✨ Hey Get Gooders, something I think that doesn’t get talked about or taught enough is the importance of sheath and udder hygiene as part of whole-horse care. This isn’t just about cleanliness. 👉 When geldings develop beans or heavy buildup, it can: • cause discomfort or pain • change posture and movement • contribute to tension patterns • and in some cases even show up as lameness or behavioural changes ⚠️ Mares are no exception - udder sensitivity and hygiene matter just as much. Especially if they are breeding. We also shouldn’t forget the back end - for both boys and girls. This includes being comfortable with a gentle sponge wipe, taking a temperature when needed, and for mares, having their privates cleaned when required. What I want to gently but clearly say is this: 👉 It IS possible for all horses to be comfortable being touched everywhere. The only reason it often isn’t, is because they haven’t been shown how to feel safe, confident, and understood in those moments. Basically the way I see it is that all body parts should be tamed. Not just the parts we need to lead and ride. I’ll be releasing a way of teaching this soon in my Heart in Your Hand - Body Awareness Scan . It will be available: • as a level unlock, • as a one-time purchase, • and as part of a full course of relatable subjects inside the Get Good With Horses Skool when it is launched. The attached video is for fun filmed yesterday! Lenny the Kid has no issues with this kind of handling because I started early, back when he was a yearling. Weanlings and young horses generally accept these things quite easily, but given time and different experiences, they can become more protective and tense - especially geldings who may carry tension or trauma from castration. How comfortable is your horse with being touched everywhere on their body - and where do you notice the most sensitivity? Or another way of saying it is: If your horse could choose one area of their body to feel more comfortable being touched, where would it be?

✨ 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 🐴✨🫶

👉 Something as simple as how you walk with your horse matters more than most people realize. Hand-walking often shows up during hot weather, recovery periods, or when riding isn’t the best option. It looks harmless. Ordinary. Almost forgettable. And yet - this is where I see some of the biggest disconnects. The human walks ahead, distracted or disengaged OR worse still scrolling their phone. The horse is left to fill in the gaps resulting in things like: A spook. A sudden pull toward the neighbor's feed bucket. And then, the horse gets in trouble, often followed with punishment. But what’s really happening is confusion. Leading is still a conversation. Still a promise. Still horsemanship. When our attention leaves, leadership/guidance how ever you want to call it dissolves - and horses don’t follow emptiness. They respond to clarity, presence, and consistency. This is the difference between careless handling and good horsemanship. Every skill, no matter how basic it looks - deserves care and attention. Otherwise, the horse learns that our signals don’t matter. I know this for sure: When we keep our promises, horses keep theirs. Often even better than we do. Where might something simple deserve a little more presence with you and your horse the coming days? Zoë🐴✨🫶

✨Yesterday I observed someone struggle for nearly 15 minutes to put a bridle on. By the time it was done, both human and horse were stressed and the human ended up injured. This wasn’t about the bridle. It was about skipped foundation and education. When understanding is rushed and gaps appear. Those gaps don’t disappear. They show up later as resistance, frustration, and situations that never needed to escalate. I work with these patterns every single day. And I’ve learned this: convincing people doesn’t create change - curiosity does. If you’re here because you want to slow down, learn, and problem-solve honestly for the horse - you’re in the right place. Question for you: Where have you noticed “small gaps” turn into big problems later on? Zoë🐴✨🫶