Training horses to pen requires a lot of specific training in the herd… here’s a glimpse of what I do with my penning prospects to make them feel willing and free in the herd 🍀🤗
We get asked a lot what types of horses we’ll take in for training…We do prioritize penning horses as there are not as many trainers in Alberta with the resources and knowledge to serve that community. But we try to serve all the horse people in our area because it’s important to make horses an enjoyable pass-time for as many people as possible. That’s what keeps the horse industry strong 🍀♥️.
🍀 Tips for New Trainers - Marketing! 🍀
Sometimes I think we get caught up in social media as THE BEST tool for marketing our business - I get stuck there too - trying to post cool reels that will blow up the internet and fill my pens and lesson schedule for years! But after dabbling in it for a few years there are two things that work better for me than social media to market myself as a horse trainer:
1. Showing - this is my #1 promotional tool. Taking my horses to competition. My mom (mentor/business partner/super woman) always told me to always have a horse that is amazing to promote yourself with - which can be hard sometimes cause selling nice horses makes pretty good money…. But always have something to show that makes you look good, even if it comes out of your own pocket to own it and show it. And honestly you don’t even have to win everything for it to be affective. When people see how you conduct yourself in the show pen, how you interact with fellow competitors and how your horse works and is treated, that speaks volumes for you as a horseman and someone they might do business with.
2. Referrals - I very rarely have someone random off the internet ask for a lesson or to send a horse for training. They almost always come from someone telling them I did a good job. They might go check out my website or social media to see what I’m all about but the nudge usually comes from someone I’ve already helped. So do a good job and conduct yourself professionally and more business will come.
So those things being said, I’ve had two maternity leaves and a global pandemic disrupt my horse training career that made showing impossible so I have gone to social media to help myself out (it’s been a fun creative outlet too). I am not saying don’t bother with it. Not at all. Just don’t get hung up on the vanity metrics (likes, comments, shares, etc.) that at the end of the day, don’t fill your pens or fill clinics. Showing yourself off and doing a good job for your clients is always number
🍀 EXERCISE DIVERSITY 🍀Just like in training human athletes, horse training requires all types of exercises… these are the three types I focus on and how to decide which type to focus on depending on how your horses is feeling.Typo - by “relation” I mean “relaxation” 🤦🏼♀️. Reels are hard lol
🍀 Are you Riding your horse like a Bicycle? 🍀
How many things do you need to do to get your horse to stop? Turn? Sidepass? Lope? If your answer is a list, you are most likely doing too much…
And here’s the problem with doing too much - it lets your horse do less and that we expect very little of them. Then what’s the point of having this amazing creature who can think and feel and reason? We may as well ride a bicycle. And if you ride your horse like a bicycle they start to act like a bicycle - they become confused, dull, sour or maybe all three. And maybe you do too lol.
When I see a confused/dull/sour horse and/or rider, it’s apparent to me that the rider has lost touch of what their essential cue is and what they are doing to correct an undesired response to the cue.
Here is my favourite example… lead departures. What I see most folks do to pick up a lope on a circle is crank their horses hip in, tip the horses nose in, and kiss or squeeze (3 things). When I ask for a horse to lope off, I kiss (1 thing). That’s it. If we’re beside a wall or on a circle, I expect the horse to know which lead to take cause they are a smart and reasonable being. If we’re out in the open, and I need a specific lead, I look the way we’re going, start walking that way, then kiss (again 1 thing). I expect them to know it’s easier to travel at a lope on the correct lead. And most times my horses live up to my expectations.
If my cue doesn’t work, then I help them with a nose tip or directing their hip but I always return to how I actually want to ask my horse to lead depart. A kiss 💋.
Here is a list of example cues I use… sometimes I’ll change the cue depending on the type of horse I’m riding (a more forward horse I don’t need to use my voice to move forward, I just “think” forward for example). Anything extra is considered a correction:
Stop: whoa
Turn: reins
Lead change: shift my hips/look to new circle
Move forward: think forward or
🍀Theres a Season for Everything 🍀
With each season our buffalo let us work on different things - now is the season of cow-speed buffalo. These guys are nearing the end of their arena career. New younger & speedier models are coming soon! So if you’ve got a green pony or are green yourself now is the time to come meet these buffalo buddies ♥️🍀🦬
Text Jesse for some lesson and training options: 403.200.9735
🍀 Educational Video - Collection for Penning Horses 🍀
A hot topic for our first educational video in a while - Collection! And how to go about working on it with penning horses specifically.
Disclaimer - I am not a body worker and don’t claim to be one on the internet. I also love that riders have started incorporating body workers into their horse care program. This video is not meant to negate the great work they do but to help their cause: making your horse feel and perform great!
🍀 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 🍀
We switched over our buffalo for the new year which means our new recruits need to be trained. 🦬
Buffalo Works will be available again in MARCH. Flat work and flag available for February 🤠
🍀GETTING BACK IN THE SADDLE AFTER BABY 🍀
Here’s another article I searched for desperately during my first pregnancy that didn’t exist. How does one get riding as soon as possible after pregnancy?
For some backstory - my first labour and delivery left me with substantial Pelvic Floor (PF) injuries (third degree tearing and prolapse) after two hours of pushing that left me unable to ride for SIX MONTHS postpartum. My second baby (who is seven weeks old today) I was cleared to ride at SIX WEEKS 🙌🏾🤗.
After two very different labour and deliveries giving me two very different recovery times, I have a few things I credit to my better recovery the second time around:
❤️🩹Working with a PF Physiotherapist DURING Pregnancy to train your PF muscles to work with you instead of against you during labour.
❤️🩹 Hypnobirthing - minimizing fear in labour so you can stay relaxed in labour and allow your PF muscles to work with you.
❤️🩹 Water Birth - if you’re up for medication-free birthing, keeps your tissues and muscles warm and lubricated to minimize tearing.
❤️🩹 Rest and Gentle Exercise During Pregnancy - I think equestrians are notorious for pushing themselves physically. My second pregnancy I made a point of taking it easy again so my PF would be in good condition to help me during labour.
I think it’s important to note that no matter how much you prepare, labour does not go according to plan. You may do all the right things and still have unwanted outcomes. Any preparation you do however, will help you get through whatever comes your way versus being unprepared. 💪🏽
One other thing I think should be mentioned about the postpartum experience is that even when you’re physically able to ride, it can be hard to find the TIME to ride. There’s a lot of logistics (like finding a babysitter, nursing etc) that you didn’t need to factor in before kids… so give yourself grace when your babies are young. Fo
