No matter what the reason for the visit, you will be asked to lead your horse, including start, stop, left turn, right turn and backing up. This allows Steve to see where your horse feels your position is within its herd; he will then spend a few minutes leading your horse which allows your horse to understand Steve’s position in the herd. If need be he will then go over leading with you because although leading sounds such a basic task, getting it right sets up your relationship.

While working on the main reason for the visit, many owners are disappointed when their horse doesn’t display the behaviour that they’d been having bother with for weeks or months and they put it down to the horse just having a ‘good day’. In fact the majority of the time the horse is simply reading Steve’s body language, timing and energy and acting accordingly. Some strong-willed horses will play up at the start of the session but then settle down when they realise that they are being listened to.

Like most men, Steve has difficulty doing two things at once, so if he goes quiet while he’s working with your horse please speak up and ask him to continue his running commentary.

All horses are different and will cope with what is being asked of them in different ways. It may be that Steve will end a session before reaching the outcome for which you’d hoped. This is not to ensure the fee for a return visit but simply because he knows that particular horse has gone far enough in that session and that it will do more harm than good to continue. The only work which he feels is important to see through to the end in one session is loading - he will give the horse breaks and ‘thinking time’ but feels that it’s necessary to get the horse happily going into the trailer or box once the process has been started. In some cases shutting the horse into the box/trailer will need to be done at a later date.

Throughout the session Steve will ask you how you are feeling (ie nervous, anxious etc) and he asks that you be as honest as you can. The better informed he is the better he can help you (and once again please remember he’s a man so he won’t be able to read between the lines or tune into your subtle signals)!

If you have a horse who, for example, has made a career out of kicking farriers the habit will not be broken in one session. Steve will set the basics in motion and give you ‘homework’ which will continue the training. Some clients may ask him to visit everyday for a week if they don’t have confidence in carrying out the homework themselves, others might do the homework and then call him out after a few weeks to iron out any quirks. During this time please keep in touch with Steve either by phone or email because this contact may help give you confidence and sort out any issues before they become serious.

Of all the clients Steve has visited there have only been a couple he didn’t get on with - that was because they blamed everything on the horse. As long as you can accept the fact that the session is as much about altering your habits as altering your horse’s then Steve will do his very best to improve the relationship between you and your equine partner.