Hi Gentle Trainer,

If communication with your horse sometimes feels harder than you'd like, please know that you’re not alone. Most of us arrive here because we care deeply about our horses — and want our communication to feel clearer, kinder and rooted in mutual consent.

My name is Melissa Deal, founder of Compassionate Horse Click. If you’ve arrived at this page, chances are you’re looking for a way of interacting and being with your horse that feels clearer, kinder, and more collaborative — while still being effective.

Many of us come to this work after moments of confusion or frustration. We find ourselves wondering why something that seems so simple doesn’t feel that way, or why our horse is hesitant, tense, or disengaged. Over time, it’s easy to start questioning ourselves — or our horses — when communication doesn’t land the way we hoped.

What I’ve learned, through years of experience with different horses and through one very influential horse that put me on the positive rei...

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU LIKE AND WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN YOUR HORSE AND YOURSELF. Remember to be gentle on yourself! Compassion and understanding include self-talk and self-analysis. Be as kind, forgiving and gentle with the person in the videos as you are with your horse. 

The process of videoing and reviewing videos may sound daunting at first, but it is SOOOOOO WORTH IT and like any new skill becomes super easy with repetition. The best way to do it easily is to just do it often. Here are a few tips.

1. All you need is a smartphone and a minute or less.
• Prop up the phone against the stall wall 
• Or sit it on a bucket against a fence post
• Or get a friend to video a few short clips, or just one (short clips load easiest)
• Avg. total length of video submitted per lesson is 5-10 min. Send as much as you want though. We’ll get through as much as we can during your lesson time.
• Or get an inexpensive phone tripod from Amazon or at Best Buy. You can go as simple or fancy as you like...