Pretty Ponies

This looks like fun!

Fairlawn Foundation Series — Winter 2025/26
Seven progressive, educational sessions designed to support riders and horses all winter long.
Groundwork • Biomechanics • Jumping • Equitation • Dressage • Rider Mobility

📅 Session Schedule

Dec 20, 2025 — Own Your Energy & Nonverbal Communication
With Samantha Reid, Brooklyn Rae Grieg, and Annika McGivern.
Reading yourself, the environment, and your horse — improving clarity and communication.

Jan 3, 2026 — *POSTONED* Groundwork & Horse Biomechanics
Stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and groundwork exercises to set the tone before you ride. With Samantha Reid and Zoe Chapman

Jan 10, 2026 — Under Saddle: Jumping for Rideability & Winter Fitness
With Katie Hourigan. Gymnastic exercises and rideability foundations.

Jan 24, 2026 — Under Saddle: Rider Exercises for Better Equitation
With Katie Hourigan. Position, balance, effectiveness, and winter skill-building.

Feb 14, 2026 — Groundwork & In-Hand Work for Horse Development
With Ehren Volk. Developing gaits, posture, and communication from the ground.

Feb 21, 2026 — KinStretch for Equestrians + Greenhawk Social Hour
With Raf of Lift Collective, in collaboration with Courtenay Fraser (Highbury Dressage).
Held at Greenhawk Vancouver Island.

Mar 7, 2026 — Under Saddle Dressage Development
With Ehren Volk. Dressage exercises focused on basics, transitions, and improving quality.

📍 Locations
Fairlawn Equestrian Center – Brentwood Bay, BC
(Feb 21 session hosted at Greenhawk Vancouver Island)

💲 Cost
• Free for youth (under 18)
• $40 per adult per session
• OR 6 sessions for $200
• KinStretch pricing TBD
• Private training sessions available — message for rates

🐴 Trainers
Samantha Reid • Katie Hourigan • Ehren Volk • Brooklyn Rae Grieg • Annika McGivern • Raf Matuszewski w Lift Collective • Courtenay Fraser

✨ Build confidence, connection, and winter readiness for both horse and rider.

📩 Message to register or learn more!

These two beauties are headed to the Working Equitation Canada
Online auction supporting our Canadian riders.

Being patted is not in a horse's ethogram. This means that they are never patted (let alone repeatedly slapped) in their natural environment.

Wither area scratching and rubbing mimics mutual grooming, and is inherently rewarding for a horse, so choose a reward that is instantly lovely for your horse.

If you watch their demeanour as you do it, you'll see them relax into it.

So good to see that the Australian Pony Club is embracing lesrning theory into their teaching.

Now everyone else needs to catch up!

One interesting point raised from a commenter is that she desensitises her horses to patting, in case a well-meaning person approached and pats them. Good point!

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🌟 10 Things I Won’t Teach or Tolerate — Rule #2 🌟
Spin Class Is Cancelled

One thing you’ll never see me teach is turning your horse in a circle to stop it.

Think about it: for centuries, horses carried us into battle, across continents, through hunts and competitions — and not once did anyone need to spin them in circles to stop. The whole idea of “disengaging the hind leg” by yanking a horse around is a modern invention, and honestly? It’s one of the worst habits I see riders pick up.

Here’s why:
👉 You can’t do it on a hillside, in a hunt field, or in a competition arena.
👉 It’s unsafe — horses often start linking spinning with fear, and some will even begin spinning on their own.
👉 You’re actually more likely to fall off in a circle than you are in a straight line.

Yes, I teach an emergency stop. But it does not involve spinning your horse around. If your horse can’t stop in a straight line, it’s not properly broken in. Period.

Keep the line. Keep the training clear. And please — stop the spin. 💯

🌟 10 Things I Won’t Teach or Tolerate — Rule #1 🌟
Stroke It, Don’t Poke It

One of the biggest myths in horse training is that banging a horse on the neck is a reward. You’ve all seen it: bang, bang, bang after a test or round, as if the horse is supposed to know that means “good job.”

But let’s stop and think about it. A naïve, unhandled horse — one that hasn’t been taught to “put up with” human habits — doesn’t find a thump on the neck comforting. In fact, most find it aversive. Over time they may learn to tolerate it… but tolerance is not the same as reward.

What do horses actually seek? Comfort. Connection. Out in the paddock, horses don’t go around whacking each other — they rub and scratch. This is called allo-grooming, and it’s their natural way of saying “I like you” or “well done.” That’s the kind of reinforcement they truly value.

🔬 And science backs this up. Researchers reviewing footage of horses being patted hard on the neck after dressage tests found the horses often accelerated away from the pats — a clear sign they weren’t enjoying it. At best, a hard pat might act as a “safety signal,” but it’s certainly not soothing or rewarding.

So what should we do instead?
✅ Start young horses with calm rubbing and stroking until they relax into it.
✅ Scratch at the wither area until they show signs they’d like to groom you back — that’s when real bonding happens.
✅ Pair that with a soft “good boy” or “good girl” so the horse begins to associate your voice with comfort and dopamine release.

There’s little to no evidence that a whack on the neck is ever rewarding for a horse. Stroking, rubbing, scratching — those are the reinforcers that work with the horse’s brain and body.

✨ True horsemen know this. And if we want to train ethically, we should too.

First of the Pessoa “Elmo” collection 🙂

First custom shifter cover for the boys 18th bday. 100% reclaimed leather.

All you thought you knew about TURN is about to change.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing content on what I believe is the missing link in so many horses’ lives: steering.

Most riders are taught how to stop. Most are taught how to go. But when it comes to turning? That’s where it all falls apart.

👉 I’m going to show you:

The biomechanics of a real TURN

The true role of each rein and leg

Why common fixes like “inside leg to outside rein” don’t work the way we think

If you’ve ever struggled with napping, spinning, falling in on circles, or your horse simply not going where you point them — you won’t want to miss what’s coming.

Stay tuned. 🚀

Sunday Musings: Three Strikes and you are Out!!

Whips, Welfare, and Why Science Matters

You may have seen the new rule from Showjumping New Zealand on whip use. Kudos for attempting to encourage better horse welfare. But with a stronger grasp of the science of how horses learn—what we call learning theory—this rule could have been far more effective, and far more workable.

Here’s the reality: horses aren’t born with a dictionary that says reins = turn, legs = go, whip = forward. They have to be taught what each of those signals mean. Without that training, the whip isn’t a clear aid—it’s just confusing. That’s why some horses kick out at it, go backwards, or even push into it. They’re not being “naughty.” They’re simply guessing, because no one ever gave them the translation.

And that’s why the new rule—“no more than three strikes”—misses the point. Numbers don’t matter nearly as much as function. One harsh, badly timed strike can do far more damage than three light taps. And the rule only governs whip use in the warm-up and competition arena. What about in the car park, or back at the stables, when no one is watching? Welfare doesn’t stop at the in-gate.

What we really need isn’t a tally of hits, but an overarching policy on punishment that applies across all equestrian disciplines. Rules that protect horses should be consistent, no matter the arena. Something like this:

👉 “The whip is permitted only as a reinforcing aid and never as punishment. It must not be used after a refusal, for any perceived behavioural issue of the horse, or in situations where the horse is unable to comply — whether that’s because it is physically blocked, mentally overwhelmed or shut down, or otherwise incapable of responding. It must not be used on a horse’s head or neck. Any whip use that causes distress, fear, or injury is considered excessive.”

This definition puts the focus where it belongs: on function, timing, and the horse’s welfare. It acknowledges that a horse in pain, fear, or overload cannot “learn a lesson” from being hit. It recognises that unless the whip has been deliberately trained as a reinforcing signal, it risks becoming punishment or confusion. And crucially, it creates a rule that judges can apply by observation of how the whip is used, not by trying to count invisible strikes on the far side of a horse.

Having someone on rules committees who understands the science of learning theory and the science of welfare could help us finally create a set of rules that are both workable and welfare-focused—rules that protect horses, uphold public trust, safeguard our social licence to operate, and still remain practical and effective for riders.

For me, that’s the way forward. Rules based on science aren’t just better for horses—they’re better for the sport we love.