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 🐴✨🫶

…so far in this community and with absolute pleasure - we have discussed the very important points about nose control and guidance and a relaxed neck. Those things do matter, very much. But partnership goes further than that. It doesn’t stop at a soft neck or a lowered head. 👉 It begins in how we move their body. To undo stiffness (mental and psychical), To release built-up tension. To teach the feet to move when you ask (not 2 minutes later 😉) To back-up 8-10 steps with lightness (not just 2 or 4). To ask the forehand and hindquarters to move over (to our actual touch not just finger pointing or stick driving pressure). To also send them out and around you with purpose (this is where shoulder control is learned). This is also where you learn where to place your feet, your body, your arms. This should all be stablished before the cool stuff. In the beginning at GGWH, we spend quite a bit of time keeping the horse out of our space. Remember boundaries create safety and as you can see the majority of people always have this issue. That's really okay and is what people like myself are here for! 🥰 Then, and when the time is right (not before) we begin to invite them into our space. Through intentional communication. Exercises like reversing the hindquarters and forehand away now to towards. Sideways towards. Using that natural draw to canter to you. And so forth... But please, not too soon because this is where people often get into trouble wanting the impressive things before the foundations are steady. If I am not busy teaching people how to advance, I am teaching them how to unlearn and start over. Mostly because we now have a horse that learned a lot of the wrong things too soon. To me personally this is not impressive - it is actually a shame for the horse. But that's really just my opinion. However and what I do find VERY impressive are things like being able to ask a horse to move out and around with softness and understanding, come back and stand relaxed.

Not mindset. Not breathing. Not regulation. 👉 Actual skill. From the Groundwork to Liberty Checklist…or something you weren’t even attempting a few months ago. What are you starting to get good at? Is it: • Backing up with feel instead of force? • A consistent space clearance? • Leading without crowding? • Sending out and around with clarity? • Liberty circles with intention instead of luck? • Standing quietly to mount? Horses can learn so much. If your dreams for them aren’t big enough, they’ll live inside those limits. Everyone starts from scratch somewhere. Everyone. The only difference between “advanced” and “beginner” is time, repetition, and someone deciding to raise the bar. So maybe now is a good time to check in: Are there any limiting beliefs creeping in? “I’m not ready for that.” “My horse isn’t that type.” “That’s for other people.” Or are you building foundations toward some seriously cool results and partnership? Tell me one skill you’re starting to get good at - or one you’ve decided to stop avoiding. Let’s expand the horizon a little. love Zoë🐴✨🫶

Hi all, so in response to a question about leg lifting for hoof picking and trimming prep by @Cheg Darlington - I share with you a video from my Young Horse Training Series. I hope you like it. 🫶 👉 For the first 20 or so videos in this 45-part series, I used voice-over. In the remaining videos, I speak live while working with him. The full series will be available in the new GGWH Skool Classroom in the Young Horses Module and each video is between 15-45 minutes long. In this video rope training begins at 7 mins 35 seconds. Marques has not been part of my life since February 2025. From what I can see, he is now a calm, confident partner for his human. Any areas in his foundation that still needed attention were something his owner would need to continue developing. As that shared understanding wasn’t always met, I chose to part ways. 🥰 One final note: I won't be on here much more today, its Friday and I am going to take a well earned break. I will check back in tomorrow so don't forget to share your weekly wins tomorrow of which I will create a fresh post to initiate that. Sending horsey loving and wishing you a brilliant weekend. Zoë 🐴✨🫶

I have a question 😊, I watched the first bonus video of teaching them to stand still today and I have been reflecting a bit. I instinctively did this when Breeze went through a phase of scratching herself on the stable door as she was so rough 🤭 and it did stop that behaviour. However I think there may be more work to do here now I am thinking on it - in the evening she comes in from the field and is tied or stood at liberty on the yard and she is fine for a bit but then she starts to get impatient, pulls grumpy faces and paws the ground. She will do this even if she has a haynet. She did this this evening - she rushes me but when I begin groundwork with her - tonight we did a bit of mirror work lowering the head - she is then engaged and focused and the impatient behaviour stops. Should I remove the haynet and make a game of it - being parked in a spot. I can stop the pawing but what about the grumpy faces? Thank you 😊