PODCAST · education
Tea Time with Elsa
by Elsa Sinclair - Taming Wild
Elsa brings you her current thoughts each week. These episodes were originally aired starting on August 6, 2019 and go from there until the present time. Musing on lessons in training and life in general. These are the podcast versions of Teatime with Elsa - Live on YouTube. Check it out here: https://youtube.com/elsasinclairVisit the website at https://tamingwild.comA Taming Wild production
Episodes
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 260
Chatting About: The Foundation Work Of Simply Being… Originally aired on: August 29th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how sharing time with horses can sometimes be about simply being together without trying to change them. A “Watching Practice” sets the stage of understanding for all the...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 259
Chatting About: Basic Needs First… Originally aired on: August 18th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how my understanding of the “Basic Needs” of a horse has become deeper over the years. Both horses and humans are herd animals and as such it is natural for them to value the needs of others…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 258
Chatting About: Whimsy in Horse Training… Originally aired on: August 11th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how serious horse training can get and how perhaps, a little whimsy can be an incredible source of joy for everyone. What whimsical moments do you like to share with your horse?
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 257
Chatting About: What do you want in a friend? Originally aired on: August 4th, 2026 In this episode we talk about the role of a friend that most horses play in the modern world. For some people horses are still work mates, for others they are sports equipment, for most of us I find they are…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 256
Chatting About: The Non-performative Life… Originally aired on: July 28th, 2026 In this episode we talk about the idea of being performative, as a horse or a human. To be performative is to do things for others that you might not naturally choose for yourself. We ask our horses to be performative...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 255
Chatting About: Pattern versus Details… Originally aired on: July 21st, 2026 In this episode we talk about how the brain chooses how to process the world it lives in, noticing the patterns (how today is the same as yesterday) or noticing the details (how each moment is completely unique). When we...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 254
Chatting About: Our Relationship To Pressure… Originally aired on: July 14th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how past associations around pressure determine the quality of our relationship with pressure. In order to build a better relationship with pressure (from the horse’s perspective or…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 253
Chatting about: A Good Luck Frame Of Mind… Originally aired on: July 7th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how training in freedom is all about capitalizing on the naturally occurring moments with our horses that are in the direction of training that we hope for. When training with more…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 252
Chatting about: Bringing Out The Best In Our Friends… Originally aired on: June 30th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how to bring out the best in our horses and, really, all of our friends in general. Specifically, I like to look at this from a sensory system perspective. The better our…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 251
Chatting about: Playing in Freedom versus Training in Freedom… Originally aired on: June 23rd, 2026 In this episode we talk about the care we take in training to set the horse up for success. In at least eighty percent of our interactions we should be making sure our horses encounter a world that...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 250
Chatting about: The Art Of Bonding… Originally aired on: June 16th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how the art of bonding is in the problems you can solve together. Much of normal horse training is about creating a problem for the horse that you can then solve together. In Freedom Based...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 249
Chatting about: The long walk of shame… Originally aired on: June 12th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how sometimes, when we push a little too much in horse training and the horses have the freedom to walk away, we end up taking a long walk to figure out where things went wrong. Once we…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 248
Chatting about: We All Get To Decide What Is Important?… Originally aired on: May 5th, 2026 In this episode we talk about how we all get to decide where to focus and where we focus and how we show what is important to us as an individual. However, if the relationship to others is important, then...
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Teatime With Elsa Episode 247
Chatting about: Don’t Fight Reality… In this episode we talk about how working without tools is a great time to accept the reality of the horse’s state of mind. In each moment the horse will either have: a good idea, a bad idea, or no idea at all. If they have no ideas at all, the door is open…
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Teatime With Elsa Episode 246
Chatting about: The Luxury Of Appreciation… In this episode we talk about how the greatest quality of life comes from a habit of appreciating whatever is naturally occurring. This however is a luxury we may or may not have depending on our situation. When a situation becomes time pressured around...
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Teatime With Elsa Episode 245
Chatting about: If you can do it better, do it again… Originally Recorded 26_04_21 In this episode we talk about how training is always a guess. Any action we take has a result. Once we see the result we have to take a guess and ask ourselves “If I repeated the same action, or an adjusted version...
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Teatime With Elsa Episode 244
Chatting about: Don’t Change, Appreciate… In this episode we talk about the natural pressures of life that push us to train change faster than a horse might choose, and what the side effects of that might be. If reasonable, I always prefer to train at the speed the horse would choose…
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Teatime With Elsa Episode 243
Chatting about: What Does Pressure Mean? In this episode we talk about the challenge horses have in learning what pressure means in relationship to humans. At a base level pressure should mean to change something. That change might be physical, mental, or sensory. What change is needed is a…
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Teatime With Elsa Episode 242
Chatting about: Reward Systems In this episode we talk about the different types of reward systems horses find themselves utilizing. Reward systems in general are sensory based, either seeking a sensory experience that feels good, or avoiding a sensory experience that feels bad. Obviously I…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 241
Chatting about: The Kinds of Connection In this episode, we talk about how connection between two beings requires one to initiate and the other to join. Another way to say the same thing is, one needs to take attention while the other one gives attention. When we see patterns and preferences in…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 240
Chatting about: Being Present or Future Minded… In this episode we talk about the value of thinking ahead a few steps for the benefit of relationships. This is in contrast with the popular idea of being fully present. I believe being fully present is a good default mode to fall into when our...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 239
Chatting about: Exploring A Third Option… In this episode we talk about how polarized training horses tends to be. Between giving the horse no direction, and the need to establish consequences if the horse does not follow human direction. A third option can feel impossible unless you truly take...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 238
Chatting about: Noticing the Absence… In this episode we talk about how easy it is for the brain to lock onto the presence of threats or difficulties and the absence of well being. When we challenge ourselves to look for the absence of difficulty instead it can be a slippery idea to grasp. This...
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Teatime With Elsa - Episode 237
Chatting about: Endings and Beginnings… In this episode we talk about Atlas. We talk about saying goodbye to horses in the most graceful way possible. We talk about change and how to prepare for moments of change we may feel less than ready for. Originally aired on: February 10th, 2026
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 236
Chatting about: Different Kinds Of Difficult…… In this episode we talk about the importance of contrast in training. In order for horses to choose something, it must be in comparison better than some other option. How do we include the idea of something difficult in our training, in a way that...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 235
Chatting about: When to slow training down… In this episode we talk about when we might slow training down and when we might speed training up. There is a benefit to every option, when applied at the right time. Originally aired on: January 26th, 2026
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 234
Chatting about: Giving To The Relationship Or Extracting From The Relationship …… In this episode we talk about the difference in training styles when we think about giving to the relationship in ways and at times that the horse might choose. There are certainly times when it is most appropriate…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 233
Chatting about: Why do we train the Sensory System?… In this episode we talk about the reasons why I train the way I do. There are both benefits and difficulties associated with every training pattern. I believe a sensory first approach has the benefits I look for in a relationship with horses....
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 232
Chatting about: Retained Juvenile Behaviors… In this episode we talk about a way to look at behavior in our horses that may seem inappropriate. When we look at it as a maturity level issue, it gives us so much grace to help our horses and work with them. Both of us on the same team working toward…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 231
Chatting about: Pressure and Release in the Real World… In this episode we talk about how inevitable pressure and release are in life and how we might use the cycles of internal pressure and release a horse naturally feels to shape their habits and patterns. While we can artificially apply…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 230
Chatting about: Fireworks… In this episode we talk about how we might prepare horses for extreme events such as the Fireworks that often come along with New Year’s celebrations. Freedom Based Training is not about solving problems that are currently occurring, but instead preparing the horse from…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 229
Chatting about: Rest and Freeze… In this episode we talk about how to see rest and freeze on a spectrum. Rest being essential for horses to process the information they have taken in through their sensory systems. Freeze as a type of rest where they are trying to process information taken in, but...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 228
Chatting about: Arcs, turns, and intersecting lines… In this episode we talk about the social strategies of horses working together in herds. What do they want from each other when they approach in a direct line? Why do some get corrected all the time and others don’t? How do we use this...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 227
Chatting about: Stacking the Wins! In this episode we talk about noticing the quality of each interaction we have with our horse. When we adjust the level of difficulty correctly for the horse on that day, in that environment, then the horse is able to feel like their wins stack up from moment to...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 226
Chatting about: Training Obedience versus Training Interest… In this episode we talk about how we might look at training on a spectrum between obedience and interest in the horse. While we can train to have both in the horse, we probably have to prioritize one or the other in each moment of...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 225
Chatting about: The 13th Rabbit… In this episode we talk about the story of the thirteenth rabbit and how anxiety, or fear, or anger stacks if we don’t notice it and take the time to allow a horse to fully process it. Not everything needs to be fully processed as it happens, but it is good if we...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 224
Chatting about: Associations… In this episode we talk about building positive associations in horses. The tendency is to wait for something to go wrong, the horse to feel overwhelmed, and then ask how to solve the problem. This is of course something we can do, but it is so much better if we…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 223
Chatting about: Optimism and Pessimism… In this episode we talk about the factors that make a horse more optimistic or more pessimistic. Once we can see the ingredients that go into developing optimism we can improve a horse’s quality of life. Originally aired on: October 10th, 2025
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 222
Chatting about: Sensitization, Desensitization, Flooding and Learned Helplessness… In this episode we look at the spectrum of possibilities we have when helping horses live well in a human world. Seeing possibilities as options with positive and negative aspects helps us to make the best…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 221
Chatting about: Watching… In this episode I talk about the power of watching our horses, and what exactly it is that I am watching for. There is so much to learn before we attempt to interact well with horses. When we understand each one as an individual while also seeing them part of a bigger...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 220
Chatting about: Escalating Pressure… In this episode I talk about the different ways we can see and understand escalating pressure. While I may personally choose the most gentle types of pressure I can find, I appreciate there are interesting pros and cons to every choice we make in our...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 219
Chatting about: Less Is More… In this episode I share a very personal growth experience with my herd. I am often torn between satisfying the public expectation of proving I can teach horses to do many normal domestic horse tasks with less pressure than most, and my desire to do less in favor of...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 218
Chatting about: What Is A Challenge… In this episode we talk about an exercise I do with horses to figure out what may or may not feel like a challenge for them in the environment they are in. Then when we know where the edges of their comfort zone are, how we might stretch them in a way the…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 217
Chatting about: The Pros and Cons of Distraction… In this episode we talk about why and when I why I teach distraction as a good choice in the relationships with horses. Trainers who have tools to keep a horse from leaving them will sometimes choose to wait through a cycle of concern in the…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 216
Chatting about: Chatting about: Timing, Technique and Pressure… In this episode we talk about the key factors horse trainers focus on and how we might think about it differently. Originally aired on: September 9th, 2025
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 215
Chatting about: Do The Ends Justify The Means… In this episode we talk about the dilemma that all of us face when considering the amount of pressure it might, or might not, be reasonable to put on horses toward an end goal. Originally aired on: August 12th, 2025
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 214
Chatting about: Tell me how you feel… In this episode, we talk about different ways to measure progress with our horses. It is easy to measure progress by taking notice of the tasks that can be accomplished, it is more nuanced and more interesting to me to measure progress by asking horses how…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 213
Chatting about: Solving for Better… In this episode, we talk about how we can see an issue that needs to be solved and cut it in half, and in half again until the part we are working on feels set up for success. I recently had some new revelations about how this applies to horses who struggle…
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 212
Chatting about: “Emotional Cycles”… In this episode, we talk about seeing the emotional cycles of a horse from moment to moment and using that awareness to better time our active and passive moments. First we watch the horse and learn about their cycles. Then we use our active and passive moments...
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Teatime with Elsa - Episode 211
Chatting about: Fear in Horses… In this episode, we talk about understanding a horse’s fear in a categorical way. Their responses will be in either Fight or Flight and they will tend to be in reaction to one of four elements: movement, touch, approach, or sound. Once we can see a horse’s…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Elsa brings you her current thoughts each week. These episodes were originally aired starting on August 6, 2019 and go from there until the present time. Musing on lessons in training and life in general. These are the podcast versions of Teatime with Elsa - Live on YouTube. Check it out here: https://youtube.com/elsasinclairVisit the website at https://tamingwild.comA Taming Wild production
HOSTED BY
Elsa Sinclair - Taming Wild
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Tea Time with Elsa have?
Tea Time with Elsa currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Tea Time with Elsa about?
Elsa brings you her current thoughts each week. These episodes were originally aired starting on August 6, 2019 and go from there until the present time. Musing on lessons in training and life in general. These are the podcast versions of Teatime with Elsa - Live on YouTube. Check it out here:...
How often does Tea Time with Elsa release new episodes?
Tea Time with Elsa has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Tea Time with Elsa?
You can listen to Tea Time with Elsa on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Tea Time with Elsa?
Tea Time with Elsa is created and hosted by Elsa Sinclair - Taming Wild.
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