Designed for Play
Strengthening your bond with your horse with simple tricks that any horse can learn
Would you like a fun, easy way to connect with your horse? Trick training is something that any horse can learn, and anybody can learn to teach. It goes beyond a cute photo, giving you & your horse something collaborative to work on together. Every horse deserves to spend time with their human outside of riding! These tricks are also a great activity if your horse is injured or unable to be ridden for any reason.
Enroll now to save: Currently available for only $55, and you will have lifetime access as I add the rest of the videos over the next month or so. Current tricks: target, hug, smile.
My mare, Adee, is a mustang who arrived with baggage that came from her first experiences with humans. The last home she was in was a great one, but that’s where it was determined that the traditional routes were not her style. After moving here with us, it took about a year for her to really start expressing genuine interest and curiosity regarding interacting with me.
I decided to start with some of the easier tricks that the boys enjoy, and was thrilled to find Adee excited about them too! This is only her third play session with tricks, and I had a hard time ending the session because she wanted to keep going. That was a first!
Experience True Collaboration
Growing up, I always saw horses as something near magical. Having a connection with them was an actual fairytale, as far as I was concerned. Then when Tucker suddenly became “my” horse at 14 years old, the magic slowly became harder to find. There were things we were supposed to be doing, people I was trying to mimic, and looking back, it is easy to see how I had no idea what I was doing at all.
But Tucker and I were thrown together by circumstance, and I had the deepest desire to make sure he was happy with his life. That took many years to fully understand, but I still remember our earliest days of trick training. That was when things started to change, and some of that magic started to return.
Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Horse
Once we were in college, and I was able to live much closer to Tucker and spend considerably more time with him, we started learning many tricks together. I called it dancing – we would experiment and create during these playful sessions, and it was so much fun.
Tucker enjoyed these sessions just as much as I did, and gradually we developed our own language on the ground, just as we had in the saddle. Our relationship became so much stronger as we spent more and more time on the ground, collaborating on these simple tricks.
Be Your Horse's Friend First
I used to be embarrassed about being a horse girl. Then, I was embarrassed amongst horse girls to be such an untrained horse girl. Later, I would be embarrassed to be that girl at the barn who did “useless tricks” with her horse. But looking back, those silly tricks were everything to my relationship with my horse.
My horse never saw me as his rider during those days. I always wanted to be his friend first, and his rider second. But if all we ever did together was ride…how could that be? So we split our time between tricks and riding, and our relationship was SO much better for it.
I've been playing with my horses for over a decade:
Through many locations (several are not even in this video), and MANY questionable outfits, I’ve always thought of my time with my horses to be play. We did lots of riding too, but these are the moments I think back on most fondly. Things don’t have to be fancy to be fun! We never grow tired of these activities.
bring the magic back to horses
If you’re ready to get started with some fun, easy tricks with your horse, join me in my course that was Designed for Play. I’m not teaching you how to train, or giving you a set curriculum to follow. We’ll show you how we learned our tricks, and you can follow along with our mare Adee as she learns each trick for the very first time. Most of all, I’m here to inspire you to have fun with your horse! Join me now in Designed for Play.
Here's who you'll follow inside the course:
Tucker
The Pro
Tucker is the trick pro, and loves practicing his tricks more than anything! My first horse, we’ve been playing together since we were only 3 & 13 years old. We started tricks when we were a bit older, but have been doing them for over a decade now.
Trubee
The Dabbler
Trubee knows a lot of the same tricks, but with his own style! He prefers playing games that involve chase, knocking things over or otherwise wrecking havoc. He will demonstrate his own style of the same tricks Tucker loves.
Adee
The Newbie
Adee did not know any tricks going in to the filming for this course! Very sensitive, fearful and intelligent, we’ll watch her learn and see what style she adds to the boys’ favorite tricks.
Get in Early
I’m recording the first modules for this course right now! Enroll with early bird pricing of $55. Once I get more tricks added, the price will increase but you’ll always have lifetime access!
Join my email list & receive a download with 16 tricks/games I do with my horses, and also be notified when more tricks are added!
DFP is about deepening your bond with your horse and giving them
something fun
While I lean heavily on positive reinforcement methods and clicker training, I am not practicing either on an academic level. I do mix in other things as well, and adapt my approach for each horse. What I’ll show you is how I work with each of my horses, not a step-by-step method that will work exactly the same for every single horse. Because horse’s aren’t all the same!
With this flexible & intuitive style, you’ll learn how to adapt your own approach to your own horses. And most of all, how to keep things light and fun so your horse enjoys their sessions with you. Here’s what I can promise you about this course:
- Videos of working on each trick with all 3 of my horses
- Kind and Gentle Methods
- Easy to teach tricks like smile, no, and hug
- Explanations of the steps I take with each horse
- Tips on how to keep things fun!
Join Designed for Play Today
$99 $55
Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours, adding tricks to your routine with your horse ensures you always have something fun to work on. Price is reduced until the course filming is complete – it is about 40% done right now.
This is not a course on high level training – you can accomplish these tricks with imperfect sessions, focusing on having fun with your horse.
Hi there! I’m Rachel, and I’m here to help you navigate the world of horse care with confidence. I’ve cared for my eldest horse, Tucker, since I was 14 and he was 4 – and I made a LOT of mistakes along the way. He’s now 22 and thriving with his small herd. Trubee joined us about ten years ago, as a chronically lame challenge. Adee joined us a couple years ago as a mustang who rejected all training attempts to become a riding horse. I love riding, but prioritize my horse’s needs high above my desire to ride.
With a degree in Animal Science and a minor in Equine Science, I have the formal education to back up my passion. But, here’s the thing — most of what I’ve learned about keeping horses truly happy (not just healthy) didn’t come from the classroom. It came from years of hands-on experience, trial and error, and listening to my horses.
You don’t need years of experience or a formal degree to give your horse the best care possible. I believe anyone can become a confident, informed horse owner — and I’m here to fast-track that journey for you.
for a world of happier horses
