S3 | 11. The Fight Response in Horses: When Your Horse Pushes Back
Release Date: 01/08/2026
S3 | 18. From Selling “Problem Horses” to Soul Partnerships: A Dressage Rider’s Transformation
Equestrian Perspective
In this episode, I’m joined again by my beautiful client Carola and this conversation goes deep. Carola came from a traditional dressage background. She's a certified instructor. She followed the rules. She chased the ribbons. And when things got hard with her horses? She sold them. Until she met Queeny. What followed was not just a horsemanship shift but a complete identity shift. Inside this episode, we talk about: Her mare who wouldn’t come to the gate… now she waits for her! From riding on the bit under pressure → to bitless and bareback pad fun plus joy-filled trail rides ...
info_outline
S3 | 17. Cultivating Confidence & Connection: The 5 Layers That Change Everything
Equestrian Perspective
Confidence isn’t something you force, it isn’t something you fake and it definitely isn’t something you earn by pushing through fear. In this episode, I’m breaking down what actually builds confidence - for both you and your horse - and why safety, clarity, and connection are the real foundations for trusting partnership. If you’ve ever: Second-guessed yourself on the ground or in the saddle Felt confident at home but wobbly in new environments Watched your horse freeze, balk, react, or shut down Tried to “just be braver” but felt your body resist This conversation will...
info_outline
S3 | 16. Your Horse As Your Mirror: Why It Feels Harder With Your Horse (and What That’s Inviting)
Equestrian Perspective
Have you ever wondered why your horse seems calm and cooperative for other people... but feels reactive, inconsistent, or emotionally intense with you? Why some days feel connected and beautiful… and other days feel confusing, confronting, or heavy...even when you feel like you're showing up in the same way? In this episode, I speak directly to the experience many compassionate equestrians quietly navigate: feeling deeply connected to their horse, yet struggling to feel ease or flow taking their horse’s behaviour personally, even when they “know better” finding it easier to work...
info_outline
S3 | 15. When Self-Trust Begins to Return (A Field Group Conversation)
Equestrian Perspective
This episode was originally recorded in mid-2025 during a live round of The Field. I’m resharing it now as part of Season 3, with the full permission of the women who shared so openly, as their stories speak directly to the themes we’ve been exploring around nervous system safety, self-trust, and receiving support. In this conversation, I’m joined by four women - Jenna, Bianca, Gemma, and Tina - who had just completed a 12-week journey inside The Field, a small-group mentorship experience for compassionate equestrians navigating change with their horses and themselves. This is not a...
info_outline
S3 | 14. You Don’t Have to Do This Alone (A Field Group Conversation)
Equestrian Perspective
This episode was originally recorded in mid-2025 after a live round of The Field. I’m resharing it now as part of Season 3, with the full permission from the women who shared so openly, as the reflections in this conversation feel deeply aligned with the themes we’ve been exploring recently. In this episode, I’m joined by three women - Carola, Maryline, and Natalie - who had just completed a 12-week journey inside The Field, a small-group mentorship experience for compassionate equestrians. This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about what actually happens when you stop trying to fix...
info_outline
S3 | 13. Before the Next Chapter: Supporting the Human Nervous System Through Transitions
Equestrian Perspective
Have you ever felt a new chapter approaching… but sensed that something needed to be tended to first? In this episode, we explore why transitions (even the ones we want) can feel disorienting, exhausting, or hard to move through, especially after long seasons of vigilance, rehab, grief, burnout, or survival mode. You’ll hear why slowing down isn’t always accessible when your nervous system has learned safety through doing, fixing, or staying alert - and why this isn’t a mindset problem, but a capacity one. We’ll explore: why your nervous system may be asking to “catch up”...
info_outline
S3 | 12. Trainers, Online Learning & Clinics: How to Choose the Right Support for You and Your Horse
Equestrian Perspective
Have you ever tried everything - trainers, lessons, clinics, online programs - and still felt like something wasn’t clicking with your horse? In this episode, I explore the different support options available in the equestrian world and why so many thoughtful, caring equestrians end up feeling confused, stuck, or doubting themselves… even when they’re doing all the “right” things. We talk about: The pros and limitations of trainers, in-person lessons, clinics, and online learning Why fragmented support often creates more confusion, not confidence How nervous system safety (for...
info_outline
S3 | 11. The Fight Response in Horses: When Your Horse Pushes Back
Equestrian Perspective
If your horse isn’t spooky…and they’re not shutdown…but they do push back - this episode is for you. Fight responses in horses are often misunderstood. They can show up as nipping, pinned ears, tail swishing, big reactions (like kicking, rearing, bucking etc.), or behaviours that get labelled as “dominant”, “pushy”, or “opinionated”. And when this is your horse, it can leave you feeling confused, judged by others, and second-guessing yourself - especially when you know there’s more going on beneath the behaviour. Fight responses aren’t bad behaviour. They’re a nervous...
info_outline
S3 | 10. You Create Your Reality: What Are You Choosing in 2026?
Equestrian Perspective
As we step into a new year, it can be tempting to declare a clean slate - to rush ahead with intentions, goals, and plans - without fully acknowledging the ground you’re standing on. In this episode, I invite you to slow down. Recorded live on the 1st of January, 2026, this is a reflective conversation about closing a 9-year cycle and consciously stepping into the beginning of a new one - not from “new year, new me” energy, but from integration, self-responsibility, and choice. We explore: what the past 9 years have been quietly shaping and teaching you why reflection is more...
info_outline
S3 | 9. End of Year Reflection: What the Year of the Snake Asked You to Shed (and What Wants to Stay)
Equestrian Perspective
As we come to the end of the year, it can be tempting to rush ahead... to plan, reset, or “do things differently” without fully acknowledging what this year has already shaped within us. In this episode, I invite you to pause. We reflect on the energy of the Year of the Snake - a year that has asked many of us to shed old skins, release outdated patterns, and recalibrate in ways that haven’t always been comfortable or visible. Together, we explore: what this year has quietly invited you to let go of what foundations you’ve actually built (even if it didn’t feel like it at the time)...
info_outlineIf your horse isn’t spooky…and they’re not shutdown…but they do push back - this episode is for you.
Fight responses in horses are often misunderstood.
They can show up as nipping, pinned ears, tail swishing, big reactions (like kicking, rearing, bucking etc.), or behaviours that get labelled as “dominant”, “pushy”, or “opinionated”.
And when this is your horse, it can leave you feeling confused, judged by others, and second-guessing yourself - especially when you know there’s more going on beneath the behaviour.
Fight responses aren’t bad behaviour.
They’re a nervous system response...one that often shows up when a horse still has agency, expression, and a desire to stay in relationship… but doesn’t yet feel safe.
In this episode, I explore:
-
What the fight response actually is
-
Why fight behaviours often get misunderstood
-
How fight responses can emerge
-
A real story with my horse, Lily
-
Why this phase can feel so hard to hold as a human
This episode isn’t about fixing behaviour.
It’s about understanding what your horse is communicating and why fight responses ask for discernment, nuance, and support rather than quick answers.
If you love a horse who pushes back…and you’ve ever felt like you’re missing something - this conversation will help you see the bigger picture.
✨ Want a grounded starting point?
Download my free Prepare Your Horse For Any Environment checklist — the foundational framework I use with all horses to build confidence, clarity, and safety step by step.
✨ Want to explore more about flight and freeze responses?
Find them on my Compassionate Horsemanship Playlist.
✨ Looking for deeper support?
This is the kind of layered work we explore inside The Field — my 3-month horsemanship mentorship experience for compassionate equestrians who want clarity, confidence, and a safer, more connected partnership with their horse.
If you’re ready for guidance, reflection, and personalised support while holding this complexity, you can learn more via my website or reach out directly.
✨ Connect with me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitydavies_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felicitydavieshorses/
Website: https://www.felicitydavies.com.au/
Email: teamfelicitydavies@gmail.com
Felicity 🤍