Upcoming Courses - Monty Roberts Introductory Training Programme
- The introductory course is the first step to gaining an in-depth understanding of Monty's concepts. Learn the art of Join Up, Long Lining, Ground Manners, plus an eye opening exploration of Horse Psychology that will leave you understanding horses in a whole new light
- Run Laira Gold, who is also a trained NLP coach with 9 years of horsemanship teaching experience
- Plenty of individual hands-on work with the horses
- Option to bring your own horse or work with our wide range of varied personalities
- Maximum of 4 students to allow for plenty of 1x1 coaching and hands-on experience with the horses; intimate yet relaxed learning environment
- 5-days intensive - held once per year, normally in May / June. Please register your interest if you would like to join us for 2020.
- £200 deposit to book. Learn more
- £995 which includes all the field study required to prepare for the Introductory Exams
1x1 Personal Development Sessions...
Supporting You To Do the Change-Work that May be Impacting Your Horse
Whereas many trainers only focus on the horse, I can help you do the personal change-work that may be blocking you and your horse's ability to move forward. As a UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist, I include one-on-one coaching for you as part of my service.
Maybe your horse has suddenly starting napping with you, she's become difficult to catch for no apparent reason, or seems anxious and uncharacteristically tricky to handle. Or perhaps it is a new partnership and you are both a little unsure of each other. Quite often, the horse is reflecting a dynamic that is more about us humans, than it is about the horse. And taking the time to explore our own 'stuff' could have a significant impact on your relationship with your horse.
Exploring your 'Self' in this way may be your first step in addressing your horse's issue. However, often clients have tried many behaviour and training techniques before they reach the conclusion that the issue might reside within us. Whatever your path has been towards taking a more introspective look, I bet your horse will breathe a huge sigh of relief on this next leg of the journey...
To find out more, click here.
What do others say about working with Laira?
"Watching Laira work with Wren was like watching a dance - what I was aware of most was the quality of her presence - confident and gentle and flowing - the horse clearly drew comfort, reassurance and security from this. It is a quality that, with an enormous amount of practice, I hope to emulate!", Sarah
"Thank you for the wonderful course. We have a completely new relationship and I am learning my horse's language constantly… its amazing!" Anne
"Since your training I have continued with the double line longing and long reining and things been going well with the saddling. I backed him today and Jay was perfectly behaved. Happy days 😊. I took a photo of me riding Jay and I've had the picture printed out and going to frame it as it just lifts me when I see what we've achieved and where we are. Thank you for your help in reaching this point with Jay, I probably didn't think it was achievable 12 months ago!" Karina
" At my age (75) this was a once in a lifetime - not to be missed at any price. I shall remember the moment of Join Up and Follow Up as long as I live", Malcolm
"Thank you again for a great day on Saturday, Angie and I really enjoyed it and have both taken home lots of new and useful ideas, two of which we have both tried out on our horses with instant good results!" Christine
"I am familiar with [Monty's concepts] and found a number of them had developed since I last worked on Join-Up. This time [with Laira] there was more explanation of why something was done and thus why it had the effect it did. It was easy to ask questions throughout the day as we went along, which meant that when things didn't go to plan we were able to work out why quickly, without having to save questions to the end - when I've normally forgotten them." Katy
"Thank you for the wonderful course. We have a completely new relationship and I am learning my horse's language constantly… its amazing!" Anne
"Since your training I have continued with the double line longing and long reining and things been going well with the saddling. I backed him today and Jay was perfectly behaved. Happy days 😊. I took a photo of me riding Jay and I've had the picture printed out and going to frame it as it just lifts me when I see what we've achieved and where we are. Thank you for your help in reaching this point with Jay, I probably didn't think it was achievable 12 months ago!" Karina
" At my age (75) this was a once in a lifetime - not to be missed at any price. I shall remember the moment of Join Up and Follow Up as long as I live", Malcolm
"Thank you again for a great day on Saturday, Angie and I really enjoyed it and have both taken home lots of new and useful ideas, two of which we have both tried out on our horses with instant good results!" Christine
"I am familiar with [Monty's concepts] and found a number of them had developed since I last worked on Join-Up. This time [with Laira] there was more explanation of why something was done and thus why it had the effect it did. It was easy to ask questions throughout the day as we went along, which meant that when things didn't go to plan we were able to work out why quickly, without having to save questions to the end - when I've normally forgotten them." Katy
Join-Up Demonstration with DodgeWhether you are looking to improve your horsemanship skills in a fun and respectful learning environment, or take part in our experiential Organisational Coaching sessions, click below to find out here how the horse can be a powerful metaphor for creating stress-free rewarding partnerships...
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'Natural' Horsemanship & 'Horse Whispering'
Our style of horsemanship is often referred to as 'Natural Horsemanship' or 'Horse Whispering'. However, in the pure sense of the word, from the moment we enter our horse's pen and ask him to stand still while we catch him, there is nothing 'natural' about this process for the horse. So how do we define our horsemanship approach...?
Our style of horsemanship is often referred to as 'Natural Horsemanship' or 'Horse Whispering'. However, in the pure sense of the word, from the moment we enter our horse's pen and ask him to stand still while we catch him, there is nothing 'natural' about this process for the horse. So how do we define our horsemanship approach...?
...Defining our horsemanship approach
Our style can be described by these three key principles:
Good horsemanship means no one is trying to change the horse. Instead of working against the horse's natural instincts, we are working with them. It's the same with effective people change-work. We provide an optimum environment in which the person or horse can learn for herself. Because of the many parallels between horse training and people training, Monty Roberts horsemanship principles have been successfully used in corporate work, individual coaching, youth and veteren programmes for over a decade.
- Intrinsic Learning - actively encouraging the horse to explore his options, allowing him to make as many mistakes as he likes, while providing clear consistent guidance with each step. Isn't this how teenagers and, in fact, all human-beings learn too...?
- Pacing or matching the horse's instinctual needs and wants in life. Horses, as prey animals, view rest as a reward far greater than food. "No blade of grass has ever run from a horse", (M.Roberts).
- Shaping - within a training session, when the horse gives us just a fraction of the response we are looking for, how often do we strive on, desperate for that final result? By breaking the task down and rewarding each small step, the horse starts to learn he can influence his experience. For example, say your horse is worried about the clippers. As human beings we are often short of time, and want to get the job done asap! However, if the horse learns that when he stands still the clippers are turned off or go further away, not only does this reduce adrenaline but it also gets the horse thinking for himself. Next time, he can stand a little longer before the clippers get turned off. And so we work in degrees of successive approximations until we reach the final behaviour. Timing is everything!
Good horsemanship means no one is trying to change the horse. Instead of working against the horse's natural instincts, we are working with them. It's the same with effective people change-work. We provide an optimum environment in which the person or horse can learn for herself. Because of the many parallels between horse training and people training, Monty Roberts horsemanship principles have been successfully used in corporate work, individual coaching, youth and veteren programmes for over a decade.
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Got a horse ready for backing, tricky to load or needs handling? We are currently looking for horses to take part in our courses and demonstrations. This can be a great learning opportunity for your horse and is completely free of charge. Potential benefits for the unstarted, uneducated or 'problem' horse include
If you can get your horse to the Bucks / Oxon border please get in touch. |
