Tea Time with Elsa

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 208

Chatting about: Pressure, Priorities, and Habits...
In this episode, we talk about the balance of priorities with horses and how the development of habits can help us manage the pressure that comes along with life and the juggling of priorities.
Originally aired on: March 26th, 2025

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 207

Chatting about: Praise…
In this episode, we talk about using praise with horses. Why we might choose to, why we might not. The mechanics of developing good associations with praise if you want to use it as part of your relationship and how it might work better for some horses than others. I don’t think there is an absolute for anything with horses, but there are always factors that can be understood better to help us understand our choices.
Originally aired on: March 6th, 2025

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 206

Chatting about: Enough and Not Enough…
In this episode, we talk about a new herd integration with my horses and the timing needed between horses as they learn about each other’s likes and dislikes. Emotional training depends on the understanding of leaving everyone wanting more of the relationship, instead of less of it. I am fascinated by how the emotional training horses do with each other can also be used to nurture the relationship between horses and humans.
Originally aired on: February 25th, 2025

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 205

Chatting about: Environment Matters…
In this episode, we talk about how much the environment we are in with our horses always impacts our training. There will always be factors in the environment that raise or lower the horse’s stress levels and we are going to do our most profound training at the mid levels of fully aware (instead of resting), but more curious instead of concerned.
Originally aired on: February 11th, 2025
Check out the video at: https://youtu.be/gP1pPfnpbKg

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 204

Chatting about: Food Aggression…
In this episode, we talk about a different perspective around food aggression in horses. Many people believe food aggression is about resource guarding, or trying to get the other horses to leave. These things may be true, but I have noticed a few different things about it that are far more helpful to me in understanding and supporting my horses in living their best lives.
Originally aired on: February 4th, 2025

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 203

Chatting about: Creativity…
In this episode, we talk about creativity and anxiety being on a spectrum and how the two can not exist simultaneously. To be creative is to try things, assess, and try again. When you draw a picture, you draw a line, and then another line, and try one thing after another towards an end goal developed through experimentation. Horses can also learn this pattern of creativity when they try one point of focus, assess how they feel, and then try another point of focus. Experimenting with focus changes toward the end goal of feeling better in connection with others. This is the practice that Freedom Based Training® is based on.
Originally aired on: January 1st, 2025

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 202

Chatting about: Trusting Yourself…
In this episode, we talk about trusting ourselves in horse training. Most everyone has instincts or ideas about what they might want to do next. Then the question comes up, is that a good idea or a bad idea? I suggest you try it and find out. Trust your idea, then verify if the trust was warranted and adjust. This perpetually hones your future instincts to be better.
Originally aired on: January 15th, 2025

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 201

Chatting about: Time Matters…
In this episode, we talk about the time we spend “doing” with our horses versus “being” with our horses. There are so many practical things that need to be done with horses to keep them healthy and happy that sometimes we run out of time for the things that feed the soul. Even taking five minutes of BEING with horses in a way that values how they feel, and how we feel together, and what they are interested in, is worth it. What I found again this week is how much joy I get when there is the luxury of a little more time for being. Time matters, and when we have the good fortune to have a bit more to spend on the things that are important, it makes life so much better.
Originally aired on: January 7th, 2025