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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.

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Finish Course 100 — Equine Science & Care to unlock or join anyway
Responsible Ocean View Stables
Last Update 09/27/2026
Completion Time 8 hours 29 minutes
Members 6
Level 1
  • Safety First (empty)
    9Lessons · 1 hr 43 min
  • How the Horse Sees the World (empty)
    8Lessons · 1 hr 6 min
    • Prey Animal: Vision, Flight, and the Herd
      Preview 10 xp
    • Reading Body Language: Ears, Eyes, Mouth, Tail, Feet
      10 xp
    • The Horse Is a Mirror
      10 xp
    • The Phases: Whisper, Conversation, Boundary, Reward
      10 xp
    • Watch: How Horses Read Body Language
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller — The Herd-Bound Horse
    • Watch: How a Horse Sees, and Where It Can't
      New
    • Watch: Buck Brannaman on Reward and Timing
      New
  • The Catch and the Draw (empty)
    5Lessons · 44 min
    • The Catch as a Conversation
      10 xp
    • When the Horse Will Not Be Caught
      10 xp
    • Watch: Catching the Hard-to-Catch Horse
    • Watch: Bryan Neubert — The First Catch
    • Watch: Craig Cameron — Catching as a Daily Habit
  • Leading With Feel (empty)
    4Lessons · 27 min
    • Position, Pace, and the Bubble
      10 xp
    • Leading Through Gates and Past Trouble
      10 xp
    • Watch: Groundwork With Feel — Buck Brannaman
    • Watch: Bryan Neubert, Leading Up on Foot
      New
  • Tying and Knots (empty)
    6Lessons · 54 min
    • Where and How to Tie
      10 xp
    • The Quick-Release Knot and the Bowline
      10 xp
    • The Horse That Pulls Back
      10 xp
    • Watch: The Quick-Release Knot
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller — Teaching a Young Horse to Tie
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller on Avoiding Tying Trauma
      New
  • Bridling (empty)
    6Lessons · 1 hr 11 min
    • Parts of the Bridle and the Bit
      10 xp
    • Unbridling Without a Bang
      10 xp
    • The Bridle Is a Conversation, Not a Command
      10 xp
    • Watch: Bridling the Hard-to-Bridle Horse
    • Watch: Buster McLaury — Correct Haltering
    • Watch: Ken McNabb, Bridling Kindly and Fitting the Bit
      New
  • The Round Pen (empty)
    5Lessons · 58 min
    • Round Pen Safety and Setup
      10 xp
    • Hooking On in the Round Pen: From Flight to Connection
      10 xp
    • Watch: The Hooking-On Process
    • Watch: Monty Roberts — Join-Up Explained
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller, A Common Hooking-On Mistake
      New
  • The Certification (empty)
    1Lessons · 30 min
    • Course 101 Certification
  • Go Deeper (empty)
    5Lessons · 55 min
    • Watching Horses: A Field Practice
    • Watch: Buck Brannaman — The Horse Is a Mirror
    • Watch: Warwick Schiller — Creating Connection
    • Watch: Monty Roberts — Join-Up With a Wild Horse
    • Watch: Stacy Westfall — Reading a Horse at Hour Zero