An Equine Conversation

S6 E8: The Path to Connection Training - with Hannah Weston

This is an episode that’s been a long-time coming on An Equine Conversation. Hannah Weston was one of the very first people who, unknowingly, introduced me to the world of online learning about positive reinforcement training with horses back in 2013 through her business Connection Training. It was an absolute pleasure to finally get to meet Hannah and chat with her about her own horsie origin story and the path to developing Connection Training and more recently, moving her horsie life from England to France. As with every horsie origin story we hear on An Equine Conversation, this one too is full of relatable moments and the twists and turns that life takes to get us to where we are.    LISTENED TO 2 OR MORE EPISODES OF SEASON 6? We would LOVE your feedback. Share your thoughts on S6 of An Equine Conversation here: https://forms.office.com/r/xPrbQcjHPS    Hannah Weston: Hannah has been teaching reward-based horse training for nearly 20 years, helping horses and their humans build trust-based relationships through positive reinforcement. She has worked with a wide range of equines - including wild, rescued, aggressive, shut-down, and highly sensitive horses - using science-backed, kind methods to create calm, co-operative partnerships. Hannah specialises in gentle, consent-based training that brings clarity, confidence, and joy to everyday handling, groundwork, and riding. She’s co-author of the bestselling book, Connection Training, and runs the CT Club, an online platform for learning her training methods. Photo thanks to Pandora Maund   In this episode we discuss: (1:32) - introducing today’s episode & guest (3:13) - discovering Hannah & the online world of R+ (5:42) - where in the world & what horse-keeping is like there (8:58) - Hannah’s horsie origin story, it began early (10:57) - the first pony, Toblerone (Toby), a life-changing family addition (14:10) - Toby’s background shows up: the problems (15:54) - discovering ‘natural horsemanship’ (NH) (17:09) - moving around & finding a lifetime friend (19:07) - through the NH journey & looking beyond thanks to Hannah’s Mum (22:27) - how positive reinforcement (R+) entered thanks to Toby who made it clear that he enjoyed it (26:12) - additions to the herd: the 3 rescues & the challenges they brought (33:23) - Murphy & how useful protected contact is (35:31) - the inspiration behind creating the Reverse Round Pen (RRP) technique & Murphy’s transformation (37:38) - the rehoming that never was (39:54) - a Winter of getting Toby comfortable with being ridden: training, Tai Chi and rider work & classical dressage & equine TTouch (44:45) - hands on in the equine industry: the feed business, the Equine TTouch business, learning with a trimmer & progressing to training (48:02) - the beginning of Connection Training: the post-it note wall (50:29) - the dedication with the body of work that is video content (53:24) - inspiration, patience, conviction & physical development (60:25) - the difference in the speed of training between horses & how people tend to show the good stuff (1:05:47) - the importance of consistency (1:07:02) - who’s in Hannah’s herd today: the addition of the donkey’s (1:15:54) - relocating from Yorkshire (UK) to the south of France (1:21:32) - the challenge of developing arenas on hills (1:26:08) - top tips (1:28:58) - what does Connection Training look like now & where can you find out more (1:36:52) - episode & season wrap-up Links from Hannah: You can find her at www.connectiontraining.com [http://www.connectiontraining.com/]. The CT Book: https://www.amazon.com/Connection-Training-Heart-Science-Positive/dp/1916210104/ [https://www.amazon.com/Connection-Training-Heart-Science-Positive/dp/1916210104/] Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ConnectionTraining [https://www.youtube.com/@ConnectionTraining]   Our links mentioned this episode:   Sign-up to our email list [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian website [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035172595508] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@abbeysrunequestrian5889] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbey-s-run-equestrian/] LISTENED TO 2 OR MORE EPISODES OF SEASON 6? We would LOVE your feedback. Share your thoughts on S6 of An Equine Conversation here: https://forms.office.com/r/xPrbQcjHPS    Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. If you'd like him to help with your podcast, get in touch by email at business@mbpod.com [business@mbpod.com]

S6 E7: Sarah's Story - part 2

Back in S6 E4, I shared the start of my horsie origin story. In this episode, I share more of the memorable moments that helped shape who I am as a horse person and coach today. These memories include: poking poo with a stick, horse’s birthday celebrations, attempting breeding, finding a career path and more.   In this episode we discuss: (1:29) - introducing today’s episode (2:12) - poking poo with a stick (4:06) - the Horse’s Birthday celebrations & my rusty memory (8:35) - my one and only attempt at breeding (11:53) - enter Gorden & changing young ambitions (13:58) - the natural horsemanship explorations (16:23) - Kallista’s farewell - preparing myself for the future (18:18) - what to ‘do’ with my life (22:37) - finding a path (and what wasn’t the path) (25:42) - Abbey & Tully (28:54) - moving the horses (29:42) - episode wrap-up & what’s on next week   Our links mentioned this episode:   Sign-up to our email list [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian website [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035172595508] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@abbeysrunequestrian5889] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbey-s-run-equestrian/]   Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. If you'd like him to help with your podcast, get in touch by email at business@mbpod.com [business@mbpod.com]

S6 E6: Blondie's New Life - with Dr Michaela Hempen

I’m delighted to welcome Dr Michaela Hempen back to An Equine Conversation.  We first met Michaela back in Season 3, Episode 4, where we heard about her Masters research project in crib-biting with a palomino horse call Blondie.  This episode, we’re getting to hear more about the journey that was becoming Blondie’s owner which took Blondie from a life in a small space and not being allowed to have much of a voice, to a horse living out 24/7, whose voice is heard, and we explore some of what happened during that transition.    Dr Michaela Hempen: Dr Michaela Hempen has graduated in Veterinary Medicine with a PhD in Veterinary Public Health. She works at the European Food Safety Authority as a Scientific Officer in the area of biological hazards (bacteria, viruses, parasites) and animal welfare.  She also has a Masters's degree in Equine Science. Her thesis was supervised by Dr Jesus Rosales Ruiz from North Texas University, that we’ll be discussing today.  Michaela has been addicted to horses since early childhood. Her first horse Asfaloth is still with her and has since been joined by Graya and Blondie. Michaela’s training with horses has been most strongly influenced by:  * Horse trainer, author and podcaster Alexandra Kurland of The Clicker Centre, * Anja Beran, head of the internationally renowned ‘Gut Rosenhof’ training centre in Germany who uses classical dressage as physiotherapy for horses, and * the Feldenkrais method which has been integral to the improvement of Michaela’s riding and interaction with horses. Michaela has been involved in organising, hosting and presenting at various clinics and workshops for and with Alexandra Kurland & also involving Dr Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, and Mary Hunter. In 2021 Michaela co-presented with Alexandra at Clicker Expo Live, and the year after, both Michaela and Alexandra hosted an online workshop that combined dressage and clicker training with Anja Beran as a special guest. Also, in 2022, Michaela taught students of a German certification programme for horse-assisted interventions.  Michaela offers personalised online coaching for horse owners, which is based on learning from Alexandra Kurland & Anja Beran. You can find more information on Michaela’s Clicker Training Pferde website, Facebook page, YouTube and Instagram – links we will share with you in the show notes together with her science-related profiles for those interested.   In this episode we discuss: (1:29) - episode & guest introduction (4:59) - welcome & where in the world: climate & landscape (7:41) - the wildlife (9:51) - heat & the horses lifestyle (11:04) - hay & managing a herd with diverse needs (14:29) - individualised feeding (16:08) - automated systems gaining popularity in Germany (21:36) - Blondie’s cribbing: an update (24:59) - an update on the cribbing research write-up: bringing 2 different philosophies on behaviour together (31:18) - we need both philosophies as equine caregivers: a holistic approach (33:31) - we need to test assumptions (37.38) - on the challenges in the competition world (40:16) - training challenges & adventures with Blondie after her very different life before & no handling until owning her (43:54) - the 1st surprise (45:07) - the next challenge & how it was overcome (48:53) - dealing with the peer pressure/social situation (56:37) - the delay in moving Blondie (58:55) - ‘no’ to saddling & a training plan to get to a ‘yes’ (1:11:11) - top tips for you (1:17:22) - where can you find out more about learning with Michaela & Blondie’s journey (1:23:51) - episode wrap-up & what’s on next week Links from Michaela: Website: Clicker Training Pferde [https://clickertrainingpferde.com/] Facebook: Clicker Training Pferde [https://www.facebook.com/Clickertrainingpferde] Instagram: Clicker Training Pferde [https://www.instagram.com/clickertrainingpferde/] YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2BF6ym0zFLKiFPhaBZc_KQ] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-hempen-29793b63/] ResearchGate [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michaela-Hempen] Dr Jesus Rosales Ruiz & Mary Hunter: Behavior Explorer [https://behaviorexplorer.com/] ‘Tactics of Scientific Research Evaluating Experimental Data in Psychology’ - Murray Sidman [https://behavior.org/product/tactics-of-scientific-research-evaluating-experimental-data-in-psychology/]   Our links mentioned this episode:   Sign-up to our email list [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian website [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035172595508] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@abbeysrunequestrian5889] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbey-s-run-equestrian/]   Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. If you'd like him to help with your podcast, get in touch by email at business@mbpod.com [business@mbpod.com]

S6 E5: How a Table-top Game can make you a better Owner/Trainer - with Mary Hunter

To the uninitiated, suggesting that a table-top game can make us be better horse trainers may sound a bit bonkers. But to those of us in the know, and those of us who have played this and similar games, we have experienced just what a positive difference they can make to our training in what is a low-risk environment – there’s no chance of us stuffing up our horses. I’m so pleased to have Mary Hunter from Behavior Explorer join me today to explain a little about how this works and why playing a game, away from our horses can do so much for us. Plus, we get to hear Mary’s horsie origin story too, where, much like Lucy in S6 E3, Mary had a particular, special horse who really changed the trajectory of her life.   Mary Hunter: Mary Hunter earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in behavior analysis from the University of North Texas. Mary’s business, Behavior Explorer (BehaviorExplorer.com), offers educational courses and programs for individuals interested in the science of behavior. In addition, she teaches as an adjunct instructor in the behavior analysis department at the University of North Texas. In 2019, Mary and Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz published their first book, PORTL: The Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab. Mary’s research interests include studying the process of shaping and finding better ways to teach people to train animals. Her master’s thesis, which examined the effects of a single reinforcer during shaping, was published in 2019 in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She is a full member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and has presented her research at the organization’s annual convention. In her free time, Mary has lots of fun training her young filly, Chewie. She also blogs about her horse training adventures on her personal blog, StaleCheerios.com.   In this episode we discuss: (1:30) - introducing to today’s episode & guest (4:07) - where in the world (8:57) - horses: where it all began (10:41) - enter Casey Jane (CJ) (14:02) - needing to figure out a different way & a transformation (16:24) - going back to Graduate School to learn more (16:50) - how a single, challenging horse can change the trajectory of life (18:35) - the direction of study leading to the field of Behaviour Analysis (22:43) - getting to learn hands-on with rescue horses (24:29) - consulting and enter Apollo (26:39) - taking up Horse Agility (31:24) - analysing our own behaviour & why we make certain decisions & our own motivations (37:55) - farewell Apollo & welcome Chewie (43:37) - teaching humans in various places (47:07) - PORTL: how a table-top game makes us better horse trainers (51:14) - the difficulty of practicing these skills with our animals (53:41) - practicing non-verbally, getting creative with the environment & breaking things down into bite-size pieces (1:01:12) - practicing being able to adjust what we’re doing based on what our horse is doing (1:07:06) - the role of previous learning (1:14:14) - helping develop empathy for ourselves & our learners (1:18:05) - reducing frustration for safety (1:21:38) - honing our timing (1:24:27) - opportunities to play with us & where to get PORTL (1:26:54) - tips for you (1:34:10) - where to find out and learn more (1:36:07) - episode wrap-up & what’s on next week Links from Mary: Behavior Explorer: BehaviorExplorer.com [http://behaviorexplorer.com/] Personal blog: StaleCheerios.com [https://stalecheerios.com/]   Our links mentioned this episode:   Sign-up to our email list [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian website [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035172595508] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@abbeysrunequestrian5889] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbey-s-run-equestrian/]   Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. If you'd like him to help with your podcast, get in touch by email at business@mbpod.com [business@mbpod.com]

S6 E4: Sarah's Story - part 1

Throughout An Equine Conversation, we capture many of our guests horsie origin stories… but of course, being the interviewer, I’m the one asking the questions. In this episode, I’m going to share with you the early years of my own horsie origin story & some of the strong memories I have along the way. If you like a story, this episode is for you.   In this episode we discuss: (1:28) - introducing today’s episode (2:01) - where it all began & hypothesis on why it all began (6:16) - when & where the learning started (7:08) - riding school #1 - Sherbrook (9:36) - riding school #2 - the adventures at MBRS (22:17) - enter Abbey, who our business & property is named for (26:32) - the start of my coaching & instructing career (29:42) - horse-themed books (30:58) - the special experiences at MBRS (35:19) - colleagues, students & teaching (37:44) - episode wrap-up & what’s on next week   Our links mentioned this episode:   Sign-up to our email list [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian website [https://www.abbeysrunequestrian.com.au/] Abbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035172595508] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@abbeysrunequestrian5889] Abbey’s Run Equestrian on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbey-s-run-equestrian/]   Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. If you'd like him to help with your podcast, get in touch by email at business@mbpod.com [business@mbpod.com]