CR Horsemanship - Training & Lessons

03/24/2025

The Small Trainer/instructor/coach/friend

That moment when your horse is just slightly off, not lame, not colicky, just… weird.
You’re staring at them, they’re staring at you, and neither of you has a clue.

But the small trainer? They notice.

Find a trainer who actually sees you. Sees your horse. Sees that your inside leg is flapping like a fish and kindly pretends not to notice, until you’re ready to hear it.

Because not every big-name rider in a fancy yard is the right fit.

A trainer isn’t just there to shout “MORE LEG!” while sipping coffee from the safety of the arena fence.

A real trainer guides you, teaches you, picks you up when you fall (both literally and emotionally), and occasionally reminds you to breathe.

Before you send your horse off to a big, famous rider, ask yourself:

Are they going to take the time to know you and your horse?
Or will they take one look at your slightly confused face and your horse’s “I work on my schedule” attitude and move on to the next client?

Because it’s the small trainer who actually gives you a chance.

The one who believes in you, even when you’re convinced you’ll never canter in a straight line.

The one who doesn’t judge when you say, I’ve never done this before, but why not?

The one who takes an extra 30 minutes just to make sure that turn is exactly right, so you leave the arena feeling like Carl Hester(even if your horse is feeling more like a Thelwell pony).

The one who’s walking through the yard at 10pm, checking on your horse like an overprotective parent.

The one trying to make your dreams affordable (because, let’s be honest, we all know horses eat money for breakfast).

The one who actually wants your horse to enjoy their job, not just tolerate it.

The one who will try every trick in the book (and some that aren’t in the book) to get the absolute best out of your horse.

That’s why I’m training to be more than just an instructor.
I’m training to be a coach, a mentor, a friend.
Someone who sees you, supports you, and doesn’t let you give up, no matter how many times you forget to sit up.

Because the small trainer?
They’re the ones who make the magic happen…
And they’re also the ones who will laugh with you (not at you)… when your horse suddenly remembers how to rodeo mid-lesson.

03/22/2025

I ran a lesson program years ago, and got really burned out. My horses did too.

I did a lot of things wrong and I am trying to learn from those now -

A big part of what went wrong was not controlling the general attitude people took to riding and horses. The horses became a vehicle for people, or a tool, and as tools are used, they become used up. As horses respond to the poor feel they are offered, students describe these objections as the horses personality - “hes so stubborn, so ornery!” And so on - and this is how the cycle of poor feel, over aiding, and handling horses like a rock deepens, and continues.

Of course there will always be some “taking from” a horse we all do when learning how to post, how to steer, or how to manage problem solving issues. Mistakes will be made, horses will be bumped, thumped or accidentally pulled.

But the attitude makes up for a lot I believe. If the school insists on the general spirit being not just riding but riding even the school horse with feel, Handling the gentle horse with respect and tact, assuming nothing about their tolerance and being fair and smooth in our handling, that goes a very very long way.

Horsemanship is the art of managing the horse: from haltering to picking hooves to feeding to good riding - not just to get those tasks done, but to get them done in a way that can make a horse feel safe, feel good, feel honored. And even if an amateur makes mistakes here, the intention matters.

Slow down, pay attention, do all things with care and respect. Acknowledge your mistakes but don’t beat yourself up about them. Acknowledge when you get something right, you’ve made a horse feel better, move better, live better. That’s something to be proud of, and take back into the world away from the school.

That’s what riding schools should be teaching - and I believe if we could manage that, if we could insist on that, school horses and instructors both would last a lot longer.

Pictured is Tressa Boulden from Traditions Farm Classical Dressage explaining how to guide the horse with the whole body

03/21/2025

Spring Break Camps are open! 2 day in Leduc with our lovely Mystic Meadows ponies- ages 6-14 invited! Come out and have some riding fun with us 🥳

03/11/2025

You’re Not Helping. You’re Handicapping Your Horse.

A horse that never struggles never learns. A horse that never faces pressure never grows. And a horse that is constantly micromanaged becomes weak, dependent, and unsure of itself.

We were never promised an easy road—not in horsemanship, not in business, and not in life. Growth comes through refinement, and refinement happens through challenge. If you believe you’re protecting your horse by stepping in too soon, over-correcting, or removing every obstacle, you’re not helping—you’re hindering, handicapping and crippling them. You’re robbing them of the strength and confidence that only comes through overcoming.

True leadership isn’t about control; it’s about stewardship. The best horsemen and leaders don’t force results—they set the stage, present the opportunity, and allow the horse and people to think, adjust, and develop wisdom. That’s how confidence is built—not through comfort, but through challenge.

And the same holds true in business. Entrepreneurs who avoid risk, dodge struggle, and micromanage everything end up with fragile businesses. Avoiding difficulty today guarantees greater hardship tomorrow—because when the real pressure hits, they have no foundation to rely on.

Refinement comes through fire. Strength is built through resistance. The best leaders—whether in the saddle, in business, or in life—don’t fear struggle; they embrace it as part of the process. They understand that true strength isn’t given; it’s earned.

So stop stepping in too soon. Stop making things too easy. Stop fearing the struggle.

The change within your horse, your life, your business starts with you.

If you don’t have the knowledge, seek it out. If you want your horse to trust you, start trusting them. If you’re afraid of making mistakes, start seeing them as lessons instead of failures.

Your horse, your business, and your life will only grow when you do. So step forward, get uncomfortable, and lean into the process. Because the only way to be truly prepared—is to go through it.

Together We Rise.

-C**ton Woods

03/10/2025

Is dressage doomed?

No. And society doesn't need less dressage. We need more of it.

A noble pursuit would be to venture head first into the world of dressage. In doing so dressage will reward you with the tools you need to become a better version of yourself.

Dressage isn't an evil or a failure. Its the world's best teacher.

Dressage will teach you perseverance and stamina. It will teach you what it means to commit; dressage is a long, hard road.

It will teach you integrity, you can't trick your horse with your lies.

It will teach you how to carry on through failures, let downs, set backs, financial strain, physical injuries, fear, and utter heartbreak.

You'll learn about focus, body control, and how to regulate your emotions. You learn to communicate more effectively and you'll learn what it means to be fair and why reward is powerful. You'll learn the power of friendship.

Dressage will teach you that anger and hate are worthless fuels and that you're much better off filling your tank with play and joy.

You'll learn how to study and how to solve problems. Most importantly, you'll learn how to listen. You'll learn why being quiet is important, and why less is always more.

You'll learn to act with grace, poise and elegance under pressure, and how to smile when all you want to do is cry.

That transitions are everything, including the transitions within our own lives. The transition of friends, family, houses, jobs, cities, and priorities.

It will teach you that all worthy pursuits never have a shortcut.

It will teach you that taking care of your own body is as important as tending to your horse's.

Dressage will teach you to stand up straight, pay attention to the details, be more empathetic, develop your moral fiber and to love more deeply.

And that's something we should all have more of.

03/10/2025

Summer camp dates are out! So far 1/3 full, will be 50% pending deposits this week! Last set of lessons to fill for April 1 to end of June- Saturdays 11-12:15, 10 weeks, 2 payments. May/June - Sunday 11:30-12:45 (2 spaces), Mondays 5-6:15 (3 spaces), Fridays 5-6:15 (3 spaces). 50% deposits to hold.

03/09/2025

When the whole family takes up riding! Welcome home Jax 🙌 congratulations to Spencer on this sweet boy we brought home. Such a lovely horse to develop his riding with. Thanks Amanda!

03/09/2025

03/09/2025

Much needed little break for the ponies today. They were feeling pretty frisky.

03/08/2025

“It’s not about the head!”
“Just ride the feet, and the head will sort itself out!”
“Just ride back to front!”

Sometimes.

But sometimes that’s akin to telling someone with anxiety… “Have you tried ignoring it?”

What this horse needed was a completely different dialogue…

“I see you.
I see what you’re worried about.

It’s ALL about your head.

It’s been balanced on, held up, je**ed on, twisted around…

I’m not going to ignore where your mind is and only focus on your feet.

When you brace, when you anticipate, I’m going to say…
I see that.

You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Let it go.

Let’s release that, let’s re-explore your full range of motion, so you know that your head and neck are your own. Sacred, even.

I see you.”

When we refuse to work on the relationship we have with the horse’s head and neck, we only prove to the horse we either don’t know the harm we can cause there, or we don’t care.

Moving forward requires validation, trust-building, new ways of being, AND the interruption of old ways of being.

03/07/2025

My macho is up for sale!! ❤️ for US friends. Melissa has done a great job taking him up the levels eventing since he left but his hearts in show jumping. He’s kind, he’s honest. I’d bring him home if I could.

03/07/2025

03/07/2025

“Horses regularly trained with ground work are more relaxed when ridden”

A recent study of dressage horses in Germany that looked at rein length and tension revealed a surprising finding: horses who were regularly trained in ground work/in-hand work had lower heart rates during ridden work than all of the other participating horses. This wasn’t what the researchers were investigating, but it was clear in the results. From this, the researchers concluded that, “Perhaps horses trained in ground work had more trust in their rider.”

So why would it be true that horses who regularly learn via ground work/in-hand work are more relaxed? There are a few possibilities.

1) Horses trained regularly with ground work are more relaxed because their trainers are more relaxed. It’s possible that humans who take the time to teach their horses from the ground are less goal oriented and more concerned with the process. They may be more relaxed in general and foster this same relaxation in their horses. As you are, so is your horse.

2) Horses trained regularly with ground work have trainers who are more educated about a horse’s balance.

Their horses learn to move in correct balance which allows them to be healthy and sound in their bodies and, therefore, more relaxed. Physical balance is emotional balance.

3) Horses trained regularly with ground work understand the trainer’s criteria better. They have mastered the response to an aid before the rider mounts and know the “right answer” already once under saddle. They don’t experience any conflict when the rider asks for a behavior because the neural pathway has already been installed. They are more relaxed about being ridden because it rarely has caused confusion for them.

For us highly visual humans I think that ground work is often a better way to begin exercises because we are much better at seeing our horse doing the right thing than feeling it from the saddle. Often, my feel in the saddle is enhanced by the fact that I have watched my horse perform an exercise over and over in our in-hand work. It feels how it looks. In-hand work is also a good way to teach our horses because our own bodies are often more in balance when we are walking beside our horses. With the ground under our feet we are able to be more relaxed if something goes wrong and less likely to be so busy wrapped up in our own balance that we give our horses conflicting or confusing aids. It’s a good place to figure things out. I am a huge fan of in-hand work.

I’m glad to learn research revealed ground work is good for horses. Horses with a low heart rate are relaxed and relaxed horses perform better and live longer. In this day and age of people starting horses under saddle in under an hour and increasing monetary rewards for the “young horse dressage program“, everything seems to be done in a hurry. The entire horse culture seems to privilege “getting up there and riding your horse”. But as one of my favorite writers and accomplished horsewoman, Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes, “In today’s horse culture there are clinics that brag about starting a c**t in a day, as if the quickness of it was the miracle. But old horse people know it takes years to create art. Horses as great masterpieces are not created in a day. An artist does not need to rush.” We need more scientific studies like this one to encourage us to slow down and take our time with our horses.

So why were the horses in the study more relaxed? Likely it was a combination of all three factors – a relaxed trainer, better overall balance and clear understanding of criteria.

These are things that matter to your horse, and yes, will allow him to trust you when you ride. Take some time to slow down and work from the ground, learn a bit more about equine balance and teach new things in-hand before asking for them under saddle. You can take your riding to a whole new level and help your horse become more healthy and relaxed in the process.” - by Jen of Spellbound Horses

03/06/2025

Horses don’t follow words. They don’t follow titles. They don’t follow force.

They follow leadership. Real, steady, trustworthy leadership.

The kind that provides direction without intimidation. The kind that sets expectations with clarity and consistency. The kind that guides with patience but holds firm in the standard.

If we want our horse to willingly follow us—whether it’s across a stream, into a trailer, or through a challenging maneuver—we first have to ask ourselves: Are we leading in a way that invites trust?

A good leader doesn’t just demand obedience. A good leader earns it.

We earn it through consistency—showing up the same way, day in and day out, so our horse knows what to expect.
We earn it through patience—understanding that progress takes time, that frustration solves nothing, and that the best results come when we work with our horse, not against them.
We earn it through fairness—correcting when needed, but always in a way that teaches rather than punishes.

True leadership is not about control. It’s about responsibility.

It’s our responsibility to be clear in what we ask. To make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. To prepare our horse for success before expecting it.

A horse that trusts their leader moves with confidence, knowing they have someone looking out for them. And when they have that security, they’re willing to go places they never would on their own.

The same is true for people.

We all follow someone. And the best leaders aren’t the loudest or the most forceful—they’re the ones who live what they expect from others. Who act with wisdom, patience, and integrity.

Horses, in their honesty, reflect the kind of leader we really are. So the question isn’t just Will my horse follow me?—it’s Am I the kind of leader worth following?

Because the moment we become that kind of leader is the moment our horse truly connects with us. And when that happens, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish together.

I wrote free e-book on Becoming a Leader Worth Following- if you’d like me to send it to you just comment YES and I’ll send you the link.