Beyond the Basics: Unlocking Happy, Healthy Horses with Chelsea Canedy

Chelsea Canedy operates her program, Unexpected Farm (we love the name!), in Wales, Maine, and is renowned for her innovative approach to horsemanship and training. She emphasizes the importance of prioritizing a horse's happiness and health, focusing on:

• Continuous Turnout
• Positive Reinforcement Training
• Holistic Wellness

Beyond these core principles, the episode with Chelsea explores fascinating topics like:

• Technology and Sustainability
• Horse Psychology
• Timeless Strategies for Building Trust

Ready to unlock a happier, healthier equine partnership?

Listen to the full episode featuring Chelsea Canedy for a wealth of practical advice and inspiring insights. Visit Chelsea's website to learn more: https://www.chelseacanedy.com/

[00:00:00]
Host (Brad): Welcome to the Double D Trailers Podcast! Today, we are discussing equine care and training—a really cool topic. We’re tapping into the expertise of Chelsea Kennedy. She’s an expert in horsemanship and performance, and she operates her training program out of Unexpected Farm. That’s the name of the farm—Unexpected Farm—in Wales, Maine. You can look her up. Chelsea is known for her innovative approaches to horse and rider training, with a focus on nurturing the health and happiness of each horse and enhancing performance through thoughtful and informed practices.

Chelsea has been kind enough to share her expertise with us on the topic of equine care and training, and I thought it would be a great idea to share this information with you all.

[00:01:00]
The first thing we did was ask Chelsea to share some of the key principles of horse care and what she prioritizes at her facility. Chelsea emphasizes turnout—at her farm, horses enjoy almost continuous turnout, except during the winter when it becomes impractical due to freezing temperatures. This approach allows horses ample space and time to move, which is essential for joint and muscle health, not to mention overall mental well-being. I mean, even for me, getting out and going for walks is good for my mental health!

Her facility also ensures that horses have 24/7 access to free-choice hay, using a slow-feed grazing system. This system mimics natural grazing behaviors, which is critical for maintaining a healthy digestive system—an important factor in overall equine health. Lots of good recommendations from Chelsea here.

[00:02:30]
Moving on to training techniques, Chelsea has embraced positive reinforcement, or R-plus, in her training. This method has been successful for training various animals for decades, but only recently gained traction in the equine world. In fact, I had never heard about it until we reached out to Chelsea. Chelsea finds that it reaches horses in ways that traditional methods might not, especially for those affected by previous mishandling.

This approach, coupled with professional saddle and bridle fitting, as well as chiropractic and craniosacral work, has significantly enhanced the physical and emotional health of the horses. We actually did a podcast with a chiropractor—can't recall the name right now, but it was a great episode. You can check it out on our website. Chelsea said that having the insights provided by these highly trained practitioners is invaluable when creating a training plan or solving issues that come up along the way.

[00:03:45]
We also asked her about nutrition. Chelsea highly recommends products from "Hor Guard," which is a woman-owned company known for its bioavailable supplements. They even have an on-staff nutrition expert who helps customize supplement plans, and Chelsea reports that these plans have visibly improved horse health at her barn. Really cool to hear about that.

[00:04:15]
Another topic we briefly touched on was technology and sustainability, and how both play important roles at Unexpected Farm. Chelsea uses a tool called "Pivo" and an app for remote teaching. This allows her to conduct lessons remotely, which is especially useful during winter or when traveling. She also uses Slack for communication with her team, which helps streamline daily operations and ensures everyone is up to date on farm activities.

In terms of sustainability, her facility is powered by solar panels. They also have a comprehensive manure management system that benefits local crops, making sure every step is as eco-friendly as possible. Even the farm animals contribute by consuming compostable waste. I was really impressed with Chelsea’s approach to both sustainability and technology.

[00:05:30]
On the topic of rehabilitation, Chelsea mentioned that while Unexpected Farm hasn't used many of the newer technologies like PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma), IRAP (Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein), or PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy), she has used red light therapy and found it beneficial in certain cases. Elastic band systems have also been valuable for aiding muscle building and rehabilitation, encouraging proper movement and strengthening.

Chelsea shared a quote: "There’s not a horse I have met who could not benefit from the properly used band system." Great insight!

[00:06:30]
As for recent advancements in horse psychology, Chelsea described herself as a "huge nerd" when it comes to understanding how horses think and learn. She feels like she discovers something new every day. Her approach is deeply influenced by advancements in neuroscience, which shed light on how horses, like humans, process information. This knowledge has refined her training methods and emphasizes the importance of being present and aware. She finds this critical in establishing a true connection with each horse.

Chelsea said, "The understanding that horses live completely in the present moment, unlike humans who tend to focus on the past and future far more than the present, informs my daily work immensely. I strive to be as open and aware of the present with every horse I work with, so I can meet them exactly where they are instead of where I think they should be or where they have been in the past. It’s the only way to truly help a horse learn the shared language between us and, therefore, trust that we can work together in a way that benefits both of us."

She went on to say, "There are countless techniques, both new and old, that I believe can be utilized to build a clear line of communication under this umbrella of understanding. If a person does the work to be truly present in the moment-to-moment process of training horses, they can build a lasting relationship."

[00:08:30]
Lastly, Chelsea shared some time-tested strategies for building trust with horses. These are like gold nuggets of knowledge, and I’m going to quickly run through each one since they’re all beneficial and important.

1. Always keep learning: There’s always more to learn, and nobody knows everything. Beware of anyone who thinks they do, and never stop learning.
2. Slow down: Make the steps to understanding something new smaller for both you and your horse.
3. Know when to hustle: Training horses is not for the faint of heart. You have to be consistent, persistent, and diligent to create true and lasting understanding.
4. Use minimal pressure: Always use as little pressure as possible, but be willing to use as much as is necessary—especially when it comes to keeping yourself and your horse safe.
5. Practice energy control: Practice going big with your energy and then relaxing equally, so both you and your horse learn to bring energy up and down with grace and ease.
6. Stay neutral and present: Always ask questions of your horse from a neutral and aware place.
7. Be curious: Be curious about your horse every day instead of making assumptions about your time together. Have a plan, but be flexible.
8. Take breaks: Take breaks, both small ones to show your horse they’re on the right path, and big ones to allow for information processing.
9. Ask yourself why: Ask yourself often why you do what you do with your horse. Who is it for? What do you gain? What does your horse gain? Make sure your actions align with your answers.
10. Be the thermostat, not the thermometer: Set the tone for your horse, help them learn to self-regulate, and do your own personal work to achieve this.
11. Give it time: Be willing to start over or let go of a relationship that isn’t beneficial to both parties. Building any relationship is a process, and not every relationship is meant to last forever, but each one has something to teach you.

[00:11:00]
That’s all for today’s episode. A big thank you to Chelsea Kennedy for sharing her extensive knowledge with us. We really appreciate it. And to our listeners, I hope you found these insights as enlightening as I have, and that they help enhance your approach to horse care and training. To stay in touch with Chelsea, you can visit her website at chelseakennedy.com—that's "C-H-E-L-S-E-A-K-E-N-N-E-D-Y.com."