Grounded Beginnings – Kempsey – Jan 20-22 2026

 

Start & Finish Times 9:00-5:00  Jan 20-22

Create the partnership you’ve always dreamed of—starting from the ground up.

This course lays the foundation for beautiful partnerships with horses—mind, heart, and soul connections. Great relationships with horses start on the ground, and this is a groundwork-only course with no riding involved.

What You’ll Learn

Learn how to connect, communicate, and truly understand your horse. Why do they do what they do? Discover the ever-elusive quality of feel that transforms ordinary interactions into extraordinary partnerships.

Note: This course is also Part One of the Postural Development and Biomechanics Groundwork Therapy course and the prerequisite for Riding with Synchronicity, Liberty Work, Engagement and Collection, and Confidence Building courses.

The Philosophy

“Connecting with Horses and Riding with Synchronicity” is the art of creating beautiful partnerships with horses. We inspire and support horses and people to become confident and empowered, to be together in harmony, and move with freedom, balance, and athleticism.

With softness, gentleness, kindness, and love, you can have leadership and develop a magical bond with your horse—a true friendship. Connect to your horse’s mind, heart, body, and soul.

Your Dream Horse

How good would it be to have:

  • Clear communication where you and your horse understand each other completely
  • A horse who is a willing partner and wants to participate
  • A calm horse who is also magnificent, expressive, energetic, and graceful
  • A physically strong, powerful athlete who can safely carry you down the trail or perform at the highest level

This is the dream horse—and here’s the truth: a horse like this is created, not bought.

Even if you purchase a horse that seems perfect, without developing your skills, they won’t maintain those qualities. Horses reflect the skill level, mindset, and energy of the person they’re with. We have to develop ourselves first.

This teaching addresses all areas of mind, body, and spirit to help horses and people reach their highest potential and achieve these goals.

This is FEEL GOOD HORSEMANSHIP—because it causes horses and humans to FEEL GOOD!

Learn more about the course content...

Why This Ground Skills Course Changes Everything

This is the most important course I teach. It sets the foundation for everything else—whether you’re brand new to horses or have decades of experience, this course will transform how you relate to and work with your horse.

The Deep Connection

This course teaches you to understand horses at every level: their minds, emotions, physical bodies, and spiritual nature. You’ll explore the profound connection between horses and humans—one that goes far deeper than most people ever experience.

At the same time, this is intensely practical. You’ll learn a quality of FEEL that most people never achieve in a lifetime of working with horses.

FEEL: The Holy Grail of Horsemanship

FEEL is the fundamental essence of all great horsemanship. Many believe it can’t be taught—that it’s a god-given talent some have and others don’t.

I’ve proven that wrong. I’ve discovered how to teach this intrinsic, elusive quality and make it attainable for everyone with commitment and dedication.

This course teaches mental, emotional, physical, and energetic feel—the complete picture that creates true partnership.

Become a “True” Horseman

Not just skilled, but the kind of horseman horses themselves would choose—someone with the qualities of great leadership: centered, still, present, and connected.

What You’ll Learn

Connection & Communication:

  • Connect with your horse’s heart and mind—learn to truly listen and feel
  • Master nonverbal communication through thoughts, energy, and body language
  • Understand how horses learn and think

Your Development:

  • Core principles of centering, breathing, body scanning, and energy awareness
  • Develop the centered, still, present “way of being” that horses love
  • Cultivate the qualities of great leadership

Practical Skills:

  • Learn the ever-elusive quality of FEEL (mental, emotional, physical, and energetic)
  • Develop safe horse handling skills and habits that translate directly to riding
  • Problem-solve and resolve any behavioral or training issues
  • Ground techniques that develop healthy biomechanics, good posture, and hindquarter engagement in your horse

Essential Foundation

This course is essential for anyone new to my teaching and serves as the foundation for all advanced courses. Every principle, every technique, everything that follows builds from what you learn here.

Begin your journey to true horsemanship—the kind horses choose.

 

Come along with or without your horse.

Of course if you can bring your horse along your learning will be maximized as nothing beats hands on experience and having direct feedback from a supportive instructor to accelerate your learning. However the other option for attending these courses is to come and participate without a horse, in which case you would actively participate in all of the theory sessions, Q & A sessions, most  simulations as well as watch the demonstrations and observe those with horses practice the techniques. People coming without their horses are not just fence sitters. All of these “non-hands on” with horses sessions actually make up a big percentage of this course so the fee is priced appropriately.

Investment The cost to come with your horse is $660 for 3 days EB (early bird) Price – if paid in FULL before Jan 1st. After that the price is $770. A 50% deposit will secure your spot. Horse spots are limited to 8.

The cost to come without your horse is $85/day. Total of $255 for 3 days – EB price – if paid in full before Jan 1st.
After that prices are $95/day. Total $285 for 3 days.

PLEASE NOTE: No stallions without prior permission. For questions regarding the course content, horsemanship or eligibility for the course contact Mel 0428 385 745 mel@melfleming.com
Please scroll down for booking forms.

Details about the venue and human accomodation...

Mansfield VIC

 

‘Functional Saddling’ consultations, BALANCE saddles, Private lessons & Bodywork sessions –

 

These sessions are available the day before or after the course or in the mornings or evenings of the course.

Find out more details about these sessions

COMPREHENSIVE saddling consultations where you test ride several BALANCE saddles or saddles of your choice take 1.5 to 2 hrs. and cost $220.  They involve riding in your own current saddle and experimenting with padding arrangements and or adjusting gullets (if possible) to see if  we can improve things with your current saddle. You can ride in several saddles of your choosing (that you bring along) and that you wish to get feedback on. We then test ride a BALANCE saddle to use as a comparison to determine how well your horse moves in its own saddle/s compared to a saddle that is known to be ergonomically designed for horses and riders to maximise comfort and performance.
 
Riding in the saddles is the best way to get direct feedback from the horse – this way we listen to the horse’s opinion (and yours) rather than someone else’s. Having a few saddles to feel as comparisons is important (BALANCE saddles or other) in this process.
 
If your horse did prefer the BALANCE saddle and you were potentially interested in purchasing one (second hand or new), we would then test ride several different models of the BALANCE saddles to see exactly which one is the best for both the horse and yourself. Interlaced into this session is advice on riding and biomechanics for horse and rider as required and as appropriate to the level of experience of the horse and rider.
 
MINI saddle consultations – It is possible to do shorter saddling consults where we do not test ride many or any saddles and I can just give you my opinion and recommendations based on my experience. This is priced according to the time taken. eg. $65 for 30 mins. Get in touch in you want advice on whether you need a Comprehensive saddle consult or if a Mini consult will suffice.
 
Private Lessons/ Training sessions  are $125/45mins or $160/hr (Coaching in groundwork, riding, trailer loading, problem solving, healthcare and management).
 
Bodywork   Energetic Bodywork $145 ( 1-1.5 hr session) 

 

 
To get more details or book a saddling consultation, private lesson or bodywork session email Mel or call 0428 385 745.  
Letting me know as soon as you can if you are interested in one of these sessions will help me schedule things to make sure I can fit you in. These sessions are available the day before or after the course or in the mornings or evenings of the course.

Register on line

You can make your payment by direct deposit, or by PayPal if paying the full amount (2.6% surcharge), or credit card.

If you want to do a payment plan (4 monthly payments of $178.75) that can only be done via credit card.

Fill out the registration form below.
In there you will find the details of how to pay via PayPal or direct deposit.

If you want to pay via Credit Card or do a payment plan via credit card, click on the link below after filling out the registration form below.
To pay via credit card click here

Register Online