✨ When I’m out teaching in the field, I’d honestly say up to 75% of what I help with comes back to what I call - General Skills.
Not tricks.
Not disciplines.
Not advanced movements.
But the everyday, often and overlooked skills a horse needs to function safely and calmly in a man-made world.
Things like:
• being led with clarity and connection
• standing still when asked
• yielding to pressure without tension
• responding to boundaries without fear or force
• understanding where the human is - physically and mentally
These are the skills that keep horses safe.
They’re also the skills that make horses understandable.
When these foundations are missing, horses are trying to cope/function/survive without a full tool-kit.
Confusion shows up as pulling, spooking, rushing, freezing, or switching off.
And unfortunately, more often than not, the horse gets blamed. 🙈
General skills are not basic - they’re essential.
✨ They create clarity.
✨ They reduce stress.
✨ They allow everything else including riding, performance, confidence to actually work.
If your horse struggles in “simple” situations, it’s often not a bigger problem…it’s a missing piece.
And the good news?
Those pieces can be learned fairly, and step by step.
Besides what we’ve spoke about self-regulation and positive energy - what everyday situation feels harder than it should right now?
Wishing you a great rest of the day,
Zoë 🐴✨🫶