I bought my Connemara, Ozzie at the sales in Kilkenny about 13 years ago. The first few years were really difficult. He was nervous & spooky.

He was terrified of everything from girths to poles on the ground (which he used to bolt over). And every time I thought we had made some progress together, we would just slide right back to the start again. 

I used to joke that he was a ‘groundhog day’ horse.

I hit rock bottom so many times with Ozzie, I stopped counting.

My one thought that kept me going, was that if Ozzie could put as much effort into working WITH me, as he did trying to AVOID any sort of partnership together, he would be a phenomenal horse. 

And a few years later, it’s still hard to believe that my lovely Ozzie (who I love to bits and is AMAZING!) is now inspiring other horse owners who also have ‘not so easy’ horses. 

I want to introduce you to one of my American students, Kathy who has been working on liberty horse training with her horse.

Kathy lives in the USA, and has a horse called Sunny. He reminds her a lot of Ozzie. 

“My horse Sunny is another ‘Ozzie’ (Elaine’s Connemara). I have had to go back to the very beginning when I got him. Start over completely. I’ve had him since last May. I couldn’t get him to even touch my hand and now he will. After listening to Elaine in Dancing at Liberty, I now feel that I don’t have to rush it. I love Elaine’s ideas about connecting with them. I have always tried to listen to my horse however, Elaine has taught me some new ways of listening. Thank you for explaining what you’re doing and then showing us. That really helps.”

I can tell you 110% that horses are not easy. 

We all know it’s not apples & rainbows when working with a horse!

But when we slow down, and put in the time to build the connection, that’s when the magic can happen. 

And I’ve seen so many times how useful liberty horse training can be, with our students all over the world.

So if you are working with a horse today, and you’re feeling stuck… take a deep breath, listen to the horse & see if you can go slower, expect less & work on the partnership rather than the performance. 

And try some liberty work to build that connection together.

Because that’s when it all changed for Ozzie & I.