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 Natural Horsemanship in Scotland

Horsemanship training in Scotland is for those wanting a good bond/connection with their horse. By finding how each horse thinks and applying natural horsemanship methods that work for them as an individual. This helps work towards the horse being more balanced, confident, co-ordinated and more connected from his brain to his feet and to their human.

Once started on this journey I introduce alpha phass of intent to bring about a lighter relationship that has almost invisible communication.

My four strategies of training are: Relaxation, Co-operation, Impulsion and Flexibility and these work in combination in the area's of confidence, rhythm, balance, energy and straightness.



Effective Communication

Horsemanship can help with safety and confidence issues, for the horse and human, and starts basic training from the ground so that a good foundation is established. This communication can then be used effectively when in the saddle. Working towards lightness, relaxation and impulsion from the ground first can make ridden work more enjoyable and understandable for you and your horse. I teach online, liberty and ridden classes with a speciality in helping horses and riders go bitless so that they can stay bitless or so that when they go back to being bitted they are using their legs/hands/seat connection effectively.



A Closer Relationship with Your Horse

Each step is a step towards having a confident, happy horse and rider that work together in a willing harmonious partnership. As the horse/human relationship grows things like barging, biting, kicking and unhappy trailer loading will disappear and it will show you the techniques for riding with or without a bit.

I work throughout Scotland on a one-to-one basis.



Horse Agility

I am a Horse Agility Accredited Trainer (HAAT)

This means that I can come out on a one-to-one basis or train a few students at a time for Horse Agility. HA is a fun, horsemanship based sport that you either to to an event for OR train at home for OLHA (on line horse agility), I can help with both. I have had a lot of fun training and filming OLHA events with my horses Solly and Stormy and managed to win 6 online HA events in 2011, ranging from starter, first, medium and advanced levels. 

OLHA is HA done at home, videoed and sent in to the HA office, there it is viewed, judged and scored according to HA rules by Vanessa Bee, founder of HA and OLHA. To be a part of this fast growing sport go to www.thehorseagilityclub.com to fidn out more and to become a member.


Here is Solly and my winning entry of May 2011 where we scored 100%


       

About Me

My Horsemanship Journey

I have been passionate about horses all my life. For many years as a young girl I would help out at my local livery and riding schools learning the basics of horse handling/keeping skills. As a young lady, in London, I spent most of my wages on riding lessons where I was taught dressage and jumping.

Since owning my own horses I have thought hard about how I would like to be around them and how I would like to train them. I decided that Natural Horsemanship was the positive and progressive way forward, not only for my horses and their confidence, but for me and my confidence too. I have studied Horsemanship on a full time basis since 2000 and have be instructing students on their horses since 2004.

I now own 4 horses, with my husband here in Perthshire Scotland, and they range from a 15hh gypsy cob, two warmbloods and an 18.2hh Shire. I have brought all these horses up to a safe, confident level of horsemanship and two of them are being brought through too a more skilled level now.

I took up Horse Agility in 2011 and was the first winner of the OLHA tests in Feb 2011. OLHA is online Horse Agility where you set up the course at home, practice, it and video yourself with your horse doing the course. Then you send it in to the HA club (if you are a member) and get it judged by Vannessa Bee, the HA club founder. 

Solly and I have had a lot of fun doing these monthly tests. I am now a HAAT (Horse Agility Accredited Trainer) and help train others to do the tests of this fast growing horsemanship sport.

To see my past tests go here: http://horsesavvy1.blogspot.co.uk/

Hope to see you somewhere along the trail

Shelley Newton-Carter

Lessons

NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP LESSONS

Working throughout Scotland on a one-to-one basis.

I specialise in Natural Horsemanship ground work online and at liberty and also bitless bridle riding techniques.


Safety Stage 1:
This involves getting to grips with horsemanship tools and a basic understanding of communcation with your horse. Teaching you to teach your own horse how to be calm and relaxed whilst having respect of your space and requests. lessons involve ground work and ridden work in walk and trot. Riding skills are started by learning to use your seat connection well and for the horse to learn to listen to your body aids.

Equipment: For good results use a natural rope halter, 12' lead rope and a short training arm with string attached. I teach bitless riding with a rope halter and lead rope made into reins.


Confidence Stage 2:
In this level I bring in teaching about true alpha phases of intent and work towards more lightness, understanding and communication between you and your horse. This level is about having more fun and will help you and your horse find more confidence with obstacles and tasks. Learning how to help your horse become more flexible and balanced with willing obedience and a better understanding of impulsion. The ground and ridden work at this level is in walk, trot and the start of canter. Ridden work is getting more refined with the body aids and that can be taken to riding with a bit as well. It is also the stage that liberty work can be started if the connection is good. 

Equipment: For good results with this stage a 22' lead rope is required. Bitless riding with either a halter/rope, natural rope hackamore or bitless bridle that suits your horse.


Experienced Stage 3:
This level is for those that have already gone through stages 1&2. We start working with the 45' line and long reins and the three gaits of walk, trot and canter are now used. Everything is becoming more refined and the liberty work is fun and checks our 'connection' with our horse. Ridden work is bitless either with a rope halter/clip on reins or a bitless bridle and we use much more subtle aids now. The start of lateral work can now be applied when riding (which can be transferred to riding with a bridle/bit if you so choose to do at home). I personally teach riding lessons bitless to help reinforce the body aids but all ridden work is about getting that weight/seat/leg/hand connection with lightness.

Equipment: For good results with this stage a 45' line and two 22' lines (either normal or featherlight) are required. Rope halter/clip on reins and bitless bridles are recommended.


Video Service:
I offer a service to video Natural Horsemanship Auditions which insludes editing and uploading to YouTube to send off for grading. Coaching and choreographing auditions is available if needed.

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All lessons are at the student/horses own pace and unconfidence/fear issues worked on before accomplishing goals. I also am very safety conscious and insist on the wearing of hard hats for ridden work. Any pictures of me without a hat are from before I became an instructor, hats are always required for insurance reasons for ridden lessons ;)

I have Freelance Horsemanship Instructor insurance cover.

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