Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

🐴💜 NEW VIDEO LIVE 💜🐴

For years, if Penny noticed something that worried her, I’d often reassure her and help her move on.

Then I came across an idea from Dr Stephen Peters that completely changed the way I looked at things:

🧠 As curiosity increases, fear tends to decrease.

So instead of simply moving past things, I started encouraging Penny to look.

To investigate.

To gather information.

And what happened next surprised me.

Penny didn’t become less aware of the world.

If anything, she became more engaged with it.

She notices everything.

The more opportunities she had to explore and investigate, the more confident she seemed to become.

And over time, the spooking became less and less.

This video shares that journey, the science behind it, and why curiosity has become one of my favourite things to encourage in Penny.

👇 Have you ever noticed your horse becoming more confident after being given time to investigate something new?

🎥 Watch here: Why Curiosity Reduces Spooking | What Happened When I Started Rewarding It
https://youtu.be/Yo2dtMWCrLA

#JustAHorseListener #CuriousNotSpooky #HorseBehaviour #RewardBasedTraining #HorseLearning #EquestrianScience #HorsePsychology #CalmHorse #PositiveReinforcement #OurBitlessJourney

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5 hours ago | [YT] | 0

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

💜🐴 NEW VIDEO: Can Horses Have Choice?

One thing that struck me while listening to an ISES (International Society for Equitation Science) podcast recently was that Freedom of Choice is actually one of the horse’s 3Fs — alongside Friends and Forage.

It made me smile because that’s exactly the question I’ve been exploring with Penny.

Not:
❌ Should horses make every decision?

But:
✅ Are there small moments where we can listen a little more closely?

Over the years I’ve found that when Penny feels she has a voice, she’s often more willing to join the conversation.

For us, that has looked like:
🐴 Easier handling
🐴 Easier grooming
🐴 Easier veterinary care
🐴 Easier loading

Not because she’s forced.

But because she often chooses to participate.

I’d love to know what you think:

Where, if anywhere, do you give your horse a little more choice?

🎥 Watch here: Can Horses Have Choice? | What Penny Taught Me About Participation, Trust & Everyday Care
https://youtu.be/53mRYzYLbGM

#JustAHorseListener #HorseChoice #HorseBehaviour #LearningTheory #RewardBasedTraining #CalmHorsesBrightMinds #ListenToYourHorse #EquestrianLife #HorseTraining #OurBitlessJourney 💜🐴

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1 week ago | [YT] | 5

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

🐴💜 New Video: What Does Penny Actually Find Rewarding?

When people hear reward-based training, they often think of treats.

But if I’m honest, treats probably aren’t even at the top of Penny’s reward list. 🙈

🌱 Lush grass would win every time.

What I’ve learned over the years is that the real question isn’t:

“What reward should I use?”

It’s:

“What does this horse, in this moment, find rewarding?”

For Penny, that might be food, a scratch, a rest break, a long rein stretch, or occasionally an invoice for services rendered after the vet, physio, dentist, bath, or ridden work. 😂

I’d love to know:

👇 What’s at the top of your horse’s reward menu?

🎥 Watch here: [link live 8pm]

#JustAHorseListener #RewardBasedTraining #HorseTraining #HorseBehaviour #PositiveReinforcement #OurBitlessJourney 💜🐴🌱

1 week ago | [YT] | 4

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

💜 New Video Live 💜

This one took me far longer than I expected.

When I first came across reward-based training, I didn’t really get it.

Targeting.

Markers.

Treat pouches.

I remember thinking:

“What’s the point of all that?”

Over time, I realised it wasn’t really about treats.

It was about participation.

It was about making everyday horsemanship feel less like something being done to Penny… and more like something we did together.

In this video, I share why I chose reward-based training, what I’ve noticed with Penny, and why some of the biggest changes haven’t happened in an arena at all.

🐴 Grooming
🐴 Fly spray
🐴 Loading
🐴 Vet visits
🐴 Cooperative care

And perhaps most importantly…

What Penny has taught me along the way.

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/8xd-sM790io?is=pGojD...

I’d love to know:

What’s one thing your horse has taught you recently? 💜

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1 week ago | [YT] | 7

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

💡🐴 Horse Learning theory finally made sense to me…

Not because I memorised the quadrants.

But because I started asking:

“What might Penny be learning from this?”

In just over 2 minutes, I share the horse training lightbulb moment that changed how I think about rewards, pressure, and everyday interactions with my horse.

🎥 New video now live:
https://youtu.be/2_r8WdxnyTA?is=u9Ly2...

1 week ago | [YT] | 3

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

💜 NEW VIDEO LIVE 💜

Penny had always been a good horse.

The biggest change wasn’t fixing her.

It was learning to listen a little more closely.

What started as a switch to bitless riding eventually became something much bigger. Combined with reward-based training, it changed the way I looked at Penny, the way I rode, and the things I started noticing in our partnership.

More relaxed.
More curious.
More cooperative.
More expressive.

Not because she became a different horse.

Because I started understanding her differently.

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/sUPFbukBe7A?si=AAFyH...

I’d love to know:

What’s one thing your horse has taught you that you didn’t expect to learn? 🐴💭

#JustAHorseListener #CalmHorsesBrightMinds #OurBitlessJourney

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 12

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

💭 A thought I’ve been sitting with…

Horse and human brains are more similar than we often realise — but the differences really matter when it comes to learning and behaviour.

We share the same survival and emotional systems.
Safety, startle, self-preservation.

But horses learn differently.
They’re motor-based learners, and their memory is sensory and emotional — not story-based.

They don’t replay what happened.
They remember how it felt.

Understanding this has changed how I look at behaviour, training, and “problems”.
If safety isn’t there, learning can’t settle.

Curious to hear others’ thoughts — has thinking about how it felt changed anything for you and your horse? 💭🐴

Check out my reel 🎥 Horse and Human Brains: Why Safety Comes Before Learning #horsebehaviour #positivehorsemanship
youtube.com/shorts/KlUIGOt9-N...

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4 months ago | [YT] | 9

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

How do you go from distant… to connected? 💜🐴

With Penny, I’ve found that sometimes the simplest thing makes the biggest difference…
✨ Turn your back. Wait. Let them choose. ✨

It works every time with her 🥰
Have you noticed how much your horse reads your body language?

🎥 From Distant to Connected 💜 | Simple Body Language That Brings Your Horse In
youtube.com/shorts/oTbSIteFwe...

8 months ago | [YT] | 5

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

🌿 Friends, Forage & Freedom Friday 🌿

Not all foraging is safe for our horses — did you know oak leaves and acorns can be risky if eaten in quantity? 🍂🐴

Watch here: 🎥
youtube.com/shorts/F4Y3pLV46W...

Awareness means freedom with safety 💜✨
👉 Learn more from World Horse Welfare:
www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/general-advice/ac…

#JustAHorseListener #3FsFriday #HorseSafetyTips #HorseRidingUK

9 months ago | [YT] | 3

Just A Horse Listener -Bitless Rider & R+ training

Sometimes, connection begins … 💜🌿🐴
Not in the arena, not in the training — but in the quiet moments our horses love most.

After a few days away, I chose reconnection through a hand-graze and walk to lush grass. 🌿✨

💭 Do you find your horse reconnects more through activity, or by simply being together?

👉Watch here 🎥](Horse Connection Through Hand Grazing | Building Trust & Reconnection 🌿🐴
youtube.com/shorts/7GGjV0dZaF...

9 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 5