A compilation of the incredible learnings I have had from attending clinics with Dr. Shelley Appleton since 2019. She has been able to bridge the gaps I have often found between ‘horsemanship’ and ‘dressage’. Both have been a major part of my life and learning to put the two together while still having a happy horse can be really challenging. Shelley is not only an amazing horsewoman and teacher but an inspiration for life. Every time I spend time with her I’m left feeling excited for the things to come.
‘Every horse that comes into your life is a gift’. Every horse has something to teach you. Sometimes it won’t be obvious to start with. Try to work with as many horses as possible. Each one will show you something.
‘It’s thinking they are an angel and being totally shocked and horrified when they aren’t.’ You need to go into every situation expecting them to respond in the best way possible. Often just thinking there will be a good outcome is enough to influence the outcome.
Horses are allowed to have negative thoughts, they just aren’t allowed to act on them. Safety is the most important thing when working with horses. They are allowed to tell you that they are displeased with the situation and it is our responsibility to listen. If however, they show their displeasure through biting, kicking, bucking etc etc then we need to come down on them like a tonne of bricks.
Canter is a therapeutic gait, do a crapton of it. Horses struggle to hold their breathe in canter. Those horses that worry a lot, need to canter a lot. Sometimes you need to canter more than you walk and trot put together.
‘You only have so many circles, use them wisely’. Horses joints are not designed for circles. They will break down. This doesn’t mean not using circles, just to be aware of when you are using them and determining if they are necessary. The same applies to disengaging the hind quarters.
‘Whatever soothes a person (or horse) as a child, will soothe them as an adult.’ This could be food or company or anything else.
Any new person who works with your horse has an advantage over you. Your horse will pay more attention to a stranger as they don’t know what to expect. It also means that you will have to work harder to enforce new boundaries.
We have species specific super powers. Humans make decisions and are responsible for the welfare of the horse. A horses job is follow our feel. Their super power is movement. It is our job to stay out the way of the horse and let them balance.
All I can say is, if you aren’t learning from Shelley then you are missing out! I’d love to hear from you if any of these ideas resonate with you.