Guest Lecturing at Derby College Equestrian Centre

A few months ago I was asked if I would guest lecture at Derby College Equestrian Centre to the students studying the FdSc Level 4 Equine Behaviour degree, and of course I was happy to do so!

The students had recently been working through two modules relevant to my being asked to guest speak; one being that of learning theory, and another being that of Natural Horsemanship. To those who I have worked with, and some information to those who have not, my own application of horsemanship is unique; to me it is a philosophical approach to working with horses. It encompasses both the science of learning, and also those aspects where the eye can not see but the heart can feel. Whilst I am still happy to be considered as a Natural Horsemanship trainer, a few years ago I dropped the 'natural' in favour of simply using 'horsemanship'. Traditional, classical, natural or positive, horsemanship is horsemanship is not defined by a singular method or approach; to me this promotes self limitation. I began the first part of the lecture with an open discussion, broaching the topics of equipment, humanisation, commercial accessibility before bringing the sciences of learning theory and moving on to an active demonstration showing some basic applications and exercises with Grace, one of the young horse son load to the college. The invitation to lecture was very humbling, and the time flew by very quickly. The students feedback was excellent, made all the better by the classroom being outdoors on a sunny day!