Elke & Lola – Session 2

Restarting a Sensitive OTTB Mare

In this session, I continue working with Lola – a sensitive, intelligent, and sometimes overreactive Thoroughbred mare.

With Elke still unwell, I took the opportunity to revisit and gently progress the work we started in Session 1. My focus for this session was on refining Lola’s response to steady pressure, clarifying my ask during rhythmic yields, and building her confidence around movement, tools, and decision-making.

We explored creative variations on steady pressure to help reset Lola’s defensive patterns and offer new experiences of release. She showed signs of growing trust: softness, fewer head tosses, and a willingness to stay engaged. I also introduced more structured hindquarter and forequarter yields, played with circling and transitions, and ended with desensitization work, always giving her the choice to leave and return.

What you’ll see in this session:

• Creative steady pressure exercises (including belly rope work) to soften defensive responses
• Rhythmic forequarter and hindquarter yields, focusing on timing and clarity
• Circling and lunging development: send, stop, face-up, and transitions
• Reading and responding to moments of resistance vs. genuine try
• Confidence-building with the stick and string, respecting her emotional threshold
• A grounded approach to communication, using choice and release to build trust

This wasn’t a flashy breakthrough session, but there was consistent try, clearer communication, and small moments of connection that point toward deeper change.

🗒️ Note:
This is a real-time, reflective session – not a tutorial. The commentary includes my observations, thought process, and some moments of teaching I’ll later share with Elke. It’s honest, unpolished, and filmed with the horse’s growth and learning in mind.

🎥 No quick fixes. No fancy edits. Just honest, real-time horse training exactly as it happens.

📍 Filmed on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia.

🔔 Subscribe and follow along as we continue building trust, confidence, and clarity one session at a time.

Why I Stop Instead of Fighting the Horse

In this moment, I explain why I never push through a session when I feel tension escalating into a fight. Instead, I pause and reflect: Is it unclear communication, too much pressure, or something in the environment? Rather than teaching a horse to “submit,” I want to build trust and clarity. This clip shows how stepping back can lead to better results, and why emotional awareness is a vital part of good horsemanship.

Me vs. Horse… and Einstein: What I Do When I’m Getting Frustrated

Even experienced trainers get frustrated. In this clip, I share an honest moment where I found myself repeating the same cue, getting the same wrong response, and wondering why. The turning point came when I shifted my approach instead of blaming the horse. This clip is a reminder that mindset matters, and sometimes it takes stepping out of the loop to find the way forward.

Steady Pressure Only Works If You Do This

Steady pressure is often misunderstood in both groundwork and riding. If it’s not paired with a timely release, it stops being guidance and becomes stress. In this clip, I explain how pressure interacts with the horse’s nervous system, and why timing (especially the release) is everything. This is foundational knowledge for anyone who wants to communicate more clearly with their horse.

The Heart of Pressure-Release Training

When we train with pressure, we’re really asking a question. If there’s no release, there’s no answer, and the horse stops searching. This moment captures one of the most important concepts in my work: giving the horse space to problem-solve. It’s not about forcing a result, but about building a language where both horse and human can find meaning and clarity.

Getting a Sticky Horse to Pay Attention

This clip shows how I use contrast to build softness and attentiveness. I start with a whisper – the lightest, quietest cue I can offer – and give the horse a real chance to respond. If she doesn’t, I follow through with a sharper cue, not as punishment, but to make my intention unmistakably clear: “I meant what I said.” Then I reset and ask softly again. Over time, this teaches her to tune in to the whisper. This isn’t about escalating pressure. It’s about creating a conversation where softness is always the preferred option, and clarity keeps us both honest.