You & Your Horse's Brain: How Understanding the Type of Horse You Have Can Change Your Training, with Leo Rauscher

This episode is sponsored by Connaway & Associates Equine Insurance Services. In this ep of Horse Person, Caroline is joined by horse behaviorist and trainer, Leo Rauscher, whose work has influenced some of the top show jumpers in the world like Daniel Deusser, Lorenzo de Luca, Luciana Diniz, and Ashlee Bond. Leo's philosophy centers on the idea that horses are always communicating, and nearly everything they do is driven by self-preservation. Together, we challenge the assumption that pushy, tense, spooky, or "checked out" behavior is a dominance or respect problem. Instead, Leo invites us to look at these moments through the horse's lens, where communication is built almost entirely on space, movement, and clarity. In this conversation, you'll learn: How horses' language has evolved to keep them safe & what that means for us  How fear shuts down communication  The diff between leadership and dominance Why clarity = safety  How right-brain and left-brain horses experience pressure differently Why punishment doesn't make sense to your horse Practical, step-by-step examples you can apply immediately in groundwork and riding To learn more about Leo, visit his IG page.