibility to our horses to help them learn how to address fear. If we do not do this, the unpredictable results can be damaging to all;
‘Feel the fear & do it anyway’
by using this phrase we do not mean terrify yourself or your horse, but when you find ways to identify & understand the fear, the confidence begins to creep back & the level of frustration decreases. Feelings of safety & fun return & you start to move along the road to reaching your potential again. It is just as important for you as for your horse. Horses live in the moment, they will not dwell on a fear, so if we can give them the skills to overcome it & let it go their progression can be amazing.
We believe that humans have a duty to ensure that the life our horses spend with us is as fulfilling & positive as possible. All horses are perfect just the way they are but often this is not recognised & the horse is blamed for errors or lack of achievement. Horses will always do what you tell them or what you have taught them to do, regardless of whether it is what you actually want.
Sometimes it works the other way & the human blames themselves for issues; this is a passive position & whilst it is natural, tools are needed to move away from this way of thinking.
No matter how insignificant or silly you feel they may be, we can help identify & address fears, confidence or confusion problems, whether they are yours, your horse’s or interlinked, moving on from them & unlocking the potential you have with your horse.