Natural Solutions: Offers gentle, effective, natural solutions to challenging equine behaviour, with easy to learn horsemanship skills to help you and your horse develop a better understanding, and to overcome problem issues such as; Difficulty loading, napping, rearing, bucking, biting, kicking, clipper phobia, lack of confidence, spookiness, separation anxiety........Also starting youngsters, long-line training, schooling, traffic-proofing, hacking out and general ground handling.
Dida Wales is a Freelance Instructor in Holistic Horsemanship, and a Monty Roberts student through Intelligent Horsemanship. She is fully insured and has over 20 years experience of working with challenging horse behaviour. 'If there's a niggle in your equine relationship, then getting a little help is the sensible choice - battling on alone, you risk losing your confidence, frightening both of you, and worse still, losing sight of why we all do this.............because we love it!!!'
CS: 'I feel so much more confident'.
PH: Exceptional!'
ET: 'Thank you so much for all your time and expertise'.
MB: "I was impressed by the loading session and very pleased with the end result. The clear and simple demonstration and instruction meant I learnt alot in a short time. My previous experiences of loading were so often a rushed affair which just focussed on getting the horse in and the doors closed, however my whole perception of loading has now changed and definitely for the better. I now have the confidence that my horse will load and the knowledge I need to handle each separate stage of both loading and unloading on my own. I would certainly recommend these sessions to others."
My journey to holistic horsemanship...........
As a 'mature' rider and owner of a gorgeous young WB (see picture on services page), I ensured that I invested in good quality well fitted tack, a qualified EDT, an experienced equine chiropractor and lots of lessons with a superb instructor. Unfortunately, none of these things told me 'how to be' around my horse which was fundamental to the success of our relationship. When I looked to others on my livery yard for guidance and advice it did take quite some effort to communicate the fact that I felt I had some responsibility for my part of the deal, and didn't want to blame my horse for not understanding me. I knew I needed to be 'boss' but did that mean dominant? Did assertive behaviour have to look aggresive? I wanted to enjoy spending time with my horse, but didn't know if being his mate and grooming partner would put me lower down on the pecking order.....silly as these concerns may seem now, but at the time finding the answer became far more important than achieving that left elusive lead canter!!
Nearly ten years on, and I realise that the correct pitching of this relationship is absolutely fundamental to the success of all areas of horsemanship, and more than any specific skill, this is what I spend most time helping people with. Once you're confident in your position, and appreciate your responsibilities within the partnership, improvements are almost immediate.
These pictures show how useful the round pen can be; Wizzard's owner had him at home for several months and hadn't been able to touch him. By working with Wizzard loose in the pen using pressure and release techniques, we were able to give him a nice scratch. All achieved quietly, calmly and within a couple of hours.
Tip: Look for the slightest try, and immediately reward (by ceasing to ask and relaxing). Be consistent, your horse is always learning whether you're training or not!