You have to listen very closely when Timmering’s Zoe McKinlay talks. And not just because she is a horse whisperer.
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It’s just that the head trainer and coach at Intrinsic Equine never raises her voice.
At the horses anyway.
But if a raised voice is rare, there is no shortage of Zoe’s words in Poles for Purpose, her first anthology on horse training and now available online in five versions – from the unabridged with more than 300 exercises to four copies targeting various skills and age groups.
Pole training, in simple English for the non-equestrian, is kind of Pilates for ponies. And if that sounds simple, it’s amazing how spectacularly beneficial something as, well, as simple as stepping over five or six poles laying flat on the ground, really is.
It is, Zoe says, “cross-training for horses, which has a serious impact on not just maintaining but improving a horse’s musculature, especially along its topline”.
“Literally, from your horse’s head to its hock, making it focus on stepping correctly to get over the poles is perhaps the most complete workout it will ever have,” she added.
“Mentally as well as physically, and that’s what I explain, in some detail, in the books.”
Horses, indeed all animals, aren’t just part of Zoe’s life, they are her life.
It starts with her Alaskan Malamute Skye, and her new ‘little’ sister Maisy – a Newfoundland puppy growing at an astronomical rate but will probably level out at the breed average 54kg.
But unlike most of us, Zoe – who also has a Bachelor of Zoology – only sees them, and her three horses, as the gang she plays with at home. The type of gang she has always hung out with since her childhood on the family dairy farm at Lockington.
The head trainer and coach of Intrinsic Equine brings 15 years of developing her skills and knowledge around animal behaviour, training and physiology with multiple species, such as domestic and wild equids (that would include zebra and takhi), to her role.
She can also hold her own with lion, hyena, ostrich, cheetah and giraffe. Especially with giraffe. Just before she left Africa, where she had been working at a game reserve, one of its newborn giraffe was named after her.
So no matter how big you think your problem may be, Zoe can handle it because she knows big. Really big.
At university she had a particular interest in animal physiology, structure and behaviour, taking several psychology elective-classes during her main studies.
With more than 900 people starting the course; and fewer than 100 graduating, Zoe’s degree was an achievement in itself.
While studying she continued to break in and train (she started breeding her own at 15) several horses, and kept finding herself employed in the equine industry – from racehorses, dressage prospects, and eventing horses to western pleasure, as well as a riding instructor working with beginners.
After completing her degree Zoe started part-time work at Werribee Open Range Zoo and then Kyabram Fauna Park, in parallel with her emerging business as breaker and pre-trainer before making the move into full time zookeeping (but still helping friends and colleagues with their horses in her own time).
Out of this diverse; but intensely animal-centric background, Intrinsic Equine was born and today Zoe is living her dream of “working with horses; and coaching people to not only improve their relationship with their horses; but to give them all the confidence they need to accomplish their equine goals”.
Zoe has been working with Australian and international eventers and racehorse trainers, as well as competing in western/stock disciplines.
She says she finds more joy in seeing the horses she has helped thrive by simply being out-and-about, rather than being in the showring herself – but she does have growing ambitions to bring her style of horsemanship to the competitive world.
“At Intrinsic Equine we believe in encouraging calm, natural and correct movement, always taking things at the horse’s pace,” Zoe explains.
“We encourage horses to develop their emotional and mental control; as well as encouraging correct use of their bodies and pole play a pivotal role in that,” she says.
“We allow two-way communication, letting the horse not only speak; but also feel it is being heard – with sound communication and a positive relationship; we are able to get horse and rider to make a seamless transition to any discipline.
“Quite often you see horsemanship fly out the window when it comes to the competitive horse world but we believe the horse’s comfort; and your relationship, must come before success in the showring.
“With our style of teaching we encourage relaxation, balance, softness and trust for horse and rider. With these values as your training foundation; you will find your riding becomes more consistent in quality, you will be more in tune with your horse and it will be a much more pleasurable experience for you both.”
And eventually you will be able to do more than 300 exercises on the poles.
Copies of Zoe’s books can be ordered from intrinsiceq.com/category/all-products
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