COlin fassotte

I have developed some of the principles that guide my approach to give you an idea.

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Consider the horse’s point of view and individuality
 

The starting point of the Horsemanship I practice, to me, seems to be the ability to consider the horse's point of view. This requires a willingness to put oneself on the horse's level in order to "think and live horse". Although humans and equines are not far apart in their functioning, it is necessary to treat them as equines and not as humans. The best thing we can do for them is to see them for what they are.

The horse always has an opinion and will tell you everything, provided you listen to it. It is also important to be able to determine the personality of the individual in front of me quickly enough to adapt my work. A horse is not just a horse.
 

Create a relationship and develop a partnership 

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It is important for me to put the relationship first when I am with a horse. Creating a relationship requires spending time together. Developing the partnership requires having an idea of where we would like to take the horse while taking into account its point of view and showing some flexibility. I am careful to ensure that the horse feels confident and comfortable enough to work in relaxation as much as possible.

Rather than doing something TO the horse, I try to do something WITH and FOR the horse.

Putting the relationship first means putting the quality of the connection and conversation with the horse before our goals in the work.
 

Mental-emotional-body / Balance
 

I look at the horse in terms of three interconnected and inseparable elements which are the mental, emotional and physical. It is often necessary to focus and work on one element more than another, but I try to get back to the overview as soon as possible. I like to work with a horse that is attentive, calm, available and that offers quality responses to my requests. When working on the ground and mounted, I pay particular attention to lightness and biomechanics. The more I progress in my journey, the more I realise how omnipresent and important the notion of balance is. It can be a matter of physical balance, but not only. There are many other ingredients that need to be balanced.

In solving behavioural difficulties, my main field of action is teaching. However, it is often the case that the horse is indirectly expressing discomfort related to its boarding conditions, its diet or its physical condition. It is therefore important to bear in mind that "physical" health professionals often have a role to play in resolving behavioural difficulties, especially when they are extreme.

Fondation before specialisation
 

A foundation is for me a common base that every horse should have no matter what discipline he is going to specialize in. Horsemanship is universal and I do not differentiate western or "english" riding disciplines whether it is ground work or ridden. A horse is a horse no matter where it is, what breed it is, what equipment it is wearing and what activity it is being used for. In my opinion, specialisation in a discipline is just the icing on the cake and competition is the cherry. If your cake doesn't have a solid base, it's not the icing and the cherry that will make it better. However, specialisation is a good thing because it offers goals for the horse and the human in the work.
 

Competence on the ground and in the saddle
 

Horsemanship is more than just riding a horse. Horsemanship is about developing our awareness and competence from the very first moment we get in contact with horses. It is the little things and especially the habits that make the difference. A lot happens between the moment your horse sees you arrive at the stable and the moment you leave. In my approach, the quality of the basic ground handling is very important. We can often teach more simply from the ground. Problems encountered in the saddle can also be solved partly or completely from the ground. When the ground skills are strong, there is always more success in learning in the saddle.

As little as possible but as much as necessary
 

You have to work constantly on being fair and efficient. This means doing as little as possible, but as much as necessary. Part of being fair is explaining our idea to the horse in a way he can understand, giving him enough time to integrate it and telling him when he responds correctly. I like to do as little as possible to keep the horse's sensitivity and avoid having to assist him all the time. Being effective means waiting for tries and changes. Carol Brett used to say: “work without expectations nor limitations”. Tom Dorrance used to say, "Reward the smallest try and the slightest change."
 

Causes before symptoms
 

When I encounter a difficulty or help a person in trouble, I make it a point to look for and work on the causes of the problem. Too often, we want to solve problems by making the symptoms disappear. In my opinion, acting this way is not fair, the problem will not really be solved and we may see other symptoms appear. Thinking more deeply to work closer to the source of the problem sometimes takes longer, but gives more solid and long-term results.