Tea Time with Elsa

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 192

Chatting about: Mental Learning Versus Emotional Learning……
In this episode, we talk about how mental learning and emotional learning are different in horse training. Many people are familiar with mental training which is puzzle solving or figuring out how to do one thing to get another thing. Emotional training is more important when it comes to regulation of the nervous system and developing strong bonds between partners. Emotional training is the practice of using the sensory system (seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting, etc.) without needing to do anything about the information taken in. Practicing taking in information and processing it without needing to take immediate action on it develops the emotional strength needed for reliable social systems.
Originally aired on: November 6th, 2024

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 191

Chatting about: Building New Habits and Replacing Old Ones……
In this episode, we talk about how new habits become strong (or old habits become replaced) through the use of the nervous system and the resulting memories that become established. The vital key to this is the understanding of repetitions of experience and knowing when to play with another repetition, do something different, or take a rest.
Originally aired on: October 29th, 2024

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 190

Chatting about: When to walk towards, when to walk away…
In this episode we talk about some basic nuts and bolts of the physical relationship between horse and human and how the timing of these actions (walking towards or walking away) will make your horse feel more or less understood. Most training methods involve walking toward or walking away so the horse understands human desires. Working in freedom, we must shift the timing a little to show the horse we understand their desires first before we ask them to understand ours. Other training methods suggest you can only seek to understand the horse in total passivity. I am encouraging the middle-ground of action to show what you understand about the horse. Conflict is fighting to be understood; connection is fighting to understand. Fight is too strong a word in this context, but it gives you the idea of where energy is being directed, to understand or to be understood.
Originally aired on: October 22nd, 2024

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 189

Chatting about: Why Persist?…
In this episode we talk about the different ways we might share time and training with our horses. Persisting is an idea that is often difficult for students to understand and can be extremely beneficial when done well. A step up from Assertive leadership where everything you ask for is easy, and a step down from Dominant leadership where there is some need to control fight or flight, persisting in the things we ask of our horses is an interesting middle ground.

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 188

Chatting about: Challenges…
In this episode we talk about what a challenge is and why it is useful in your relationship with your horse. When we work with horses in freedom it becomes very clear when there is too much push or pull in the relationship and these moments of push or pull is what I categorize as a challenge. Being sensitive and proactive about practicing challenges in manageable ways better prepares us for future moments that might contain unexpected challenges.
Originally aired on: October 9th, 2024

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 187

Chatting about: Supporting vs Affirming…
In this episode we talk about the two different ways I interact with horses to encourage them to use their brain and sensory system. Supporting is generally going to refer to the actions we take around the horse that they cannot ignore, helping them use their senses better. Affirming is generally going to refer to the simple pauses we can take when accidental improvements of the brain and sensory system occur in the horse.
Originally aired on: October 1st, 2024

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 186

Chatting about: Which is better, intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?
In this episode we talk about the differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation; Where they touch on a spectrum and what the benefits might be of leaning more towards one or the other. Freedom Based Training® leans toward intrinsic motivation, but there are some things we do that range up the scale toward extrinsic motivation.
Originally aired on: September 24th, 2024

Teatime with Elsa - Episode 185

Chatting about: Letting Things Be As They Are…
In this episode we talk about our human desire to always be pushing for growth or change in our horses. When might it be appropriate to let them be as they are without trying to change them?
Originally aired on: September 18th, 2024