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Course 101 — Ethology & Safety

Course 101 — Ethology & Safety

The second course of the Level 1 Foundational Horsemanship Certification. Course 101 is about the horse's mind and your safety, in that order and inseparably. You will learn how a prey animal sees the world, how to read ears, eyes, mouth, tail, and above all the feet, and why the horse is a mirror of the person handling it.

Then the skills: the catch as a conversation the horse chooses to join, leading with feel, tying with knots that always release under load, bridling without a fight, and the beginnings of round pen work, where a horse hooks on and chooses you. Every lesson is built on the barn safety rules at Ocean View Stables, and the certification at the end tests the judgment that keeps you and the horse safe.

Soft is strong. Clarity is kindness.

Join this Course
Responsible Zachary Leyden
Last Update 07/28/2026
Completion Time 9 hours 3 minutes
Members 1
Basic
  • Safety First
    9Lessons · 1 hr 47 min
    • The Barn Safety Rules at Ocean View Stables
      Preview New
    • Blind Spots and Announcing Yourself
      10 xp
    • Dressing Right for the Barn
      10 xp
    • What to Do If a Horse Invades Your Space
      10 xp
    • Watch: Staying Safe Around Horses
    • Watch: What to Wear to a Lesson
    • Watch: Keeping a Horse Out of Your Space
    • Watch: What Keeps You Safe Around Horses
      New
    • Watch: Bryan Neubert — Safe Handling Under Pressure
      New
  • How the Horse Sees the World
    6Lessons · 1 hr 16 min
    • Prey Animal: Vision, Flight, and the Herd
      Preview New
    • Reading Body Language: Ears, Eyes, Mouth, Tail, Feet
      New
    • The Horse Is a Mirror
      New
    • The Phases: Whisper, Conversation, Boundary, Reward
      New
    • Watch: How Horses Read Body Language
      New
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller — The Herd-Bound Horse
      New
  • The Catch and the Draw
    5Lessons · 51 min
    • The Catch as a Conversation
      New
    • When the Horse Will Not Be Caught
      New
    • Watch: Catching the Hard-to-Catch Horse
      New
    • Watch: Bryan Neubert — The First Catch
      New
    • Watch: Craig Cameron — Catching as a Daily Habit
      New
  • Leading With Feel
    3Lessons · 32 min
    • Position, Pace, and the Bubble
      New
    • Leading Through Gates and Past Trouble
      New
    • Watch: Groundwork With Feel — Buck Brannaman
      New
  • Tying and Knots
    5Lessons · 55 min
    • Where and How to Tie
      New
    • The Quick-Release Knot and the Bowline
      New
    • The Horse That Pulls Back
      New
    • Watch: The Quick-Release Knot
      New
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller — Teaching a Young Horse to Tie
      New
  • Bridling
    5Lessons · 1 hr 11 min
    • Parts of the Bridle and the Bit
      New
    • Unbridling Without a Bang
      New
    • The Bridle Is a Conversation, Not a Command
      10 xp
    • Watch: Bridling the Hard-to-Bridle Horse
      New
    • Watch: Buster McLaury — Correct Haltering
      New
  • The Round Pen
    4Lessons · 1 hr 2 min
    • Round Pen Safety and Setup
      New
    • Hooking On in the Round Pen: From Flight to Connection
      10 xp
    • Watch: The Hooking-On Process
      New
    • Watch: Monty Roberts — Join-Up Explained
      New
  • The Certification
    1Lessons · 30 min
    • Course 101 Certification
      New
  • Go Deeper
    5Lessons · 58 min
    • Watching Horses: A Field Practice
      New
    • Watch: Buck Brannaman — The Horse Is a Mirror
      New
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller — Creating Connection
      New
    • Watch: Monty Roberts — Join-Up With a Wild Horse
      New
    • Watch: Stacy Westfall — Reading a Horse at Hour Zero
      New