Perfect Circle Farm

03/18/2026

Hi guys! Only me… but can you all do me one favour!? 🙃

Get one of these, or a rubber curry comb, and give your horse a good, vigorous groom. Not just a quick flick with the brush, but a proper 20/30 minute rub down.

Yes, coats are changing and it can help to lift the moulting hair and dander… but it is also for another reason — fascia.

I remember when I was younger being taught how to groom a horse. I remember so clearly being told how important it was to use a curry comb vigorously to stimulate the circulatory system, remove debris and moulting hair. I remember my instructor telling me that I hadn’t done it long enough, and making me put down other brushes and go back to curry combing.

Not that I knew it at the time, but this was so important. By using a curry comb, over simply a desheding tool and a brush, we are bringing circulation to the skin, fascia and muscles. This brings warmth, healing, and the break down of tight fascia. I can always tell when a horse has had a groom using this method vs. not!

So, let’s not forget the old school curry combing to promote a healthy coat but also release some fascia! 🤍✨

03/16/2026

I was doing some work, but then I got distracted so I made this instead. 👀🤩🐴👍 Shop my books at: www.elaineheneybooks.com

01/31/2026

❤️

01/25/2026

🐴 FROM THE HORSE'S PERSPECTIVE: I’m More Than Just Something You Ride

Hi. It’s me. Your horse.

I know riding matters to you.
I like it too when everything else feels right.

But riding is actually the last thing on the list.

Before you climb on my back, there’s a whole foundation that determines whether I can think, relax, and show up as the horse you want me to be.

Let’s start at the bottom.

How does my body feel?
If I’m sore, restricted, or compensating somewhere, my nervous system knows it long before you do.

How do my feet feel?
If my feet hurt, I don’t feel safe.

What’s going on inside my gut?
If my stomach hurts, I can’t focus. Pain lives loud in my brain.

Does my saddle fit me today? Not last year, not on a different horse, but me?
Pressure changes how I move. Pressure changes how I think.

Does the bit make sense to my mouth and nervous system?
Confusion and discomfort don’t look like “bad behavior.” They look like me trying to cope.

Am I mentally regulated… or am I just holding it together?
Still doesn’t always mean calm.

When all of that is addressed—
when my body feels good, my feet don’t hurt, my gut is settled, my tack fits, and my brain isn’t in survival mode, then we can talk about riding.

That’s when you see curiosity.
That’s when you feel softness.
That’s when learning actually sticks.

So when I hesitate, resist, rush, or shut down…
Please don’t ask, “How do I fix this behavior?”

Ask instead:
👉 What’s my whole system responding to?

Because when you take care of all of me,
I don’t need to be managed.

I can participate.

Sincerely,
Your Horse

01/24/2026

Three Things You Need to Keep Improving

Blood. Sweat. Tears.

These are not clichés. They are constants.

Blood — The Physical

Every rider will experience physical discomfort at some point. Sometimes it’s minor—the familiar soreness in your legs after a good ride. Sometimes it’s a bruised foot from being stepped on. And sometimes it’s far more serious: time spent rehabbing an injury, recovering from a broken bone, or rebuilding strength after a setback.

Improvement requires a willingness to work through a certain amount of physical discomfort. Not recklessly, and not ignoring injury—but understanding that progress is rarely painless.

Sweat — The Work

There is no substitute for hours.
Hours to build condition.
Hours to develop coordination and muscle memory.
Hours of quality work to develop both you and your horse.

Practice without theory is wasted, theory without practice is useless. Knowledge only becomes skill through repetition and effort. If you want to improve, you must be willing to put in the work. Again and again.

Tears — The Emotions

When you work with horses, you don’t just train—you care. And caring deeply means feeling deeply.

Fear, joy, frustration, pride, heartbreak, hope. None of these can be skipped if you stay in the game long enough. Some emotions take time to overcome. Some moments don’t last as long as we wish they would.

Improvement requires learning how to process and regulate those emotions—so they don’t control your decisions, your riding, or your horsemanship. To be your best, you must learn to manage your emotional state as carefully as you manage your physical and technical development.

Progress demands all three.
Blood. Sweat. Tears.

01/16/2026

It's a simple rule, the highest point of the neck is ALWAYS the poll. If the poll is below the crest of the neck, all kinds of bad things happen. Breathing is restricted. The horse's ability to balance is restricted. It is painful for the vertebrae even if they get used to it.

The trend toward hyper flexion of the neck that began in the 1990s was started by Anky Van Grunsven. It was "different" and trend seeking people adopted it believing Anky's supposed "benefits" from it. I am always looking for prospects and I 'd say 1/2 of the trained horses for sale pictures I see today proudly display this flaw. If you are selling a horse and display images of hyper flexion, knowledgeable riders will not be interested in your horse. They won't think much of your ability either.

12/20/2025

10/29/2025

Autumn/Winter 2025. Now available across Women, Men, Young Riders and Horse.

10/26/2025

Klaus Balkenhol, the renowned dressage master. Shares several words of wisdom .

1. On horsemanship:
“Good riding is about doing as little as possible, but as much as necessary.”

2. On training:
“You cannot force a horse to do anything, but you can teach him through patience, consistency, and fairness.”

3. On respect for the horse:
“The horse is always willing to give us its best; it is our responsibility to treat it with the respect it deserves.”

4. On balance and harmony:
“Dressage is about harmony, not domination. The horse must be willing to offer you what you ask for without force.”

5. On a rider’s approach:
“True dressage is not just about technical skill; it’s about understanding the horse and building a partnership where you are both equal partners in the dance."

10/16/2025

20 Ways Horses Talk Without Saying a Word

1. They talk through their behaviour when asked to do something, e.g. how they perform a canter transition.

2. They talk through their reactions to situations, e.g. when you go out to try and catch them.

3. They talk through their gestures, e.g. when they tighten their mouths and swish their tails.

4. They talk through their posture, e.g. when they hollow their backs and how they stand.

5. They talk through their movement, e.g. when their movement is rushed, tense, or discombobulated.

6. They talk through how they brace to protect themselves, e.g. how they react when you pick up the rein.

7. They talk through how their muscles have developed or become wasted away, e.g. stand your horse square and examine the symmetry of their muscling from one side to the other.

8. They talk through their conformation, e.g. what does their conformation tell you they will excel at or struggle with?

9. They talk through inspecting their mouths and teeth, e.g. bits can cause damage, and once you know how to see it, you can never un-see it.

10. They talk through their hooves, e.g. from stress rings to hoof wear, flaring, and balance.

11. They talk through the health and quality of their coat, e.g. is their coat shiny or dull?

12. They talk through their weight, e.g. are they underweight or overweight?

13. They talk through the way they are bloated, distended, or have no core.

14. They talk through their breath, its smell, rhythm, and depth.

15. They talk to you in their heart beat and other vital signs.

16. They talk through their footfalls, the timing and heaviness as they hit the ground.

17. They talk through the contraptions people attach to them or use to control them, e.g. nosebands, bits, chains, whips, spurs, or food, etc.—all tell a story.

18. They talk through their curiosity, preferences and what they wish to avoid.

19. They talk through their owner’s frustrations and the names they are called.

20. They even talk to you in their manure and how often they pooh!

Horses will always tell you what they know, how they feel, and provide an in-depth history of their lives. Important things. In fact, horses have a lot to say if you watch, observe and learn what things mean.

I welcome you to add to this list.

📸 IMAGE: Here’s a horse demonstrating the quirks in how efficiently he processes in this part of his visual field. A shoutout to Ross Jacobs for the quote — he was the first person I heard say this, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Thank you to everyone who has taught me to hear, see, feel, and smell what truly matters when it comes to understanding horses.

Come along to one of my Whole Horse Workshops, where we will work through the observations that matter.

This is Collectable Advice Entry 53/365 from my notebook challenge — SAVE it, hit SHARE, and as always… no copying and pasting, thank you!