For River's birthday we did something special! Happy 6th birthday River! Have you ever taken your horses hiking? And do your horses like to swim? I'd love to hear all about it! www.thewillingequine.com

Have you ever heard the term "start button" for horse training? In this video, I explain briefly what they are, why we use them, and how to go about creating one for your horse to use! Start button behaviors are a fantastic way to develop communication, trust, and confidence in your relationship with your horse. They are a powerful tool in overcoming fear and reactivity to certain objects, or in cases where the horse needs to tolerate medical care and handling of some kind. Whether you're wanting to get your horse to: 🐎 Put on a blanket 🪰 Put on a fly mask 💉 Accept an injection 👅 Take oral meds 👁️ Put in eye ointment 🌡️ Take their temperature... ...start buttons are a fantastic way to help you achieve that! -- This is a quick excerpt from my longer educational series on start buttons for horse training that is in The Willing Equine Academy. www.thewillingequine.com/academy -- Please note this is NOT intended to be a full explanation or tutorial, but rather a quick look at what start buttons are and how they are used. -- Interested in learning more about start buttons and cooperative care? ⬇️⬇️ To learn more about start buttons, cooperative care, and consent-based training please check out these educational resources. https://www.thewillingequine.com/post/consent-in-horse-training https://iaabcjournal.org/cooperative-care/ https://vetcaretraining.com/cooperative-equine-veterinary-care-way-to-go/ https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cooperative+care+horse+ https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-28/november-2015/choice-and-control-animals-captivity https://www.clickertraining.com/beyond-clicking-and-treating-the-power-of-choice

I'm sure you guys have all heard the saying "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink!". Well.. I'm hear to tell that while I don't recommend *making* them do anything, you can certainly train them to drink! This is particularly useful for when horses are reluctant to stop during training sessions to drink, get dehydrated easily, are prone to choke (and so need frequent water breaks), or when you're on the road and you need to give your horse water at rest stops! Adele Shaw, CHBC (certified horse behavior consultant) www.thewillingequine.com Instagram & Tiktok: @thewillingequine Twitter: @willingequine Facebook: The Willing Equine Blog: thewillingequine.com/blog Podcast: thewillingequine.com/podcast or "The Willing Equine" Join the TWE Academy and enroll in the Foundation Course: thewillingequine.com/academy

Chances are... if you're one of my students or clients, you've seen this box and most of this training gear! In this video I show you in detail everything I travel with, why I travel with it, and talk about a few extras not shown in the video. Adele Shaw, CHBC (certified horse behavior consultant) www.thewillingequine.com Instagram & Tiktok: @thewillingequine Twitter: @willingequine Facebook: The Willing Equine Blog: thewillingequine.com/blog Podcast: thewillingequine.com/podcast or "The Willing Equine" Join the TWE Academy and enroll in the Foundation Course: thewillingequine.com/academy

Before you get on, there's some stuff you should do to prepare your horse for a rider when. Well.. there's MANY things. But here are two that are related to mounting and feeding from the saddle. To learn more about riding with R+/clicker training consider joining the TWE Academy! We have courses all about riding with clicker training plus SO much more. www.thewillingequine.com/academy Enrollment is open every few months and it fills up fast! Jump on the first-to-know list.

This is a little bit different video than I normally do for this channel. But I thought you guys might like to see some of my favorite "behind the scenes" moments from December 2021. Plus, I wanted to leave you guys with one last video for 2021 before going away for the holidays. I'm so looking forward to returning in January and creating new and fresh content for YouTube! Have a wonderful holiday season everyone. You are so loved and appreciated. ❤️❤️ Thank you for supporting me via engaging with this channel and in every other way that you do. You guys are the best! See you guys in 2022! 🥂🎊🎉 www.thewillingequine.com

If you think giving horses food in training is bribery, listen to this. Not too long ago I posted a video talking about inviting horses to participate in the training session, rather than "catching" them. This video went over well on Instagram and YouTube, but TikTok got quite upset with me for giving my horses a few hay pellets when they came to me! Many people called it bribery and fake horsemanship. Basically saying that the horses should do it "just because". They did not offer an alternative option that was as low stress or as positive for both humans and horses... Just said food was bribery. I also got a lot of comments about how dangerous it was to hand feed! How it created pushy dangerous horses. This video is my response! And I thought I would share it here in case any of my lovely followers here have their doubts or get these questions/criticisms too. Oh an of course, I just HAD to share my new www.woofcultr.com sweater and tshirts. Use code TWE15 at checkout! www.thewillingequine.com @thewillingequine on all social media platforms!

Relationship building begins when you first arrive. When your horse first acknowledges your presence. This is where I first offer my horses a choice. They can choose to participate or not, and this sets the foundation for the rest of the experience we have together. To learn more about training this way, check out The Willing Equine Academy. www.thewillingequine.com/academy The Willing Equine offers courses, memberships, consultations, clinics, internships, lessons, and private training. We are based in Spicewood, TX.

Rest in peace my beautiful Tiger. We miss you every day. Thank you so much for sharing with me, and with the world, all that you had to give. You were such a blessing to all who knew you. From the first time I met you, I knew we were meant to be. Nothing could change my mind. We had a bumpy start it's true. But you filled a hole in my life I didn't know exsisted. You made me a better person, and you inspired a whole generation of horse people. You made the world a better place, and you probably didn't even realize it while you were here. I love you, we love you, rest in peace my sweet Tiger.