HORSE, FIRST - with Lockie Phillips

www.emotionalhorsemanship.com The horse world needed a serious conversation about consent. For generations, horses have been punished for refusing, pushed through fear and pain, and treated as though their experience did not matter. Learning to recognise dissent has been an important correction, but it cannot be the end of our thinking. A horse’s “no” can mean many things. It may mean pain, fear, confusion, fatigue, physical inability, lack of preparation or simply a preference for the easier option. Those possibilities require very different responses. If every hesitation is treated as a final withdrawal of consent, we may believe we are listening to the horse while avoiding the harder work of understanding them. In this episode of HORSE, FIRST , Lockie Phillips examines the limits of borrowing human consent language for horse training. He explores the difference between preference and welfare, discomfort and harm, coercion and manageable challenge. He also asks whether compassionate trainers can become so frightened of applying pressure that they leave horses underprepared for the unavoidable demands of life. Ethical training is not about ignoring refusal, nor is it about making every request disappear when a horse becomes uncertain. It is about allowing the horse’s response to change the conversation while the trainer remains responsible for its direction. Sometimes that means stopping, investigating pain or abandoning the plan. Sometimes it means changing the question, improving the preparation or helping the horse remain with a manageable difficulty long enough to find confidence on the other side. Agency must mean more than the ability to opt out. It should also include the ability to participate, attempt, recover, influence the process and develop genuine capability. You cannot consent your way out of training because consent language cannot tell you whether to pause or persist. It cannot determine whether a horse is frightened, confused, uncomfortable or simply meeting an appropriate challenge. Those decisions still require observation, judgement, empathy and skill. The most important question may not be whether the horse said yes or no. It may be whether the horse was heard, whether the human remained responsible, and whether the conversation left the horse with more capacity than they had before. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Discover Lockie's Work here: www.emotionalhorsemanship.com We come to horses thinking we're going to learn about horses. Then the horse becomes a Trojan horse. Through the simple, practical business of trying to understand another animal, we can find ourselves questioning much bigger things. How we relate to the land. What we consider intelligent. Where we believe consciousness resides. What illness means. What a body is. What it means to belong to an ecosystem rather than simply live on top of one. In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips is joined by writer, poet and ecological thinker Sophie Strand for a conversation that wanders far beyond the boundaries of conventional horsemanship. Sophie writes at the intersection of ecology, mythology, spirituality, storytelling, illness and the more-than-human world. Her work asks us to reconsider the deeply human habit of placing ourselves at the centre of the story. And horses offer an extraordinary place to begin. For many of us, the horse is one of the first large, powerful, unmistakably other creatures with whom we attempt to build a genuine relationship. We cannot completely control that encounter. We cannot know exactly what the horse experiences. We have to pay attention to another nervous system, another body, another set of priorities, another way of perceiving the world. ABOUT SOPHIE STRAND Sophie Strand is a writer and poet whose work explores ecology, mythology, spirituality, embodiment and the more-than-human world. She is the author of The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine , The Madonna Secret , and The Body Is a Doorway . Website: https://sophiestrand.com/ Make Me Good Soil: https://sophiestrand.substack.com/ Instagram: @cosmogyny Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Can horses get too much of a "good" thing? In our effort to be ethical have we become blind to the stressors we place on a horses capacities when they live in perpetual turn-out? I wrote a difficult post that went viral online and this podcast I respond to the criticism and chat about the key themes at play in the episode. Joined by my mate Michelle Knapp, thanks Michelle! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Explore more with Lockie HERE: www.emotionalhorsemanship.com In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips is joined by horsewoman, educator, and movement specialist Jillian Kreinbring for a thoughtful conversation about the evolution of horsemanship. Together, they explore the importance of discernment in an age of endless information, asking not whether tradition is right or wrong, but how we decide what is worth preserving and what deserves thoughtful revision. Drawing on classical horsemanship, functional anatomy, modern science, and decades of practical experience, Jillian shares her perspective on the old masters, the lessons that continue to serve horses today, and the practices that may no longer withstand careful scrutiny. Throughout the conversation, Lockie and Jillian compare their own approaches, highlighting the places where they overlap, where they differ, and why respectful disagreement is one of the healthiest forces driving horsemanship forward. This is a conversation about curiosity over certainty, discernment over dogma, and the responsibility we all share to keep refining our craft in service of the horse. Because good horsemanship isn't about preserving the past unchanged. It's about carrying its wisdom forward with honesty, humility, and the courage to revise. Discover Jillian here: https://online.jilliankreinbringinspired.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A conversation about confidence, community, thoughtful training, and the next chapter of Emotional Horsemanship. From my first UK clinics to the launch of Homecoming 4.0, this episode explores why sequencing, training plans and purposeful practice are changing the way we develop horses—and ourselves. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special episode of Horse First, Lockie Phillips reads a chapter from his forthcoming book exploring the origins of his professional objection to whips. Part memoir, part reflection on horsemanship, this chapter traces the early experiences that shaped his understanding of fear, power, violence, and the complicated relationship many horse people have with training tools. Far from being a discussion about equipment alone, this episode asks deeper questions about memory, conditioning, and the experiences that quietly shape our values long before we have language for them. How do our earliest encounters with fear influence the horse people we become? And what happens when we stop treating our reactions as weaknesses and start treating them as information? A personal and vulnerable reading from a book still in progress. Because sometimes understanding the horse begins with understanding ourselves. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What kind of future are horse people building? And perhaps more importantly, what kind of future are we failing to imagine? In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips sits down with horsewoman and thinker Kim Hallin for a conversation that moves far beyond training techniques and management systems. Together they explore the uncomfortable reality that many horse owners have more faith in euthanasia than in society's ability to care for their horses after they're gone. From there, the conversation opens into larger questions about stewardship, extraction, community, and the place of horses in a rapidly changing world. www.emotionalhorsemanship.com What happens if the economic and cultural systems that currently support horse ownership begin to change? What responsibilities do horse people have to imagine alternatives? And what might horses themselves have to teach us about cooperation, leadership, resilience, and shared living? This is not a conversation about answers. It's a conversation about asking better questions. Because if horse people cannot imagine a future worth leaving horses to, who will? Get to know Kim Hallin here: https://myunbridledlife.substack.com/ https://www.kimhallin.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When a horse develops a behavioural problem, most of us reach for training. More lessons. More exercises. Better technique. A different method. But what if the horse isn't expressing a training problem at all? What if they're expressing a living problem? In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips explores one of the most overlooked realities in modern horsemanship: horses spend far more time living in their management systems than they do being trained within them. From difficult-to-catch horses and separation anxiety to tension, explosiveness, and so-called laziness, Lockie examines how movement, forage, social contact, comfort, and predictability shape behaviour long before a trainer enters the picture. This is not an argument against training. It's an argument for looking at the whole horse. Because before we ask how to change a behaviour, it may be worth asking what problem that behaviour is solving for the horse. Sometimes the answer isn't a better technique. Sometimes it's a better life. And remarkably often, when the life improves, the behaviour follows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

STUDY AN ONLINE COURSE WITH LOCKIE: https://emotionalhorsemanship.com/online-courses In this episode of Horse First, Lockie Phillips sits down with Canadian horse trainer Remy Burley , a specialist in operant conditioning and clicker training. The conversation begins with identity, representation, and the reality that who we are inevitably shapes how we move through the horse world. Together, Lockie and Remy explore the idea that the personal is political, what it means to be visible within a community, and why representation continues to matter. From there, they turn their attention to clicker training and operant conditioning, a field that has become surprisingly controversial despite its growing influence on modern horse training. Rather than debating camps and labels, this episode explores the practical realities of training horses, where different approaches overlap, where they diverge, and what both trainers have learned from their own experiences working with horses and people. This is a conversation about identity, training, belonging, and the importance of staying curious enough to learn from those whose paths differ from our own. Remy is based in Canada and is available for online coaching and tuition. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

https://emotionalhorsemanship.com Most horse people assume dangerous horses are disobedient horses. What if the opposite is sometimes true? In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips explores the hidden risks of teaching horses that they have no options, no voice, and no meaningful way to disagree. Far from creating safety, the removal of dissent can create horses who suppress communication until they have no choice but to express themselves in larger, riskier, and more dramatic ways. Through practical examples ranging from trailer loading and catching to veterinary care and everyday handling, Lockie examines the difference between obedience and cooperation, compliance and agreement, and why some of the safest horses in the world are the ones who know how to say "no" without losing the relationship. This is a conversation about consent, communication, and the often-overlooked connection between freedom and safety. Because the safest horse isn't the horse who never disagrees. It's the horse who knows how. And knows someone is listening Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

APPLY FOR A RETREAT OR INTERNSHIP HERE https://emotionalhorsemanship.com/retreats-internships In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips sits down with horse trainer, high school teacher, equestrian relationship coach, and upcoming UK clinic host Cat Roy Stanley following her two-week live-in internship at the farm. Together they reflect on the experience of stepping away from everyday life and immersing yourself completely in horses, learning, and community. The conversation explores the clarity Cat gained around consent, boundaries, safety, technique, and the subtle difference between getting a horse to do something and creating the conditions where a horse genuinely wants to participate. They also discuss business, teaching, personal growth, and the unexpected ways that living alongside horses and horse people can challenge old assumptions while opening new possibilities. Most importantly, this episode is about what happens when learning becomes experiential rather than theoretical. When ideas stop living in books, podcasts, and social media posts and start living in your body, your relationships, and your daily practice. And yes, there was a lot of laughter along the way. This is a conversation about clarity, growth, and what becomes possible when you give yourself permission to learn deeply. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips sits down with horsewoman, mustang owner, former jeweler, and emerging educator Hayley Josephs . Together they explore the often-overlooked stage of horsemanship where learning is happening faster than certainty, and where curiosity becomes more valuable than confidence. Hayley shares her journey from a creative career in jewelry making to life with horses in Colorado, the lessons her mustangs have taught her, and what it feels like to step into teaching while still very much being a student herself. Along the way, they discuss creativity in horsemanship, the challenges and opportunities of being a newcomer, and why some of the most important growth happens when we're willing to admit we don't yet have all the answers. This is a conversation about humility, curiosity, and the courage it takes to keep learning in a world that often rewards certainty. Because sometimes the people closest to the beginning are also the people most able to see what everyone else has forgotten. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips names a difficult truth: many of the biggest harms in horse culture aren’t just about methods, they’re about instruction. From gatekeeping information and disempowering students with phrases like “You’re not a trainer,” to insecure teaching systems that rely on dependency instead of education, this episode explores how toxic pedagogy keeps both humans and horses stuck. With real-life examples and a clear call toward ethical, skill-building mentorship, Lockie invites listeners to stop paying for shame and confusion, and to seek instructors who create capable, comfortable adults and safer, more communicative horses. For more information check out www.emotionalhorsemanship.com! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips is joined by senior clinician and long-time colleague Michelle Knapp for a conversation about one of the most difficult challenges in horsemanship: How do we pursue higher levels of skill, precision, and performance without falling back on lower-quality training practices? Together, they explore the role of dressage in modern horsemanship, the difference between refinement and control, and why advanced work should demand more understanding—not more force. They also discuss what it means to teach under a shared banner without becoming a copy of someone else, how to avoid guru culture as a teaching team grows, and why the best teachers create independent thinkers rather than loyal followers. Along the way, Michelle shares her thoughts on the students she loves teaching most, the art of holding people through meaningful breakthroughs, and how to maintain high standards without breaking horses—or humans—in the process. This is a conversation about leadership, refinement, and the responsibility that comes with helping both horses and people become more capable. Because better horsemanship isn't about doing more. It's about doing it better. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips dismantles one of horse culture’s most dangerous myths: that confusion always creates tension, behavioural problems, or unsafe horses. Confusion is not failure, it is cognition, and it is an essential part of real learning. A horse who is never confused is either repeating what they already know or performing without understanding, like a parrot mimicking words. This episode argues plainly that obedience is not cooperation, and that horses trained with the ability to consent, dissent, and offer alternatives become safer, steadier partners. When horses have a way to say no without needing a dangerous way out, humans can finally relax, trust the dialogue, and know that participation is real. For more information check out www.emotionalhorsemanship.com! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Horse First, Lockie Phillips explores the idea that truly centring the horse automatically changes the human. Horse First is not human last, it’s the reciprocal path to becoming more regulated, more accountable, and more skilled, because horses respond to our nervous systems, our timing, and the space we take up, not our intentions. In a world that already centres humans by default, focusing on the horse becomes a rare correction that benefits both species at once. A grounding episode on selflessness, proportion, and the kind of human horses invite us to become. The EH School is a quiet place in a loud industry. A low-cost, high-value membership where horse people come to slow down, think clearly, and build real skill with horses at the centre. With a deep video library, an off-social discussion space, and live calls with Lockie, you’ll have support that feels steady, practical, and refreshingly human. Not a system to obey. A craft to practice. https://emotionalhorsemanship.com/eh-school-sign-up Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips sits down with long-time collaborator and now teaching team member, Lori Halliday . This conversation explores a shift happening quietly within horsemanship—a movement that is less visible, less performative, and increasingly happening beneath the surface. Together, they discuss what it means to carry forward work that challenges traditional systems, and why meaningful change often doesn’t happen in the spotlight. Using the idea of an “underground railroad” of horsemanship, this episode looks at how people are being guided—sometimes gently, sometimes reluctantly—out of dominance-based approaches and into something more honest, more humane, and more sustainable for the horse. They also explore the responsibility of teaching within this space, how to avoid guru dynamics as the work grows, and what it means to develop real authority without losing independence of thought. This is a conversation about quiet influence, long-term change, and the kind of work that doesn’t need to announce itself to be effective. Because not all progress is visible. But it is happening. BOOK IN WITH LORI HALLIDAY HERE: https://emotionalhorsemanship.com/lessons-and-coaching Connect with Lori's Non-Profit Ranch here: https://www.horseandheart.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Horse First, Lockie Phillips explores the growing tension between clear-eyed discernment and the way it’s often mislabeled as judgment when it challenges harmful norms in horse culture. When people name impact, ask hard questions, or speak up for the horse, discomfort can quickly turn into attempts to silence dissent. This conversation unpacks the difference between moral condemnation and ethical clarity, and why horses depend on humans who are willing to notice, assess, and stay steady even when the room gets uncomfortable. Come and learn with Lockie inside the EH School . A low-cost, high-value, flexible membership for horse people who want more than quick fixes and louder answers. Inside, you’ll find a growing video library, a thoughtful off–social media discussion space, and live coaching calls with Lockie, all designed to help you get to the heart of what’s really happening in your horsemanship. This is not about following a method. It’s about building clarity, skill, and confidence, with horses first. If you’re looking for a steady place to learn, reflect, and progress without force or overwhelm, you’ll feel at home here. https://emotionalhorsemanship.com/eh-school-sign-up Come and learn with Lockie inside the EH School . A low-cost, high-value, flexible membership for horse people who want more than quick fixes and louder answers. Inside, you’ll find a growing video library, a thoughtful off–social media discussion space, and live coaching calls with Lockie, all designed to help you get to the heart of what’s really happening in your horsemanship. This is not about following a method. It’s about building clarity, skill, and conf For more information check out www.emotionalhorsemanship.com! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Horse First , Lockie Phillips is joined by equine practitioner and The Whole Horse Podcast host, Alexa Linton. This is a conversation about where horsemanship is heading—and what we may need to leave behind to get there. Together, they explore the idea that much of what has been called “progress” in the horse world has remained largely aesthetic. Softer, quieter, better presented—but still operating within the same underlying systems. Alexa offers a grounded and forward-looking perspective on what the next phase of horsemanship is asking of us, and why going deeper is no longer optional. This episode challenges listeners to move beyond appearance and into something more honest, more demanding, and ultimately more meaningful for horses. Because where this work is going next… surface-level won’t hold. DISCOVER ALEXA LINTON HERE: https://outsidetheboxequine.com/ Come and learn with Lockie inside the EH School . A low-cost, high-value, flexible membership for horse people who want more than quick fixes and louder answers. Inside, you’ll find a growing video library, a thoughtful off–social media discussion space, and live coaching calls with Lockie, all designed to help you get to the heart of what’s really happening in your horsemanship. This is not about following a method. It’s about building clarity, skill, and conf The EH School is a quiet place in a loud industry. A low-cost, high-value membership where horse people come to slow down, think clearly, and build real skill with horses at the centre. With a deep video library, an off-social discussion space, and live calls with Lockie, you’ll have support that feels steady, practical, and refreshingly human. Not a system to obey. A craft to practice. For more information check out www.emotionalhorsemanship.com! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Horse First, Lockie Phillips explores how whips, crops, and training sticks can quietly shift the balance of a relationship, sometimes to the point that a horse’s ability to communicate back begins to disappear. Beyond the debate of “good” or “bad,” this is a conversation about proportion, power, and what happens when tools replace listening instead of supporting it. With practical examples and a steady lens on impact, this episode invites us to ask whether our methods leave room for the horse’s voice, or make their answers unnecessary. Come and learn with Lockie inside the EH School . A low-cost, high-value, flexible membership for horse people who want more than quick fixes and louder answers. Inside, you’ll find a growing video library, a thoughtful off–social media discussion space, and live coaching calls with Lockie, all designed to help you get to the heart of what’s really happening in your horsemanship. This is not about following a method. It’s about building clarity, skill, and conf For more information check out www.emotionalhorsemanship.com! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.