Today, I worked with a customers horse and used the words "he needs to have his emotional needs meet first and then we can teach him to..."
Thanks Josh. It's clicking.
January 10
• Edited (Jan 10, 2025)
As there are no big or small wins, here’s mine for the week:
Today, I was getting frustrated while riding my horse. He kept pulling toward the gate and just wouldn’t relax. I was waiting (and waiting) for that moment of calm release, where he’d stop moving his feet and his head would drop—but it wasn’t coming, no matter what I tried or how long I waited. I felt myself getting more and more annoyed. I didn’t have all day to wait for him to settle, and the frustration was building.
But after watching all of Josh's content, I knew––if I couldn’t relax, there was no way my horse would, either. So, as he continued to walk around the ring, I decided to focus on myself. I tried some of Julia’s breathing exercises, and slowly, the fog of frustration started to clear. I stopped fixating on what wasn’t happening and started to just be in (and enjoy!) the moment, even if it wasn’t the ride I originally wanted.
Eventually, my horse found his calm, too. When he did, we ended the ride—both of us no longer frustrated or tense.
What's your win this week?
March 29
I am over the moon at my tiny breakthrough tonight with my baby 6 year old.
I let her say no.
It sounds weird to me, because for years I have always rode with the idea of not letting the horse say no. Tonight she did not want to go near a small obstacle she could easily walk over, and instead of fighting her,. We went away worked on other stuff, and then came back to the obstacle and got a little bit closer, when she said no we walked away again. We did this patiently back and forth until she gained enough confidence to easily walk over it, then jump it. Wow!
April 07
Brought this former reiner, now jumper, to his first HJ show this weekend. The horse park was sandwiched between an active car racetrack and an airport. It was his first *real* jumper course. As a normally kind of spooky guy, he was not only calm about all the (loud) noise and chaos, he was focused and responsive. My friends say “if you can show at the Evergreen Horse Park, you can show anywhere.” 😆 We’ve done a ton of ground work over the past five months, and I walked him around on schooling day for about a half hour to get him acclimated. It was amazing to see his confidence grow day by day.
April 02
I was inspired by Tik this weekend and decided to give clicker training a try with my horse! My timing wasn’t perfect, but overall he really enjoyed it and picked up target work super quickly. It even helped him work through a spook—over a hula hoop, of all things! By the end, he was confidently touching it and clearly proud of himself for earning a click and a treat. We’ll definitely be doing more of this!
March 30
I've had a very memorable moment this week, and I'd
Iove to tell you about it. I've had my new mare Skye for only 3 months. She usually trots over to the gate when she sees me--or at least she walks over-- but this week after I hadn't been to the barn for 3 days (my husband has cancer and was hospitalized, so my plate is very full), Skye full out galloped over to greet me at the gate! My heart just burst!
September 09, 2024
• Edited (Oct 26, 2024)
We want to hear from YOU! What have you learned on NF+ that has helped you and your horse improve? Have you had any break-throughs or memorable learning moments? Share your pictures, videos, and success stories here!
March 13
I have just finished following the Tik Masterclass for Anxious and Spooky horses. I have followed a couple of other online trainers' methods for this for a couple of years but both my mare and I just ended up getting frustrated and she even started to get dangerous when I asked her to do any sort of work - and that is only from the ground! This was the last chance saloon. Tik explains everything so clearly and precisely and the demos show it all with raw footage. Everything he said made sense to me (finally) and I was able to easily put it into practice with immediate results - small incremental improvements everyday. Bingo - my mare finally has the leader she has been desperately seeking and I feel like I am at last speaking her language. It has also worked for my young horse who was getting more and more anxious on the trails after a couple of incidents that sent him over the top e.g. loose galloping horses next to the trail. BTW I come from the old school of dominant horsemanship (I am ashamed to admit) and in the past I have been able to get some pretty difficult horses to do things but the mare I have now said a firm "NO" to my dominant approach. Thanks to this mare I have changed how I work with all my horses and thanks to Tik I have finally found the key to successfully working with my current horses without being dominant. (If only I could apologise to those of my horses that are no longer with me who put up with me in the past.) I can't thank Tik enough for putting this Masterclass together, and Noëlle for starting this platform and getting such great trainers on board and for all content. It is life changing. Even my non-horsey husband is enjoying the Ifa Simmonds' workout and the Yoga!
January 21
Hi members! Have you tried Ifa Simmond's Cross Training for Equestrians program? I’m collecting testimonials and would love to hear about your experience! 🤩 Your feedback could inspire others to take the leap and transform their riding and fitness journey.
March 06
This is one of my five year olds, Labyrinth IHF.
Although he is a little too short to be my dream horse, he is so well connected and conformed naturally that he wants to perform more challenging movements already.
My win is that he gave me a clean change yesterday (when trying a counter canter pattern, of course).
I am working hard to show the Five Year Old test with him this year and hoping to gain more opportunities as a young horse rider.
Fun Fact: I broke my wrist starting him! We grew through fear and connect now more than ever, using many techniques trainers at NF+ have taught me. Now, he really has decided his job is fun, has found his balance without ducking behind vertical, and I know he will make an amateur so happy once he has more miles under his belt.
His enthusiasm and talent is a fun new challenge for me!