Not mindset. Not breathing. Not regulation. 👉 Actual skill. From the Groundwork to Liberty Checklist…or something you weren’t even attempting a few months ago. What are you starting to get good at? Is it: • Backing up with feel instead of force? • A consistent space clearance? • Leading without crowding? • Sending out and around with clarity? • Liberty circles with intention instead of luck? • Standing quietly to mount? Horses can learn so much. If your dreams for them aren’t big enough, they’ll live inside those limits. Everyone starts from scratch somewhere. Everyone. The only difference between “advanced” and “beginner” is time, repetition, and someone deciding to raise the bar. So maybe now is a good time to check in: Are there any limiting beliefs creeping in? “I’m not ready for that.” “My horse isn’t that type.” “That’s for other people.” Or are you building foundations toward some seriously cool results and partnership? Tell me one skill you’re starting to get good at - or one you’ve decided to stop avoiding. Let’s expand the horizon a little. love Zoë🐴✨🫶

Hi all, so in response to a question about leg lifting for hoof picking and trimming prep by @Cheg Darlington - I share with you a video from my Young Horse Training Series. I hope you like it. 🫶 👉 For the first 20 or so videos in this 45-part series, I used voice-over. In the remaining videos, I speak live while working with him. The full series will be available in the new GGWH Skool Classroom in the Young Horses Module and each video is between 15-45 minutes long. In this video rope training begins at 7 mins 35 seconds. Marques has not been part of my life since February 2025. From what I can see, he is now a calm, confident partner for his human. Any areas in his foundation that still needed attention were something his owner would need to continue developing. As that shared understanding wasn’t always met, I chose to part ways. 🥰 One final note: I won't be on here much more today, its Friday and I am going to take a well earned break. I will check back in tomorrow so don't forget to share your weekly wins tomorrow of which I will create a fresh post to initiate that. Sending horsey loving and wishing you a brilliant weekend. Zoë 🐴✨🫶

I have a question 😊, I watched the first bonus video of teaching them to stand still today and I have been reflecting a bit. I instinctively did this when Breeze went through a phase of scratching herself on the stable door as she was so rough 🤭 and it did stop that behaviour. However I think there may be more work to do here now I am thinking on it - in the evening she comes in from the field and is tied or stood at liberty on the yard and she is fine for a bit but then she starts to get impatient, pulls grumpy faces and paws the ground. She will do this even if she has a haynet. She did this this evening - she rushes me but when I begin groundwork with her - tonight we did a bit of mirror work lowering the head - she is then engaged and focused and the impatient behaviour stops. Should I remove the haynet and make a game of it - being parked in a spot. I can stop the pawing but what about the grumpy faces? Thank you 😊

🐎 Hey all, recently, a student asked me about the time I participated in the very first Mustang Makeover in Europe (2017) - and it brought back a lot of memories. At the time, I was honestly quite apprehensive to participate. But after much thought and research and learning the 'why' for the need for such a competition, I was sold. It shaped my horsemanship in ways I still talk about today. I’ve given talks and presentations on the experience over the years and still have all the materials. 👉 You know what, if there’s enough interest, I’d be more than happy to do the presentation over a webinar here in the community once I’ve finished building the new Skool classroom. In the meantime, if you’re looking for something meaningful to watch, I can recommend: For the Love of the Mustang on Netflix. 💛 From wild → to mild → to tame → to a groundwork → liberty → and riding partner in 90 days. My promise to her from the start and is what earned me respect on social media compared to the other trainers, was that the work/training and play was done on her timeline. And not that it matters and too be honest I left the show ground not even knowing until later, but we placed 6th out of 26. I honestly did not care about what a judge thought, I cared about what she thought. I’m not the main star of course, but you’ll spot bits of me, especially during the lottery, where I was fortunate enough to meet and train the beautiful River. Big 'ole smile across my much younger self's face...lol! If you watch it, I’d love to know what stood out for you and whether you’d enjoy a deeper dive into that experience here? Love Zoë🐴✨🫶 https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81409043?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en&trg=cp

Hey friends, Did you know that Liberty is often misunderstood!? Liberty isn’t about avoiding the rope. And it’s not about working, playing and training free while skipping the foundations that real life actually requires. At Get Good With Horses, we want both. The rope is not a failure. Going back to it is not a step backwards. The rope is a tool for guidance rather than leaving them lost. Here’s how I see it: - Rope work = teaching AND testing - It gives the horse information, guidance, and support. It helps them understand the question. - Liberty = testing first - It shows us what the horse has truly understood without physical connection. When you get good - really good - you can begin to teach at liberty, without accidentally teaching the wrong things. But that only works once the foundations are solid. Skipping the rope and working only in freedom often isn’t helpful for horses in real life. Real life includes: - handling - care - environmental safety - care professional help - other peoples help Basically, Liberty without foundational preparation can create confusion, not confidence. It is better for them to accept and soften into a halter and lead-rope rather than fight it. If we work on line to the point of not needing to use the rope, we arre already working at Liberty. This is what my 100 exercises - Groundwork to Liberty Communications teaches you. 👉 And here’s something important to remember: A horse usually only needs 1–3 repetitions to learn something. Sometimes just one, if they make a clear decision about it. Humans? We often need around 21 😅 So if something isn’t working at liberty, it’s not a problem, it’s information. Go back to teaching. Clarify. Then test again. And…remember we learn slower than horses. Therefore we forgive. Exercises like Zero On Expectations is a bonding tool of which the horse is at Liberty, but you have no expectations, so you are not teaching anything other than showing your horse you care and that the predator in you is sleeping. You step into their world as a prey animal and connect through presense and heart connection.