Equine Lingo

INTERVIEW: GEORGIA HARLEY PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED

WITH ROBYN MOOLMAN

HQ were fortunate enough to meet Robyn Moolman the founder of Equine Lingo. We’re delighted to say that Robyn will be providing more content for us in the future, and hope you enjoy this first article with her.

HQ: CAN YOU START BY TELLING US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU CAME TO BE WORKING WITH HORSES?

Robyn: Although not from a horsey family, my parents raised my brother and me to love and respect all animals. When asked as a little girl, my favourite animal was always a horse, with dogs coming a close second. Ever since I can remember, I have been passionate about spending time with animals of various species, loving them, watching them interact and training them. In the UK, where I grew up between the ages of six and twelve, we had dogs and hamsters that I trained to do all sorts of tricks. In addition, rabbits, field mice, owls and wild ‘af-vlerkie’ birds made their way into our home, where they would be nursed back to health and then released, semi-trained…In fact, a later phase of training budgies and parrots for the local pet shops helped earn money to pay for pretty horse riding gear!

It was in the UK where I learnt to ride and the real learning started with pony camps and weekly riding lessons. Any chance I got, I would volunteer at pony camps to groom or lead the horses around, muck out stables - come sunshine or snow, I loved just being around horses. Staying on a farm in Hampshire where horses were kept, and I could assist with daily grooming and mucking out just served to increase my passion for these animals. I prayed every year that passed from the age of six for my very own horse, but God’s timing is everything. It was only later when we returned to South Africa in 2005, that I met Copper Sunset (previous name Mark Shuttleworth). Copper Sunset was a very spooky, untrusting, yet curious 5-gaited American Saddlebred who I fell in love with. He was standing in the veld at a DIY yard in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, where I had jumping lessons.

Copper was not for sale - especially not to a skinny "little girl" in Grade 6. He was "a man's horse" and was dangerous, often throwing his owner off. Every evening after my lessons, I would run up and spend time with Copper in the veld. No halter, just being present, aware of his body language, and aware of my own. We formed a relationship based on trust, and before we knew it, I was sitting on him, riding in the veld at night and swimming through dams, all in secret. Our favourite time was sunset, when no one could see us.

A year passed, with my father regularly offering to buy the horse from the owner. Then, after a final bad fall, the 'lion truck' was called for Copper. I begged and pleaded, and my dad, who was still working in the UK, called the owner AGAIN offering to buy the horse and accept all risks involved. And, that was that; he sold Copper to us in the heat of the moment. I finally had my dream come true. I had my own handsome horse. Here, the real work and learning began as I wanted to compete, jump and do dressage, but relaxation was not in Copper's vocabulary, never mind the correct frame and normal gaits. I promised myself that if I never competed, that would be fine, but that I would build up his trust and confidence and train him to relax and think no matter how long it took. It was at this point that I realised the traditional "help" I was getting was not helping Copper learn, so I threw away the 3-ring

Portuguese gag he'd come with and took off his shoes, swearing to him that I would do whatever it took to help him trust life and people again.

I found a "Natural Horsemanship" DVD, which was the first time I had heard the prey-predator body language psychology explained. It made so much sense that I then dived headfirst into researching and learning all I could about these more "natural" training approaches. I selfstudied on the internet, through books, DVDs, and online courses and had a list of professional international trainers I contacted when I had questions. It was amazing and rewarding to see the results of the training techniques in Copper. It took time, but we were getting good at some dressage, confident at showjumping, riding bridleless on outrides, and his liberty was impressive, even on the beach. I should also mention though, that it was not all sunshine and roses. Many times I would break down in tears when something would trigger his old behaviours and it felt like we had gone right back to square one. It was also hard to watch my friends compete and move up the levels, when we were moving so slowly. Yet, at the end of the day, all of the baggage he had for me to work through started to develop my character as a person. He taught me about patience, emotional fitness and tenacity - all important when training horses. He also showed me that the horse is in charge of the timeline, not our ego, or what other people think. We can’t worry about the time, but just take the time it takes to train correctly.

Despite the slow progress at points, the work we were doing drew quite a bit of attention in the area, so I started to share and teach the techniques I was learning with other owners and riders.

This was where my passion for coaching started. I became good with problem horses sent to me and would travel and help with horses expressing problem behaviours in the area, implementing my forever evolving training techniques learnt along the way. I started backing horses for people in the area as well. Each horse taught me so much more, developing my feel and timing and growing my "technique toolbox."

In Grade 10, it was time to choose my school subjects that would allow me to study my intended profession at University. I chose subjects that I would need to apply to study Veterinary. If I had to choose a profession apart from training horses, it would have been Veterinary, specialising in equines. Yet, at the end of school, I had some vet clients that I was helping with their horses, and I remembered how they never had time to practice or train. In the end, this made me decide to stick with my passion and pursue horse

training and coaching as a career instead, as this way, I thought I would always have time to spend with my own horses, make a difference in the world, follow my dreams and help horses one human at a time! Little did I know how much time I would be spending away from my own horses and dogs whilst on the road coaching across the country...

I have been blessed to have trained many wild, untouched horses and thousands of problem behaviour horses, as well as retrain and reback hundreds of horses. All the horses I have had the privilege of training have taught me so very much. I spent the first few years travelling for about 4-6 months of the year, coaching, training and hosting clinics in the Eastern Cape, Free State and Western Cape. I used to come up to Johannesburg about four times a year on training tours before I moved here permanently on the 1st of March 2020. I don't do as much hardcore training now as I do coaching – for two reasons: 1. My body has been through a lot. The compound effect on my joints is showing up more than I would like to admit and even affecting my own riding. I used to be able to work/ride/train 10-15 horses per day but that is no longer possible. 2. I decided to focus on empowering equestrians, coming up with a coachable, duplicatable training technology that other equestrians can learn to integrate into their own training or coaching, no matter the discipline. My dream is to share this and empower equestrians. Too many trainers have the know-how and keep it to themselves in order to appear magical or as horse whisperers - feeding their ego knowing they are the only one that can do x/y/z, not leaving the owner or rider with much. Other times, good horse trainers are not capable of teaching or relaying information in a form that is easy to retain. My desire for Equine Lingo is to share training techniques and impart knowledge so that clearer communication can develop between horses and humans to allow learning to take place sooner and goals to be reached in a safer, more fun and rewarding manner!

HQ: WHAT LED YOU TO TAKE THIS PARTICULAR PATH?

Robyn: Passion for the horse and passion for people and the compounded reward inherent in experiencing moments of both horses and humans learning together. Seeing the horses and humans I have been able to help that have overcome personal obstacles and found joy within their relationship with their horses, where they might have been struggling or wanted to give up before, is truly what I do this for.

HQ: DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN HORSES?

Robyn: Yes, my heart horse, Copper Sunset, is retired and turning 21 this year. I get to admire him outside my bedroom window daily.

Bacardi is my rescue TB mare. She has never had a bit in her mouth. She is a 'get on and go anywhere' type of girl. She was one of the first horses I backed as a child.

Savanna is her daughter (the farmer's stallion broke out one night, and the rest is history!) Savvy is a fiery buckskin with a huge heart and is going to make an amazing hony for a junior one day!

Turkish Delight is a Shire cross TB I bought to back and sell in 2013. He was one of the most difficult horses I have ever had to retrain. Finally, I got it right, and then I couldn't sell him as I loved him too much. He taught me plenty about hand-raised horses and the dangers thereof. He is in the Eastern Cape still, living his best life as a hack.

Dancing Tango is my current demo horse. He is 75% Friesian and 25% TB. I bought him at six months old untouched as I wanted to raise him right and not have any baggage to untrain. Tango has travelled the country with me and is my bridleless and liberty horse. We also competed in eventing before his injury and plan to start up again competing in dressage this year.

HQ: WHO DID YOU LEARN FROM? OR HOW DID YOU LEARN YOUR TECHNIQUES?

Robyn: I have learnt and am still learning from many great international horsemen and horsewomen, coaches and trainers - both traditional and more holistic.

I self-studied many techniques and online programmes and attended many clinics nationally and internationally by horsemen, riders, trainers, and coaches.

I have taken from each source what resonated with my training ethos and worked well for the horses and put together my own training techniques and coaching system. "Eat the meat and spit out the bones" has been one of my favourite phrases when studying or learning from fellow trainers or coaches, but the greatest teachers are most definitely the horses.

I believe in continuous learning and self-development. I am passionate about expanding my knowledge any chance I get and am excited to see where Equine Lingo will be in 10 years from now - it won't be in the same place as there is still so much to learn!

HQ: WHAT DO YOU DO STRAIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU START WORKING WITH A NEW HORSE?

Robyn: I will read the body language of the horse with his owner/rider. At the same time, I will read the body language of the human and pick up on any "triggers" that I might see. I very quickly determine whether the horse is mostly in a learning frame of mind, "confident, relaxed, mentally engaged", or the opposite and tense or shut down in that specific situation. In more scientific terms, I'm looking at whether the horse is in a Parasympathetic State or a Sympathetic State. Basically, are they in a 'rest and digest' or 'Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fidget' state. There are a lot of variables, though, but this assessment is step one and usually determines the training technique for the way forward. After this, we look at the more immediate training

goal and how to coach the human to learn the training techniques that suit the situation and goal.

HQ: DO YOU BELIEVE A HORSE'S FUTURE CAN CHANGE OR IS THE DAMAGE PERMANENT?

Robyn: A horse's future can most definitely change, and no, not all damage is permanent! So long as the horse is physically healthy, by understanding and reading the horse's body language, implementing techniques that the horse can understand and putting in time with consistent, correct training, I have seen hundreds of horses that people had given up on, change for the better and learn. But there is no such thing as a quick fix with long-lasting results - it all takes time.

HQ: DO YOU CLASSIFY YOURSELF AS PART OF THE NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP COMMUNITY? OR WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK FITTING IN BEST?

Robyn: Although my foundation went from very traditional English riding and handling in the UK to completely natural horsemanship in 2006 with my first horse in SA, I have since developed my own methods from various training styles. Equine Lingo's established method has had great success in both the competitive and non-competitive equestrian industry. My goal is to create a method that does not fit in a purely "natural "or purely "traditional" box, as I saw that this division can cause amongst fellow equestrians. Although I have in-depth understanding and experience in both, I am passionate about coaching and

empowering all horse enthusiasts! Using the understanding of equine ecology, equine ethology, learning theory and classically correct movements, I coach owners, trainers and riders to develop communication that is clear to their horses – no matter the goal or discipline.

HQ: WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS KIND OF WORK?

Robyn: Any equestrian wanting to develop clearer communication in the following areas of training: • Solving problem behaviours • Training intricate movements • Liberty, freestyle and trick training • Foundation training • Discipline-specific success • Developing a competitive edge

HQ: ARE THERE ANY SUCCESS STORIES THAT YOU WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH US?

Robyn: Sjoe – I don't know where to start! I think the best will be to check out the testimonials page on the website or have a look at the before and after videos!

Equine Lingo also often has posts on Social Media (Instagram and Facebook) where we share success stories and videos that inspire, encourage and educate.

HQ: DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO DO MORE HORSEMANSHIP WORK WITH THEIR HORSES? WHERE DO THEY START?

Robyn: Equine Lingo has a brilliant Foundation Training Online Video Series, which teaches the fundamental theory and practical application of Ground Skills and Mounted Skills. This is available at www.equinelingo.co.za

If anyone is interested in more one-on-one coaching, Equine Lingo offers the following services: • Private • Group sessions • Distance coaching • Training videos • Clinics and demonstrations

I am also more than happy to answer calls or WhatApps if anyone has any questions on where or how to start or questions about their horse or training goals.

Attending a clinic with your horse or as a spectator is a fun way to learn about the training techniques and see it in action with various horses in various areas of training.

Call 081 500 7136 to find out more.