B. Fex Horsemanship & Equitation

11/01/2024

Young horse training 🥰

This little mare has been coming along so nicely! I LOVE her work ethic, and her excitement every time you head out into the field!

10/23/2024

Sunrises on the farm. 💕

10/23/2024

10/08/2024

10/06/2024

Assistant Coach Diesel, on duty!

10/04/2024

Allieway Farm, located in Richmond, Ontario has space available for OUTDOOR BOARD with a mixed herd.

With 70 acres of property, including a grass riding ring, hay fields and trails, Allieway Farm is ideal for happy hackers, retired or semi-retired horses, young horses or recreational riders.

This is a small, private barn, owned by an EC Licensed Coach.

Please reach out to B. Fex Horsemanship & Equitation for more information!

10/02/2024

I listened to a podcast the other day from a big positive reinforcement colleague that inspired this… I want to be clear that I am not against positive reinforcement. I use it and find it highly valuable. But I want to address this because I’ve heard it in several arenas.

The statement was, “Positive reinforcement is great in riding disciplines because it makes it so there’s something in it for the horse. With R+, they too can enjoy the things that you enjoy.”

This idea to me is pretty appalling, to be honest. It implies that the only thing we have to offer the horse is food. If this is the case, then we need to seriously reassess our relationships with horses.

So I took this idea down the rabbit hole and realized that the whole question I endeavor to answer with my horsemanship teaching these days is:

“Can we engage with horses in a way that improves their lives as well as our own?”

So what can we give horses that would improve their lives?

1. Species-Appropriate Habitat and Care
We can provide a living environment that supports the horse’s natural needs and we can provide health care that is even better than what nature can provide.

2. Understand and Respect the Natural Predisposition of the Horse
Many “training” issues arise from people simply not understanding how nature has designed a horse to behave. When we respect these predispositions, we can better shape our interactions with them.

3. Help them find Mental and Emotional Balance (in a human world)
One of the biggest issues I’ve encountered as a trainer (especially in the Mustang world), has been to slow or delay training to the detriment of the horse. Horses who live in a constant state of fear and arousal are at a disadvantage living in our world. This can lead to physical health consequences such as ulcers, higher predispositions to illness, and greater likelihood of injury.

4. Help them find Physical Balance and Fitness
Again, nature does not always know best when it comes to posture and physicality. Horses in the wild develop muscularly to prevent injury from predators. Wild horses typically display overdeveloped muscles on the underside of their neck (brachiocephalicus) that provides greater protection from teeth and claws… but is at the expense of longevity of spine health, etc. Just as a personal trainer at the gym can teach us how to lift in a way that reduces injury, we can help our horses develop healthy musculature that supports longevity.

5. Play, Engagement, and Connection
For me, at the root of every interaction with my horses – whether I’m using R+ or R- - is play, engagement, and connection. Horses are social beings. They *need* social connections to survive. They seek out play and engagement. If we can provide these things, food becomes a secondary motivator. Because for horses, in the hierarchy of needs, before their need for food is their need for safety and social connection.

To me, horses have given humans so much throughout history. Our civilizations were literally built on horseback.

So today I ask myself what can we give our horses to improve their lives? There is so much more than food rewards.

09/26/2024

Teaching the next generation of horse women! 🤩🐴

09/22/2024

Had so much fun at the Richmond Fair light horse show today! 📣

Always an honour to put my judging hat on for my home town fair! 🤠🤩

Thanks to Paige for coming out for the day to learn how to scribe. 📜 🖊️

09/15/2024

✨Business Owners vs. Horse Owners✨

Hey everyone! As many of you know, I started my journey here in Ohio almost two years ago. Initially, I kept my prices low to build my reputation and welcome new clients, as this is my full-time passion.

Since moving and reopening my business, I’ve made some necessary adjustments to my pricing—raising board three times, training prices once, and lesson prices twice. These changes reflect the increased services I offer my ongoing education and the rising costs of essentials like hay, feed, and rent. I give my clients at least 30 days’ notice before price changes.

I understand that price increases can be confusing for some horse owners who see their horses as a hobby. It’s important to remember that the funds go toward the care and upkeep of the horses, not just into my pocket. My lesson services support not only my livelihood but also my hardworking employee.

My barn offers our horses 24/7 hay, loose minerals, ample turnout, and daily grain feeding. Stall cleaning is infrequent for partial care boarders, which helps keep things manageable. I’m committed to providing top-notch care, and I work seven days a week—along with my employee—to ensure everything runs smoothly.

While many of us in this industry are driven by our love for horses rather than profit, it’s essential to acknowledge the hard work that goes into maintaining a facility. It’s a labor of love, but we must also sustain ourselves.

So, as we navigate these changes, I kindly ask for your understanding and support. Remember, the energy you put into the world often reflects. Try to appreciate the hard work behind the scenes and show consideration for those of us dedicated to making this a wonderful experience for you and your horses!

09/13/2024

Athletes for life...

09/11/2024

09/10/2024

Build a life you love.
Build a life you don’t want to escape from.

That doesn’t mean it’s an easy life.
In fact it’s probably just the opposite.

It’s a life pursuing your purpose.
Doing what is meaningful.

Knowing it’s not just about today, but rather about a better tomorrow.

A better future for our family, our kids, our horses, our industry.
It’s a life focused on serving those you’re meant to be serving.

Not a life all about you.
But rather you still know by serving others with intentionality your needs too will be met.

For me…

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the grace of God and my amazing wife.

I’m thankful to be building a life doing what I love with those I love.

That doesn’t make it easy. In fact it makes it incredibly challenging but we all got to pick our hard. Life’s tough either way.

Fortunately any day in the saddle is a good day.

So cheers to an amazing day.

I hope you prioritize time with your horse today.

And I hope this may reach those it needs to.

God bless.
Together We Rise.

-Colton Woods

09/09/2024

If someone did to humans what some do to horses by strapping them into various contraptions to force them into shapes that stretch muscles beyond acceptable levels of pain, those people would be thought of as torturers.

But we watch riders crank on horses in rigs and types of bits that use leverage physics that horses are powerless to resist, and these methods are accepted by certain groups as simply necessary training aids.

The people who use these devices are incapable of getting horses to cooperate using gentler methods, probably because they are either ignorant of quieter methods, or because they are in a hurry.

One missing link is education, but even more important than education is attitude. Does the rider think of a horse as something to be mastered and subdued, or as a potential partner? Force is easier and quicker than learning how to train correctly, but if you suggest to those who use force that there are better ways, you know ahead of time the reaction that you will get. You will be told to mind your own business, that you are naive about the way things work, and that you don’t know what you are talking about.

But watch a real master sometime to begin to understand the difference in attitude. Watch the calm, systematic and thoughtful approach brought to the task, the absence of coercion. It can be done.

09/04/2024

09/04/2024

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09/03/2024

This is not my full time job.

This, dog boarding, horse boarding, coaching horseback riding lessons… this is my passion. This is my opportunity to share my passions with my community. Building a lifestyle that invites animals into my everyday adventures, this is my passion.

I offer these services part-time, so that my “after hours” time can be spent with these wonderful creatures.

I promote my services so that I can share my passion with my community. So that I can build a community of clients who want to give their dogs, their horses, a chance to experience this passion too.

In March 2023, after many years of coaching for different organizations, .fexequestrian was born. In September 2023, my journey to offer dog boarding services as began. There have been great wins. There have been growing pains and missteps along the way. There have been opportunities to expand my services to welcome more clients, and there have been times when narrowing down the pool of clients to those who share the core values that I strive to embody has been most beneficial.

I am so fortunate to have this community of humans, horses and dogs in my life. I am so grateful to those individuals who have supported me in my quest to share my passion for animals with the world, in this small way. And I am so looking forward to welcoming new faces into my community, as we close out the summer, and begin planning for the fall.

Please like and share this post with your animal loving, animal owning friends, to help my community to grow, and to help me to share my passion with your friends and family members!

08/27/2024

Looking for Horse crazy individuals ages 8 and up who want to try equestrian vaulting!

Adults! We have a GREAT adult program as well!

🌟 Nation Valley Ranch Performance Coaching invites kids and adults to come have some fun! 🌟
Vaulting is the combination of gymnastics, dance and horses

Our Fall semester welcomes beginners to join from Sept-November, ending with our fall recital!

For more info on this program or for registration, check out nationvalleyranch.com

08/23/2024

Not a joke...

Have you ever wondered why you can have a 15 acre field and part of it is chewed down to nubs and the other part has grass a hand high, But your horse is constantly grazing in the chewed down part?

Grass 6 inches and taller has less sugars than grass under 6 inches.

For every inch drop below 6 inches, the fructan (sugar) content rises.

Grass under 6 inches is stressed like it's a Monday morning with a project deadline. It uses sugar to repair itself.

Stop mowing your fields short.

Stop grazing your chubbys on chewed down grass. (this is why grazing muzzles are so touted...they keep the horse from being able to get much short grass)

(We aren't saying let your fields be 3 feet tall, by the way. The optimal thing to do is keep them 6-8 inches tall and graze them in small areas there)