What if the behaviour we see in our horses is only the surface of what they are feeling?

In this episode, I’m joined by horse trainer Connie Colfox, who has spent around 40 years working with young horses and horses who have become anxious, reactive or shut down.

Connie shares how her own experiences with horses led her to question traditional training methods and develop a very different approach, one centred around understanding emotion, creating a safe-to-learn environment and giving horses genuine choice.

We talk about why emotion drives behaviour, how Connie works with horses without equipment in the early stages of training and the subtle signs that can tell us whether a horse is beginning to feel safe and curious.

We also discuss positive reinforcement, why food rewards need to be used thoughtfully, the importance of introducing equipment carefully and why bridleless riding does not necessarily mean an absence of pressure.

Connie shares some fascinating examples from her work, including horses who could not be touched, loaded, turned out or ridden, and explains why there is no universal timescale for changing a behaviour.

We also talk about the people behind the horses, why owners often need to learn a new way of looking at their horse and Connie’s Eohippus course, which brings together recorded lessons, live case studies and ongoing support.

A fascinating conversation about horses, training, emotions and what can happen when we stop focusing solely on the behaviour and start asking a different question:

How can we help this horse feel OK?

Contact Connie

https://conniecolfox.com/

https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en. https://www.youtube.com/@myyounghorses. https://www.facebook.com/?locale=en_GB

👉Contact me

Info@traceycolenlp.com

www.traceycolenlp.com

www.facebook.com/traceycolenlp.com

www.instagram.com/traceycolenlp.com

🤗 Equestrian Mindset Bootcamp – Time to Stop the Fear, Guilt and Frustration! A 5-day fully supported course with me online, on Zoom. You have my full inbox contact throughout the week, plus 30-45 minute Camp Calls each evening (UK time, with recordings available). Plus an exclusive and highly PRACTICAL handout designed and carefully thought out by me! 12-16th October https://traceycolenlp.com/group-mindset-bootcamp-for-riders/

🎉NEW 🎉ONLINE SELF-PACED NLP PRACTITIONER /COACH WITH ZOOM PRACTICE DAYS Join me for the start of this fabulous hybrid of self-paced training + live practice on Zoom. Use the code PODCAST at checkout to receive a whopping 50% discount before the end of September 2026. Registration open now. Pres-study from 1st August and course starts 9th Novemeber. Join now – thousands of equestrians are just waiting to be helped! https://traceycolenlp.com/online-nlp-practitioner-training/

🎓NLP Trainers Training: 1:1 Start any time. Pre-requisite: Master NLP Practitioner https://traceycolenlp.com/nlp-trainers-training-curious-to-know-more/

📚Confident Rider Mindset Book/ Audiobook:

https://tinyurl.com/ypjunref

Do busy yards leave you completely exhausted?

Not because you don't like people. Not because you're stand-offish. And not because you don't love being around horses.

Sometimes, there is simply too much information coming in at once.

Conversations, voices, body language, horses, children, cars, movement, noise, smells, unexpected things happening — and your brain is processing all of it.

In this episode, we explore what it's like for people who are particularly sensitive to sensory and social information, and why a busy yard can sometimes feel more like a circus than a sanctuary.

We talk about:

🐴 Why some riders need more quiet and processing time than others 🐴 Why being overwhelmed doesn't mean you're antisocial 🐴 The exhaustion that can come from constantly taking in sensory and social information 🐴 Why some people notice incredibly subtle changes in their horses 🐴 How sensitivity can become a genuine strength in horse-human communication 🐴 Why horses may respond particularly well to calm, observant communicators 🐴 Practical ways to make a busy yard more manageable

And perhaps most importantly, we explore the idea that the thing you sometimes see as a weakness may actually be one of your greatest strengths with horses.

Because horses don't always communicate loudly.

Sometimes they whisper.

And perhaps the people who are good at hearing whispers have something incredibly valuable to offer them.

If you'd like to work on the mental side of your riding, my 5-Day Group Mindset Bootcamp for Riders starts 12th October.

Five short, practical sessions, live on Zoom at 7pm UK time, with recordings available — so you can join from anywhere in the world.

There is also WhatsApp support and accountability throughout the week.

Find out more and book your place here:

https://traceycolenlp.com/group-mindset-bootcamp-for-riders/

👉Contact me

Info@traceycolenlp.com

www.traceycolenlp.com

www.facebook.com/traceycolenlp.com

www.instagram.com/traceycolenlp.com

🎉NEW 🎉ONLINE SELF-PACED NLP PRACTITIONER /COACH WITH ZOOM PRACTICE DAYS Join me for the start of this fabulous hybrid of self-paced training + live practice on Zoom. Use the code PODCAST at checkout to receive a whopping 50% discount before the end of September 2026. Registration open now. Pres-study from 1st August and course starts 9th Novemeber. Join now – thousands of equestrians are just waiting to be helped! https://traceycolenlp.com/online-nlp-practitioner-training/

🎓NLP Trainers Training: 1:1 Start any time. Pre-requisite: Master NLP Practitioner https://traceycolenlp.com/nlp-trainers-training-curious-to-know-more/

📚Confident Rider Mindset Book/ Audiobook:

https://tinyurl.com/ypjunref

#horseandrider #equestrian #equestrianlife #riderconfidence #ridermentality #equineconfidence #horsetraining #horsehumanrelationship #horsemanship #equinebehaviour #horselover #riderwellbeing #mindsetforriders #equestrianmindset #horsepodcast

What if some of the stories shaping your choices, relationships, confidence and sense of what’s possible aren’t actually your stories?

In this episode of Over the Oxer, we explore the unconscious myths we can carry around with us - beliefs and assumptions that can feel like facts simply because we’ve lived with them for so long.

The fascinating part? You may not even know they’re there.

This episode invites you to pause and question what sits underneath the surface level thinking:

What have you accepted as “just the way things are”? Whose voice is behind that belief? And what might change if you stopped treating an old story as truth?

You might recognise a myth you didn’t realise you were carrying.

Listen now — and then ask yourself: what belief have I never thought to question?

👉Contact me

Info@traceycolenlp.com

www.traceycolenlp.com

www.facebook.com/traceycolenlp.com

www.instagram.com/traceycolenlp.com

🎉NEW 🎉ONLINE SELF-PACED NLP PRACTITIONER /COACH WITH ZOOM PRACTICE DAYS Join me for the start of this fabulous hybrid of self-paced training + live practice on Zoom. Registration open until 11th Jan 2027 -early birds get free access to an exclusive pre-study. Join now – thousands of equestrians are just waiting to be helped! https://traceycolenlp.com/online-nlp-practitioner-training/

🎓NLP Trainers Training: 1:1 Start any time. Pre-requisite: Master NLP Practitioner https://traceycolenlp.com/nlp-trainers-training-curious-to-know-more/

📚Confident Rider Mindset Book/ Audiobook:

https://tinyurl.com/ypjunref