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How do you manage stress? connection horse/human bond self-care Apr 30, 2025

Life is hectic, the 'to-do' list is interminable and social pressures push us to do more, be more.

But life is what happens when we stop, when we allow our minds to wander and our feet to choose the path. Our horses recognise when we're struggling due to their ability to synchronise with our he...
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Reconnecting With Nature Mar 25, 2025

Last week I went for a walk with a friend of mine. We've both been inside a lot so far this year, her tackling assignments for new qualifications and me completing case studies for a behaviour journal. We both found that we were becoming increasingly lacking in energy, motivation, and enjoyment and ...

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Enhancing Equine Welfare: Embracing Choice, Control, and Challenge agency choice horse care horse play liberty Mar 12, 2025

The topic of equine welfare has become increasingly important in recent years, and as horse lovers and caretakers, we must ensure our horses are thriving in every way. Let’s dive into three key aspects that can help us boost our horses’ welfare and happiness

Physical Health

First off, we often thi...

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To train or not to train Jan 29, 2025

To train or not to train, that is the question!

It’s often our initial reaction when faced with a behavioural challenge from our horses, to find the training ‘solution’. However, as a behaviourist, I find that around 90% of the behavioural issues clients bring to me can be resolved with little to n...

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Be Trauma Informed Nov 01, 2024
I recently had a lovely conversation with a member who has taken on two horses with past trauma.
 
Supporting horses that have experienced trauma in the first few months of rehoming isn’t about training; it's about understanding.
 
It takes time ⏰️for horses to adjust to new environments
...
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Where did that come from?? Oct 05, 2024
Understanding where our horses' behaviour is coming from really is the key to helping them. If we misinterpret, we risk pushing him to a place where he feels like he needs to react: avoid, defend, shut down.
 
Take beautiful Odin here, he had a major trauma at an early age, abrupt weani...
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Guiding Sails Caught By The Winds of Change bhs horse play horse training liberty natural horsemanship positive reinforcement Sep 12, 2024
Things are shifting in the horse world. I'm seeing more and more promotion of liberty work, bitless/bridaless, and lovely shows that have completely different judging criteria from the traditional show jumping or dressage.
 
I love the often bit-free element of this and the focus on connecti
...
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How Do We Achieve Positive Affect In Horses bhs horse care horse play horse training liberty natural horsemanship positive reinforcement Aug 30, 2024

A question from one of our members this week was "How can we promote a positive affective state in horses without food. I thought this was a fantastic question and something that underpins the work we do here at Horse Play Highlands. 

Positive affectivity (PA) is a characteristic that describes how...

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Natural Horsemanship - What is it? bhs horse care horse play horse training liberty natural horsemanship positive reinforcement riding lessons Jul 02, 2024

I was recently asked the question "What is Natural Horsemanship?" It's a great question and to be honest I think that it's starting to have two different meaning in the horse world. Meaning 1 refers to the Natural Horsemanship way of training, the use of  pressure and release techniques along with '...

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What's Love Got To Do With It? Jun 01, 2024

What’s love got to do with it?

A question was recently raised by one of our members that really struck a chord with me. She asked “Do horses really love us or is it just Stockholm Syndrome?”. Stockholm Syndrome is a theory that tries to explain why hostages sometimes develop a psychological bond wi...

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What Are We Missing? May 23, 2024
 
I've often talked about how important spending time with your horse without agenda is. Those quiet, calm moments when we take the time to just 'be' with them in their own space and time. It's something that we teach and practice frequently.
 
It has become clear over my life with hors...
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The Power Of Observation Apr 01, 2024
Happy Easter everyone. I hope you had a beautiful day yesterday. It truly felt like spring here so we headed out to the bay watch the dolphins playing 😍🐬
Spending time watching the wildlife here on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula is one of my favourite things to do. We learn so much through observ...
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