Week 1
Pippa travelled beautifully from Victoria to NSW and was immediately eating and drinking upon arrival. It has been incredible to be a part of a wild horses transformation over the first 5 days. To witness her progress from fear and weariness to becoming more curious and confident. It is a testament to her resilience and ability to learn and I look forward to continue to be a positive impact on her life to teach her about the world and the life she is now able to live.
I have started slowly and thoughtfully in my approach with Pippa, respecting her instincts and gradually building trust at her pace. Starting by simply sitting near her while she eats, and having other horses eating next to her fence to show that other horses are confident in a person’s presence. She progressed to taking hay from my hand, touching my hand as she eats, using the end of a whip/stick to touch her face while eating and eventually my hand on her face. Through all of this and upon approach of her yard during the day I am very aware of both hers and my own body language to encourage a draw towards me and the ability to catch her eye. Gradually then I was able to be in her yard repeating the same activities. By the fifth day I have started showing her that she can have me in only one eye, slightly to the side of her body.
Pippa has shown that she has a high survival instinct, no step can be skipped and that each small movement challenges her and would have a big reaction of worry. Therefore I have needed to be very thorough, consistent and clear with my intentions. I am excited to see where the next days, weeks and months lead to and how she continues to grow and understand being a domestic environment and how this will positively influence her.
Week 3
Pippa is becoming very curious and inquisitive and is growing in confidence in day to day activities around her yard. She also seems to look forward to her time with me and progressing with learning. We have been learning a lot about each other and she is showing me how much of a blessing it is to be able to be around her.
I have been using a lot of positive reinforcement with Pippa which she is responding well to. She has a strong natural flight instinct, quick to get scared and leave if I even move an extra mm than I have previously. Whilst she comes back and draws to me which is awesome, she also feels that the leaving is what helps her in a time of worry. I was able to get a halter but after it was on she went back to the beginning with being touched as the sensation of the halter on her face made her very weary. We have finished the week with her being able to be touched, patted, scratched, slightly moving the halter on her face and having a small lead rope attached and her seeing it and being curious about it.
She is really showing me how she needs to understand everything before being able to progress and she is very very clear in her communication and what she is comfortable with which is really interesting to watch and show her that I can communicate with her in a way that she understands.
Week 4/5
Update from Week 4
The best judge of a trainer is the horse
4 weeks into the brumby challenge and it has already been life changing. Each horse I work with presents new learning opportunities and experiences for me and this little girl Pippa is no exception.
True success in training isn't just about achieving specific outcomes, but about the mutual understanding and progress made together. Pippa's natural instincts and high flight drive present challenges that require patience, sensitivity, and a deep respect for her individuality.
So far it has been a challenging roller coaster of highs and lows filled with absolute joy, appreciation and complete vulnerability. I have been integrating being in Pippa's presence into my daily activities as well as dedicated time to grow and develop her skills whilst ensuring that i see her communication and encourage her curiosity and confidence. She enjoys being the one to explore and make the decision to interact herself but is highly challenged when the opposite way around. She is definitely not one you can throw in without a comprehensive preparation of every detail. I am making sure I encourage openness through her mind and body towards what she fears, encouraging a posture that helps her to feel more confident and to prepare her well for each next step.
It is important to me that I don’t push her past her capabilities that may cause her to hurt herself or need to ‘fight’ to protect herself. My approach contrasts with methods that might do something to achieve a dramatic result or showcase their own ‘skill’ at the expense of the horse's comfort and trust. With Pippa it would be easy to just push a tiny bit and get a huge reaction that would make her seem dangerous but is actually just a prey animal with a high instinct for survival.
For me, training is not about seeking impressive results instead it's about prioritising what Pippa experiences and ensuring that her journey is positive and supportive built on deep rooted communication, connection and create an environment where she can thrive and develop confidence.
Pippa’s determination to learn despite her fear is absolutely incredible. She has been a reflection of self growth for me and I am fascinated and inspired by her. I am really looking forward to this journey with her!
Success cannot be measured, it has to be felt
5 weeks into the journey with my beautiful girl Pippa and the last few days we have made massive growth. She has learnt that pressure or touch on her body doesn’t mean she needs to flee but that she can feel it on her or in the space around her and think about what she needs to do. I started this with a bamboo stick that it can be near her and touch her, then that she can go around in a circle around me and then that she can walk/move and then come to a stop with it touching her. There were many small steps in between but it has really helped her understand that she can relax her muscles and breathe with something touching her/pressure around her. It has been amazing to see how smart she is as she has carried this over wonderfully into other aspects such as then being able to have a rope over her neck and teach her to be led from it. Even when she was unsure or had a challenging moment she would stop and think before reacting or if she ran a bit then she stopped and tried to figure it out. I am also very aware that she also doesn’t shut down and just cope with what is happening and shut down. It is really important to me that she is open and shows how she feels and from there I can help shape her responses to be most beneficial for her.
Week 7
I am so extremely thankful for this journey Pippa is taking me on. So much has happened in the last few weeks and we are making progress I was feeling like it would take 6 months to make. I am seeing more and more how sensitive and aware of her body and surroundings she is and just how smart she is. I had this beautiful moment with her where she felt thankful and appreciative of having a safe relationship with another living being and how the trust with me and what am teaching her about the world she lives in is helping her to become more confident and relaxed. Even with other horses she doesn’t really form connections with and is left out or picked on and then she feels she needs to protect herself which makes other horses not enjoy her company.
We came over a huge hurdle with our communication and that she can start to think before reacting out of flight instinct. Once she started to find this we very quickly progressed through to leading from a neck rope, leading from the halter, going into a bigger paddock, starting basic groundwork - continuation of our communication and teaching her about herself and how to respond to her environment in a more beneficial way. Her fast twitch muscles are very much trained to be her first pattern of reaction to anything new or that she is unsure about and her muscles tense very quickly, therefore her mind is also not in a place she can really be present and consciously think, rather her body goes into an involuntary contraction pattern.
Together we are discovering and being present in the moment with what will help her and I am really allowing her to have a lot of processing time and to down regulate her nervous system. We have started with having a rope around her belly, body, legs, picking up feet, leading from her feet, full brushing and touching all over, leading next to me, using a flag, using a saddle pad, releasing tension from her muscles, releasing tension from her mouth and much more. A few of her more prominent weaknesses are when there is something above her eyes or a building, roof etc and new people.
She is such a gift to my life and whilst at this stage it seems very far off to ride or even walk around the property I am excited to see her personal development and how she continues to thrive.