Horse Haven - Holistic Livery & Ethical Training

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens........
In these long dark evenings when there’s not a lot else happening I thought it was time to write a few posts about some of my favourite things!! Well apart from the obvious ones like all the lovely horses it’s time to give a shout out for some of the kit I can’t do without and a few of the great suppliers I use here at Horse Haven 😁 This week it’s all about the tack!
... I get to ride and work with a lot of different horses and ponies and in the process I’ve seen all manner of saddles and bridles, some I’d happily never see (or sit on!) again 😳
As you know - although I teach, train and school bitted horses, I specialise in training and re-training Bitless and I’ve worked with a lot of different bridles - it’s great to see such a huge choice out there theses days....I remember back in the day when it was pretty much either a hackamore or headcollar 😉
What’s really important to me is how acceptable and comfortable the horses find any piece of tack, how well it functions - are cues able to be given subtly and the horse feel the release immediately? Where is the pressure and is is dispersed over a wide area? Is it good quality, easily adjustable and won’t rub or pull hair? I use a couple of different bridles regularly and for two very different reasons. The first is the Micklem Multi which I have for the very specific purpose of transitioning older horses to bitless or starting youngsters that will be trained dual bitted and bitless. This bridle is so useful for this as it can be used bitted and bitless at the same time, making it easy to gradually swap between the two reins as confidence and understanding increase.
But my hands down favourite bridle has to be the Transcend! It is worlds apart in quality and fit, beautifully padded leather and can be custom made to fit. For the price the quality is astounding, the only bridle I own that compares is my old Albion KB comfort double and that cost a considerable amount more! I have yet to put a horse in my Transcend bridles who didn’t relax and work well - especially changing from a cross under style bitless. The owner of Transcend, Sue Thomas, is a really lovely lady and her customer service is second to none. She went above and beyond to help me when a youngster here rather helpfully chewed her way through my double 😱 and was super quick to help when I got a customer’s order wrong.
So if you are looking for a super quality well made bitless bridle my number one pick and a definite cats whiskers favourite thing is the Transcend. If you are local to me here in West Wales and would like to try one I offer trial lessons in my single or double so you can see for yourself just how comfortable they are for your horse.
Here’s a few pictures of some happy Transcend wearing ponies ❤️
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Sorry........Can you bear another bit of self congratulatory waffle? This is part two of the lovely achievements I’d like to share with you post 😊 As you all know Emmett for Horses is a huge part of how we help the Horse Haven herd. It’s such a gentle yet powerfully effective therapy. I use it almost daily and it has been so profoundly useful in a myriad of ways. Allowing horses to learn that touch can be a wonderful thing, Emmett can be healing, relaxing, ease any little ni...ggles and assist the horses to release long held physical and emotional stresses and discomfort. The horses have proved to be the most incredible teachers too, the way they are with students on the courses is mind blowing - all of the Emmett courses that are run here with the horses completely loose and at liberty on the yard and track and they have 100% control over their participation or not, it is always their choice and there is no consequence whatsoever for saying no thanks. Watching them quite deliberately place themselves into the middle of student group to ask for moves, individually picking out students to work with and so generously letting them practice is incredible. A testament for how much they enjoy and feel the benefit of this wonderful therapy. The way they teach students to follow their instincts, be soft, gentle, kind and really see and feel the Horse they are working with. They then take this knowledge out there to work with other horses.....Just wow!
So this week I was absolutely thrilled to hold and participate in the very first Advanced level Emmett for Horses Practitioner course in Europe! We were beaten by one day as the Aussies got the first course of the 35 countries in which Emmett is taught worldwide, go the Aussies!! But what an absolutely incredible honour to be chosen to host it here at our rather out of the way little yard...wow! So not only have we had the unbelievable opportunity of meeting Ross Emmett himself this year as he came to visit us, just to meet the Horses and experience the so very special place that is Horse Haven but we were chosen to host this course. It’s all down to the incredible horses and the wonderful support of our amazing instructor Tony Sherry. He has been such a staunch supporter and mentor from day one. Can’t thank you enough Tony. The course was as always simply mind blowing, learning some powerful new moves and sequences that the Horses responded so wonderfully to. Delighted to say I passed, so am now one of a handful of the most highly qualified Emmett for Horses practitioners in the world! How blummin incredible is that......can someone pinch me now please ❤️
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Well I really hope none of you were holding your breath for the next post ....oops! I really hate self promotion, but I’ve been told that on pain of death for non compliance I need to do a small amount of trumpet blowing 😂 Why? Because I’ve got a couple of really lovely accomplishments to quietly announce from the rooftops 😊 Firstly....and tiny drum roll if you please...... I have been accepted by the World Bitless Association as an Endorsed Trainer - the highest level achiev...able! To be accepted I’ve had to show my full understanding of learning theory and knowledge of and adherence to LIMA principles, welfare, behaviour modification, use and application of specific quadrants of operant conditioning. I was tested on a training scenario and my body of work through my website and this page has been reviewed and assessed. I am beyond made up to be accepted as I am in the company of some truly fabulous trainers and behaviourists. This means that you can be assured that training from me to you or by me for your horse is delivered based on my thorough understanding and knowledge of sound scientific principles, correct biomechanics and is delivered using methods that are Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive- set up to allow your horse to succeed and for you and your four legged partner to work harmoniously together and in ways you will both find rewarding and of benefit mentally and physically . To find out more about why I fully support the aims and ideals of the World Bitless Association and to join this progressive movement who are brilliantly promoting equality, fairness, ethical training and welfare please head to https://worldbitlessassociation.org Come and join me!
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I see so many horses wearing these controller type headcollars as a matter of course. Really great to see this research confirming what many of us already training using +R have suspected. It should be about the training, not about the kit.... When you take into consideration the size and strength of horses no head gear is going to make you equal to that, but systematically training using +R and shaping will make your horse safer and easier to handle

As usual lots to post about, so I will try to make a couple of catch up posts over the next few days.....don’t hold your breath as my track record with that isn’t great as we know! 😊 Tonight I’m just going to share some pictures from this weeks Emmett course...two days of revelations, breakthroughs, happy tears, horses having huge releases, horses and humans having an amazing open communication teaching / learning experience. All in the beautiful autumn sunshine in this wonderfully peaceful place. Bliss.

Ch..ch...changes, to quote the inimitable Mr Bowie. And they have been a few within the herd recently here at Horse Haven! We waved goodbye to training livery Nia who lived up to her nickname of ‘Trasher’ at home and took down two lines of post and rail injuring herself quite spectacularly in the process (this is apparently entirely normal for her and a minor miracle it took her as long as it did here 😳 the vet arrived and said “ah Nia, it’s been a while, what have you done ...this time ?!” As she is local she went home for her rehab and now she’s healed is being happily ridden by her owner Claire and doing well, hurrah! I’ll be starting work with her sibling Ginny shortly, so watch this space! We then had a bit of a kerfuffle as my lovely boy RD was returned from his loan home in quite distressing circumstances and in quite a state with very little notice 😔 Welcomed home with open arms, he settled straight in, it was so wonderful to have my little man back home, albeit for a short while ❤️ Then it was time to wave goodbye to the golden princess Briar 😳 This came about as out of the blue I had been contacted about another horse that was in quite desperate need of help...and the specific kind of help that we offer here. Darling Briar would be ok but Tivo needed some special Horse Haven healing, so with sadness my time with Briar came to an end so Tivo could take the space he needed. RD had a list of people offering him a new loan home and it wasn’t long before he met a couple of very special new friends (long time friends of mine!) who were perfectly matched to my lovely boy, so RD headed off to his wonderful new loan home where is settling in well. He is cherished, appreciated and adored, I couldn’t wish for better for him. In other news we have a beautiful new rescued Rottie girl too! The lovely Ella has joined the family to be Teasel’s friend and I’m delighted to say she’s settling in brilliantly ❤️ And (for the moment!) that’s us settled. I’ll post more about Tivo soon, this lovely boy has quite the story to tell!
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Amazing light, awesome colours, beautiful setting, wonderful horses. A few snapshots taken on a frosty morning, just had to share ❤️

Hello everyone, Firstly I must apologise for the long period of silence on the page, as well as being incredibly busy looking after the herd, schooling, teaching and working hard making improvements, it has actually been for rather heartbreaking reasons, which I’ll go into in a moment. I do want to thank those who have messaged checking that we are ok, we are, even if a bit knocked back by recent events. With the dark winter evenings now setting in I should have more time to... make posts. I have a few special topics planned, plus updates on all of the horses and an overview of the changes and what we’ve been up to. We suffered a couple of terribly sad losses - within days of my last post our darling dog Phoebe suffered a ruptured tumour and we lost her suddenly and unexpectedly. She was the last of our original bouncers, the four wonderful characters that moved here with us to start our new life in Wales. It seemed unreal that she had gone so quickly and that we’d lost three of our dogs in less than a year leaving little Teasel on her own. Still reeling from that we welcomed Shannon, a beautiful little new livery come all the way from Cornwall to enjoy her retirement on the track system. She met her metabolic crew buddies and seemed so happy and settled, pairing up with Moo and going off sampling track life and exploring her new environment. Tragically she died in a freak accident very shortly after arriving. It was a terrible, heartbreaking shock and absolutely devastating for her owner. I’m not sure any of us will fully get over it. It has just felt impossible to post about the rest of their herd enjoying their life here when Shannon wasn’t able to enjoy it with them, so this post is dedicated to her memory. So sorry your time with us was brief, we all looked forward to making this next exciting stage of your life a happy one, but it was sadly not to be. Run free lovely girl, our thoughts are with your family.
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This!! Brilliant article by Catherine Bell that very much matches our ethos here. It neatly explains why we are able to safely have students working within the herd - because those little signs are noted and acted upon. Energy changes and potential flashpoints are seen and no horse is ever punished for being a horse.

Whoops! Sorry for lack of updates but it’s been a fabulously busy couple of weeks. This update is brought to you by the letter E ...for Emmett and Education! There’s been lots of both going on 😊 Firstly I am delighted to announce that following our review and assessment I am now a fully qualified Emmett for Horses practitioner 😁 if any body would like me to come and point my magic fingers at their horse please do get in touch, can’t have the Horse Haven herd getting all the b...enefit 😁 The herd also put their wonderful teaching skills to great use helping a new intake of level one Emmett students to hone their skills. We had some truly amazing moments that had both Tony our fabulous instructor and I welling up as the horses went out of their way to help ❤️ No rest for me as straight after we waved goodbye to Tony and the students I headed straight off to north Wales for three intensive days of hoof care education! I am passionate about making sure my knowledge in all aspects of husbandry, training and behaviour are as up to date as they can be to enable me to do the best I can for the horses in my care. Day 1 was a talk about Diet to Digit by the U.K. farrier Mark Johnson - the importance of gut health to hoof health, then a talk about anatomy and hoof health alongside a dissection. It was fascinating stuff and really gave me some clarity. Days 2 and 3 were spent on a hoof rehabilitation and trimming course with the amazing Pete Ramey. He really is one of the best in the world when it comes to barefoot hoof rehab. He again covered the importance of diet, but in even greater depth. Food for thought!! I learned a huge amount over the three days and have brought home some great knowledge that really will help me. Apart from that it’s been business as usual. Caring for the herd, training with Ginxy, Roxy, Arthur, Briar and Nia. Hopefully my next update will be all about that side of my work!
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Regular page followers will know just how much we believe in and use Emmett therapy for the horses here at Horse Haven. We are so lucky to have Tony Sherry as our instructor and mentor and it’s been an amazing journey for me and the horses getting to the end of our five level course! We are running a new level one course here at Horse Haven on Wednesday and Thursday next week - On level one you learn moves to be able to treat your horse from poll to tail as well as some human... moves too The course is open to anybody with an interest in helping horses to feel good in body and mind and as a super bonus you get to hang out with the amazing herd of horses and ponies here, they are great teachers too!
---------------Last few spaces left---------------- Come and learn how to use the Emmett Technique to assist in muscle problems for both a horse and rider in a fast acting non invasive way. We believe that relaxed muscles can help both physical and emotional issues. It can also improve flexibility, balance, core strength, and provide a faster recovery time from injury or after a competition. This is level one of a modular course that leads to a professional qualification. Some people learn just to be able to treat their own horse. Its a great new tool for existing therapists. I teach all sorts of people from caring horse owners to massage therapists, chiropractors and vets. This two day course costs £300
To book your place please email: tonysherry@Emmett-uk.com
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We finally got the fencing up on the newly cleared section of riverbank and (most of) the horses enjoyed a wonderfully enriching and relaxing browse and paddle down there today. We are so happy to be able to give the herd the opportunity to enjoy such a varied environment ❤️

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve had a good week. All going well here at HH, the rain has been hugely welcome (never, ever thought I’d say that!! 😂) In the last six months we’ve had unprecedented rainfall and floods, snow, ice and now drought....still all smiling though and the herd have coped admirably with everything Mother Nature has thrown our way. So what have we actually been up to since the last update?? Well darling Reef went off to start his fabulous new life with his love...ly Mum and is settling in really well 😇 His previous owners have already sent their next lovely pony for me to play with! The gorgeous Nia has come to be restarted and to learn some new skills. She is lovely to work with and soaking it all up like a sponge. She’s settled in brilliantly too! Lovely Linde and Harry have become bosom buddies, he’s being very sweet with her and she’s happy to have a new best friend. Reno has himself a proper harem of ladies at the moment - Bonnie, Briar and Nia have all fallen for his considerable Spanish charm! Bonnie continues to settle in, she is an absolutely lovely sweet mare, so gentle. Roxy and Ziggy are still joined at the hip, Roxy is enjoying her weekly in hand session and after going completely feral when we had a week away Ziggy is doing a little bit of “work” with me every day....it was his 7th gotcha day anniversary this week 😳 Seven years!!!! Arthur is also enjoying his weekly ride, I just love that he offers himself up and asks to play ❤️ he also sidles up and asks to have his feet done every time I trim anyone else.....that’s some mighty powerful rewarding training he’s had 😂 Clipsie and Ginxy have been general allround lovely friendly boys, making friends with Bonnie and Nia and having tremendous fun hooning up and down the track and around the field, so playful 😁 Ginxy is also loving his weekly in hand play sessions and has really become a big soppy cuddle bug who loves scritches and grooming. Teleri really is one of the herd now, happily hanging out with several of the others. She’s really finding her feet and loves going off exploring around the track. Chaps and Chica are still joined at the hip, I think Chaps is hugely relieved that Harry has stopped trying to steal Chica and is now hanging around with Linde 😂 Chica has had a visit from Clement the osteopath and is moving comfortably at the minute....laps of the track!! Moo is doing really well on his meds and looking well, his appetite is increasing which is brilliant! Briar has had a fair bit of time off with me being so busy, training, holidays and the heat, but we are right back in the groove now. I love working with her, she’s challenging me in a really great way and she is just 😍 to ride!!! Hopefully now the ground will be a bit softer we can make some great progress....watch this space!
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Lots to write about, but this evening I’m just going to leave you with the sheer joy of this ❤️

Here’s a few pictures from last weeks fantastic Emmett training course here at Horse Haven. A great group of willing new students who all treated the horses with wonderful sensitivity under Tony Sherry’s wise guidance. The horses were, as always, amazing teachers too ❤️ The sun shone, the horses and students had a great time and I enjoyed getting to relax and watch the smiles and looks of amazement on the students faces. 😁 It was a pleasure to host you and hope to see you for level 2!

It’s about time we had an update on the herd, pony pictures have been severely lacking especially as we have two lovely new ladies staying! Darling Teleri arrived a few weeks ago, she’s a grand old Welsh lady who is the most single minded pony I have ever met 😂 Bless her, she greeted us all with a bit of suspicion on arrival and took her own good time to decide if we were worth bothering with 😊 I’m delighted to say she is well and truly part of the herd now and settled in ni...cely. Yesterday we said hello to the lovely Bonnie who travelled all the way from Guildford. She’s embracing herd living and is already buddies with Linde, Clipsie and Ginxy. Reno and Briar seem quite desperate to be pals, but on putting them together they were moving Bonnie around too much which she didn’t need after her long trip, so out they came. Much better intro today ❤️ Clipsie, Reno, Moo and Teleri have been enjoying spa time, Arthur and Reef have done lots of bareback track trundling as I am too lazy to walk round and open the gates 😂 Ginxy is enjoying his weekly in hand sessions and as a result of the extra time seems really relaxed and happy in himself. Ziggy and Roxy are mostly enjoying relaxing and snoozing together. Harry is being a sweet cuddle bug, still happy to work on ear and head handling, he’s regularly staging little coups and putting himself in between Chica and Chaps - all very casually with no shenanigans! Chica loves the attention and Chaps doesn’t know what to think! Darling Moo has been a bit poorly so has seen our lovely Vets for some blood tests. We are all hoping for good results. He’s much happier this week thank goodness but did give everyone a bit of a fright poor love 😔 Today we had our first new intake of new Emmett students! Great to see everyone working so sensitively with the horses - who were all very appreciative 😊 Day two tomorrow!!
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In and around Horse Haven today as the heatwave continues here in West Wales...

What a brilliant weekend! I’ve been at a great learning theory and behaviour modification workshop with the Horse Charmer extraordinaire Max Easy. It’s been really wonderful to study with a group of lovely like minded people in a super horse friendly environment. Back here at Horse Haven the herd are doing really well. Little Teleri is slowly settling in and gaining the confidence to explore a little more now. Harry has been out walking and consolidating his head touch / rein...s and bridle work. He’s now totally nonchalant about having his ears rubbed! Reef learnt about all about clippers and discovered they might be buzzy but they feel great! In just three short sessions he’s happy to have first an electric toothbrush then our trimmers run up and down his legs, belly, neck, jaw and head! Super good boy! Briar had a lovely ridden baby hack around the long river track with some absolutely super walk and trot! Oh she’s so slinky ❤️ Happy days ❤️
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We are absolutely over the moon to let you all know that Larri’s equine matchmaking skills have worked their magic again! The lovely Reef has spent the last two days being his fabulous self on the job interview of his life and he has charmed his way into the heart of his very special new person - Vic, a longstanding good friend of Larri’s! Vic asked if we could help her in her quest to find a new friend to have adventures with and Reef sounded like he ticked a lot of her wis...h list 😊 We genuinely could not be more pleased to see these two starting a fantastic friendship and a life long partnership together. Thanks so much to Clare and Roger for entrusting us to provide his ridden education and allowing us to help him confidently find his place in the world. I hope you will all join me in wishing Vic and her very special new boy the best of luck and so much happiness together xx
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Larri is an excellent trainer and instructor, she is kind, patient and understanding. She will break things down and explain them in a way you can understand. She actually takes the the time to teach rather than tell and brings out confidence in both horse and rider. Her prime goal is to make sure that your horse is happy and consenting at all times, she does not advocate using fear based training or forcing a horse to perform and works with whatever the horse has to offer on any particular day.



So whether your looking for help with groundwork, ridden work, positive reinforcement, and helping you develop a stronger bond with your horse, be you a beginner or someone who just wants to brush up on your skills Larri is definitely your go to woman. Take a visit to horse haven, meet Larri, meet the horses, they are evidence enough of Larri's skill, expertise and dedication.

Just a different world - if Carlsberg made yards ...



Everything is for the benefit of the horse, even in ways I hadn’t even thought of



If only horses could choose their own yards and lifestyle, this is where they would all go



Herd living doesn’t mean feral - with plenty of checks and lots of attention, Larri already has taken the time to ensure Bonnies needs are met, even if they happen to change, no attention to detail is too small for the lucky few who live here in peace and harmony in the Welsh Hills

It is my little herd that gives this unique caring service five stars. Larri considers the individual needs of each pony in planning her interventions. Some of my ponies are semi feral and they appreciate the calm vibes that Larri has. We look forwards to her visits

I have known Larri for nearly two years and i can recommend her.



I had stopped riding my horse after a mountain bike accident. The inquiry meant that I was very fearful of doing further damage and so suffered from tight bum syndrome- poor horse felt like he had a sack of spuds on him! He was not going well and so I turned him out and had an expensive lawnmower!



Larri was perfect, she got me back on him very gently and brought him back into work- light work I am a happy hacker. She was my rider when I was under confident and she always looked holistically at mine and his needs.



Larri was great for me and her knowledge skills and confidence would be great for riders who want to do much more than I do.



Thanks Larri!

I feel so privileged to have been learning EMMETT for Horses at Larri Davison-Bowes’ wonderful Horse Haven Wales. This was my first ever experience of being in the same space as horses - let alone helping them overcome a range of issues. It was all made so much easier by being in beautiful and natural surroundings, with the horses being able to be themselves.

Learning in a group with such amazing women was fantastic and with the lovely Tony Sherry as our Instructor we have enjoyed watching the changes in the horses’ reaction as well as in our own personal development.

Thank you Larri for creating such a wonderful and welcoming space for all of us.

Larri is an excellent trainer and instructor, she is kind, patient and understanding. She will break things down and explain them in a way you can understand. She actually takes the the time to teach rather than tell and brings out confidence in both horse and rider. Her prime goal is to make sure that your horse is happy and consenting at all times, she does not advocate using fear based training or forcing a horse to perform and works with whatever the horse has to offer on any particular day.



So whether your looking for help with groundwork, ridden work, positive reinforcement, and helping you develop a stronger bond with your horse, be you a beginner or someone who just wants to brush up on your skills Larri is definitely your go to woman. Take a visit to horse haven, meet Larri, meet the horses, they are evidence enough of Larri's skill, expertise and dedication.

Just a different world - if Carlsberg made yards ...



Everything is for the benefit of the horse, even in ways I hadn’t even thought of



If only horses could choose their own yards and lifestyle, this is where they would all go



Herd living doesn’t mean feral - with plenty of checks and lots of attention, Larri already has taken the time to ensure Bonnies needs are met, even if they happen to change, no attention to detail is too small for the lucky few who live here in peace and harmony in the Welsh Hills

It is my little herd that gives this unique caring service five stars. Larri considers the individual needs of each pony in planning her interventions. Some of my ponies are semi feral and they appreciate the calm vibes that Larri has. We look forwards to her visits

I have known Larri for nearly two years and i can recommend her.



I had stopped riding my horse after a mountain bike accident. The inquiry meant that I was very fearful of doing further damage and so suffered from tight bum syndrome- poor horse felt like he had a sack of spuds on him! He was not going well and so I turned him out and had an expensive lawnmower!



Larri was perfect, she got me back on him very gently and brought him back into work- light work I am a happy hacker. She was my rider when I was under confident and she always looked holistically at mine and his needs.



Larri was great for me and her knowledge skills and confidence would be great for riders who want to do much more than I do.



Thanks Larri!

I feel so privileged to have been learning EMMETT for Horses at Larri Davison-Bowes’ wonderful Horse Haven Wales. This was my first ever experience of being in the same space as horses - let alone helping them overcome a range of issues. It was all made so much easier by being in beautiful and natural surroundings, with the horses being able to be themselves.

Learning in a group with such amazing women was fantastic and with the lovely Tony Sherry as our Instructor we have enjoyed watching the changes in the horses’ reaction as well as in our own personal development.

Thank you Larri for creating such a wonderful and welcoming space for all of us.