About

Welcome to The Whole Horse!

Our aims are to bring together horse enthusiasts from around the world to share ideas, provide answers and generally share our love of all things equine. We specialize in particular on safety .We believe that to get true satisfaction and enjoyment from horses, safety is paramount! We love being creative in our ‘safety training techniques” and operate on the importance of ” principles” over “methods” philosophy.

Safety is the most important requirement for your horse.. and you. It comes in to almost everything you do with your horse, wether it be hacking, backing a horse, jumping , dressage etc

We are here to help you on your journey, and help guide you to a happy and healthy relationship with your horse.

We hope you enjoy and benefit from this website and our Facebook page , it is our intention to serve the horse as best we can and appreciate every part of the journey.

 

About Tamsin….

Tamsin has been horse-mad since she can remember. She started riding as a child and has had the great fortune to be able to explore the breathtaking beaches, mountains and vineyards of Cape Town, on horseback.

She became interested in the psychology of the horse when she bought her own horse in her early 30s. In her own words…

“He came with some behavioral issues and I had no idea how to correct them. I got into some dangerous situations with him and this sent me on a journey to truly understand horses and how to make them safe. After a while you realize that riding horses who are unsafe, and the feeling of being out of control on or around them is no fun. The fun is in the partnership and understanding between you and the horse, knowing what motivates them to learn, what they want most from us, how to be a true leader to them and how to get the best out of them. Knowing you are a team has immense satisfaction.

Once you’ve put the work in to make your horse truly safe, you get such enjoyment from riding and being around horses. I too often see owners who are scared of their horses, or limit their horse experience massively due to being too nervous. A high percentage of people have bad experiences with horses because the necessary awareness and education is missing”.

Tamsin spent years dedicated to studying, soaking up information, reading and watching videos and then going out and practicing what she had learnt on various horses.

“I was an uncoordinated mess to start, I was way too ‘loud’ in the beginning, but as I persisted, I started to get my body and mind in order and the horses started responding in wonderful ways.
I became very aware of the horses most subtle movements and what they meant.”

“What was most amazing though, was that I changed as a person. I wasn’t teaching the horses nearly as much as they were teaching me. They showed me that in order to be a decent trainer to them I had to become a better person, reaching within myself to find those parts of me they trusted, related to and respected.”

We hope you enjoy this journey with us, and we encourage you to be open to new ideas, think freely and please feel free to share your thoughts, experiences and ideas in the comments section.