Equine Insight

23/02/2026

Xenophon, an ancient philosopher and general, in his foundational volume ‘On Horsemanship’ (c 350 BC) pioneered a non-violent approach to horse training more then 2300 years before the term “natural horsemanship” became mainstream. These horses were not training to show or as riding horses - these were were cavalry mounts of the highest order - yet were schooled with kindness and thoughtfulness.

Xenophon believed that a horse trained without fear would “show off all of his finest and more brilliant performances willingly and at a mere sign” rather then acting out compulsion. He considered that what is done with fear is done without understanding - and thus applies to both the human and the horse.

In his writings, he emphasised that the training of the horse should always be done from a place of patience and understanding, using knowledge and patience in lieu of force to create a willing partner in the horse, as methods that use fear and violence only create more fear and resistance in a mount.

When we are looking for mentors in our horsemanship journey, we must take great care to find those more knowledgeable then us, who also pursue their craft in pursuit of this knowledge, and have truly studied these classical principles - they don’t just quote names and imitate. Never take lessons or place your horse
in training with someone who does not study these old masters and does not take lessons themselves.

Be wary of those that make statements about kindness and patience, but when working with the horse create a climate if fear and reactivity. These people lack the confidence and education to properly teach their students or train the horses, and are damaging to both.

Seek those who pursue the classical ways - those tested over Millenia through times when our lives depended in the horse, and seek to be one of these knowledge seekers yourself.

💻➡️ www.jeffsandershorsemanship.com
💻➡️ https://californiabridlehorse.teachable.com

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09/02/2026

Well done Joe and Picnic, that is quite an achievement!

06/02/2026

Really helpful and supportive post from LS Horsemanship for all of us with horses struggling to cope with the relentless rain this winter! 🌧️💨💦🤪

Winter Support Post 🐴

What has become apparent when visiting clients over the last few weeks is that a lot of us are really struggling. This winter has been, and continues to be, relentlessly wet.

When you have just got in from slopping through the mud to drag hay and water to your horses and sat down for your fourth cry of the week, the last thing you need is to read another social media post shaming you for not being able to come up with the perfect solution right now.

There will be no shaming here, I want to offer practical support.

This post will be sort of a two-parter, one addressing people struggling with managing mud, the other addressing people struggling with lack of turnout.

I want to be clear that I am of course not advocating for inappropriate care, but reality is we are all in the situations we are in right now and most of us can’t magic up a quick solution. I would rather offer practical advice than just sit here telling people what they already know isn’t great. We need to do what we can do to get through the next few months and then we can plan ahead for next winter so we are in a better situation.

Many of my clients have horses living out free range 24/7 with access to shelter, but these can also apply to any turnout fields. There are 2 main concerns here, horses not being able to get out of the mud and horses having enough to eat.

If you have a hardstanding area utilise it the best you can so that the horses can stand and eat hay out of the mud. If you don’t have any hardstanding I imagine you’re in a bit of trouble right now, so here are my suggestions:
🐴 Mud mats - I know they’re expensive and out of budget for a lot of people at the moment, please don’t swear at me, but there is honestly nothing as quick and as effective unless you’re going to put actual hardcore down. I sold my saddle this winter just so I could afford another pallet and it has been a lifesaver. Even if you can only afford a small number of mats you can create rafts to put next to your hay feeders to give your horses a place to stand out of the wet mud.
🐴 Old carpet/rugs - This is going to be a mess you will hate come spring time, but for an emergency “give the horses a space out of the mud” area they can work quite well and you can often pick them up free off marketplace.
🐴 Straw/hay bale - Rolling out a bale can give the horses a more solid path to walk on as it gives the mud some structure.
🐴 Resting parts of the field - I am on very small acreage, I still have a rested paddock that I only open when the ground is frozen, it gives my horses a safe place to be when the mud becomes horrible ruts. Even if the ground is already a mess, resting it will help it drain and recover more quickly. I find the bits of the field my horses haven’t used for a while much faster drying than the bits they’re using every day.
🐴 Bedding - I have seen people successfully use old bedding/wood pellets to again give the mud some structure, this will work best if you can then put something else on top

In regards to forage we need to be giving horses access to hay 24/7 if all of the grass has gone, you can save hay by using hay boxes and slow feeders which you can build cheaply with crates/pallets and some netting. Also consider hay replacers if you’re struggling with hay supply rather than leaving your horse standing with nothing.

If you are currently on a yard that is heavily restricting turnout here are some things to consider to help your horse cope:
🐴 Access to forage 24/7 - utilise slow feeders, put several “forage stations” around their stable to encourage more movement and also give the horse the feeling of more choice
🐴 Break the day up as much as you can - turnout in the arena and allow them to roll, take them to go and groom a friend, take them hand grazing or pottering about, do enrichment activities like treat scatters and scent work. Sticking horses on the walker, lunging or schooling them is not a replacement for turnout, we need to make an effort to do things that are enriching for the horse, not just moving their body.
🐴 Add enrichment toys to their stable - carrot hunts, snuffle mats, water buffets etc, every little helps
🐴 Make plans for next winter - if you know the turnout situation isn’t going to improve, its time to find a new yard before next winter

I think the winters are going to get wetter and more difficult, we need to adapt and create the infrastructure needed to meet our horses needs despite the weather. We need to learn from this winter and figure out how we can manage better next year, whatever that may look like.

Spring will come, we just have to muddle through one day at a time. 🐴

I would love to hear your advice/ideas/support for others in the comments.

I was tempted to choose a photo of my hardstanding and lovely, dry shelter to accompany this post, but I decided to post one of my muddy gateway instead to show you the reality of what we’re dealing with.

14/01/2026

Definitely a pony fan here!

Small ponies aren't taken seriously 🐴

There is a somewhat unpleasant attitude towards smaller ponies within the industry that is often dressed up as humour. Ponies referred to as “devils” or “sh*tlands”. People seem to find small ponies displaying extreme stress behaviours hilarious and somehow just a quirky personality trait instead of an animal in distress.

I think a lot of small ponies are treated horribly. I wonder if it is because they feel easier to dominate and intimidate so we don’t feel the same sense of fear or respect around their behaviours. A tiny shetland kicking or rearing at you just doesn’t feel particularly dangerous so we feel more comfortable trashing through their boundaries and forcing them to comply.

They are still equines who have the same needs as any larger horse and should be treated with the same respect.

Life is hard when you’re a small pony, think about how defensive you would feel as a prey animal when everyone handling you towers over you. They are often lead with their heads pulled upwards in uncomfortable postures or when we handle their legs we may pull them too high to make it more comfortable for us. They are often given to children and expected to put up with being kicked and yanked about, then labelled “sassy” or “stubborn” if they don’t put it up with it quietly enough. Many are used just as companions to larger horses and their own needs fall by the wayside, often being left on unsuitable forage and grazing which damages their health.

I have several clients with smaller ponies, from miniature Shetlands to Exmoors and riding ponies, and all of them feel they have, at some point, not been taken seriously when they have gone to the vet or other professionals with concerns. There is an underlying feeling of “why would you bother spending all of this money and time on “just" a small pony”. Although I guess this speaks to the wider industry problem of horses being seen as things to “use” rather than as sentient beings we care for unconditionally.

Earlier this year I met a lovely Shetland pony who had been purchased for my client’s young son. He was “fine” to ride but she really wanted her son to be able to handle and groom him. The previous owners had said he was always grumpy and an adult needed to handle and put his tack on because he would “take advantage” of children. The pony I met was very shut down and uncomfortable. He nipped and pulled faces half-heartedly still trying to communicate a discomfort he knew would be ignored. We addressed his management so he had appropriate forage 24/7, he had bodywork and was treated for stomach ulcers. We then worked on building positive associations with people using fun enrichment activities and clicker training. I also worked with the client on how to handle him with his posture in mind to make sure we weren’t pulling his head upwards all of the time and making him sore. Her son can now lead, groom and tack up his pony and is really enjoying him while learning to have respect and empathy for horses.

I have met some very frightened, traumatised small ponies who have been labelled “nasty little sh*ts” by professionals when they have tried to defend themselves after all of their warnings had been ignored. If we started treating them with respect and considered how they’re experiencing the world, they wouldn’t feel the need to be so defensive. They have all the same body parts that can be sore as larger horses do. 🐴

Have you got a small pony and felt you haven’t been taken seriously when looking for help? 🐴

10/01/2026

Sounds fun!

Joyful, non-riding activities your horse will look forward to.