South Stables Equestrian Estate

Shoutout to for their amazing horse treats - our ponies are obsessed 🧡 💚

Welcome to our newest arrivals 🙌

Learn to listen!!!

If your horse is in pain, they will tell you.
You should know what to look for and listen when they speak.

If you make it out to be “bad behaviour” then YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

• Refusing to be tacked
• Dodging the bridle
• Refusing to walk to the mounting block
• Refusing to enter the arena
• Biting and kicking out when tacked
• Refusing to walk into the stable with anyone except the groom 👀
• Depressed 😔
• Lathargic 😪
• Walks away when you approach in paddock
• Rushed and pushy
• Rides “upside down” to get away from saddle

Listen Linda, listen!!! 🙄

Doodle ❤️ I am unbelievably heartbroken 💔 You were my special boy. We will miss you forever! You were our first love ❤️

When horses walk downhill, they rely on a combination of muscular control, joint stability, and balance to safely and effectively stabilise themselves ❤️ #equestrian #equinemassagetherapist #equine #level4massagecertificate #equinemassagecareers Wolds Equine Sports Massage Approved Courses

The longissimus dorsi muscle lives up to its name....a long muscle with incredible connections!

If there’s one thing I wish more people understood about horses, it’s this: They’re not being difficult. Most of what they're doing is reflective of YOU.

They are giving you a RESPONSE. Not out of defiance. Not out of malice. But because they are wired - biologically, psychologically, instinctively - to respond to the world around them for survival.

So when you step into their space frustrated, disconnected, anxious, or unclear - they feel that. And they respond accordingly.

I see two things all the time…

• A spooky horse is blamed for being naughty, but the rider is nervous, stiff, and barely breathing.
• A horse is labeled stubborn because he doesn’t respond to a cue - but the cue was unclear, poorly communicated - and then the horse is punished for being lazy and unresponsive.

In both cases, the horse isn’t the problem. The human involved, however, is.

There’s a lot of incompetence in the horse world - but instead of accountability, we blame the horse.
We slap on harsher bits, louder aids, more aggressive corrections.We label them bad, lazy, rude, or stubborn… when really, they’re just confused, frightened, or overwhelmed.

Horses cannot be 'bad', they are just horses. People are either bad handlers, riders, or trainers. This seems to be a truth rarely spoken or acknowledged.

Horses literally can't manipulate. They, very simply, reflect what we bring to the conversation.

And that’s the truth people don’t like to talk about:
If your horse isn’t responding well, it might not be about them - it's actually in most cases about you.

So when something feels off in a session, pause and ask yourself:

Am I breathing deeply and feeling compassionate and optimistic?
Am I calm and grounded in my body?
Am I present - or is my mind somewhere else?
Am I feeling scared, under pressure, or frustrated?

✨ Self-awareness is the MOST underrated skill in horsemanship. The more honest we become about what we bring into the space, the more compassionate and connected we become as partners. ✨

Because it’s never about control. It’s about connection.
And that connection? It always starts with you.

Canter transitions! Timing 👏 is 👏 everything 👏 The video that brought so many of you here ❤️ 985k views. 36,900 likes. 5,851 shares. It's not about the social media engagement. It's about being able to help so many horses & riders by sharing a little bit of my time and knowledge 🐴 If this video helped you, drop a comment or share it with your equestrian friends. #forthegoodofthehorse #Canter #cantertransition #dressage #dressagetips #dressagerider #dressagetraining #horse #equestrian

The horse is not here to impress you.
Not to boost your ego.
Not to obey out of fear.
Not to battle you for control.

The horse, simply, is.

It reflects who you are in this moment.
Your patience—or your frustration.
Your confidence—or your doubt.
Your kindness—or your tension.

You cannot lie to a horse.
You cannot fake trust.
You cannot demand respect—you earn it.

A horse does not speak your language, yet it understands you better than most people ever will.

And if you are willing to listen—truly listen—it will teach you everything you need to know.

About connection.
About respect.
About yourself.

That is the gift of the horse.
That is the lesson.
That is the privilege.

- Georgia Plimbley

(Tag a horse lover who needs to read this today.)