Ledge End Acres

07/15/2024

Llero is turning into the most beautiful ride under the tutelage of Cardinal Ranch! So proud of him!

04/28/2024

Look at my boy Llero!!! Under saddle by Day 5! He's already sold, in case anyone is wondering....🤩

02/28/2024

How often have I felt inadequate on a green horse? This is a great read!

Going out in public with a green ‘project’ horse is a test in humility and self-control. It is so easy to feel sheepish, especially when one is outnumbered by proven horses and their riders. We begin to spiral down into the murky pool of doubt, if we’re not mentally prepared to deal with it.

There can be a lot of ‘less than’ feelings, when you show up on the truly green horse. The horse you loaded at home can (and probably will) be very different to the one you unload in public.

Long ago, I learned that every time we start a horse from scratch, every single step of our day out is steeped in horse training. Not in reminders, not in fine tuning. No, I’m talking foundational building blocks, hugely unwieldy stuff that doesn’t just fall into place.

It bears changing our viewpoints, just a bit.

From unloading a horse who is in a hurry and taking the time to change that, to entering a spooky space, to not being all that well socialized with other horses. Maybe that green horse is going to get very chargey, a real handful, or maybe he is feeling threatened by strangers coming too close behind and now, he’s suddenly wanting to kick.

From bridling a horse who is distracted and staying with that, until he is focused and accepting… to working quietly with others zooming around, all on their own agendas. Finding and keeping your youngster's mind, so they’re not so inclined to buck.

“Oh, you should do better groundwork!” Well-meaning people will say, as though the thought has never occurred to you.

Starting young horses means being able to seemingly ignore the pressures of those around you… and of the clock, all the while being absolutely aware of those around you… and of the clock.

Every single thing we do with the green horse, the very same things we’ll take for granted on the quiet goer, is a chance to train, or re-train. Seeing as we all love a confident and skilled horse, we should be on board with this notion. We shouldn’t be so quick to point fingers at horses who are visibly struggling.

If this is you on the trustworthy, well-schooled horse, I can only urge you to feel grateful rather than inconvenienced, while you watch my horse try and try, again.

If this is you on the young learner, I can only urge you to keep your eyes on the destination. You're doing good work.

I’m often fielding questions from people as to why my horses aren’t good at standing tied in a row of strange horses at the public arena. Or of why they might struggle at the mounting block, or while opening gates, or picking up the canter in a relaxed posture, or stopping and backing well, or… even just walking past a jacket left hanging over the arena rail.

I can only answer that they're not good yet.

One of my young horses absolutely lost his mind over the sight of another horse wearing a cooler, a few weeks back. He completely checked out of Dodge! Such a seemingly small thing derailed him and much of what I thought he knew for sure.

Horses must to go through all these stages, learning all these seemingly little things, before they can become the abiding partners we can rely upon. Because they do not know these things naturally, they are not hopeless cases. They are not ‘bad-minded’, as I was told by an observer, one memorably hard day.

Learning isn’t always pretty. Horse or human, there will be some struggle involved.

Horses are not born knowing all the things we expect. We shouldn’t be surprised, or dismayed, or embarrassed, by having to teach them.

Here, we remember Chickadee in the early days. With time and love and experience, she went on to become a phenomenal little horse.

Photo: Mike McLean.

10/22/2023

Had a sweet ride on SMF Jubiloso recently. Such a BIG stride. 😅

05/21/2023

Bella and I were at a Cowboy Dressage Clinic in Falkland for 2 days this week. Met so many lovely people, and had a great hostess! Thank you to clinician Kim Repp Moats! I was very proud of Bella, as she tried really hard to do quite a few maneuvers she has never done before.

01/09/2023

Any folks who who have Andalusians requiring Revision: I have made application to USPRE to host a 2nd site for revision in Salmon Arm, BC. Could interested parties please comment or PM so that I can get an idea of how many horses we might attract? Salmon Arm is in a very central location right on HWY 1.
Thank you.

09/05/2022

My boy is coming along nicely. So fantastic to see him attain his potential!

09/02/2022

Excellent read....

08/28/2022

Today a friend of mine posted this...Morgans make the best partners! 🤠

08/19/2022

We have a new baby at Ledge End Acres...introducing Andalusian filly Cariña...we have yet to determine whether she will be bay or grey, but we have 4 white socks and a white blaze! Born at 5:30 (ish) am, August 18th.

08/16/2022

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gunner! You have grown to be a pretty boy!

08/14/2022

Registration is proof of an ethical breeder...

07/31/2022

Just love this little colt...1 week old!

07/25/2022

Visiting Auntie Linda, who is patiently waiting for her own...2 more weeks....

07/25/2022

OK...more foal spam! Ledge End (?)...aka Thor...

07/22/2022

Looks like I got my buckskin...but with CHROME! 2 white hinds and a disconnected star and snip. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! 🤩😍

07/21/2022

Oh, the waiting game is almost over....but it's SOO hot! 😝 Ledge End Smoke 'n Fire...anybody have suggestions for names?

07/03/2022

Then (2011) and now....my beautiful boy....SMF Ilan

06/30/2022

Just HAD to share this!! 🤣😂😅

06/13/2022

From May 19-26, I was in a Bridle Horse Development Clinic taught by Devanee and Buddy Cardinal, of Cardinal Ranch, and held at Jandana Ranch, in Pritchard. 7 DAYS of advanced (for me) RIDING, in addition to inspiring, and AWE-inspiring, education amd demonstrations have left me hungry for more. Thank you to all the folks who were so supportive, and to our hostess, Janice Jarvis, for welcoming us to her incredible ranch. I am SOOOO excited for more!

06/11/2022

2 little girls....😍

04/15/2022

This is why I just can't bring myself to become competitive....great explanation!

"Take me Home Country Road to the place I belong".
"Horsemanship is unique among life skill sets because it embodies the very best of art, sport and science. When you lean too heavily on one aspect, you will inadvertently let the beauty of the experience lapse and pass you. To rise to the upper echelon of your chosen discipline, even if that discipline is non-competitive, like mountain riding, you must find the balance in all three aspects and blend them to the edification but not exclusion of each.
I am a scientist with a scientific mind. When I have trouble with something in my life, I reach for science. I use science to bridge my understanding and to hopefully master whatever stumbling blocks are put in my path. As a veterinarian that type of thinking serves me well to a point. But, the longer I practice veterinary medicine, the more I come to realize that we are only scratching the surface of the knowledge and resources available to us when we are working with living beings. I have seen cases were science would tell me that we were going to be successful, but when life conspired to produce a far different outcome. I have seen cases where science told me we would be lucky to be successful when perseverance on the part of the owner or the animal won out in the end. I have seen cases were science left me with more questions than answers when the beauty and art of life showed me that we may not even be asking the right questions. If we rely only on science in our horsemanship we miss the moments of pure magic. Like all true magic, believing is seeing, but if your eyes aren’t open to the possibilities you won’t even know where to look.
I am also a dancer. I have pushed myself in my dancing at times in my life for hours each day beyond where my body was telling me it was time to stop. I have practiced and practiced until I perfected a series of steps and increased my speed until my feet were a blur. I know what dedication and time and hard work will produce. As any athlete or sports minded person will tell you there is no gain without pain. Sculpting an athlete means hours of repetitive work. Dedication and perseverance can bridge the gap where talent can leave you wanting. For those that view their chosen discipline as a sport, they often will work with their horses with this frame of mind. Where this mindset will fail us every time in the horse industry is we cannot know the mind of our horses. They work hard for us because they have to. The horses that cannot handle the hard work won’t excel in that discipline or hard driving program for any number of reasons. We talk about the “heart” and “try” in the ones that rise to the top. Treating our horses like elite athletes means we may be missing the science that is telling us when the breakdown is coming or the art that tells us when the horse is unhappy. Long hours under saddle and athletic conditioning is an important part of many rigorous equine disciplines, but it does not build partnership and soft feel. Most sports minded equine disciplines rely heavily on science to keep those horses functioning.
Now enters the art. Art is what separates the masters from the students in any discipline, but especially where we are partnered with a truly sentient being like the horse. The reason all of the great masters through the history of horsemanship are so great is that they have a connection and feel for the art of the horse that the rest of us struggle to find. Any great horseman will find they have trouble struggling with the description of their art. The reason the saying goes, “Those who can’t do, teach.” Is because those of us that are not artists rely on the science to explain the art so that others can understand it. This is exactly why I am such a good teacher. I have science coming out of my ears. I eat and breathe science and use it to explain concepts that truly both myself and my students would be better off learning to feel. But, we all need to start somewhere and just like a dancer who starts by numbered footprints on the dance floor, the biomechanics and science of horsemanship is a good place to start. We cannot all be born artists. What a beautiful world it would be if we could. We can all learn to find the art within ourselves, if we understand where to look.
In Cowboy Dressage we are striving to create a community of artists. This is why 8’s vision for Cowboy Dressage was for education above competition. Competition is very tough on art. If we can teach our handshake members to search for the art and our judges to reward the art of soft feel we can hopefully avoid the pitfalls of the competitive world. We are asking a lot of our Cowboy Dressage World judges, because art is a heck of a thing to judge. Especially as our riders become more and more adept at soft feel and partnership, splitting the hairs of a good ride comes down to science, because after all, who can really say if a Monet beats a Rembrandt? But, if we get down to the nitty gritty of comparing brush strokes and color schemes we reduce beauty to science and the soft feel is lost.
I hope, that for the sake of the future of Cowboy Dressage and this fledgling discipline that is spearheading a revolution in how people think about, train and ride their horses, we can continue to reward art and not science. If we focus too much on the science we will loose the art and if we loose the art than we are just another USEF discipline with a stack of rules and guidelines meant to ensure a level playing field among sports enthusiasts. I don’t know what the answer is for avoiding that pitfall. I think it has been the ruin of every equine discipline that has ever been. Now is the time for us to take the steps to ensure this is not the future of Cowboy Dressage. We can be thankful that Western Dressage already exists. All things happen for a reason and maybe the reason for Western Dressage is that we need a place for those concerned about the science and rules to go. Here we are concerned about the art and we are concerned about the horse. I tip my hat to our judges. They have a whale of a job and the future is very literally in their hands and on their score cards".

Jenni Grimmett, DVM
Level 3 Recommended CD Clinician
March 2018

03/23/2022

Very cool! Now if I could just get my Working Equitation going WITHOUT fire! 🤣

This is a promo video to promote Working Equitation and the garrocha with Amy Star and Miguel Undabarrena. http://hybridhorsemanship.com/wp/

03/22/2022

Oh YAY!!!!! 😁

Salmon Arm, the rumours are true.

We are VERY excited to finally and officially announce that we are coming to your city.

We look forward to meeting you this fall.

💡 Did you know the very first Peavey Mart location was in British Columbia? Dawson Creek, 1967.

🇨🇦 We are proudly 100% Canadian & Employee-Owned.

02/07/2022

Interesting article...I have an old mare that exhibits this condition.

Click to read on equusmagazine.com