SweetPea Airlines ready for takeoff! ✈️
My assistant made these "wings" last year for a freestyle she did and they're an amazing training tool. They're no sweat for Miss SweetPea, as she took them completely in stride.
We have to get our horses broke for the idiots... and we're the idiots. 😂🐴
✨Focused Friday✨
If you ride for long periods of time or have knee pain, angled stirrups are for you! I have terrible knees and a habit of liking very large horses, so my knees often give out long before the rest of me does. The change in angle takes the pressure off and is so much more comfortable! I'm definitely a fan. 👌
✨Focused Friday ✨
September 2 👉 October 24
The shine, the coat change, the confidence, the change of posture! SweetPea is rocking her life changes. We still have a lot to work on in regards to her posture and balance but I'm so happy with her current progress!
Proper groundwork - flexibility through the body, clear path, consistent aids, a gradual increase in difficulty - can help make huge changes in a horses mental and physical well-being. Healthier carriage is so important for longevity as a riding horse, as well as overall health. Change isn't easy as an aged horse but SweetPea is so willing, and goodness, she's fun. 🥰 I'm excited to see what she looks like in another month or two!
Have you ever tried matching steps with a mini? Dang it's hard! Their little legs definitely don't have the same stride 😂 Our synchronicity has some work to be done!
Horses love matching steps. It helps bring our awareness to their feet and develop a more conscious connection. Such a little thing, but especially for horses who are dealing with big emotions it can help them feel more seen by their person. ✨
Have you tried matching steps with your horse? What did you find?
✨ Focused Friday ✨
Barn Hack!
These EZ Grip mat movers are amazing! So much easier than trying to drag the dang things around by hand. Slightly harder to do one handed while you're filming 😉 but they're definitely a favorite around here on barn cleaning day!
You can find them at some tack stores, Peavey Mart and even Amazon! 😄
I have room for one last minute spot for Mindfulness next weekend 😍 Message me if you want to grab it! 👏🐴
This upcoming weekend is going to be amazing! 😍 Spots still available. 👏
There's still a couple spots left for this event! 😍
All your food is supplied, you get a great goody bag, lots of horse time and some AMAZING speakers that I call friends. ♥️ Relax, connect, unwind, grow. 🐴✨
Message me for the full information packet 📝
G.W. learns about the clippers. 🥰 First impressions are so important for life skills like this. Taking my time, letting him hear and feel the clippers on his body before actually trying to do his bridle path creates confidence and comfort. 💁♀️ The wiggles will lessen with time and patience. 🌻
Also, Value Village farm jeans are comfy but not flattering. 😂
What's a life skill you need help creating confidence with your horse in? 🐴
Me as a clinician: Personal Space is #1
Also, me as a horsewoman: 🥰
My horses and I get cuddle sessions because they have a strong understanding of personal space and boundaries. If they didn't, they wouldn't get to be in my bubble like this. Establish independence, rest/comfort at a distance and make sure your horse can easily move away from body language, and then we get to enjoy each other's company. 😍
How can I create appropriate challenge for my horse? ✨🐴
Take something they understand fully (in this example its sidepass) and add difficulty. By taking away the wall and only having rails it creates an aspect of forward thinking that your horse has to dial back to stay on the correct side. By doing it in a square, we add individual aids on top of the full sidepass. To further increase our challenge, I can start putting more distance between us to check if our communication is truly working. Distance, speed and less support (ex. Walls or fences) are how we can increase our challenge in both riding and groundwork skills.
Have I taught them the steps to be successful? Do we need to go back and work on the basic foundation of this before we can be successful? Am I being clear in my communication? Questions we need to be always asking ourself when we add challenge into our routine. Horses love repetition but they also get bored, so I always want to know how I can take a simple task and refresh it. 🙌
What's your next challenge for you and your horse? 😍
Sunny. 🌞
Minimal wind. 🙌
The outdoor is dry. 🐴
What more can a girl ask for? ✨❤️
Hey everyone. ❤️✨ Answering some questions about Unbridled and why it came to be. We have room for you to join us - shoot me a message to inquire. 😍
Boundaries and Balance
May 13 - 15th
A Wellness Retreat to support the mind, body and equine connection. 🐴💕
Focused Friday is a reel this week. ✨❤️
I did a poll last week and found lots of you want tips on bridling. Here's my first steps! Check your horse out before a bridle is even in the picture. Find all those little places they may not enjoy being touched or carry resistance. All those little moments get in the way of a peaceful bridling session. Let me know how these steps go with your horse. 🙌 We'll keep expanding on this topic as we go! Stay tuned. 🤓
📌Disclaimer: Poor dentition and soreness can affect how a horse takes bridling so make sure you address these things first. You can't out-train pain!
Join us May 13-15th for Boundaries and Balance, the first installment of Unbridled: A Wellness Retreat to support the mind, body and equine connection. ✨❤️
Message Hollman Horsemanship to get the full information packet. 📝
