Kate Johnstone Equestrian Coaching

05/06/2026

Interesting -worth a read over your tea n biscuit!

Our charity will reveal results of annual YouGov opinion poll at a briefing for horse sport leaders and the media on 3rd June.

04/06/2026

What do you see? 👇 This is what we see. Perhaps you see differently?

1. Mouth and Lip Seal

Top horse
* The lips parted, mouth open
* The tongue maybe blue from compression
* Excessive saliva dripped onto the chest
* The horse’s lip seal broken for correct breathing
* Nostrils tight, nose wrinkled

Bottom horse
* Lips and mouth closed
* No disruption of the mouth
* No saliva
* Natural appearance of muzzle

2. Head and Neck Posture

Top horse
* The neck has visible “break” or acute angle in the upper-to-mid cervical region
* Head behind the vertical
* Neck posture highly compressed
* The throat lash area compressed

Bottom horse
* Head in front of the vertical
* Poll is highest point
* Neck less compressed.
* Open angle through throat-latch

3. Rein Contact

Top horse
* Reins visibly taut
* Visible tension on the bits - the shank bit especially compressing the tongue and causing the mouth to open

Bottom horse
* No reins
* No bit
* Self-carriage
* No compression on the sensitive oral cavity so mouth closed

4. Forelimb Loading

Top horse
* One forelimb elevated dramatically, does not match hind leg elevation
* Supporting forelimb loading significant proportion of body mass, fetlock is severely distended

Bottom horse
* Forelimb and hind limb elevation match
* Loading on supporting forelimb is not severe

5. Facial Expression

Top horse
* Eye is tense.
* Muzzle is tight
* Mouth movement is visible

Bottom horse
* Eye is soft
* Muzzle is relaxed
* No mouth movement

Given the growing body of evidence that bits cause pain and that hyper flexion is a recognised welfare concern, why do governing bodies continue to require bitted competition while excluding modern ethical bit-free bridle alternatives? Is it because the top horse could not be ridden without force and pain due to inadequate and inappropriate training?

25/05/2026

Set this off when you’re next doing horse jobs - totally love this and exactly why I have done a MSc in Equitation Science

What would make a five-star eventer say that being named an Olympic alternate was the lowest point of his career?

That's where our latest conversation begins.

Matt Brown and Cecily Clark are a husband-and-wife team from Pennsylvania - he's a five-star eventer, she rides FEI dressage. Last December they wrote an open letter to the equestrian world, and thousands responded. Not with outrage. With recognition.

When Meta and I sat down with them, what unfolded was a conversation between four people with very different vantage points on the horse world - a five-star eventer, an FEI dressage rider, an equine vet and an equine welfare scientist - realising they've all been asking the same questions.

Questions like: why does chasing the top so often mean leaving your values at the gate? How much of what we do is shaped by never really being taught how horses experience the world? And what would the sport look like if we measured success differently?

Matt and Cecily don't claim to have the answers. They talk openly about their own mistakes, about coaching that prioritised results over the relationship, and about what it took to find their way back to why they started.

"I live for eventing," Matt told us. "But I live for the horses more."

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts - link in comments.

What does success look like for you and your horse? We'd love to hear :)

20/05/2026

Another great PCA post

You ask your horse to move forward, but they plant their feet.

You ask for canter, and they rush, pigroot or pin their ears.

You ask them to stand quietly, but they paw, call out, fidget or pull back.

It can be easy in those moments to say the horse is being naughty, lazy or stubborn. But unwanted behaviour is information. Labelling a horse as naughty, lazy or stubborn can stop us from understanding the cause.

The Pony Club Australia Horse Welfare Policy is clear that using terms like naughty, lazy or stubborn to describe unwanted behaviour demonstrates a lack of understanding.

That does not mean people are trying to do the wrong thing. These words are common in horse communities, and many of us have heard them used for years. But they can lead us down the wrong path.

When we call a horse stubborn, we may stop asking whether the horse is confused, worried, uncomfortable, in pain, tired, overwhelmed, or responding to unclear aids.

The Policy reminds us that horses need clear and consistent aids, and consistent expectations for their behaviour. When aids are unclear, or expectations change from one day to the next, the horse’s world can become confusing and worrying.

Good horsemanship means looking deeper. Before we label the horse, we need to ask:

❓ What is the horse trying to tell us?

❓ What part might our timing, pressure, training, handling or environment be playing?

❓ How can we make the right behaviour easier for the horse to understand?

Understanding the cause helps us support the horse, improve safety, and build better partnerships.

13/05/2026

It’s been a long but interesting and successful day - it was a surprise to win best postgraduate poster and a very smart horse rug 🤩

24/04/2026

Does your horse really like being patted?

Reward training is a really important tool in your toolkit.

It works by giving your horse something he wants immediately after he does the right thing.

For example, if your horse comes to the gate and you give him a handful of pellets, you’re using reward training.

Because you’ve rewarded the behaviour, he’s more likely to do it again.

🛑 But here’s the catch…

For reward training to work, the reward actually has to matter to your horse. Not all horses like the same things.

Try this quick experiment 👇

Grab a friend or family member:
1️⃣ Give them a big, loud pat on the back
2️⃣ Then gently rub their back

Ask them which one made them feel more relaxed. Most people will choose the gentle rub. Horses are no different.

Now try it with your horse 🐴

You’re going to find the exact spot your horse enjoys.

What you’ll need:
• your horse
• a helper to hold him safely

Step 1
Start at the base of the neck, near the wither. Use your fingertips to gently rub for at least two minutes.

Step 2
Watch closely for signs your horse is enjoying it:
• a soft or sleepy eye
• slow blinking
• head lowering
• a relaxed, droopy lower lip

Step 3
If you don’t see those signs, move to another area (like the middle of the neck) and try again. Some horses prefer gentle scratching rather than rubbing.

Take your time, you’re not in a hurry. Eventually, you’ll find a spot your horse really enjoys.

🤷‍♀️ Why this matters

That “favourite spot” becomes a powerful reward you can use during training. And it’s often more effective than patting.

Because horses don’t pat each other in the paddock. They groom each other along the neck.

That’s why most horses prefer:
✔️ stroking
✔️ light scratching
✖️ firm patting

When should you use reward training? Any time your horse does something you’d like him to do again. That’s how you build understanding, confidence and willingness.

24/04/2026

great small change that makes the difference here. love this

18/04/2026

This is worth remembering and factoring into your training programme.....