Shona McLauchlan Equine

26/11/2025

⚡️WINTER IN HAND POLE SERIES ⚡️

Here I have set up a parallel of L’s and show how you can really differ the questions you ask of your horse.

🔹We can use the L shape to practise a turn through a corner either by being on the outside and having more control of the outside shoulder or the inside and encouraging the inside hind to really step under push more as you walk away

🔸 Be creative and weave in and out and over the poles, circle around you, halt in than lines and ask for rein back, keep on moving and see where you end up!

🔹For a more technical session you can ask for the side stepping around the shape. Start slow if you’re new to this only asking for a few steps then walk out to help build your horses confidence up and stop them from getting stuck.

✨I do most of my groundwork in a rope halter but a flat halter is absolutely fine, I do recommend a good length lead rope so you can allow the horse space and not be right next to them where we can be influencing them too much. It’s good to encourage them to work things out themselves.

✨If you want to buy a lead rope I recommend this website https://www.easy-does-it.co.uk/ you can chose then length and whether to have a clip or a loop end. The weight and feel of a rope can be very personal, I’ve tried a few and really like the ones from this company.

✨If you’re wanting a rope halter then https://totalhorsemanship.co.uk/ has some lovely colours and great style

✨Caveat: If your horse is under rehab work from a vet/body worker then check that they are happy for your horse to be working over poles.

Please feel free to share and tag me if you give it a go 🦄

25/11/2025

Very happy to say this guy scoped clear this morning 🥳🥳

I’ll be honest and say I really wasn’t expecting him to as historically they’re been harder to shift. I really think that changing his diet to hay and Hay cobs keeping things natural and simple has really helped.

He’s going to carry on a few weeks half dose of omeprazole and sucralfate and we’ll increase his workload and keep an eye on him.

I’m still waiting for the mineral analysis from the grass to come back and his blood results showed low in a protein so I’m hoping to gather all the information I can to keep his body more balanced. I’ve ordered Sanfoin pellets to add to his diet to help boost protein and I’m taking to a few supplement companies which specialise in herbal remedies that work in supporting the gut system with the aim of getting to the bottom of his hind gut disbiosis.

It’s an ongoing journey and it’s not easy when you want them to be happy and comfortable and everything you seem to do isn’t right but that’s where we do more research and keep asking questions until we find what works for them. 🩵

23/11/2025

⚡️WINTER IN HAND POLE SERIES⚡️

Starting with what I call messy poles:

🔸Poles put out at random distances
🔹Some raised, some on top of each other, others on the ground
🔸Make it as easy of as hard as suitable for your horse
🔹Great if your short of time/daylight
🔸Helps proprioception, suppleness, encourages the horse to look and think about their hoof placement

✨I do most of my groundwork in a rope halter but a flat halter is absolutely fine, I do recommend a good length lead rope so you can allow the horse space and not be right next to them where we can be influencing them too much. It’s good to encourage them to work things out themselves.

✨If you want to buy a lead rope I recommend this website https://www.easy-does-it.co.uk/ you can chose then length and whether to have a clip or a loop end. The weight and feel of a rope can be very personal, I’ve tried a few and really like the ones from this company.

✨If you’re wanting a rope halter then https://totalhorsemanship.co.uk/ has some lovely colours and great style

✨Caveat: If your horse is under rehab work from a vet/body worker then check that they are happy for your horse to be working over poles.

Please feel free to share and tag me if you give it a go 🦄

20/11/2025

Sweet short session with the big man in the freezing cold 🥶🩵🩵 so cold I kept his rug on!!’

A little bit of groundwork followed by in hand work in the bridle, flexions in halt then walking around asking from flexions on the move and a little bit of lateral work. He was able to start holding himself in a better balance with self carriage which was great.

Am I super confident working in this manner off the bridle from the ground…….nope ….. but I have really seen the benfits working in the French classical school L’Ecole de Legerete from and I want to do my best to learn more and become more skilful for my horses. Which can mean stepping outside our comfort zones and exploring new ways of training. Giving it a go a seeing what happens.

I love the logical progression of teaching the horse from the ground what the bit means and the way we can teach balance and flexion without us being on their backs mucking it all up.

With so much going on in the sport of horses I think people are ready more than ever to find empathic ways to train horses and see just what can be done with the aim of being as light as possible 🦄

19/11/2025

💛OVERNIGHT OATS💛

🌾 Good portion of oats
🌾Chia seeds
🌾Milled flax seed
🌾Cinnamon
🌾Ginger
💛Turmeric extract from
🌾Honey
🌾Frozen fruit
🌾Almond Milk

I don’t measure too accurately which means the taste varies and sometimes a surprise when you add to much ginger 🤣🤣 obviously it can all be measured if that’s your thing ☺️

I love this as it’s really tasty in the morning and easy to eat in the go. You can be an inventive or simple as you’re taste buds desire 😋

Let me know if you’re an overnight oats fan if you fancy giving it a go??!

14/11/2025

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10/11/2025

A lovely post from Hayley really summing up the experience of attending a Legerete clinic.

I’m so glad I went up for 2 days, it’s my first and certainly won’t be my last!!

I met so many lovely people from all areas of the country and background in horses.

If anyone is looking for a way to train your horse with lightness and ease with a real systematic training programme then I highly recommend looking at Philippe Karl's School of Légèreté UK

🫶 A fantastic 3 day clinic with Philippe Karl's School of Légèreté UK

• Sylvia Stossel was simply outstanding (As always! So humble, inviting and willing to share her experience with everybody. Honestly brilliant to watch her work her magic with each horse and rider)

• Kate Sandel from Soft and Sound provided us with an excellent taught lesson and a pedagogy on The Mise En Main, which explained the process beautifully (lots of💡moments around the room!)

• Josh Daly organised the whole event, provided us with an excellent taught lesson AND brought 2 horses, which demonstrated how the principles are applied to one horse in their very early stages of Legerete learning, and then the wonderful Norman who is already well established - watching Josh switch between these two entirely different rides was not only educational but also demonstrated his outstanding ability.

🐴 All riders were amazing. It is no small feat to put yourself into the spotlight in front of watchful eyes. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your individual journey and to be enlightened in this phenomenal school of learning.
🤲 Not only am I entirely convinced by this school of riding, but watching how it involves osteopathic techniques in ridden form is also now influencing my own hands on practice. It has revolutionised my understanding of the ridden horse and how their bodies function.

❤️ Please, if you are watching from a distance (as I did for some time) come along to a clinic. This is not an elitist school - you will find people from all walks of life, horses of all different breeds and ages, those with significant underlying pathology and at a range of stages of development. Everybody is friendly, inquisitive and highly supportive.

👀 Once you see it, the veil has been lifted. You cannot unsee it ever again, which is a blessing, and a curse in some respects. But certainly a blessing for all of the horses in your life 💕