Let’s dream a little - if skill, time, and confidence weren’t in the way… What “magical” things would you love to teach your horse? Things like: • Lay down on cue • Sit • Liberty in a large open space • Spanish walk • Rear • Bridleless riding • Piaffe • Flying changes that feel effortless • School Halt • A calm, confident solo hack anywhere • Trick training just for fun Sometimes we stop ourselves before we even begin and maybe think: “That’s too advanced.” “That’s for professionals.” 👉 But here’s the thing… Horses can learn so much and often far more than we imagine, and so can you. And partnership expands when our vision does. So tell me - what feels a little bit magical to you right now? Drop your dream skill below 👇 Let’s see what kind of magic we’re building here! 🐴✨🫶

Hi all, Regarding this post GET GOOD TIP 14 about teaching relaxation when they’re already relaxed... @Cheg Darlington was bang on it by asking is there more she can be doing. So my first thought was yes and my second thought was this lesson which is exercise 87. of the Groundwork to Liberty Communications Series plus some reminders of the head down help etc. 👉 Is not the best filmed coz my Pivo was having a paddy that day, but the info is there and is as good as new. Would be great to hear what you think and if you get a chance to experiment, let us know in the Community. With 'brachio relaxing' love, your Zoë 🐴✨🫶

Some of the best advice I can give you is this: ➡️ Teach relaxation when they’re already relaxed... ...don’t wait for tension to teach relaxation. Like really! Teach it when your horse is already calm. When they’re standing quietly. When they’re breathing softly. When nothing dramatic is happening. That is the moment to reinforce: • Softness in the body • Lowered head and neck • A sigh • A blink • A release through the ribcage • A longer exhale Because here’s the truth people forget far too often - we cannot prevent tension! Tension is how horses survived for over 2 million years. Their sensitivity is not a fla, it’s the very reason they are still here. Spooks will happen. Startles will happen. Adrenaline will happen. However, what we can influence is how quickly they return. When you layer relaxation into the calm moments, you build a reference point. You are teaching their nervous system: This is safe. This is normal. This is where we come back to. So later, after a spook, a noise, a sudden movement, their response time shortens. Instead of staying in fight, flight, or fright…they may check in sooner. And just like us, horses are miserable when they live in prolonged stress. If we become the mediator of calm, the anchor after adrenaline, the consistent place of safety, our bond grows tenfold. Relaxation is not the absence of tension. It is the skill of returning from it. And that skill can be practiced every single day. 👉 Questions? Pop them in the comments my friends. Zoë 🐴✨🫶

I had such a lovely day with one of the horses I take care of that I felt was worth sharing. I was listening to some of Zoë’s podcast episodes and it got me feeling more confident. I often worry about being judged at the yard, especially by people who seem to “have it all together” I’m a very sensitive person so it’s hard to shut the world out and focus. but today I held my head up high and just did my thing. Huyen (the mare I worked with today) seemed to pick up on the positive energy and looked super happy and calm. She’s a very tense and alert horse and I’ve been a bit afraid to do things with her by myself so today was such a big step forward 💗 The warmer weather definitely helped too! 😙

✨ 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 🐴✨🫶