Anne Currie Horsemanship : Quieting the Noise

Ensuring that your horse is comfortable in their bridle is as crucial as ensuring that their saddle fits well. Jen The Springfield Saddler provides a thorough, knowledgeable and individual service, from making a few tweaks to creating beautiful bespoke bridle work.

We are thrilled to introduce our newest APBBF-approved member, Jennifer Roy, the expert behind The Springfield Saddler.

Jen brings an incredible level of craftsmanship and technical expertise to the association. As an award-winning saddler and bridle maker with 25 years of experience in the trade, she is a true veteran of the industry who understands that a correctly fitted bit and bridle is a non-negotiable pillar of equine welfare.

Jen’s qualifications speak for themselves. She is a Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) Master Saddler and Master Bridle Maker, an SMS Registered Qualified Bridle Fitter, and a LANTRA Accredited Consultant. This combination of making and fitting allows her to provide a truly bespoke service, ensuring every piece of tack is anatomically correct for the horse.

Beyond the workshop, Jen is a lifelong rider with a deep interest in equine behaviour and training. She is particularly passionate about our SLO (Social License to Operate) within the horse industry—advocating for the highest standards of comfort to ensure the longevity and ethics of our sport.

📍 COVERAGE AREA
Based in Fife, Jen provides comprehensive coverage across a wide area of Scotland, including👉 Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, & West Lothian.

Jen’s "horse-first" philosophy makes her a fantastic asset to owners in her area. We are so proud to have her expertise as part of our vetted professional community!

Find Jennifer and all our vetted members in our directory:
👉 https://apbbf.com/member/jennifer-roy

This was a really useful, well run day. Life as a freelance coach can be quite isolated so as well as being very informative it was a great opportunity to meet and share information and experiences.
Thank you BHS Scotland.

Yesterday saw the last workshop in my ‘Making Contact’ series at Lindores Equestrian.

The series began with an exploration of the horse, how they live their lives and perceive the world. We discussed the level of debt owed by humanity to the horse’s capacity to cooperate and marvelled at the incredible partnerships which can be created.

Part 2 looked deeper into our interactions with horses, the history which lies behind the common perception of the horse as an adversary to be conquered and the labels this leads to: ‘naughty’, ‘stubborn’, ‘lazy’, ‘sharp’ and so on. We asked ourselves if gaining a better understanding of the horse’s perspective, needs and unspoken language could help change the labels and lead to a more humane approach. We discussed learning to see, read and tune in to the horse’s world.

The 3rd and final workshop invited participants to turn the lens towards themselves and investigate who they present to the horse. We reflected on the benefits of slowing down, breathing, clearing the mind, centering, grounding, and being present. We came back full circle to marvelling at the potential for collaboration with a species so totally different yet so ready to become a willing partner if we can learn to make contact with humility, respect and a clear mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed sharing knowledge, exchanging insights and encouraging thoughtfulness with a brilliant group of curious horse folk. Thanks to all who came along!

I’ll be running the series again in the autumn - watch this page for details.

This week I've watched 2 webinars which discussed the concept of the horse as a vulnerable athlete, in which the speaker advocated for the recognition of equine safeguarding as a requirement for coach CPD. Suddenly there's a glaring omission in this image from Pony Club Australia, an organisation which is otherwise leading the pack when it comes to walking the talk of equine welfare.

Thank you Riverstown Farm Stables for taking the time to compose a very thoughtful summary. 🤞change is happening.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 2025

Link to conference: https://www.youtube.com/live/TUsqwmjCgvc?si=BFPQrQuhWIze6Zp9

This one of my long posts so please grab a cuppa☕️ mine was two mince pies and a cup of Irish tea 😌

The World Horse Welfare Conference took place in London in November ( last Friday 21st), and the theme was 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀. That title shaped every talk and every discussion. Instead of focusing on equipment, competitions or yard routines, the speakers asked everyone to look at life from the horse’s point of view. It set a tone that was quieter, deeper and far more honest than most people expected.

The conference brought together a wide mix of people: vets, behaviour researchers, riders at all levels, welfare workers, scientists, MPs, and a few voices from outside the normal equestrian world. They each offered a different perspective, but every talk circled around one main idea, 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿𝘀.

Several speakers from behaviour science explained how much information horses give us long before they ever show big behaviour. A dull look in the eye, tension under the skin, a tight mouth, a tail held too still, a moment of hesitation, these small signs are a horse asking for help. If they are missed or ignored, the horse eventually has no option but to use bigger behaviour to protect itself. And that is when people start calling the horse difficult. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀.

There was also a strong focus on how horses live day to day. Many yards take great pride in neat stables and tidy fencing, but the speakers gently pointed out that this is comfort for humans, not necessarily comfort for horses. Horses cope better when they have space to move, contact with other horses, steady access to forage, and a routine that doesn’t leave them stressed or bored. 𝗔 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁. That point seemed to land heavily with the audience.

One of the most interesting parts of the conference came from specialists outside the horse world. A welfare expert from a zoo spoke about how changing an animal’s environment can completely change its behaviour and stress levels. He used that example to show how 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀. It was a simple message, but it lit a bulb for many people listening.

Another major topic was public trust. Research was presented showing that fewer people outside the equestrian world feel comfortable with horse sport. Questions are being asked about riding, training, competition pressure and how horses are kept behind the scenes. Whether we agree with those questions or not, they are being asked loudly. The speakers explained that 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆, 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Many talks also touched on training. Not techniques or methods, but the overall approach. Horses learn best when they feel safe, calm and understood. Rushing them, forcing them or ignoring pain never produces a confident horse. Several experts spoke about 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆. Good training, they said, should make a horse more relaxed as time goes on, not more tense.

Now, here is my own view after taking all of that in.

I think this conference highlighted exactly where the wider horse world stands right now. There are people who are ready to move forward and make changes that genuinely help horses. There are others who are still clinging to routines because they are familiar, not because they work. And then there’s a growing group in the middle, people who want to improve but don’t always know where to start.

The truth is that many welfare problems come from habits that have gone unquestioned for years. Horses being stabled too long. Horses being asked to push through pain. Horses having no social contact. Horses being expected to act like machines. None of these things align with what we know about equine welfare in 2025.

The conference showed that updating our thinking is not about blaming anyone or tearing down tradition. It is simply about looking at the horse honestly. 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭.

The strongest message of the day was this: 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭. That means a life with enough freedom to move, enough company to feel secure, and enough understanding from humans to prevent fear and confusion.

If the horse world takes the lessons from this conference seriously, then it could mark a real turning point. Welfare stops being a buzzword and becomes something practical, daily and genuine. It becomes a way of thinking, not a rulebook. And it becomes the standard for every horse, from the family pony to the top level sport horse.

In the end, the conference reminded everyone that welfare is not a trend or a debate. It is the day to day experience of the horse standing in front of us, not the horse we imagine, not the horse we wish we had, but the real one, breathing, watching, and trusting us to get it right.

𝐀 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫.

This excellent post beautifully reflects the focus of my forthcoming workshop series. It's so important that we learn to see the horse for who they really are, not who we think they are, or would like them to be. Come along to Lindores Equestrian on Sunday afternoon and experience the world through the horse's lens.
Details are on my website: www.ac-horsemanship.co.uk

Empathy: An Important Word That Can Turn Human Discomfort Into Horse Problems

Empathy is the capacity to recognise, understand, and respond to the emotional states of others. It has multiple dimensions that include cognitive empathy, which is the ability to interpret another’s feelings or intentions, and affective empathy, which is the emotional resonance you experience in response. There is also empathic concern which is the motivation to act. So empathy is not just feeling sorry for a horse.

It is a blend of perception, interpretation, emotional regulation, and behaviour.

Which brings us to the real issue in the horse world...

➡️When Empathy Backfires for Horses

Humans can empathise with horses, but only up to the limit of their own imagination, their own emotional comfort, and their own understanding of how horses actually perceive the world. Horses do not think like us. They do not interpret pressure, learning, novelty, or social cues like us. Which means our empathy is a translation exercise and sometimes our translations are as inaccurate as a Google maps 10 years ago...

A distressed horse can stir up a wave of discomfort in a person that is harder to settle than the horse itself. So the human often shifts to soothing themselves and not the horse. This is where empathy loses the plot.

The horse might show stress while learning something new because it is confused or needs the task to be simplified or presented with more clarity and skill. The solution is usually better training, not a spiritual intermission.

But if the person feels uncomfortable watching the horse be confused, they may stop altogether. They may avoid the situation next time. They may proclaim that the horse does not like groundwork, or finds training sticks traumatic, or cannot be caught, or fears the mounting block, or hates being ridden. They make these declarations from the throne of empathy, as if being empathetic means never checking whether the horse can learn something new with good guidance.

They justify their avoidance by claiming they are being sensitive to the horse’s needs. Meanwhile the horse remains stuck with a problem it could have easily learned to navigate if only the person had sought knowledge, stayed consistent, or asked for help.

➡️What Real Empathy Requires

Practising empathy with horses is not about emotional purity. It is not about announcing your feelings and calling it care. It requires knowledge of equine behaviour and learning. It requires skill and the ability to regulate your own emotional discomfort so you do not project it onto the horse. It requires accepting that your feelings are not diagnostic tools.

Empathy becomes useful when combined with observation, strategy, and willingness to improve. Without these, empathy can collapse into avoidance and self soothing, while the horse quietly struggles with something it could have mastered.

If we want empathy to lift horses rather than trap them, then we can never stop learning. We need to pair empathy with competence, because the horse does not benefit from our discomfort. The horse benefits from our clarity.

➡️And what is clarity?

Clarity is the ability to present information to a horse in a way that is consistent, comprehensible, and free of mixed cues. It means your signals are clean, your timing makes sense, and your intentions are easy for the horse to interpret. Clarity is the opposite of emotional projection. It is the opposite of hesitation or avoidance. It is the steady, understandable guidance that allows a horse to feel secure enough to learn.

This is Collectable Advice entry 78/365 of my challenge focusing on words used in the horse world. Hit SAVE or Hit SHARE and spread the word - literally ❤😆

IMAGE📸: My good friend Isabelle and OTTB Dash. This is a heads up to all the OTTB and STB fans to Join our Racehorse Reboot 8 Week Challenge Event from the 3 January - 28 February 2026. Everyone already enrolled is welcome. If you haven't enrolled, do so now and follow our advice to support and prepare your Off-the-Tracker to be ready commencing re-training in January💪❤ More info below.

Visit https://www.ac-horsemanship.co.uk/making-contact-series.html to find out about upcoming events.