Category: Academy Online Courses

Lunging is a traditional means of exercising horses for lots of different reasons; whether that is for weight loss, to help them learn to move with better bio-mechanical balance on a circle in order to develop their asymmetries or to help desensitise them to wearing tack during their initial backing. In the majority of cases, […]

I am hugely excited to announce the arrival of the Equi-libre Horses brand spanking, whoopsidoodle new website. This website hosts The Academy of Positive Horsemanship Club. Months of work has resulted in this amazing site, the changes are absolutely fantastic – even if I might say so myself 😉 I cant wait to share them […]

Hey, Jo Hughes here! Positive reinforcement training is known for enriching horses lives by giving them choice. It gives them some control over their behavioural outcomes as well as allowing them to gain rewarding consequences as a result. Adding in consent training to that positive reinforcement training can offer yet another layer of choice still […]

I spend a lot of time explaining the differences between standard ‘clicker training’ and using emotionally focused training techniques. But what exactly does that mean when it is translated into practical training? This FREE video explains exactly what I mean by emotionally-focused training for relaxation and WHY that develops truly confident, empowered horses as compared to standard clicker […]

The Half Pass The Half Pass is when the horse moves diagonally forwards with a small amount of flexion towards the direction they’re travelling. The forehand can be very slightly ahead of the hindquarters. The purpose of this exercise in classical training is to develop the strength of the horses’ outside hind leg. Conventional Classical […]

I place HUGE emphasis and focus on touch acceptance within my programme both inside The Academy as well as in my one to one coaching. Here’s why… Many horses don’t actually enjoy being touched or scratched by humans due to unpleasant or even painful classical associations which have been paired with human touch due to […]

My personal training journey has been expanding into more advanced areas over the last while as my young horse’s education has been developing. One of these areas is what Ken Ramirez, Executive Vice-President and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training, calls ‘Concept Training’. One of these concepts is called ‘Adduction’. Adduction Adduction takes us into the realms of […]

Prof. Jaak Panksepp is one of the most important researchers within the field of neuroscience. He has found 7 core emotional systems within the brain which are present in ALL mammals: Primal Emotional Circuits SEEKING – “the basic impulse to search, investigate, and make sense of the environment” FEAR – All mammals feel FEAR when […]

Getting the foundations strong and solid when wanting to train with food is THE single most important piece of the puzzle for successful training using positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement training is certainly a very effective training technique. But it’s important to get started with strong foundations which will set you up for making great progress […]

One of the areas within training behaviours positively that some people find hard to grasp, is the concept and purpose of proofing behaviours after the initial learning phase has been completed. This is something that is covered thoroughly within The Academy for our Members. All behaviours and their cues first need to be formed positively and then actively […]