Wild Horse Mountain Farms

10/13/2025

The late Bettina Drummond once said, “I am the wrong person, at the wrong time and place in your horsemanship. You are going to be unable to hear me.”

I was listening to this wise woman on a podcast, the link to which you will find at the end of this post. Her words were an incredibly tactful way of saying, “Let me out. I am the wrong person for your job.”

Bettina was an otherworldly horsewoman, a goddess of the saddle whom too few of us had the opportunity to meet in real life. She had an amazing gift for reaching others by her example and her quiet surety, all the same.

It is so easy to want it more than your students do… and that never, ever works.

I listened raptly, thinking of all the times I have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. When I’ve been the wrong teacher for the pupil, who is perhaps still making excuses why her horse is shut down, or struggling. When I’ve been despairing of reaching another person who lacks the desire to strive for more feeling, or a more open mind…

When I've been asked to teach someone who wants something very different than what I offer, or believe in.

When people have been twisting my words, or deliberately misunderstanding my intentions. When I have been wronged, or made fun of, or found wanting. When I have beaten my head against a wall, whenever someone is committed to disagreeing with me, to just stop.

To resist the need to be heard, or be right. To back down with grace, before I am run over, or worse, grow any tougher. To not be hurt by those who are looking for my holes, whilst resolutely steering around their own. To let them be, whilst following my own north star.

To not live by trying to convince others to change their minds.

To humbly walk one’s path, keeping her eyes up, allowing her hands and heart to stay soft. Quietly inspiring those who are ready and open. This is the teacher’s goal.

***

What a beautiful message from a caring, giving mentor! Here’s the link to the whole conversation, “Talking About Horses” with host, Patrick King. This podcast is one to add to your library playlist, by the way. It never disappoints.

https://youtu.be/ziZkDmzd46M?si=erlZpTRp5AJmCxOI

Photo: Bettina Drummond riding her stallion Ilyad, by Mari Austad-Bourque.

10/12/2025

The Whole Horse: Seeing Beyond Behaviour

I’ve spent years teaching people how to work well with horses. It’s what I do best. But along the way, I discovered something profound - working well with a horse is about far more than influencing behaviour. Because behaviour can be influenced by many things.

When I started, I saw training problems as learning problems. A horse’s resistance or confusion usually came down to understanding or motivation. I got really good at training horses - clear, consistent, effective. But over time, I began to notice patterns that didn’t fit neatly into training theory.

Some horses understood what I was asking but still couldn’t perform with confidence. They hesitated, lost focus, or reacted strongly in certain situations. I realised their emotional associations mattered - how they felt about a task, a place, or a piece of equipment could shape their willingness to learn.

So I got good at checking saddles, bits, and gear, and at helping horses build positive emotional connections with their work. But it didn’t stop there. Because often, those emotions were being driven by physical discomfort.

Over time, I discovered that what we label as “behavioural” issues were often signs of something deeper - ulcers, sore feet, hock arthritis, kissing spine, and more. I became skilled at recognising signs of pain and referring horses for veterinary assessment. But even then, I knew I hadn’t reached the end of the puzzle. I wanted to understand why these problems developed in the first place.

So I kept studying. I have spent years meticulously tracking the root causes of problems - from the horse’s gut to their sensory systems, from posture to hoof balance, from management routines to emotional health. I’ve studied the research, completed courses, and learned from experts across disciplines.

And this is where I’m lucky - I bring a skill set to the horse world that is truly unique. My background in science and research allows me to see beyond the silos that often divide disciplines. I can bridge the academic and the practical, connecting evidence with real-world horsemanship. I know how to investigate systems, how to question assumptions, and how to find what actually matters.

I dedicate my life to this work. My ability to embrace both the analytical and the hands-on means I can help the equestrian world see the horse more clearly - not just through one lens of behaviour, training, or veterinary care, but through all of them together. I seek evidence, connection, and understanding. I identify what matters and why.

Because what I’ve discovered is this: it all matters.
If the feet are unbalanced, nutrition inadequate, training unclear, tack ill-fitting, management stressful, or routine compromised - your horse is at risk. Every one of these factors influences behaviour, health, and wellbeing. There is no single “most important” thing. It’s the whole horse that matters.

And here’s the truth - there are a lot of red herrings, half-truths, and glossy myths in the horse world. I’ve seen the spin, the pseudoscience, and the emotional manipulation that keeps good people stuck and spending money in all the wrong places. My work is about cutting through the noise. I help you get unstuck, see clearly, and invest your time, energy, and money where it actually benefits your horse - not where it feeds a guru’s ego or empty promise.

My goal is to make the big picture clear, practical, and empowering for horse owners. I’ve done the work to separate what truly matters from what’s rubbish, and to help you learn how to see what your horse is telling you - through their behaviour, body, and emotions.

That’s why I’ve created The Whole Horse Workshop.

This workshop is for anyone who no longer wants to feel confused or frustrated by their horse, but instead wants to understand what’s really going on beneath the surface. You’ll learn how to observe your horse with a trained eye, interpret what you see, and know what to do about it.

Come along and let me show you what I’ve discovered and they way you see your horse will be changed forever❤.

I have scheduled in 3 of these workshops into my event schedule:

NOVEMBER 22 2025

Location - Sherony Park 134 Read Road, Sutton, New South Wales.

20 MARCH 2026

Location - Nowa Nowa Community Hall, Nowa Nowa, Victoria.

17 APRIL 2026

Location - Ocean Foam Room, State Equestrian Centre Cathedral Avenue, Brigadoon, Western Australia

For more information & to register for the workshop see link below:

https://www.calmwillingconfidenthorses.com.au/blogs/workshop-the-whole-horse-raising-awareness-of-all-the-dimensions-that-shape-your-horse

10/11/2025

🧬 Biophilia Equus: The Evolutionary Trail That Explains Horse People

Yes, I’ve made up another new term.
And yes - as always - I’ve got a bloody good argument.

Let’s start with biophilia. It’s a fancy word dreamed up by biologist E.O. Wilson to explain something that’s uniquely human: we are wired to connect with nature and to be endlessly fascinated by it. It’s built into our ancient programming - the part of the brain that finds peace in trees, fascination in movement, and meaning in the company of living, breathing creatures.

Biophilia is the human instinct to be curious, to search for patterns, to understand and seek connection with the natural world - because deep down, we know we are all part of the one system.

But while most of the Western world has traded that connection for Wi-Fi and air-conditioning (and is paying for it with stress, mental health issues, and a buffet of metabolic diseases), a few of us still feel it strongly. Some are drawn to birds, others to forests or the sea.
But for us, it’s horses (okay and sometimes dogs at the same time too 🥰)

So, I hereby declare this subtype of human biophillia we horse people have is - Biophilia Equus.😎

It’s the strain of biophilia that makes otherwise sensible adults spend small fortunes and most of their free time with horses - accepting hay in the car, hair in the house, and making solemn promises not to wear new clothes near the stables (which last, on average, one week). We’ve known it since the moment we could walk: we’re the horse-drawn ones.

And it’s not madness.
It’s ancient memory.
Because once upon a time, one of our ancestors - one of us - looked at a horse and thought, “Hmm… what if we sit on it instead of eat it?”
Civilisation has been thanking us ever since.
Agriculture, transport, trade, exploration - all possible because a Biophilia Equus human, armed with curiosity and questionable risk assessment, decided to partner with a horse.😆

So when people ask why we do it - why we feel calm around horses, why their smell is therapy, and why we choose mud and hay over brunch and shoe shopping (unless it’s for new boots) - the answer is simple:

We’re the remnants of humanity that still remembers what it means to be drawn to nature.
Our nervous systems know how to tune to horses - not because we’re mystical, but because we’re anciently wired this way. While the rest of the world scrolls and swipes, we’re out there breathing, listening, and connecting to something older and truer.

So yes, I’ve made up a term.
But admit it - it fits.
We don’t just love horses.
We are Biophilia Equus — the humans wired to the horse.❤🐴

This is Collective Advice Entey 49/365 of my notebook challenge that spreads good ideas and interesting insights to be SAVE or hit SHARE to help others (but no copying and pasting 🤓).

10/11/2025

The Frustration and Conundrum of the Herd-Bound Horse 😡

You take your horse out of the paddock at home and suddenly you’re in the middle of an equine meltdown. They’re acting with enough drama and resistance to suggest you’ve requested a blood sacrifice to the gods of separation anxiety. Yet, bizarrely, when you truck them off to a new place - complete with unfamiliar horses, foreign smells, and the haunting scream of the loudspeaker - they’re… if not angelic, at least less apocalyptic.

You get to a point where it feels impossible to ride at home.😫

Perplexing? Only if you forget that the horse is a herd animal.

Their entire survival software is programmed for togetherness. Multiple eyes, noses, and ears equal safety. At home, their herd is visible, audible, and gloriously smellable. Every fibre of their nervous system is screaming:

“There’s my safety net. My safe place. I don’t want to leave it and endure fight club with you.”😱

Take them somewhere new, though, and that safety net evaporates. No herd, no home, no familiar arguments. So they do the only logical thing: attach their sense of security to the one familiar thing left - you. The new arena hasn’t yet been contaminated by the ghosts of all those domestic battles where you lost your temper and your dignity. It’s a clean slate. A trauma-free sandpit.

So no, your horse isn’t being naughty, spiteful, or a total d!ck at home. It’s survival maths. When age, pain, stress, or poor handling make them feel fragile, the herd magnet turns up to eleven. The shakier they feel, the tighter they cling.😥

Before you resign yourself to hitching up the float every time you want to ride, or put months of hope into sitting in their paddock meditating with heart-breathing exercises, try a little logic:

1️⃣Check comfort first. Pain, hoof issues, gut grumbles - anything that makes them feel fragile will turbocharge herd -bound chaos. Comfortable horses are far less reliant on others to feel safe.

2️⃣Rebuild the partnership. Help your horse learn that you’re a reliable source of safety - someone they can understand, navigate, and interact with without conflict or discomfort.

Because training isn’t domination - it’s education. It’s giving them enough reference points to say:

“I know this. I can handle this. I’m safe.”😅

And if you ever catch yourself muttering, “Why is he worse at home?” — remember: you’re not fighting defiance. You’re negotiating with millions of years of evolutionary programming and an animal whose herding instinct lights up the moment they predict threat or feel alarmed.

And the good news? You can change that—once you understand what it is ❤

This is my Collectable Advice Entry 43 / 365 of my notebook challenge. Please hit SAVE, SHARE (because people need to understand this as it is so badly misunderstood)....but please no copying or pasting‼

IMAGE 📸: My mare in this photo couldn't care less about leaving her paddock until she got older and more crippled from her injuries and issues of old age. Then she got very herd bound and difficult to remove from her paddock or have others leave her - as its the same thing that causes both.

See comments for more insight...

10/10/2025

Stuff can go wrong. Oh boy can it go wrong

If you’re around horses, it’s not a matter of if, but when.

But whether or not you learn from them, or become a victim of circumstance and chance is totally up to you.

The moments after a wreck or accident matter. Once you’ve all regrouped, attended to what needs attending to - injuries, repairs, some deep breathing - it’s time to take stock in what happened.

There are SOME freak accidents, but most could have prevented. Could’ve would’ve should’ve is actually helpful when trying to learn from a situation. At this point you have several options: let your pride and embarrassment swallow up any chances of learning and pretend it isn’t in any way your fault, or, become so engrossed in self blame that you are wallowing in pity to the point you can’t move on.

Being that neither one is super helpful, another option is:

Try to remember what happened.
What went wrong? Can you pinpoint an actual moment? Was there a judgement call made that turned out to not be right?

Were there skill sets missing on your part or the horses or those around you?
Were emotions involved? Time constraints? Social pressures?

What regrets do you now have that can help move you forward in a positive direction?

I find guilt to not be super productive because of its close association with shame - but some amount allows us to look accurately at what needs to change.

To err is human, to forgive divine -
But forgiving ourselves, I believe, means learning from the mistake so we can prevent it from happening again.

And if possible, make amends with those we failed. Ignorance harms many horses - we can’t avoid making mistakes from ignorance. But we can help those we have from our learning or pay it forward.

My path to education is littered with mistakes. Many very, very preventable that I now can help guide people to avoid. I owe a lot of horses many apologies for my ignorance and sometimes emotional interferences - and I try my best to now pay that forward. I’m sure there will be more, but each time I learn better how to accept my mistake without deflecting blame and trying to make up for it.

It can be pretty hard to be human sometimes. Horses are masters at teaching us how to be the best humans we can be.

Here’s me getting very lucky and learning from one such mistake

10/06/2025

10/03/2025

10/01/2025

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