Tailoring the training to your horse is a key part of CT. Cookie cutter methods might be easier to learn, but they don’t work for many horses. Instead, our principles remain the same throughout, but how you adapt the training changes depending on the horse and situation.
These videos are designed to help you understand how CT can work best for YOUR horse.
You can start using some of these tips right away. Others are to keep in mind as you progress through learning and using CT techniques with your horse.
Please note: these videos are available for free to people who sign up to our mailing list, so you may have seen them before. However, they are very useful to help you tailor CT to your horse right from the start, so we’ve included them here as well.
Click the description that best describes your horse!
Your horse may fit into more than one category or you may have multiple horses – you'll be able to access all the tips you need. Just come back here and choose another option for more tips.
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I have a foal, youngster or green horse.
I want to start exploring Positive Reinforcement
I love that you’re looking to explore reward-based training with your horse, whether you use it as an additional tool in your training toolbox, or go all-in with it! It’s honestly the most fun I’ve ever had with horses, and I’m sure you and your horse will enjoy exploring it together.
I have to say, though, that getting started can also be the most difficult step as there’s a lot to learn right away. It gets much easier once you and your horse have figured out the basics!
In these videos, I give you 3 tips to help make your journey into CT smooth, easy and fun for both of you.
What's Next?
If you found these videos helpful, you'll love the CT Club!
Inside you'll find courses, training plans, live Zoom sessions with us, a supportive community,
and hundreds of positive reinforcement horse training resources to help you make progress
with your horse.
If you'd like to keep learning, you can unlock an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
You're already here and thinking about your horse's training - why not keep the momentum going? Take the next step today and see where you and your horse could be after 5 weeks of focused, positive training.
I'd love to welcome you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I have a Pushy, Excitable or Foody Horse
HOW do you teach horses like this to be calm, relaxed, polite and safe positively? Of course, most of the horse world will tell you that you need your horse to ‘submit’, that you need to be ‘dominant’, that you need to use more pressure and so on.
One of the problems with this approach is that dominance hierarchies can’t even be determined in healthy wild horse herds, so it’s not actually a natural way horses interact with each other. So, we don’t want to bring force, fear or fighting into our training with our horses, either. That isn’t fun for either of you and won’t help you find that connection, either.
Instead, it’s about learning and motivation. When we look at behaviour like this through this lens, it becomes much easier to see a soft, fair and effective way to train it instead. (and we can see how to use food to successfully train ‘foody’ horses).
You can absolutely be soft AND effective with this way of training, and you can teach even the bargiest of horses how to be polite and soft. You can also prevent or overcome problems with over-arousal or excitement around the food.
In fact, once you’ve got the initial lessons in place of relaxation, softness and manners, these horses make some of the best training partners because they’re often highly motivated and engaged.
Here are some training tips for working with horses like this!
What's Next?
These videos are just the beginning.
Inside the CT Club you'll find in-depth courses, step-by-step training plans, live events,
a friendly community, and hundreds of positive reinforcement resources to help you and
your horse succeed.
To help you continue your training journey, here's an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
Don't let this be another video you watch and forget. Start your free trial while it's fresh in your mind, put the ideas into practice, and begin making progress today.
Hope to see you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I have a horse who is Disconnected or Unmotivated
Ah, it can be so hard when you want to do things with your horse and your horse just…. doesn’t. It feels awful when our horses are disinterested, umotivated and feel like they’d rather be anywhere but with you doing things together.
I actually think this is pretty common in much of the horse world – it’s often joked that horses know where the arena gate is, for example, because it’s expected that they’re going to want to leave the arena. And, of course, using escalating pressure to get horses to do things is the norm.
But, even though this approach can be effective at getting horses to DO things (though many horses fight it or shut down completely), it doesn’t always get them doing things with joy. So, you often still feel there’s that resistance or distance between you.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be like this. My own journey into positive reinforcement started with Toby, my pony who would do most things as long as I carried a whip. I didn’t have to use it, but he knew what it was about. But, I still felt something was missing. I wanted him to WANT to do things. When he was engaged and willing, it felt AMAZING and I wanted that all the time.
And, figuring this out started me looking for different ways to connect with and motivate horses (plot spoiler: it worked incredibly well and changed, me and my life and career along the way).
I’ve since worked with hundreds of horses and their humans, helping them to find connection, joy and motivation together.
Below are some tips to get you started! Bear these in mind as you work through the Foundation Course.
What's Next?
If you're ready to keep learning, the CT Club is the perfect next step.
With courses, live coaching, practical training plans, and a huge library of resources, you'll
have ongoing support to help you reach your goals with your horse.
As a thank you for exploring these videos, I'd love to invite you to claim an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
Come and have a look around. Explore the courses, meet the community, and see if the Club is the right fit for you and your horse.
I'd love to welcome you in!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
My horse is Spooky, Reactive or High Energy
Working with spooky or reactive horses can be tricky because it can lead to big behaviours like spinning, spooking, bolting and rearing. Obviously, we don’t want our horses to be feeling anxious and scared, and it can be unsafe and scary for us to handle them, too.
Many more traditional training techniques aren’t so effective at despooking because they require adding in pressure, for example as swinging a rope to get a horse over a tarp or obstacle, or using more leg or a whip when riding a horse into spooky corner or past something scary out hacking.
This can simply add MORE tension into the equation, making horses even more worried. Sometimes, horses learn to control their behaviour as much as possible…. until they can’t, then you can get unexpected big explosions that seem to come out of nowhere, or escalate very quickly. Either way, it’s not pleasant for either you or your horse to be fighting each other through that fear.
Positive reinforcement is incredibly effective at reducing fear as it changes the emotions of the horse to curiosity and confidence. I’ve worked with so many horses who have become so much calmer, more relaxed and connected to their humans through this work.
Even better, it’s actually enjoyable for both you and your horse to work through despooking exercises using CT AND you build your commication, connection and trust in each other as you’re doing so.
Check out these videos where I give you my top 3 tips for training spooky or reactive horses gently, softly and effectively – with tons of examples (as always)
And, of course, once you’ve some CT Foundations in place, we have a whole in-depth despooking course.
What's Next?
Enjoying these videos? Imagine having access to hundreds more, plus structured courses,
live zoom sessions and a supportive community whenever you need help. That's what you
get inside the CT Club.
Use the code below to unlock your exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
There's no better time to start than when you're feeling inspired. You could be exploring your first course in just a few minutes.
See you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I am looking to solve a Specific Problem Behaviour
Problem behaviours are probably the most common reason people start using positive reinforcement. Whether it’s hoof lifting, injections, vet visits, loading, spooking, bolting…. you name it.
CT is so effective at problem solving because we look at the emotions causing the behaviour and address it from there, rather than simply trying to force the end goal. This means no fighting, fear or force. Instead, we change how the horse feels to change their behaviour. A horse who is relaxed, calm and motivated will do the ‘thing’ happily.
In fact, something I love so much about this training is that a) the process itself is really enjoyable and builds your relationship together AS you’re solving the problem, and b) that the end result is often a horse who LOVES the behaviour they previously found so challenging. Not just that they’ll do it, but it often becomes one of their favourite things to do. This is amazing to see!
If you’re looking to CT to address a specific problem, one common question is whether you can use it JUST to fix that problem. You might have many other things going well already that you want to continue with and/or not want to add rewards into other areas of your horse’s training yet. And yes, that’s absolutely fine! I give you some tips about how best to this in the videos below.
Ok, let’s dive into some training tips on solving problems with CT!
You will also find many videos on solving specific problems throughout the courses.
What's Next?
The videos you've just watched are designed to get you started. The CT Club is there to help you
keep going.
Inside you'll find guidance for every stage of your journey, whether you're working on confidence,
handling, riding, groundwork, tricks, or simply building a better partnership with your horse.
If these videos have inspired you to continue, you can claim an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
Imagine where you and your horse could be in 5 weeks with regular training, fresh ideas, and ongoing support. Why not start today?
I'd love to be part of your journey.
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
My horse was a Rescue, Wild, or is Fearful of Humans
Hey there, so you have a horse, pony or donkey who is fearful of people. You’re in the right place – positive reinforcement is hands down the best way to build trust, whether your equine is a rescue, has been abused, or was feral or wild.
Pressure and force-based methods don’t tend to work so well here because they increase fear, and the fear is already so high, so it only tends to increase tension. Instead, you can use techniques that minimise tension, and increase confidence and curiosity instead. This is incredibly effective (I’ve trained many so-called “un-trainable” equines) and, even better, it’s fun for both of you and builds your connection right from the start.
This area is really close to my heart and I’ve worked with so many needy equines, both professionally and personally. It’s absolutely heartbreaking what so many equines go through at the hands of humans. I’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to you on behalf of the horses you’re helping. Your equine is so lucky to have found someone like you. Go YOU!
OK, so let’s get onto some training tips for horses who are anxious or frightened of humans.You’ll also see many equines who were rescued or wild throughout the CT Courses.
What's Next?
If you found these videos helpful, you'll love the CT Club!
Inside you'll find courses, training plans, live Zoom sessions with us, a supportive community,
and hundreds of positive reinforcement horse training resources to help you make progress
with your horse.
If you'd like to keep learning, you can unlock an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
You're already here and thinking about your horse's training - why not keep the momentum going? Take the next step today and see where you and your horse could be after 5 weeks of focused, positive training.
I'd love to welcome you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I have a Foal, Youngster or Green Horse
Hey! So, you have a foal or youngster who you’d like to give the best possible start to? I LOVE this! Sadly, so many young horses get started off in ways that cause them fear and stress and doesn’t set them up to be happy, balanced horses through their life. I’m so happy for your horse that you’re looking for ways to teach your baby about the world that will build their confidence and curiosity and give them the best foundation possible to excel as they grow up.
And, I’m happy for you, too. Youngsters come with their own set of challenges (see my tips below), but guiding a young horse through all of their first experiences is something really special. And, being there with them throughout that process creates an incredible bond with you as well.
Whether you’re waiting for a foal and want to train them positively from the start, or you have a 1, 2 or 3 year o
ld (or even older if they’re a bit green and haven’t done much yet), there is SO much you can do with them.
So, let’s get into some training tips!
You’ll also see many foals and youngsters throughout the Home Study Courses.
What's Next?
These videos are just the beginning.
Inside the CT Club you'll find in-depth courses, step-by-step training plans, live events,
a friendly community, and hundreds of positive reinforcement resources to help you and
your horse succeed.
To help you continue your training journey, here's an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
Don't let this be another video you watch and forget. Start your free trial while it's fresh in your mind, put the ideas into practice, and begin making progress today.
Hope to see you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I want to learn Healthy Movement Techniques Through Groundwork
I actually started out my equine career as a bodyworker and have always had a passion for training that promotes soundness in our horses. CT is such a natural fit for this and you can help any horse – young, old, ridden, non-ridden, big, small – be fitter, stronger, straighter, more supple, balanced and sound through basic groundwork exercises.
I know that movement and biomechanics can seem pretty daunting, complex and often contradictory. I felt the same for a long time! But, it’s actually not too complicated, really, and my goal was to simplify the exercises so that everyone can follow them.
One of the great things about training with CT is that we’re always working WITH the horse, which means that your horse will tell you what they’re happy with, or what they’re struggling with, so you can help them and not push them. This way, their confidence and fitness grow naturally together and they develop a real love of movement (even the Steady Eddies, I promise!).
Using a marker and rewards creates fantastic communication and motivation, which makes training movement exercises fun for both of you. Gymnastic groundwork is absolutely one of my favourite things to train and is the basis of so much more – agility, jumping, riding and generally an enhanced connection and communication between you.
So, let’s dive in and look at training tips for teaching gymnastic groundwork the CT Way!And, of course, you can see exactly how to train all this (once you’ve got some foundations in place), the Gymnastic Groundwork Home Study Course.
What's Next?
If you're ready to keep learning, the CT Club is the perfect next step.
With courses, live coaching, practical training plans, and a huge library of resources, you'll
have ongoing support to help you reach your goals with your horse.
As a thank you for exploring these videos, I'd love to invite you to claim an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
Come and have a look around. Explore the courses, meet the community, and see if the Club is the right fit for you and your horse.
I'd love to welcome you in!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I want to Ride with Rewards
Reward-based riding takes your connection in the saddle to a whole new level. But, it can be a bit tricky to know how to get started with it, or how to take it beyond the basics.
The actual steps vary of course depending on whether you’re:
-
Starting a young horse under saddle for the first time
-
Restarting an older horse with a negative history about riding
-
Adding R+ in to a horse who’s already ok about being ridden but you’d like more joy, motivation or clarity
-
Already using R+ under saddle but want to know how to take it into more advanced exercises
-
Regardless of where you’re starting in your reward-based riding journey, the CT principles remain the same. For me, it’s all about prioritising clarity and connection between you so that it’s harmonious and joyful. When your horse wants to ride as much as you do, it’s such a great feeling!
So, let’s dive in and look at some of these CT principles in practice.And, of course, once you’ve got some foundations in place, you can learn all about how to use CT under saddle in our Riding Courses.
What's Next?
Enjoying these videos? Imagine having access to hundreds more, plus structured courses,
live zoom sessions and a supportive community whenever you need help. That's what you
get inside the CT Club.
Use the code below to unlock your exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
There's no better time to start than when you're feeling inspired. You could be exploring your first course in just a few minutes.
See you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
I want inspiration for fun tricks and exercises to do with my horse.
Reward-based training gives you endless possibilities for all the things you can you teach your horse. This area of training is all about engaging your horse's brain, learning new things together and having fun!
If you're feeling a bit stuck, or uninspired, this section is for you. Maybe your horse already knows many things and you want to try something new. Perhaps you want to train some more things using rewards, but stick to discrete behaviours for now (rather than adding it in to your riding for example). Maybe your horse is on box rest, or is on limited movement (old, young, injured etc) and you're looking for ideas to keep their mind entertained and enrich their life. Or, maybe you just want to explore your horse's cognitive abilities and see how bright they are!
Whatever the reason, I hope these videos give you some new ideas!
(you can also scroll through all the other topics on this page, too!)
What's Next?
These videos are just the beginning.
Inside the CT Club you'll find in-depth courses, step-by-step training plans, live events,
a friendly community, and hundreds of positive reinforcement resources to help you and
your horse succeed.
To help you continue your training journey, here's an exclusive 5 week free trial using the code below:
[5WEEKSFREE!]
Don't let this be another video you watch and forget. Start your free trial while it's fresh in your mind, put the ideas into practice, and begin making progress today.
Hope to see you inside!
Hannah
Risk- free! You can cancel from within your account at any time. Only applicable to monthly membership.
Don't forget to copy the code 👆
