As a keen amateur dressage rider, I spent many years searching for the Holy Grail of horse training and travelled to Europe hoping to discover how to achieve that elusive and largely undefined “connection” that makes for a successful rider/trainer. Ironically, I found the answers to how horses learn and therefore how to maximize training efficiency and vastly improve welfare, whilst studying Equitation Science here in Australia.
Equitation Science and Learning Theory has provided me with a benchmark by which to measure all types of training systems and methods. It allows me to objectively view any interactions between people and horses, identify where any errors may have occurred and, most importantly, gives me the tools to fix them. The ongoing support and access to resources provided to me after graduating with an Associate Diploma in ES has been invaluable. ES has revolutionized the way I train, handle horses and coach riders. No other “method” is subject to the same scrutiny and peer-review. As a scientist, I appreciate that I now train and coach using proven methods rather than those founded on hear-say and good marketing. My only regret is that I didn’t take this journey earlier, but I have now been set upon a path from which I will not deviate.