Can you believe that this is the same horse?? She has developed so much 😍
Whenever I look back at that photo of Nina I am amazed by how much she has developed both physically and mentally. I often talk about that the training should aim to build the horse UP mentally and physically which is the opposite to suppressing him/her through force and intimidation. I’ve seen many worried or shut down horses blossom into their beautiful confident selves. With choice in training comes a feeling of safety which in turn opens the doors to curiosity, play and social connection. A horse without a choice feels a lack of control and thereby is in a threatened/survival state resulting in flight, fight, freeze or, most often in the case of horses in training, fawn. “Fawn” involves pleasing the person who is perceived as a threat to you in order to avoid conflict. “Willing to please” is a common phrase thrown around in the horse world often in a positive sense as if the horse is wanting to make his human happy. However, horses cognitively cannot compute doing something for another being just to make them happy, just like they can’t do something just to make them angry (or out of spite or for revenge). What horses CAN compute is doing something to avoid putting themselves in an uncomfortable or dangerous position….
If you would like to get started with this way of training with your horse, check out my free masterclass "Launch into Liberty: Where & How to Begin"
For those that want to dive deeper, enrolments into the Essence of Liberty Online Academy are now open. Thank you Emmi for your lovely words:
Joining the academy has changed my whole equestrian lifestyle. I’m eternally grateful that I decided to join! I had learned bits and pieces of the theory and practice behind the liberty/r+ training but only after joining the academy and watching Nadine’s lessons it all came together. Thank you for changing my and my horses lives for the better!
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