… with Mindful Horse Training and The Trust Technique for all animals.

There is a huge shift which is taking place right now in the world of horses, animal training and the way we interact with others generally, as we move away from the dominance hierarchy which has been prevalent in recent years towards a desire to build a peaceful connection with our animals.

The “unwanted” behaviours that our animals display are an expression of their emotional state – fear, anxiety, frustration, stress etc. This can be rooted in a general feeling of anxiety or insecurity about their current situation, deeply held trauma from past experiences or triggers in their everyday environment.

When an animal is in a high emotional state, they are unable to hear our requests and learning cannot take place. This is why training solutions may be ineffective, until we can first support them in finding emotional balance.

External pressures on us also play a part; when we are no longer doing what is expected or seen as normal by others we are standing out from the crowd, feeling isolated and vulnerable. In our effort to fit in, we can stop attending to our own or our animals’ needs by allowing ourselves to be pressured by others’ opinions and social norms, even though in our heart of hearts it just doesn’t feel right.

When our animals are struggling it is not unusual for us to find that we then have an emotional response to their emotional response, leading to our own feelings of worry, frustration, embarrassment, sadness or something else.  Once we bring some awareness to our own thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions we can begin to change our perspective and the way we feel and behave, enabling us to create a safe environment for our animals and model a more balanced response to challenging situations.

We know how difficult it can be to change habits that we have been practicing for many years and yet we somehow expect our animal companions to change just because we want them to. We cannot train away fear or worry, we can only demonstrate that there is nothing to fear and that we can be trusted to take care of them and make good choices (in their opinion).

“I love the fact that it works to develop the relationship between me and the girls and builds trust and communication. I’m not forcing them to do anything, it helps me to keep calm in difficult situations and helps me to focus on their needs.”

“Sally is knowledgeable and very patient and explains everything very well.”

“I feel confident that I can make a difference, with time and patience.”

“The rescue asked us to put him down. Sally rescued us.”

I teach Mindful Horse Training and the Trust Technique for any animal at your home or your horse’s barn, within travelling distance of Marlborough, Wiltshire (travel charges may apply) or online worldwide.

If you are ready to take the next steps towards developing a more peaceful relationship with your horse, dog or other animal then please get in touch. I offer a FREE Discovery Call so you can find out more.

You can view my Trust Technique Practitioner listing here.

You can gain free access to The Trust Technique Foundation Course here.