Show Notes
What if your horse isn't being naughty at all, but telling you something you were never taught to hear? Horsemanship expert Marcel Olivé joins Curious Equestrian to challenge everything we assume about horse psychology, and why the words we reach for, stubborn, lazy, mischievous, moody, almost always miss what the horse is actually saying.Drawing on more than 15 years with horses and his book The Truth About Your Horse, Marcel argues that good horse psychology starts by dropping the idea that we're the boss. Horses aren't kings and queens who want luxury; they're animals with a hierarchy of needs, and until food, freedom, safety and social contact are met, no amount of training will build the partnership we're after.In this episode:→ Why "we treat horses like kings and queens" fundamentally misreads what a horse actually wants→ The Horse's Hierarchy of Needs explained, from food and freedom of movement to safety, socialisation, confidence and fulfilment→ Why most "bad" behaviour is hidden pain or fear rather than stubbornness, and what horse psychology asks you to look for instead→ How the release of pressure, not the pressure itself, is what actually teaches a horse anything→ Why "respect the no" matters, and how forcing a horse into a trailer or a headcollar tends to backfire→ What walking with your horse, and sometimes doing nothing at all, does for connection that riding never will→ Why Marcel says the human, not the horse, is almost always the thing that needs to changeAbout Marcel OlivéMarcel Olivé is a horsemanship expert, equine-assisted facilitator and performance coach who came to horses as an adult and has spent more than 15 years pruning traditional methods down to what actually holds up under scrutiny. He is the author of The Truth About Your Horse and the creator of The Horse's Hierarchy of Needs, a free infographic he wants on the wall of every yard, stable and training centre. His work covers horse psychology in all its forms: horse behaviour and communication, equine welfare, the horse's hierarchy of needs, pressure-and-release training, and why understanding a horse matters far more than controlling it. Marcel's books are available on Amazon, and more about his current projects can be found on his website. Resources & links→ https://www.marcelolive.com/original-horses-hierarchy-of-needs→ Marcel Olivé's website: https://www.marcelolive.com/
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