PIC: Mark Langley of Mark Langley Horsemanship (centre) with Emmeline Rolls on Honey and Connor Thompson on Narla. Mark conducted a three day workshop at the Pony Club grounds in Condobolin last week. MB.

By Melissa Blewitt

Locals were able to unlock the potential of their horses and calmly connect to their steeds, when they attended a clinic in Condobolin recently.

Mark Langley of Mark Langley Horsemanship conducted a three day workshop in Condobolin last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Pony Club grounds.

Participants came from Condobolin, Euabalong West, Young and Parkes to learn from the renowned horse trainer.

According to Mark, the basis to his philosophy is not just helping horses better but to help them gain confidence in themselves.

“There are so many horses of different breeds within various disciplines that are carrying worry and emotional tension which inevitably spills out into their performance and which causes a disconnection between horse and handler,” he explains on his Facebook Page.

“Much of this tension has been caused by the way people have presented education and guidance to their horses.

“Gaining and guiding a horse’s calm focus is one of the biggest things that I want people to understand. Without understanding and gaining a horse’s focus, their tension levels constantly go up and down and our guiding aids just become interruptions that end up getting in the way of a horse’s primary intention.

“I teach people how to train in a way that allows horses to have the room to search and make decisions for themselves so that when their horses are operating, they are focused on what they are doing and because that is their intention, they become naturally softer and more balanced.

“Teaching people to become better leaders for their horses is also very important. When we take a horse away from their herd, or their comfortable environment, we have to replace that herd/ stability/ comfort and that comes from the quality of our leadership and the confidence that our horses put in us.

“If we can’t provide that quality leadership, then we can’t gain a horse’s soft focus and make it feel better when the environment is quite challenging. Leadership comes from being calm and centred and offering a horse clarity. So instead of teaching people to be leaders like an alpha horse or bossy; I like to teach them to be a place where their horse can feel safe and relax.

“I now travel mostly in NSW, but also in ACT, WA, QLD, Germany and England, working with people and horses on an individual level to help people understand themselves and their horses better so that they can provide a learning environment that promotes calmness, confidence and focus. I help people from beginners to people who lack confidence, to confident people in performance.”