✨ Progress isn’t linear and that’s normal. When something feels like it’s slipping or getting harder, it doesn’t automatically mean you’ve failed. Often, it means your horse is integrating, processing, or adjusting to a new layer of understanding. Or perhaps you’ve now revealed the horse you truly need to teach because the version before was either shut down or too busy to really notice. Growth can look messy before it looks solid. And this is often the moment people lose patience or give up. When in reality, it is simply part of the process. Staying steady in those moments is part of what it means to Get Good by not abandoning the idea when it wobbles. 👉 Question: Where did things feel worse before they got better? Zoë 🐴✨🫶

🤩 Tell me… Do you have nicknames for your horses? I’ll go first: Lenny also known as: • Lenny the Licker • Bubbles • Lennykins • My King Benjamin is also known as: • Mr Floof • Unicorn • Bennykins • My Prince • Back-breaker (because he's so small 😅) Your turn 👇 Drop the names, the sillier the better. 🤣 🐴✨🫶

...so…the last four days I committed 10 hours a day to building the new Get Good With Horses Skool in here. I’ll be honest - I hoped I’d have it finished by now and I’m “only” about ¾ of the way through. Slightly disappointed… but also very proud. 🥰 Because alongside that, I’ve still taken care of my boys, walked the dog as many times as she demanded, and made it to the gym twice at sunrise. So yes, am a bit tired 😅 Husband? What husband...lol! But, it’s looking beautiful. And instead of just transferring everything from the old platform, I’m refining it. Improving it. Tightening it. The structure feels stronger, clearer. Love it! I’ve set aside two more full days next week to finish it, so watch this space for the release. Right now it’s four classrooms, properly organised and packed with everything you need to get good with horses. And going through five years of my own work? I’m genuinely in awe of what’s been created. It’s a lot. Tomorrow I’m back to normal life: gym at 06:30, first lesson at 09:30, horses, and then dinner with friends in Amsterdam in the evening. 🍻 So I’ll be taking a proper night off from this very dear, special community. Will check-in here the afternoon then first thing Saturday for our Weekly Wins. Much love, Zoë 🐴✨🫶

✨ I want to share something that’s been sitting heavily with me the past weeks. Recently, I found out that a mare I knew of was put to sleep due to behavioural issues. From what I observed, she had all the right physical checks -chiro, physio, ulcers, bloods the lot. But what I saw daily was a horse showing very clear signs of distress during handling. During tacking up she would bite, strike, kick. It escalated to the point she couldn’t even be tied safely. Bridling would start in one place in the barn and end 20 metres away. There was no punishment - which is good but there was also no guidance. No change in approach. No outside help. Same pattern in - same pattern out. And eventually…the behaviour became the label. 👉 Here’s the hard truth: Even with experience. Even with knowledge. Even with good intentions. If we don’t ask for help, nothing changes. Years ago I would run after people, offering help whether they wanted it or not. I learned the hard way that if someone isn’t open, they aren’t open. You can’t force readiness. Do I wish I had stepped in more? Of course part of me does. But I cannot take responsibility for every situation I witness. That would mean carrying the weight of every horse everywhere - and that’s neither realistic nor healthy. What I do believe, deeply, is this: If the horse is physically well and the owner is open, most things are fixable. Horses with “people problems” were created by people - often unknowingly. That means they can be un-created too. Some in a few sessions. Some in a year. Some longer. But behaviour is information. I’ve known horses who survived trailering accidents and calmly loaded the next day because the owner didn’t label them as trauma victims. I’ve also seen horses who had no accident, but after one frightening moment were labelled “traumatised” where from that day forward, they carried that identity. We are powerful in what we reinforce. We are powerful in what we ignore. We are powerful in what we assume.

Naturally we talk horses every day in here. But today let’s meet the other loves of your life.😍 The dogs. The cats. The quirky rescues. The tiny dictators. The old souls. I’ll go first. This is Coady - aptly named. My whole life people called me “Coady” after my surname, not Zoë…so I thought why not, it worked…lol! She’s 15 years old now. A little miracle dog. 🐶 Jack Russell cross Boerenfox (a Dutch breed) — small body, enormous personality. She was diagnosed with CKD almost 7 years ago. We were told to prepare ourselves. But with love, care, management, and a lot of stubborn devotion… she’s still here. She’s obviously getting older now. A few quirky little habits have appeared. A slower walk. A deeper sleep. But she is pure joy. A bundle of love. And she is with me pretty much 24/7. Now Id love to know… Who’s your non-horse soulmate? Drop a photo if you can. Tell me their name and one thing that makes them uniquely them. Let’s fill this thread with fur and love. 🐶 ✨🫶