The Starting Point Program – Kick Start Progress

A 2-week reset to help you and your horse find momentum again

Why This Matters

Sometimes we hit a wall. The horse doesn’t respond the way we hope. Confidence dips. Or we simply feel stuck without knowing why. When that happens, it’s easy to lose motivation and harder still to know what to do next.

This program gives you a clear, simple place to begin—without overwhelm or pressure.

Pricing

Start Your 2-Week Reset Today

What You’ll Explore

Over two weeks, you’ll work through a series of small, practical steps that build on each other. You’ll discover:

  • Insights about horses that most riders never get told.
  • A foundational exercise (Backward–Forward–Yield) that helps you understand your horse’s focus, softness, and responses.
  • The Yes Ladder, a simple way to create daily wins and consistency.
  • How your own confidence and awareness influence trust between you and your horse.

Find out out what the "Yes Ladder" challenge is and how it is a simple and powerful way to get unstuck!

How It Works

Each day you’ll be guided to engage in a series of short tasks including catching your horse, watching a video or reading an insight.

  • You’ll keep a notebook to reflect on what you notice.
  • You’ll gradually layer the Backward–Forward–Yield, building skill and awareness step by step.
  • You’ll catch your horse daily (or almost daily—missing a day or two is okay) to keep momentum alive.
  • By the end of two weeks, you’ll have practical tools, fresh perspective, and a sense of progress you can feel.

The Backward–Forward–Yield (BFY) exercise helps reset your horse’s responses to the halter, creating a language they understand. What feels like a simple exercise quickly becomes a foundation—teaching skills and insights you’ll carry forward into more advanced training and behaviour work.

Who It’s For

This program is designed for riders who:

  • Feel stuck or unmotivated.
  • Are struggling with behaviour issues.
  • Want to rebuild their confidence.
  • Or simply want a fresh, structured way to restart.

The Experience

It isn’t about being “braver,” “tougher,” or simply “doing more.” It’s about being strategic, noticing what matters, and creating space for progress to unfold.

As part of the program, you’ll also receive the ebook version of Confidence and Trust: Solving the Horse + Human Equation. In it, you’ll explore what truly sits at the heart of confidence and trust—and how understanding the factors that create a genuine sense of confidence helps you make decisions that build it, rather than put it at risk.

This book has helped thousands of equestrians worldwide take a strategic approach to rebuilding their confidence and deepening trust in their horses.


Join Us

The Starting Point Program is available for $69.95 AUD—less than the cost of a single riding lesson, yet designed to create a lasting impact on your confidence, partnership, and long-term success with your horse.

It includes the full 2-week plan, practical insights, the BFY course, the Yes Ladder challenge, and one month FREE access inside the Calm Willing Confident Horse Society.  It is here you will get the advice and feedback from Dr Shelley Appleton. 

You’ll be supported every step of the way—and you may just find this is the reset you and your horse have been waiting for.
Enjoy a free month inside Dr Shelley Appleton’s Membership Society, where you’ll have direct access to her guidance, expert support, and a community ready to offer feedback and encouragement.

Instructor(s)

Dr Shelley Appleton

Dr. Shelley Appleton is the founder of “Calm Willing Confident Horses”. Shelley teaches people how to train horses by presenting online courses, training lessons and clinics throughout Australia. Shelley helps riders nurture partnerships with their horses whilst building confidence, trust, knowledge and skillsets. Shelley has an uncanny, highly experienced ability to recognise, problem solve and correct issues with horses. Her doctorate in Human Learning proves beneficial to all coaching scenarios allowing a deeper understanding of strategies helping people develop their awareness, thinking and skillsets to be more in tune with their horse. Shelley is a published author of books - Confidence & Trust, Solving the Human & Horse Equation and Buying & Supporting a New Horse, The Essential Guide. She is the co-host of the popular Canter Therapy Podcast and creator of the her program of teaching people to help horses called the Complete Reboot System. You can find out more about Shelley on her website: https://www.calmwillingconfidenthorses.com.au

Pricing

Utilise this unique program to get progress with your horse

Additional Resources Included

Also included in the program are three in-depth presentations designed to expand your insights and awareness when working with horses:

Horsemanship Mastery and the Pareto Principle – Discover why Dr Shelley Appleton’s program focuses on a carefully selected set of skills, and how this strategic approach makes progress more achievable.

Confidence and Trust Webinar – An engaging discussion filled with real stories of confidence lost and rebuilt, showing how riders can regain clarity and influence step by step.

Behaviour vs Soundness – Many riders get stuck because their horse is quietly carrying an insidious, hard-to-detect soundness issue. This presentation highlights key red flags, helping you recognise when it’s time to seek support so you and your horse can move forward.

Bundle includes

Here are all the products that are included in your bundle.