Our Philosophy

These philosophies on working with horses have been developed through my roughly 18 years of experience with horses. As my knowledge and skills have grown, my approach has continued to evolve, but some fundamental principles have remained constant.

To give you a better understanding of what Arrow Heart Equine is all about, I'd like to share some of the ideas and principles that have shaped my approach to training horses and contributed to the successes I've had along the way.

“Be as gentle as possible, yet firm as necessary.”

I believe good training begins with giving the horse every opportunity to make the right choice.

I start with the lightest pressure necessary, give the horse a genuine opportunity to respond, and only increase the pressure when the horse needs more clarity or encouragement. The moment the horse gives the correct response—or even the slightest try—the pressure is released.

The goal isn't to see how much pressure a horse can tolerate. The goal is to develop a horse that is soft, responsive, willing and confident in its understanding of what is being asked.

Being gentle does not mean allowing a horse to ignore pressure or boundaries. Likewise, being firm does not mean being harsh. Good horsemanship is knowing when to ask softly, when to be firmer, and when to release.

“Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.”

Horses learn through the consequences of their responses.

When a horse gives the correct answer, it should find that answer comfortable and rewarding. Pressure is released, the horse gets rest, and the situation becomes easier.

When the horse gives the wrong answer, it doesn't receive the same release it was looking for. This creates a clear distinction between the choices available to the horse.

This isn't about punishment. It's about clarity.

My aim is to make the correct response the easiest and most comfortable option for the horse to choose. Over time, this creates horses that understand what is being asked rather than simply reacting out of fear or force.

“With horses, you get out what you put in.”

A horse doesn't become well educated simply because it has spent time with a trainer.

Training can establish a foundation, but maintaining and developing that foundation requires time, consistency and communication from the people who handle and ride the horse every day.

There is no substitute for spending one-on-one time with your horse. Learning how they think, how they communicate, what motivates them and how they respond to different situations is something that cannot simply be purchased with a training package.

The more time, consistency and effort you put into your horse, the more you have the opportunity to get back.

“Horsemanship is a language.”

Horses don't speak our language, but they are constantly communicating with us.

Pressure and release, movement, posture, intention, timing and feel all form part of the language between horse and human.

Learning this language allows a horseman or horsewoman to communicate clearly without relying solely on reins, ropes, bits or physical force.

But knowing the individual pieces isn't enough. Good horsemanship comes from learning how they work together—and developing the feel to apply them at the right moment and in the right amount.

That feel develops through experience, observation, mistakes, correction and working with many different horses.

“One thing you can always trust a horse to do, is to be a horse.”

Horses are horses.

They are prey animals with instincts, senses and ways of responding to the world that are very different from our own. Because of this, I believe it is important to understand behaviour from the horse's perspective rather than automatically giving it human motivations.

A horse isn't necessarily being jealous, spiteful, naughty or stubborn simply because its behaviour is inconvenient to us.

Sometimes what looks like defiance is confusion. Sometimes what looks like stubbornness is fear. Sometimes what looks like disobedience is simply a horse responding to pressure in the only way it currently understands.

That doesn't mean every unwanted behaviour should be excused. It means we should seek to understand the reason behind the behaviour so that we can address the cause rather than simply fighting the symptom.

Understanding the horse in front of you is one of the most important parts of good horsemanship.

“There’s no such thing as a finished horse.”

I don't believe a horse ever reaches a point where there is nothing left to learn.

A horse's education is a progression, and it's important to be honest about where that horse actually sits within that progression.

Unhandled / Lightly Handled

A horse with limited education and experience with people. It may accept basic handling but has little understanding of structured training.

Unbroke / Unstarted

A horse that has not yet begun its ridden education, but may have had quite a bit of handling, floating, rugging, tying up, picking feet etc.

Green Broke / Started

A horse that has begun its ridden education and understands the basic concepts of being ridden, but is still developing its balance, understanding, consistency and confidence.

Well Broke

A horse with a solid education and significant experience under saddle. It is generally soft, responsive, manoeuvrable and able to handle a variety of situations with a reasonable level of confidence and consistency.

A horse doesn't become well broke simply because it has completed a short training program.

Six to ten weeks of good training can establish a very solid foundation, but it is what happens in the six to twelve months following that which can take a green horse toward becoming a well-broke horse—and can ultimately make or break that horse's development.

Seasoned Performance Horse

A horse with multiple years of consistent education and experience within a particular discipline or type of work.

These horses have developed a depth of understanding and experience that comes from repetition, exposure and time. A seasoned performance horse may also retain much of its training after a period of time off, although fitness, strength and conditioning will naturally decline without regular work.

The important thing is not the label itself, but understanding what the horse genuinely knows, what it has experienced and what still needs to be developed.

“Happy and healthy horses perform and learn better.”

Training doesn't begin when the saddle goes on.

A horse's ability to learn and perform is influenced by its overall physical condition, comfort and environment. Quality nutrition, appropriate hoof care, veterinary care, dental care, grooming, suitable housing and a balanced workload all contribute to the horse's ability to learn.

Just as importantly, I consider the horse's frame of mind.

A horse doesn't need to arrive looking perfect for training to begin. There is room to work with horses that are slightly lean or overweight, overdue for a trim, carrying an overgrown coat, needing dental attention or recovering from previous management issues.

What matters is recognising when a horse's physical condition or welfare needs to be addressed before training can reasonably continue.

I have clear boundaries around horses that are significantly underconditioned, lame, suffering from serious hoof problems or otherwise unsuitable to undertake the physical demands of training.

The aim is not simply to make a horse look better. It is to give the horse the physical and mental foundation it needs to learn, work and thrive.

And sometimes, as that foundation improves, you get to see a pretty impressive glow up along the way—better feet, a healthier coat, improved muscle, better condition and, most importantly, a happier and more capable horse.

“Confidence comes from knowledge; fear and frustration begin when knowledge ends.”

This principle is just as important for the human as it is for the horse.

A lack of understanding can make situations feel unpredictable. When we don't know why something is happening or what to do next, fear and frustration can quickly take over.

Knowledge gives us options.

The more we understand about horses, their behaviour, their learning processes and our own role as handlers and riders, the better equipped we are to respond calmly and appropriately.

I believe good horsemanship isn't about pretending you know everything. It is about continually learning, asking questions, recognising your mistakes and being willing to improve.

Method → Feel & Timing

Having a method is important. Knowing when and how to apply that method is what turns knowledge into horsemanship.

Two people can use the same technique and achieve completely different results because their feel, timing, pressure and release are different.

The amount of pressure applied, the moment it is increased, and—perhaps most importantly—the exact moment it is released can make an enormous difference to how clearly a horse understands what is being asked.

Sometimes that timing can come down to milliseconds.

This isn't something that can be learned entirely from a book or a training video. It develops through experience: working with different horses, making mistakes, recognising what went wrong, trying again and learning to feel increasingly subtle changes in the horse.

My methods and understanding have continued to evolve through that process, and I believe they should continue to evolve as I do.

Horses for Courses

Not every horse is suited to every job—and that's okay.

I believe in finding the right horse for the right purpose rather than expecting every horse to become the same type of horse.

A horse's temperament, conformation, movement, athletic ability, mind, previous education and physical limitations can all influence what it is naturally suited to. Some horses thrive in a particular discipline, while another horse may be much better suited to something completely different.

Good horsemanship isn't always about making a horse fit the job we have chosen for it.

Sometimes it's about recognising what the horse is telling us it is good at.

That doesn't mean putting limitations on a horse before giving it an opportunity. Horses are capable of surprising us, and many can learn far more than we initially expect. But it does mean being realistic about the individual horse in front of you.

My goal is not to force every horse into the same mould.

It is to understand the horse, identify its strengths, recognise its limitations and help it become the best version of itself that it can be.

The right horse in the right job has the opportunity to thrive—and when horse and job are well matched, training becomes a much more rewarding experience for both horse and human.

Keep Learning. Keep Improving. Keep Listening.

No horseman or horsewoman knows everything.

Every horse has something to teach us, and every new horse brings a different combination of experiences, strengths, weaknesses and challenges.

I don't believe good horsemanship is about following one rigid system or believing that there is only one correct way to work with every horse.

It is about having a sound foundation, understanding the principles behind what you are doing, paying attention to the individual horse in front of you, and being willing to adapt when the horse tells you something isn't working.

At Arrow Heart Equine, the goal is always to continue learning, continue improving and continue putting the horse first and sharing that knowledge in order to help others.

Because there is always another horse to learn from, another skill to develop, and another opportunity to do better than we did yesterday.

— Arrow Heart Equine