Exploring equality-based emotional, intuitive and cognitive relationships between horses and humans, through the lens of an ex-elite athlete turned airline pilot.
Hello! I’m Elle, guardian to three wonderful horses Fion, Zirconia and Morgan. From as early as I can remember, I wanted to be an Olympian. I dreamed of representing Great Britain as an Alpine Skier. However, I failed.
Since retiring from sport, I've been on a path I could never have imagined for myself. I've said yes to many things and now find myself working as an airline pilot for one of Europe's major carriers; whilst juggling being a horse guardian, writer, creative and a Programme Lead for a peer-to-peer support initiative for an organisation called Athlete Interactions.
Through reflective essays and my conversations with podcast guests, I explore the hybridity of my accumulating life experiences: a unique blend of elite sport, airline operations and fostering equality-based friendships with horses. Along the way, I’ve discovered that the most meaningful relationships aren’t transactional or performance-driven; they are built on presence, awareness and mutual respect.
My Core Philosophy
Transcending Operant Conditioning
Transcending Operant Conditioning: A Summary
Seeing behaviour as communication, not as something to suppress or 'fix'.
Supporting the underlying cause rather than manipulating the outward behaviour through dominance and confinement.
Allowing full emotional expression, not forcing a horse to be calm or suppressing 'undesirable' emotions such as fear, anxiety, etc.
Approaching the horse with neutrality where we are in a grounded, emotionally-balanced 'zero' state that allows for attunement and co-regulation.
Inter-species Problem Solving where humans lead horses into a space where they work together to find the answer.
Treating the horse as a relational partner rather than demanding an input–output from a place of expected transactionality.
Integrating co-creation and dialogue where both human and horse get to express their needs.
Recognising human responsibility, acknowledging that the horse’s well-being depends on the human’s state, decisions, and boundaries.
Using leadership as a shared, socially intelligent role that does not lie in a space of dominance or control.
Honouring individuality, since every horse (and human) needs a different balance of friendship, guidance, autonomy and support.
Working with the whole system including friendships, herd dynamics, attachment patterns and environmental context.