When Connection Feels Fragile

You love your horse.
You care deeply.
And yet sometimes… it feels inconsistent.

One day everything flows.
The next day tension creeps in.
Misunderstandings happen.
You try harder — but something still feels off.

This programme will help you understand why connection breaks down — and how to consciously restore clarity, trust, and coherence in your relationship with your horse.


Have you ever:

  • Felt thrown off by behaviour you didn’t expect?

  • Taken something personally, even though you didn’t want to?

  • Tried to “fix” something but ended up feeling more disconnected?

  • Wondered whether it’s you, your horse, the training… or something deeper?

  • Felt deeply connected one moment — and completely out of sync the next?

You are not failing.

You are experiencing patterns.

And once you learn to see them, everything changes.

Inside this Programme

    1. Welcome!

    2. How to Navigate this Course

    3. Welcome Call pt. 1

    4. Welcome Call pt. 2

    5. Welcome Call pt. 3

    6. Welcome Call pt. 4

    1. Introduction to Module 1

    2. Understanding the Horse Human Connection

    3. The Nature of Horses

    4. Horse Psychology & Communication

    5. Group Perception

    6. The Nervous System

    7. Story Follows State

    8. Co-Regulation

    9. Building Empathy & Mutual Consideration

    10. Exercises

    11. CC - Module 1 - Chaos - Slides

    12. Q&A Call pt. 1

    13. Q&A Call pt. 2

    14. Q&A Call pt. 3

    15. Q&A Call pt. 4

    16. Q&A Call pt. 5

    17. Q&A Call pt. 6

    1. Self Awareness and Personal Transformation

    2. Reflecting on Personal Beliefs and Values

    3. Values & Horsemanship

    4. Addressing Limiting Beliefs

    5. Emotional Intelligence pt. 1

    6. Emotional Intelligence pt. 2

    7. Emotion Regulation Techniques

    8. Empathy & Understanding Horses' Emotions

    9. Mindfulness & Intuition pt. 1

    10. Mindfulness & Intuition pt. 2

    11. Exercises

    12. CC - Module 2 - Clarity - Slides

    13. Q&A Call pt. 1

    14. Q&A Call pt. 2

    15. Q&A Call pt. 3

    16. Q&A Call pt. 4

    17. Q&A Call pt. 5

    1. Are we separate?

    2. Are we separate - Example Fear

    3. Building Trust & Connection pt. 1

    4. Challenges in Building Trust

    5. Building Trust & Connection pt. 2

    6. Mirror Neurons

    7. Conscious Exercise pt. 1

    8. Conscious Exercise pt. 2

    9. Conscious Exercise pt. 3

    10. The 4 Survival Responses pt. 1

    11. The 4 Survival Responses pt. 2

    12. Reflections

    13. Exercises

    14. CC - Module 3 - Isolation - Slides

    15. Q&A Call pt. 1

    16. Q&A Call pt. 2

    17. Q&A Call pt. 3

    18. Q&A Call pt. 4

    19. Q&A Call pt. 5

    20. Q&A Call pt. 6

    1. Connection? pt. 1

    2. Connection? pt. 2

    3. Connection vs. Compliance

    4. Tolerance - Intolerance

    5. The Concept of Understanding pt. 1

    6. The Concept of Understanding pt. 2

    7. Compassion

    8. Holistic Connection pt. 1

    9. Holistic Connection pt. 2

    10. Celebrate Your Progress

    11. Exercises

    12. Bee - Full Circle Moment pt. 1

    13. Bee - Full Circle Moment pt. 2

    14. Bee - Full Circle Moment pt. 3

    15. Bee - Full Circle Moment pt. 4

    16. Exercises

    17. CC - Module 4 - Connection - Slides

    1. Rubio Day 1

    2. Rubio Day 2

    3. Rubio Day 3 pt. 1

    4. Rubio Day 3 pt. 2

About this course

  • €497,00
  • 85 lessons
  • 13 hours of video content

Connection does not disappear randomly.

It erodes through small shifts in perception, emotion, environment, expectation, and communication.

This programme teaches you how to:

  • Recognise how chaos forms in relationships

  • Understand how perception shapes interaction

  • See the difference between compliance and true connection

  • Identify emotional patterns — in yourself and your horse

  • Rebuild trust consciously when something wobbles

  • Move from reactivity to relational clarity

  • Restore internal and external coherence so connection can emerge naturally

This is not about techniques.

It is about understanding the system you and your horse are part of.


Before:

You react to behaviour.
You feel confused when things shift.
You try harder when tension rises.
You feel responsible but unsure what to change.
Connection feels beautiful — but fragile.

After:

You recognise patterns early.
You understand what drives behaviour beneath the surface.
You respond instead of react.
You rebuild trust consciously.
Connection feels stable, grounded, and mutual.

You don’t force it.

You create the conditions for it.

Connection changes when you understand what shapes it.

Clarity & Connection is a structured journey from confusion to coherence in your relationship with your horse.

Begin the Programme

What You Will Learn

Inside this programme, we explore:

• The nature of horses and how they perceive the world
• How chaos and clarity shape relationships
• Why isolation and disconnection develop
• How emotional states influence behaviour
• The difference between reacting and responding
• The patterns that create misunderstanding
• How trust is built — and rebuilt
• What holistic connection truly means
• How to apply this in practical, everyday interactions

Each module builds on the next — guiding you from confusion to clarity, from fragmentation to coherence.


This programme is for you if:

  • You care deeply about doing right by your horse.

  • You want to understand behaviour, not suppress it.

  • You are ready to take emotional responsibility without self-blame.

  • You want connection that feels mutual, not managed.

  • You sense there is something deeper than “better training techniques.”

This is not about becoming perfect.

It is about becoming perceptive.


This programme was created in 2023 as one of the early building blocks of Science for Soundness®.

It reflects the foundation of my work:

Understanding how soundness is lost — and how it returns.

Restoring internal and relational coherence so that connection can emerge naturally.


If you are ready to stop reacting to behaviour
and start understanding what drives it —

If you are ready to move from tension to clarity —

If you are ready to experience connection that feels grounded rather than fragile —

Then this programme will guide you there.

Join us inside.

What students and clients say

Steffi really helped me be more confident with what I was doing

Clare & Cyrus

Building connection and relationships with our horses is a journey, with ups and downs (mainly ups of course), and constantly worrying whether we’re doing it right. Well, that’s the case for me! Steffi really helped me be more confident with what I was doing. Her empathetic, knowledgeable, horse first approach really called out to me. After chatting things through I felt more confident to do what I felt was right. And low and behold, progress. Thanks Steffi!

I didn't know I was able to tune into my emotions whilst also interacting with horses [...] but it changed everything

Svea & Cosi

"I grew up with horses, but the way I looked at them started to change when I met Steffi. I learned how to perceive them holistically – which to me means being able to see their emotional and physical needs clearly, whilst also questioning myself in this context. It helped me to observe Steffi and the way she is showing up for and with her horses and the way she treats them. Her clarity with her own horses was something I was able to take and use for myself. I didn't know I was able to tune into my emotions whilst also interacting with horses. That never used to be an option before, but it changed everything. Steffi always looks at each individual horse in a holistic way, where ego plays no role. She is great at finding out who the horse is, what they need, where they are at in their own unique system and what else is part of that. She has this meta view on the horse and then she looks at the human and asks those same questions in order to bring them together on a much deeper level."

Luxi has become much more confident in training now and loves to work with me

Jasmin & Luxi

Luxi was trained by Steffi for 8 weeks. Her loving and respectful treatment was great and very important to me. She responded completely to him and was able to teach him how to be ridden - all at his own pace. She taught me to listen to Luxi and how to work with him. I thought it was so great that I was allowed to be there at any time and could work with her or just even watch her train him. He has become much more confident in training now and loves to work with me.

Steffi took the time to actively listen and understand their history and I could feel that she genuinely cared for us

Marika

I received online counseling from Steffi yesterday. I am about to bring a new horse in my herd and felt that I needed an external point of view from a qualified professional to ensure I make the right decisions and follow the right steps. Three of my five horses are rescued with a very traumatic past so it is an absolute priority to protect the peace and harmony of the herd. Steffi took the time to actively listen and understand their history and I could feel that she genuinely cared for us. She answered all my questions and provided valuable insight to support me through this exciting but delicate process. I felt seen and understood by her which is exactly what I needed. I would highly recommend reaching out to her for tailored and professional support in your horsemanship journey. On top of her knowledge, her kindness was very appreciated. Thank you Steffi!

Programme Access

Clarity & Connection is a self-paced programme designed to integrate into your real life with horses. You receive: – Full access to all modules – Lifetime access to future updates – Recorded live calls – Members-only community access – The complete course workbook. Once enrolled, you retain lifetime access to the programme and future live rounds.

Bonus Material

Exclusive to Clarity & Connection

  • Course Workbook

    A structured companion that helps you translate insight into daily application with your horse.

  • Exclusive Community

    A private space for thoughtful reflection and discussion with others walking this path of relational clarity.

  • Bonus Content

    Additional teachings and integration material added over time to deepen your understanding and practice.

Meet Your Guide

MSc Equine Science, ESMT Steffi Spielhaupter

Founder of Science for Soundness® and The Holistic Horsemanship Academy Steffi Spielhaupter is an Equine Scientist, educator, and creator of the Six Pillars of Soundness™ — a holistic framework that brings together physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental wellbeing for both horse and human. With an MSc in Equine Science and certification as an Equine Sports and Rehabilitation Massage Therapist (ESMT), Steffi bridges evidence-based equine science with a deeply intuitive, compassionate approach. Her work helps horsepeople around the world move beyond survival patterns — creating partnerships rooted in safety, softness, and mutual understanding. Through Science for Soundness®, Steffi is changing the equine industry — one horse and human at a time.