RSH EquineConnection

04/10/2026

The Foundation Instructors Course in Ecole de Légèreté, three years in.

Since I came across the school in 2015 in Canada, I knew training within Légèreté was how I wanted to further my skills as a coach. The journey from knowing that was what I wanted, to having the stability and circumstances to make it possible, seemed miles away.

Access to the school hasn’t been easy. After those first four months of immersive training. Finding a local instructor wasn’t easy, and at the time I didn’t even own a horse or live in the same place for more than a year.

From that short but intensive learning, I incorporated what I had learnt into my teaching. The results confirmed what I had grown passionate about: something that could really help horses and riders resolve so many common problems.

It was lot of jobs, a few country moves and nine years later that the official step towards that goal was taken, and I was accepted onto the course.

The passion to make this dream a reality hasn’t wavered. This course has brought many challenges for me, as I am no showman. Riding in front of others isn’t something I find comfortable, let alone learning in front of an audience. Thankfully, the community that Légèreté comes with is a special one. Along the way I have made some really good friends, which really helps when you’re doing hard things!

Légèreté is currently growing and becoming more recognised, which makes my soul happy. I know how much it can help horses with the complex job we ask of them: to carry a rider whilst being as beautiful as they always were without us.

For many years I have compared riding and schooling using Légèreté to eating organic and free-range meat. Not everyone will agree with it, but if it’s going to be done, we can try our hardest to be fair and ethical in how we do it.

As continue to improve my timing and feel to become a better horsewoman, I am thankful for framework légèreté provides. That journey is one that never comes to an end and from what I have learnt so far, I know this is only the beginning.

28/09/2026

This combination is such a special one. It’s so much fun to work with a horse and rider who have spent such a long time together.

It was great to see the progress from the first time I saw these guys. As Ursula’s main ride and lead trekking horse at Island View Stables, he is a really special horse, and they have such a lovely connection using the training principles of Légèreté.❤️🦄

13/09/2026

Coaching these two has been so much fun over the past few months. We started on the ground, on the line, in walk, as she was quite out of shape. Next, we began teaching the flexions and started our in-hand work. Now, four months on, we are gradually increasing some faster work. I’m choosing to use the grass to make life easier for Margate, being such a big girl!

Watching the change in this horse has been so rewarding, as has helping to guide through the process of not only bringing a horse back into work, but also navigating it when you know there has been a pathology in her history. We also had some extra pounds to shift!

We are also very lucky to have keeping a close eye on her progress throughout this process, . ❤️🦄

08/09/2026

06/09/2026

It was great to get to work with Hannah again. She has such a lovely feel.

Chilli is a 6-year-old Trakehner mare who was started using liberty by another team member at Island View Stables.

She’d had a little time off work, so we started with some basic flexions. She found doing them from the front a big ask, so we changed it to the side, which really helped.

We then played a little in walk with changing the balance, and she was so cooperative. It really felt like she was actively participating and asking for more questions.

I was mindful that she had actually started the session in one place mentally and was now so with us. Rather than adding more new questions when she had been so willing with her answers, I thought, why not work with what she already knows?

We decided to let her do something she knows well, even within that she was offering us more. This session was so much fun.

Liberty is something I’ve only really played with myself, nothing fancy, but it’s a lot of fun. I believe Chilli’s attitude towards new things has come from being started this way.

The horse is the best teacher. ❤️🦄

05/09/2026

Thoroughly enjoyed working with this combination ❤️ What was so lovely to see was that, even though this little mare is a trekking pony, she is SO up for life! 🥰🐴

A real credit to Ursula’s programme at Island View Stables in Sligo, Ireland 🇮🇪

The horses are all started using Légèreté and then spend most of their time hacking and beach riding… honestly, not a bad gig! 🌊🏇🏼

They also live out in a big herd, so I’d say these horses have got a pretty good life! ❤️🦄

04/09/2026

25/08/2026

Elisa & Swatchi and Derry Girl from Island View Stables.

Légèreté is for all disciplines and all types of horses.

Thoroughly enjoyed working with both of these combinations again. It was great to see the change in the trot work, allowing us to spend a little more time in the canter this time, playing with changes of balance, something very useful for these two as they continue their training for show jumping. ❤️🦄