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Writer's pictureNancy Ellison-Murray
Jan 1, 20223 min read

‘To learn, is to empower your own direction of change.’

I’m not so into end of year wrap ups. For me, it feels like closure - and closure of experience isn’t something that sits well with me. One of the things with life, is that it is always moving, changing and evolving. This happens whether you like it or not.

One of the ways to survive & thrive in this reality is by being flexible with your journey through it, understanding that ‘being a journey’ is exactly what it is…. And that in being so - it is movement. Your life journey through life is moving thing. I’ve made a lot of moves in my life…. planned, not planned, reactionary & learning, right, wrong. I'm proudly still on my feet. I learn every step of the way.


I have learnt both through want or necessity in abundance, and the gratitude for this has unfailingly brought me joy + hope at every progression forward.

You reach a point, when you want to share. Some want to talk, some want to share to close family, some want to share to the family they are creating. For me, that sharing to others - began when I was a young girl, and so I did. I shared the fascination, the joy, the potential and opportunity that all of my living, learning, experiencing and flowing movement of life experience offered me. I wanted to share that experience, and those discoveries.


I see myself as a teacher - and that I have done solely for many years in the equine industry, and secondarily with my clients in my current equine industry role (of 15 years) but, more and mostly I see myself as a sharer.

I don’t just have what I have experienced, but I feel I am overflowing with it - knowledge, insights…and have been for a while and want to share it. It doesn’t mean I’m self promoting here, big noting myself, I just feel like I have a full vessel and it’s time to pay it forwards. I still have a compulsion to share the joy of experience.


I believe in idealistic altruism this way. I believe knowledge is ours, but not ours to keep. Obviously I like to see myself as not only a sharer, and a teacher - but also a catalyst for the change I believe in with the knowledge and information I have.


2020 is unwritten, but… it also looks the same as all the others in essence. Its likely a year of beautiful change, hard earned choices, and peaceful painful growth. The difference is for me this year, is my focus and the actionable steps I will take along what I want to not just achieve, but begin. The 'why' behind the journey, and the actions I’ll take along it.


So - 2022, begins the year of more sharing. I’m starting my future, and committing to sharing the knowledge I have, not just to one - or individuals but to any that are open and keen to indulge me in hearing the insights I have gained, empowering information I have and the processes that can & will likely help you along the journeys you take with your horses. These are the same journeys that diverge at times, running parallel along my journey, and my aspirations for what we choose to influence with the horses we work with.


Like I said before, I see myself as a catalyst, and a teacher - but I want things. I want changes. I want mutualistic benefits for both domestic horses, and their humans. I also believe it can successful, and sustainable - I truly believe it will happen through insight. I will stand beside this belief in the knowledge I have, and honor it.


I very much look forward to sharing with you, and having the opportunity to be a part of your insights, the knowledge I have and want to give that might help you gain empowerment on your, and your horse’s journeys.

Bring on 2022, the first of the rest, and I’m so excited to have you along for the ride


‘To learn, is to empower your own direction of change.’


grow well, Nancy x


#resetequinesem#sustainableequinemobility#equinescience#equitation#equestrian#equitationscience#equineethology




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Writer's pictureNancy Ellison-Murray
Jul 28, 20213 min read

Unclear is unkind.

“Clear is kind, unclear is unkind. Most of us avoid clarity, because we tell ourselves that we are being kind. When actually doing this is being unkind and unfair. “ Brené Brown.

My mother is an incredibly kind, caring, generous woman. She is a nurse and the idea of hurting someone, makes her feel very uncomfortable. So, she learnt to be very specific about her technique, controlled, and efficient as to minimize trauma in any medical procedures she did. She is also a cellist. She laughs, and she tells me about how she is always getting in trouble for skimming with her finger, not being firm or clear enough in her touch on the strings to achieve clarity of sound with the notes. She told me she does it, because she is apprehensive of not committing to the sound that may come from the cello, in case is the wrong note, and sounds horrible, harsh or 'ugly.'

I, as many of you know, am also a manual therapist in my hands on work as an Equine mobility specialist. The feel from my finger tips is always giving me information that I need, to make the tactile decisions to encourage changes in the tissue, working with the horses nervous system. So I listen, then I respond with clarity, and consistency of feel and pressure - otherwise it is inefficient, and often uncomfortable and distressing for the horse. I respond with my brain, to the feel I have, after I have set the expectations from the pressure I need to apply. However, when it comes to my creative movement, my horse riding - I like my mother am a 'peacemaker' rein 'skimmer'. I'm definitely a less is more kind of a gal when it comes to rein pressure. I tend to whisper my way up into a contact....by nature.

Today, in my lesson with my riding/training coach & mentor, riding an unfamiliar horse I was riding for the first time - I found myself 'skimming' with my contact and 'whispering' aids. Offering more time than the horse needs to get the ideal response, 75% committing to my aids - with a half backup plan underway, mentally problem solving on the fly to an outcome that is unlikely to occur (nothing drastic - just, a deviation of line, a hesitation to aids etc) .....It's what I do by nature.

I think I do it, to;

1. keep the peace, not rock the boat, 'not be a burden' and work with rather than against, and... 2. Offer a very human form of respect to the horse to not lead to 'ugly' harsh outcomes from confusion.

...which in itself is terribly anthropomorphic and offers the horse nothing even close to the very human ideal of respect at all.

When this comes to horse training, lack of clarity creates murky, blurry, inconsistent ‘success’ points for the horse to aim for, and it makes it harder for us as trainers to provide the clarity of release, aka reinforcer that is vital for them to confirm their response as correct, and learn the meaning of aids. This always leads to physiological tension as a result of mental anxiety, and ideal welfare. As we know from scientific research on equine learning, the horse requires the consistently clear aids, followed by the release of aids as soon as the correct response has been achieved - all within 3 seconds.

Thats it, beyond that your horse has lost grasp on what the outcome could have been, and why you were doing what you were to them to try and acheive it.

3 seconds from ‘ask’, to ‘achieve’ in order for the horse to learn.

To develop on this and work further you need to be sure of two things; 1. What are you, most specifically aiming for at this current point in time, aka this week, this day, this moment for your horse to understand? 2. What does your horse need to do physically to make this happen?

Write your personal ideas and responses below if you are keen, or follow this link to a blog I wrote a year or so back, under my other hat, Reset Equine - Sustainable Equine Mobility which delves into this topic further...


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