News and Events
Pippsway Videos
I was freeschooling the herd of geldings here at Pippsway today and Bronson, who is a one eyed ex-racehorse that is in training livery with me for rehabilitation, lead the herd beautifully. When he first came to Pippsway he just would not listen, here he is listening perfectly and leading the rest of the herd. Great job Bronson!
I work with all the horses in my care at liberty in this way as it strengthens our bond, builds trust and unites the herd.
Bronson and Jazz love nothing better than going in the field to do their canter work, however with the ground so dry now we can only do slow work which is great practise for Bronson. As you can imagine he would rather go in a higher gear in the field, not at dressage speed! When Bronson is not comfortable mentally he goes very rigid in his jaw, poll, and neck. He used to be stiff all through his spine to the tip of his tail all the time, it was his way of going but now he has a lot of times where he is relaxed and supple but when he gets a mental block he goes back to being rigid. His mental block today was because I have never asked him to do a slow canter in the field only when in the arena (which he does beautifully on a loose rein) and he very much is a creature of habit and takes a little bit of persuasion that life can change and things can be different. Jazz my 23 years young Arab is such a good boy listening always to what I am wanting him to do. You will also see that the two wolf dogs always come with us. It is great working horses with dogs as the horses get so used to things running around!
I work all my horses in large open fields using my leadership skills to build the relationship of trust and mutual respect. I do this with every horse that comes into my care and can teach anyone that wishes to be able to do this, the necessary skills to achieve such connection with their horses. At the end of the video I end the session by just standing still. You can see all my mares coming into stillness with me and you can see how proud they are of themselves. I like all my horses to enjoy self-confidence and to be full of self-worth. I nurture these qualities in my clients too so that they can foster a wonderful bond of mutual trust and confidence with their horses.
Here's a video from earlier this year....me riding Bronson on the Quantocks in the snow....
For more videos visit my Philippa Unwin
YouTube channel..
A New Training Livery
Dumbledore is a 6 year old Irish Sports Horse that has come to join us at Pippsway. His owner Becky got in touch with Pip because loading had become a serious issue. He was rearing and trying to run away and was risking injuring himself and the humans around him. Pip went to meet Dumbledore and Becky and, over the period of a few weeks, worked with them on their groundwork, focusing solely on lead work and not venturing near anything to do with loading. Pip could see that, as is often the case, it was not truly loading into a lorry that was the fundamental problem, this is just how the problem was presenting. Most of the issues we have with our horses are the result of a breakdown in communication. It is our relationship that needs attention. In between their sessions with Pip, Becky and Dumbledore have been practising their lead work. When Pip went to collect Dumbledore yesterday, to bring him to Pippsway, it was only 15 minutes before he was happily walking into the lorry of his own volition. By taking all pressure off horse and human and because of the leading groundwork that Pip and Becky had done previously, to rebuild their relationship, they were able to achieve this wonderful result. Pip will be working with them over the coming weeks to build upon that new trust. Here are a few photos showing him meeting his new herd. Like each of the herds at Pippsway they are a balanced herd so there was no drama upon meeting their new friend.
Horse Connection Clinics: Calendar 2024
Before and After!
We love our before and after Pippsway shots. This beauty came into training livery 3 months ago and she is improving on a daily basis. She is a pleasure to work with in every single way. We're so pleased with her progress!
This is Bronson a year ago, when his owner first bought him, and now after a year of training livery at Pippsway. He's put on so much muscle and is frankly a different horse. When he first arrived he wouldn't load, was insecure and neurotic. Now he is happy, confident and loving his life!
Celebrity Guests!
Memories from 2018 Horse Connection Clinics
Here are some moments captured during my July Horse Connection Clinic. As the weather and ground conditions were dry we were able to use my grass arena, which allowed us to enjoy even more space and provided a different challenge for horse and rider. Everyone did so well! I can't believe we are already halfway through the "Horse Connection Clinics" calendar with only four more to go! To book your place call me on Tel 07854 940682 The Connection Clinics are a great way to learn to connect with your horse both on the ground and ridden in a very friendly non-judgemental environment.
