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Relationship Before Horsemanship: Insights from Warwick Schiller [episode 60]

relationship before horsemanship
Listen to Relationship Before Horsemanship: Insights from Warwick Schiller on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | your platform of choice

I’m very excited to welcome Warwick Schiller onto the podcast today!

Warwick is someone Tom and I have looked up to for quite some time, and we’re both huge fans of his book, The Principles of Training. Warwick Schiller focuses on relationship-based training and is well-known for his “Relationship before Horsemanship” teaching. This is done by helping the horse regulate its nervous system through connection before working on shaping its behaviors.

In today’s episode, we’re discussing what “Relationship before Horsemanship” really looks like and how this applies to ALL beings (not just horses). Warwick has always considered himself more of an outside-the-box kind of guy; he took this approach when stepping into horsemanship. His journey really started after having a unique experience regarding a particular horse he was working with. This allowed him to understand the power of nervous system regulation in horses and, ultimately, how we can connect with them on a deeper level.

We also discuss what unraveling and shattering long-held truths can look like (especially when it comes to cultural and societal conditionings we are so accustomed to), the importance of validation in all of our interactions, why extending grace to animals seems to come easier for us than to our fellow humans, and much more. 

This was truly a captivating conversation; Warwick had such great insight and wisdom to share, and I very much resonate with his “Relationship before Horsemanship” concept. I’m personally so fascinated at the parallels between species, and when it comes down to it, I believe it shows how we’re ALL connected! 

Meet Warwick:

Warwick Schiller focuses on relationship-based training. “Relationship before Horsemanship” is about helping the horse regulate its nervous system through connection before working on shaping its behaviors. He shares his work on his online video library, at clinics and horse expos around the world, and on his YouTube channel, where he has amassed over 33 million views. 

He also hosts The Journey On Podcast, which in 2023 was in the top 1% of all podcasts worldwide, with over 3 million downloads. He’s also the author of The Principles Of Training, which has been an Amazon best-selling book in the Equine category.

In this episode, Relationship Before Horsemanship: Insights from Warwick Schiller, we cover:

  • A pivotal experience that led to Warwick’s focus on relationship before horsemanship
  • How working with horses started Warwick’s journey of unraveling and the role his podcast plays in showing the unraveling of our cultural and societal conditionings
  • Ways to support horses with nervous system regulation using connection and how this applies to people, too
  • How we are in charge of creating our own reality and how we choose to interact with any type of being (human or animal)
  • Why it seems easier for us to extend grace to our animals rather than to our fellow humans
  • The concept of waiting vs. doing when working with horses and why the nervous system isn’t meant to be calm all the time
  • Why attachment and attunement are what humans need most but are also most lacking

Resources & Links:

Connect with Warwick:

Connect with Terryn:

Related Episodes:

More about the Good Movement Draws Good Movement podcast:

In stockmanship (the art and science of handling cattle in a safe, effective, low-stress manner), we have this phrase . . . good movement draws good movement. 

It’s this thing that happens when we ask a small group of cattle, maybe a cow or a pair, to move out in a certain direction, and their movement draws the whole herd into moving in the same direction.

Good movement happens when we approach the cattle with a positive attitude, read and really listen to what they’re telling us, and communicate accordingly. 

We don’t approach the aware, flighty cattle the same as we do the tame, docile cattle. We adjust ourselves, our energy, and our approach, and we communicate with each other differently.

These adjustments help us effectively draw good movement from each, which then draws good movement from the herd. But it starts with us.

The same is true for humans. Good movement starts with us.

Welcome to Good Movement Draws Good Movement, the podcast where farmers, ranchers, and rural folks can grow relationally through awareness, understanding, and effective communication.

Hey, it’s me – T. I’m your host, and I, along with my guests, will be covering topics related to drawing good movement – things like self and social awareness, brain science, positive psychology, extending grace, and so much more. 

We’ll share tools that can help you understand why you are the way you are, why others are the way they are, and how you can use that to step out of self-told lies with grace and compassion to draw good movement in conversations, relationships, and life in rural America. 

Tune in every Tuesday, and make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode! Let’s go draw good movement!

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