Leviosa Equine takes a "whole horse & whole person" approach to training - meaning that while we train using a combination of positive reinforcement and thoughtful non-stress-inducing negative reinforcement (according to French Classical Principles) for riding and in-hand work, we also take into consideration the importance of animal welfare (Including the 5 Freedoms) and as such put in considerable effort into researching best practices for horse management and health. We also really work hard to be trauma-informed and up-to-date on best practices for coaching all kinds of people so that we can do right by their humans as well. Over the past few years it has become apparent that my clients who were coming to me with riding problems were often coming to me with full-blown behavioural challenges with their horses. This in addition to poor hoof angles, inappropriate diets, saddle fitting issues and body soreness/lameness led me down a fairly comprehensive path of trying to see the Big Picture and also offer people some help without overwhelming them or making them feel as though they weren't doing right by their horses. In addition to problems I was seeing in horses, I also unfortunately discovered that many people had experienced what can only be described as abusive coaching, and, that many humans came with a whole slew of baggage that needed accommodation...
Leviosa Equine grew from the need to do better by both horses and humans and really echoes the personal journey of founder Katrina Per-Carruthers (who is happy to share with you her long-winded journey to this method of training... at another time...).
We believe in meeting people where they are at - everyone is on their own journey and sometimes it takes people a really long time to realize that there is a need to make major shifts (I am no stranger to having my beliefs rocked hard by the discoveries I made along the way). I believe blaming people for these oversights is wholeheartedly unfair - we all are just doing our best out there with the information we have and through the lens of our own experiences. We all love our horses and we all spend considerable money and time to do the best by them.
As such, we really believe in empowering people to make good choices with ample information -- our best teachers are our horses who truly do not lie.
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