Have you ever beaten yourself up for a mistake that you’ve made with your horse? If so, you are not alone.

Experiencing shame and guilt towards mistakes made in horsemanship is something many horse people have experienced. Navigating these unpleasant feelings can be difficult, especially as you learn more and develop further perspective on the harm mistakes could have potentially caused your beloved partner. This webinar seeks to help empower and heal horse people in their journey of self-betterment as they learn more ethical equestrian practices and help them to overcome the discomfort that is shame and regret.

Transitioning out of traditional training practices and moving towards a science and welfare based approach can be a very lonely journey that may bring forth a lot of insecurities and regrets. The goal of this webinar is to help people to navigate through these feelings in a healthy manner and teach them skills on how to continue growing and improving as a horse person while being gentle with themselves.

Learning how to forgive yourself for mistakes as you grow as an equestrian is essential for self love and self improvement. This webinar will discuss tactics to help to erase shame and guilt in addition to helping attendees develop a plan for continued improvement and growth in the future, creating realistic goals and learning when to recognize when they’re doing their best and how to feel confident and comfortable in their decision making, no longer being reliant on the approval of others to feel good about themselves and their horsemanship.

Self care and self esteem are very important in showing up for your horse as the best version of yourself and this webinar will help people to rebuild a sense of identity as they go through changes in horsemanship and navigate past experiences that may have left them lacking in confidence and security.

This webinar is for equestrians of all riding levels and ages. It is about self-empowerment and building community to help horse people feel supported and appreciated in their journey as equestrians.

We will discuss the psychology behind shame and guilt and go over healthy ways to hold yourself accountable and when self-critique is turning into the unhealthy feeling of shame. Attendees will be provided with skills and exercises they can use to help themselves at low points and be given support so they can feel confident and empower as they continue their journey through the horse world.

This is a live webinar taking place July 23, 2023 at 3:00pm PST / 6:00pm EST to 5:00 PST / 8:00 pm EST. This webinar will be recorded so if you cannot attend live, you will be able to access the recording after the webinar. All live attendees will also have access to the webinar.

This webinar is a “sister webinar” to our previous Trauma Informed Care webinar, you can purchase the other webinar by clicking HERE

However, you need not have watched the first webinar to have something to gain from this one.

About the presenters:

Bri McDonnell - LISW with a private practice for suicidal prevention & mental health treatment in Ostrander, Ohio USA. Her studies have been focused on motivational psychology and behavioral sciences. The webinar will leave folks with an understanding of how trauma effects the brain's ability to learn, how stress impacts the body, and how to prevent trauma from occurring when possible.

Shelby Dennis- IAABC certified CHBC (Certified Horse Behaviour Consultant) with hundreds of credit hours in equine science studies at University of Guelph, specializing in equine behaviour. Her studies have been focused on the high instance of stress in horses and how this can be prevented on an industry wide scale and she is passionate about helping educate the horse industry so we can implement practices to help our horses be their best selves.