👀 007: Never Say Never Again... · Get Good With Horses Courses

👀 007: Never Say Never Again...

...this past Tuesday (sorry correction Monday) was Roger’s first proper training session with me and we got right into it.

✨ Some history on Roger Moore is that he came into his owner’s life just short of a year and a half ago. She has done an amazing job getting him to where he is today, especially within a very restricted, rule-orientated barn environment.

There were definitely moments where she could have easily given up or simply sent him away to a trainer, but she stuck it out and kept trying to learn and teach him instead.

We are now at the what’s left stage where sometimes the junk appears and sometimes it doesn’t.

My goal is to get it to the point where it simply no longer needs to appear and if it does it is much more controllable.

Under saddle, believe it or not he is simply perfect and it’s very important we don’t confuse play with junk behavior because in my eyes they are two very different things. This is not play.

But at the same time, I always keep it in the back of my mind for later:

How can I one day invite this horse to truly play - safely, thoughtfully and with understanding?

Beneath the calm, stoic exterior and subtle pushiness, there’s already a much bigger conversation going on where the James Bond movie title Never Say Never Again came straight to mind.

Because although Roger is a nice horse and already has some education on the ground, there’s still that teenage-boy-walking-with-his-hands-in-his-pockets energy of yeah yeah…maybe later…maybe not...kind of attitude.

And that’s exactly the interesting part for me, not just looking at what the horse does…but uncovering how he really feels underneath it like his real opinions, thought patterns, where he mentally checks out, where he subtly pushes, where he avoids taking responsibility and where he questions whether I really mean what I say.

That’s where the real conversation is because if I can tap into those quieter layers, I know over time it will become hugely beneficial not just for me, but for Roger and his owner too.

👉 Now safety matters of course, and I’m not going to pussy foot around a horse like this. He will absolutely earn the responsibility and freedom that comes later. He is almost 5 now so it is time to teach him the ways of the world where age is no longer an excuse.

But equally if not more so - it’s my job to be consistent, emotionally neutral, ready, available and clear with information he can actually learn from instead of him second-guessing, getting frustrated or mentally disconnected. He needs that from me and that is what he shall get by becoming believable enough that he starts taking the conversation seriously too.

Talking of the Black Beauty, I am heading off to him now.

Premium members you can watch here: 🎥 1. Getting to know each other - 25 May 2026

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