AHS Horsemanship

11/11/2025

11/11/2025

When we bring in a new horse or pony, we must be patient!

So many animals advertised as ‘well broke’ do not make the transition to new ownership all that easily. Heck, I've purchased animals who take close to a year to settle in — and surprisingly, the ones described as ‘friendly’ can take it hardest of all. These are the ones who really bond with their people and changing hands is hard for them.

Even a quiet horse or pony can suddenly become spooky, hard to catch, or a halter puller upon arrival.

I can only recommend that when a new ride is purchased, sign up for a few lessons from the seller or former trainer, if qualified. Better yet, get yourself and your new horse into lessons with your regular coach. Waiting for things to be perfect is usually counterproductive.

So, we get to work straightaway but we don’t expect perfection. We might note what we’d like to change or improve upon, but we refrain from immediately ‘remaking’ the new horse. Human nature has a hard time with waiting for gradual change to happen, so be warned.

Some horses make the leap to their new lives with gusto, others grow homesick and troubled — and some, we discover, were never all that well broke, to begin with. The trick is in knowing what's what!

Finally, please remember that homesickness has no bearing on how much schooling a horse has, or has not received.

If we were talking about children, we’d know instinctively that a complete change in homes and routines would be an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve often thought that handling horses is little different from raising kids...

09/11/2025

Praise often and don’t ask for too much.
Reward the smallest try.
A release, a break, a pat, a long rein, a let go and gallop…
Nothing builds confidence and willingness in horses like the acknowledgement of a try and efforts to please…

08/11/2025

Sucked Back: About the Scariest Horse Problem I Can Think Of

In an attempt to. make horses safe to ride, much desensitizing focuses on stillness. Stand still while you see/feel/experience this stimulus. I hear often that people absolutely require stillness from their horses for certain situations, and I agree that being still is an important part of safety for mounting, tying and such.

But the thoughtful horse person must very carefully distinguish between still and "stuck."

Stuck is when forward is removed from the horse's vocabulary - blocked, shut down, repeatedly denied. A horse learning will squirm away, squiggle around, and naturally want to move away from a fearful stimulus or something they don't understand. An intelligent horse person knows how to channel that energy into something constructive, as opposed to shutting the energy down.

In time, the horse learns that CONSTRUCTIVE movement leads to calm - not evasive movement being allowed to continue. Constructive movement allows the horse to process through movement (the very thing they were designed for) what scares them, until they settle into stillness.

This preserves their forward nature - allowing us to build on it in their training. For things like trailer loading of course, we need some forward movement. Shutting down a horse's forward movement will come back to haunt you a million fold in trailer loading by producing a horse that balks, sucks back, pulls back, or flat out plants.

Shutting down forward movement creates more rearing, bucking, and planting - none of these desirable.

And of course, it is impossible to create contact, connection, bend, and any other desirable way of going without forward movement. You can't shape lack of movement.

Don't confuse "stuck" for calm. Don't remove the forward out of a horse just for the illusion of safety - a horse that does not go is in no way safe - it is not a matter of if, but when, this horse will react dangerously - and it is a travesty created entirely by human fear of the forward nature of a horse.

As always, the solution is learning to ride, learning to love going forward - constructively, not uncontrollably.
Human fear of forward is one of the greatest causes of flattening out and repressing the most beautiful parts of a horse: their love of movement.

08/11/2025

01/11/2025

27/10/2025

Christoph Hess tells us - “Relaxation is very important. We see riders who can control tension and produce a spectacular test, but they are not able to show a supple horse. Contact is about stretching through the whole body. Is the movement starting behind, swinging over the back and to the horse’s mouth?”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2025/10/christoph-hess-dressage-is-harmony-and-balance/

26/10/2025

The best riders aren’t the ones who control their horses.

They’re the ones who learn to move with them, to listen, to adapt, to make riding feel like a dance. Domination doesn’t build partnership—understanding does. When horse and rider move as one, it’s not about power but about trust.

That’s the kind of riding that leaves an impression on both horse and human.

20/10/2025

Lovely early morning ride with ‘Bear’ before the heat ☀️

07/10/2025

The lovely little Lilly, nearing the end of her time here with me for starting under saddle ❤️

01/10/2025

Too often in the horse world, people feel pressured to get on a young or green horse before that horse is truly ready. The truth is, some of the most important lessons a horse will ever learn can (and should) be taught from the ground.

Groundwork is the safest and most effective way to build a horse’s education. When done correctly, it’s not just “teaching manners” or leading quietly—it’s riding from the ground. Every concept the horse will need under saddle—balance, softness, responsiveness, confidence, and understanding of pressure and release—can be developed far more clearly and consistently from a place where both horse and human are safe.

A skittish, green, or unsure horse doesn’t need someone rushing to climb on their back. What they need is time, patience, and communication that makes sense to them. Groundwork provides that foundation. It allows us to establish trust, clarity, and respect without putting either horse or rider in unnecessary danger.

If we take the time to put in this work on the ground, riding becomes the natural next step—not a gamble. In fact, the horses that come up through solid groundwork programs often transition to the saddle quietly and willingly, because the work has already been done.

Good groundwork isn’t “less than” riding—it’s the heart of horsemanship.