LIBERTY

"Liberty" is synonymous with freedom, independence, autonomy and choice. These are all elements that are felt rather than something that is done physically. There are many liberty methods that revolve around teaching the horse to be obedient enough to stay with the trainer regardless of the absence of equipment. Nadine's main priority in her liberty training is the connection between horse and human and ensuring that the horse truly feels that he has a choice. When the horse willingly chooses to participate, his expression is very different from that of an obedient horse. As your horse becomes more connected and motivated, you can begin to encourage more energy and play! Nadine also loves incorporating "power postures" and collected movements to boost the horse's confidence and to promote strength, balance, suppleness and straightness!

TRICK TRAINING

Trick training is a fantastic way to improve your connection with your horse. Unlike training for a competition, there is no pressure around teaching tricks! It is literally just for fun! This brings a whole new energy to your training session and your horse will feel the lack of expectations and pressure. Teaching tricks also gives you and your horse something fun to "talk about" to improve your communication (and thus your relationship!). Some tricks require a lot of trust from your horse (such as lying down or bowing) and gives you an opportunity to show your horse that you are not going to hurt him when he is in a vulnerable position.

DRESSAGE: Groundwork & In-Hand

"Dressage for the horse, not the horse for the dressage"

The Academic Art of Riding is a form of dressage based on the old masters. The aim is to promote the horse's physical and mental well-being through gymnastic exercises that improve strength, balance, suppleness and straightness. The horse can be exercised through groundwork, in-hand, lunging, long-reining or ridden. Nadine also incorporates many of these principles into her liberty training.

RIDING

Nadine derives most of her riding principles from the Academic Art of Riding and liberty training. She aims to help you improve your communication with your horse and help you ensure that your horse is physically and mentally comfortable with being ridden.

YOUNG HORSES

While Nadine does not take horses in for training, she can help you start and handle your young or green horse. Nadine prioritizes low stress and positive experiences for all horses, but especially those that are green and/or lacking confidence!

PROBLEM SOLVING

Many horses struggle in this world for various reasons. When the struggle becomes too much to handle, most horses will develop what we would label as "bad" or "problem" behaviours. Nadine first uses her background as a veterinarian to assess for physical pain and also assesses the horse's lifestyle to see if this may be contributing to the issue before focusing on training.

EQUINE PSYCHOLOGY

Nadine bases most of her training on the science of equine psychology - how horses think, learn and why they behave the way they do. Understanding the similarities and differences between horse and human minds and emotions has a massive impact on the way we interpret their behaviour and how we then respond to that behaviour. It is crucial to understand *why* something does or doesn't work and what evidence there is behind it in order to ensure that we choose the most appropriate and ethical approach to training and caring for our horses.

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE ASSESSMENT

A big part of setting your horse up for success is to ensure he is happy and healthy mentally and physically (inside and outside of the training space!). Nadine draws on her veterinary background to help you ensure that your horse is living his best life to maximize his motivation and ability to say YES to your guidance during training!

**Note: Nadine does not provide diagnostics, treatment or prescription services at this time. Please call your local vet if your horse requires veterinary attention.