I have just read a lovely book about using horses for rehabilitation during or after a serious illness or depressing situation. The author Michael Hay writes about this natural but different approach in a way that provokes much thought into the way we use our horses and making sure our perspectives are in the right mind.His approach looks at the healing ways of horses, the way they naturally reduce stress and compares the basic needs of the horse to our basic needs. Michael has kindly allowed me to give you a free copy of his book ‘Healers with Four Legs and a Tail’ which can be downloaded here Enjoy the read, Glenys :) … [Read more...]
Healers with Four Legs and a Tail
Where is the best place to be positioned when teaching horse riding?
As you start to become more aware of teaching styles of horse riding instructors, you will probably be looking at the positioning of the horse riding instructor. Some are teaching standing up, sitting down, on a horse, inside the circle, outside the circle, in the arena, outside the arena and many other positions. Many of my trainee equestrian coaches ask the question “Where is the best place to be positioned when teaching horse riding” Before this question is answered, I like to explore the benefits and drawbacks of some different teaching positions with them. Teaching horse riding on a circle Standing in the center of a circle when someone is teaching is great for explaining details, giving immediate feedback and for giving confidence to the nervous rider. However as soon as you … [Read more...]
Free Video Assessments About To Expire!
Thanks to all our students who have sent in their videos on horse care, riding and teaching for us to assess. There has been no charge for our current students to send us these videos to review, however this has been a strictly limited offer and it is about to expire! If you are thinking of enrolling in one of our courses, unless you are quick to enroll (before December 2013) you will no longer have access to this offer. Don’t worry; if you enroll before the December then your video assessments will be free for your current enrolment! If you don’t plan to commence study until next year, that is ok. Simply enroll now and let me know that will start your course some time next year. If you would like to talk to me about your equine career then please email me on Glenys (@) … [Read more...]
Frustration From Horses or Passion For Horses?
I love technology when it is working well but find it very frustrating when it isn’t! I can do some of the basic stuff, but if the wrong button is pushed or a misdirected technical genius makes a website go down then I am not interested in fixing the problem and refer it to the Webmaster. Some people are like that with horses. They become frustrated with them and are not interested in fixing the problem. The only problem is that horses aren’t machines. They live and breathe and there is always a reason for doing what they do. If a resistance or an evasion is not corrected immediately, it can become a habit. As much as I am not interested in fixing technology, I am absolutely passionate about fixing horse problems. Last week one of my students bought a lovely horse as a … [Read more...]
Risk Management Plan
Let’s face it, riding is a high risk sport. Horses can Horses are unpredictable by nature and act on instinct, which could involve biting, kicking, shying and rearing. I know I could write a complete book on risk management in the horse industry but I don’t have time today. To get you thinking, usegood management and horse sense to implement these five steps that will help you minimize this risk. 1. Identify the Risk When you are working around horses, be constantly aware of your surroundings and the horses’ behavior. If you look closely there could is risk everywhere, with horses, financial, environmental . . . the list goes on . . . 2. Evaluate the Risk Let’s take this one as an example . . . Horses are more likely to be fresh if they have had restricted movement such as a … [Read more...]
Addicted to Horses
My father sent me this poem, saying that was written about me. Then I put it on my Facebook page and countless people said that it could have been written about them. Of course there are some variations (I know how to make sponge cake), but the addiction to horses seems to afflict so many people around the world. Does this poem describe you? How many of you friends could this poem be about? Why do I like horses? I reckon I must be mad. My mother wasn’t horsey And neither was my dad But this addiction hit me early And it hit me like a curse And I’ve never gotten better In fact I’ve gotten worse My stables are immaculate My house is like a hovel Last year for my birthday I got a brand new shovel I hardly read a paper But I know who’s sold their horse And I … [Read more...]
Careers with Horses
I hear from a lot of people who would love a career with horses. Some people look for a sponsor to magically produce wonderful horses for them to ride and to give them a high paying salary as well. However they haven’t yet proven themselves and they have nothing to offer the sponsor. Then there are others who would love to walk in and manage an existing horse business, such as a saddlery or feed store. The only problem is that they have no management experience or no experience in that type of horse business. Careers with horses are like training a horse. We don’t ask them for high School movements when they are first broken in. We start with the basics and build in the training step by step. This systematic training can produce some brilliant results at a very high level, … [Read more...]
All Day With My Horse
The other day, one of my students said to the other “I just love having my own horse business, I can spend all day with my horse”. In my opinion that is not a horse business, that is spending all day with your horse. The difference between having a business with horses and having horses as a hobby is that a business aims to run at a profit. Part of that process is monetizing your time and that should be a high priority for a new equine business owner. Don’t get me wrong, once the business has been established there are benefits and spending more time with your horse could be one of those benefits. However taking the benefits before you have put in the effort is like going through the finish pegs without doing the jumps. You can’t be a winner if you haven’t put in the effort. … [Read more...]
How to be a Better Coach
Equestrian Coaches Only! By Glenys Cox and Cristine Hall Do you know what you are doing when you are coaching people with horses? Take a moment to think about the last session that you coached.What happened? What did you learn from that experience? Do you take the time to reflect on how you teach your students in those lessons? Consider yourself a student as well. How do you learn from your coaching? And how can you be a better equestrian coach? Reflective practice has long been recognised as an important phase ofexperiential learning. When John Dewey, philosopher of education, described the impact on learning from an experience, he claimed that the student’s capacity to reflect after an event (such as coaching your lesson!) was most important. This is true, particularly … [Read more...]
Your Gift ‘On Horsemanship’ by Xenophon
At Online Horse College, we are partnering with a PhD student to develop courses for Equine Assisted Learning courses. As part of her research, she would love to survey you about your coaching and learning styles and as a reward for your input we have a gift for you! Xenophon is one of the earliest riding masters, training horses through kindness and reward. Topics include his teachings on selection of a young horse, breaking colts, selection of the older horse, care of the horse and grooming, handling correctly and safely, mounting, riders position and training the rider, advanced training of the horse including jumping and cross country and much, much more... If you would love a copy of this book, simply complete the one page equestrian coaching survey on the link below to … [Read more...]
The First Rule For Any Horse Business, Including Non-Profits
The First Rule For Any Horse Business, Including Non-Profits People who start non-profit charities or causes within the horse industry often have hearts of gold. They are supporting a cause that they are passionate about for animals that have touched their heart. However, if you are thinking about starting a non-profit to support a great cause within the horse industry, remember Non-profits in the horse industry need to run at a profit as well! Without the ability to run at a profit, your cause will not be able to increase awareness and build in size and influence. As with any equine business venture, do your homework first and make sure you can run at a profit! To Your Success, Glenys :) … [Read more...]
Teaching Styles in Equestrian Coaching
Equestrian Coaches Only! Think about this for a moment! You may know what you coach or why you coach but have you considered how you coach? As a coach you can use a variety of teaching styles in your lessons with students. You could be more familiar with the words coaching or instructional styles or even facilitative methods or approaches depending on your discipline and training. Many equestrian coaches use a more direct style of teaching in their lessons where the coach gives commands or demonstrates and the students follow their cues. Take the survey here about equestrian coaching styles Think of one of your lessons where you say: Whole ride, trot and the whole ride trots on or you say: Everyone, come in here and everyone comes in together to the designated place. … [Read more...]
Horses And Their Imagination
What was that? Aasifa pricked up her pretty little Arab shaped ears. Talisman pricked up his long thoroughbred ears and snorted. Zamizin pricked his ears, snorted and held his tail up. It was important that he held his tail up high so everyone could see that it has been broken in a floating accident. He had survived so he really must be the bravest horse in the herd. Trendy trotted up to the front of the group, not because he thought that he was the bravest but because he wanted to make sure that if it was terribly scary then he wanted to be the fastest to get away. Just in case whatever it was had a particular hunger for fat leopard appaloosas. “It must be a bunyip” said Aasifa who had told everyone about the mythical Australian creatures where she used to live. “There are … [Read more...]
When You Choose, Always Think Of The Long Term Outcome
As a business consultant to the equine industry, people ask me “What if I train my staff to gain a qualification and they leave?” My answer is “What happens if you don’t train them and they stay?” When you make choices, continually think of the long-term outcome. You owe it to your clients to deliver to them the best possible outcome for them and their horse and part of that is to continually train and monitor your staff to serve your customers needs at a higher level. Not only will you gain a great reputation from your customers for delivering the best possible outcome, but you will also gain a reputation within the industry for meeting the needs of your staff. This second reputation will mean that you can attract potential employees who are looking for a career within the … [Read more...]
Looks Like The Joke Is On Us!
When you mix with people who are from outside the horse industry, do you feel like they are talking another language? You know that you are highly motivated and serious about horses, but now you can have a bit of a laugh about yourself and pick up on the views of ‘outsiders’. If you are looking for a top quality horse read, check out this hilarious new book from Funny Horse Cartoons and download your free copy now! Funny Horse Cartoons Download Your FREE Copy Now! Pick Up Your FREE Copy Of Funny Horse Cartoons Exposes the Truth! Name*: Email*: Country*:AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamas, … [Read more...]
Strategies for Settling Competition Nerves
In a highly competitive environment, it is easy to become very critical of others “How could THAT horse win, didn’t the judges see that all the changes to the left were late behind” “She couldn’t sit to the trot to save herself” “Who owns that umbrella? It is scaring my horse!” Instead, we would remain in a far happier state of mind if we were more appreciative of other horse/ rider combinations “I liked the way he rode when he corrected that resistance/ evasion” “Every time I have seen that combination they have continued to improve” “Wow it is raining, what a great opportunity to expose my horse to wet conditions” If you tend to get tense and nervous at competitions, try using these strategies Remember that people have different reasons for riding at the … [Read more...]
Three Rewards for Your Horse
Have you ever noticed how when people ride their horses and reward them all the time, the horses go well for them? There are other riders who are always angry at their horses and give them a hard time. Keep a diary of everything that went well on your ride today, just the best three things and what you did to reward your horse. It could have been a softening of the reins allowing them to have a stretch and a break, a walk break or to finish the work session. When you focus on what went well and the rewards you give your horse on a regular basis, you look forward to your riding and training so much more. … [Read more...]
Your Equine Priorities
If one of your high priorities is to ride your horse, gain an equine qualification or make more profit in your horse business and you haven’t done anything about it in the last twenty-four hours then you may need to re-organize your actions! Research has consistently shown that ‘Overnight Successes’ have been taking continuous action steps towards their goal (of becoming a success) over the preceding months or years. So if you have a horse business that should be more profitable, have been thinking of studying towards your horse career or need to ride your horse more regularly, then make sure you take a step towards that goal every single day! Remember to live your dreams, Glenys :) … [Read more...]
Equine Meditation
Do you enjoy early morning rides with your friends? Then on the day you wake up and realize that your alarm clock didn’t go off and you are now running quite late for your ride? Did you go into a panic, trying to get everything done as fast as you can? Throwing things around, speaking fast or yelling only to forget where you put your boots or keys and then arrive late and blame it on your alarm clock? How does your horse react when you are like this? Do they get upset refusing to co-operate and generally behaving out of character? Or do you focus on working efficiently? Do you ask yourself what absolutely has to be done to be ready on time? Do you plan each move ahead so you know where everything is minutes before you need them? Do you focus on your breathing so your … [Read more...]
How Addictions To Horses Are Created
Horse Addiction I finally worked out why I was addicted to horses! According to Tony Robbins, humans have six basic needs and if they find an activity that satisfies at least four of those needs there is a very strong chance they will become addicted to that activity and find it difficult or impossible to stop. Certainty Uncertainty Significance Connection Growth Contribution I know with me, horses satisfy every one of those needs! No wonder so many other people are also addicted to them! If I have never met a horse before, I can be certain they have characteristics and behaviors that are unique to the horse. At the same time, every horse and every situation is different. Even on a well-trained horse there is always a degree of uncertainty in the way they are going … [Read more...]
Understanding Horses
Have you ever had your foot stood on by a horse? Horses’ brains have been wired to remember the negative/ survival memories. These survival memories have evolved the need to remember danger, potential danger and to act as a herd when another horse is acting suspiciously. They don’t always have the same thought patterns as humans, so if we plan to ride them, train them, teach them and teach with them it is in our best interests to understand them as much as possible. The next time a horse shies, bucks, kicks out or even if one stands on your foot, then try to understand from their point of view what made them do it. Real horse people don’t blame horses; they only continue to deepen their understanding about them. … [Read more...]
Teaching Trot Diagonals
When your student doesn’t understand something (such as trot diagonals), most coaches automatically go back and re-explain in more simplified terms.Part of re-explaining in simplified terms is to break down a complicated skill into steps. As students develop a greater understanding of riding at each level, they are more likely to progress on to the next level without the constant need for revision and to go back and ‘fill in the gaps’. The explanation ‘Just sit each time the shoulder moves back/forward/up/down does not give a student sufficient understanding of trot diagonals. Unless an instructor has a system of how to teach trot diagonals, it can be confusing for their students and anyone watching the lesson. While I may not teach every step every time, these are the steps I … [Read more...]
Equine Goal Setting
When Goals Change At the beginning of each year, we often set goals for the coming year. The number of times each week we are going to ride, how we are going to save up for a new saddle or focus on our competition schedule for the year. We often talk about SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-lined), and also about the steps towards achieving your goals (define what you want, know what you have, plan how you are going to get there and take action at least every day towards achieving your goals). Then it rains, going out with friends becomes a higher priority than the new saddle and the nominations closebefore you put in your entries. Goals were never meant to be set in stone! They should be flexible, reflect your values, your dreams and your … [Read more...]
Centrelink Horse Course
Centrelink Assistance for EA Trainees Many EA (Equestrian Australia) Trainees are not aware that they are able to access Centrelink Assistance while they are training for horse qualifications or in the equine industry. While Equestrian Australia is not able to provide this assistance to trainees directly, EA Coach Educator Glenys Cox offers aligned Centrelink approved courses so you can receive a horse related educational qualification at the same time as your EA qualifications. With prices around $5.a day, these courses are ideal for those on a budget. The courses are all delivered online, so your study time is flexible and can be completed around your other commitments. For more information, please phone Glenys Cox on (07) 3102 5498 or email Glenys @ OnlineHorseCollege.com... … [Read more...]
What Horse Riding Instructors Should Never Do?
I love this part of the story from 'The Man Who Listens to Horses' by Monty Roberts: ‘I want you to think about this very carefully’….. ‘It should be like painting a picture of your lives in the future, as if all your ambitions had been realised.’ I was in my last year of high school, and this was one of the first projects we were set to do. I turned in what I thought was a good paper….It was a ground plan and associated paperwork for the running of a thoroughbred racehorse facility. Five days later the paper was returned to me with an F….. ‘It is a wild, unattainable dream. That is why I gave it a failing grade…..I know your family background; it would just not be possible….change it to an appropriate level’. Years Later . . . It was a beautiful summers day when the coach … [Read more...]
Horses, Ponies and Pecking Orders
I was at a friends place and they were having problems keeping their pony confined. As we were talking the pony trotted up the full of high expectations, just like it was his birthday and he was about to receive his presents. With a big smile on his face he turned away from us, trotted up to the fence and in mid-trot he put his head down to the place he escaped from the day before to push his way through. WHACK!!! He connected with the new electric fence! He dropped to hs knees, snorted, picked himself up and spun away, indignantly kicking out towards the fence. Then he looked at the spot he came from for a long minute as though he was searching for a trick that just wouldn't reveal itself! Finally he tossed his head as if to say “I will show you” and trotted off down … [Read more...]
How many horse ‘accidents’ can be prevented!
I just heard the police minister talking about how rarely a real ‘accident’ happens and that most are caused by preventable actions like drink driving, speeding and fatigue Many horse accidents can also be prevented. Accidents can be caused by unsafe handling and riding, mismatch of horse and rider/handler, inexperienced/ untrained instructors or complete lack of supervision by a competent person So . . . when you are about to do something with your horse, or give an instruction to some-one else about a horse . . . just take a moment to think about what could possibly go wrong and what you could do to make it safer That way, you can prevent those ‘accidents’ happening Happy (and safe) Riding, Glenys :-) … [Read more...]
Hendra Virus Vaccine
Attention: Horse Owners! Hendra Virus Vaccination Now Available! Australian horse owners received the news on 1st November 2012 that the vaccination Equivac® HeV vaccine was now available. The deadly Hendra virus has claimed the lives of 81 horses. While there is no known cure for Hendra virus, the Equivac® HeV vaccine will assist in breaking the transmission cycle of this potentially lethal virus. Media release Vaccine arrives to boost the fight against deadly Hendra virus Thursday, 01 November 2012 Download this media release as a PDF Brisbane, Australia – 01 November 2012: From today, Australian horse owners and the equine industry will receive an important boost in their fight against the deadly Hendra virus with the … [Read more...]
Uncharacteristic Behaviour in Horses
Price is always a consideration when buying an asset for a business. So when his owner told me that he was selling him cheap because he won’t ‘tuck his head in’ and he throws his head around even after his teeth has been attended to, I was interested. His mouth and back seemed fine so the next step was to ride him. Sure enough, as soon as he started to go forward with a focus on energy, rhythm and tempo with a few bending and flexing exercises then he responded positively. As I said . . . we have a lovely big chestnut school horse called Sunny. We were able to buy him at a very good price because I recognized that the throwing of his head was a response to him not being ridden correctly. The way he was being ridden was the real problem. Horses communicate in all sorts of … [Read more...]
How Does You Experience With Horses Influence Your Opinion On ‘Best Practice’
Have you ever returned from a competition late at night, with two horses to unload, five horses to rug/blanket and feed with three tired, cranky young children in the car? I have! As much as I know about the theory of bringing the horses into an enclosed area and tying them up while their rug is put on, we all tend to take short cuts when we are in a hurry. Especially with horses that we know and trust! On one of these occasions, I fed the horses and while they were eating I put the rugs on. The last one was a young stallion. Just as I had the rug half on, one of the children woke up and started crying. The stallion was unsettled with the strange noise, and he galloped off. Luckily I had done up the back leg straps first, so after a quick buck and kick out, the rug … [Read more...]
