Ground Manners Matter - Holistic Horsemanship

04/06/2024

11/10/2023

There are only two ways that I know of, to effectively deal with this issue.

In their world, the one that can move the other ones feet is higher on the pecking order. The goal is to knock the Bully down a notch or two, on that pecking order.

By far the easiest way is by riding the bullied horse, and pushing (herding) the Bully around with a flag. If you do this enough times, you will start to notice two things happening. Firstly, the bullied horse will gain confidence in it’s ability to move the other. Secondly, the Bully will start to gain a little respect for the other one.

The more difficult way, is to have them both “in hand” and push the Bully around. This method requires a lot more savvy on your part to keep yourself and the bullied horse safe in the process, but will still work.

11/07/2023

Never confuse
Gentle with Broke
You can have one
without the other

10/09/2023

To understand my approach to horsemanship, and my seeming obsession with GROUNDWORKD, Groundwork, groundwork … you need only to comprehend this statement.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln

10/08/2023

You don’t get to the Mind by kicking up Dust.

You get to the Mind by gaining
their Trust - GMM

09/01/2023

A giant ship's engine broke down and no one could repair it, so they hired a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience.

He inspected the engine very carefully, from top to bottom. After seeing everything, the engineer unloaded his bag and pulled out a small hammer.

He knocked something gently. Soon, the engine came to life again. The engine has been fixed!

A week later the engineer mentioned to the ship owner that the total cost of repairing the giant ship was $20,000.

"What?!" said the owner. “You did almost nothing. Give us a detailed bill."

The Engineer replied him “The answer is simple:”

Tap with a hammer: $2

Know where to knock and how much to knock: $19,998

The importance of appreciating someone's expertise and experience...because those are the results of struggles, experiments and even tears.

If I am able to accomplish a task with your horse in 30 minutes, it's because I spent 50 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes. 😎

08/29/2023

“Those who are certain of the outcome can afford to wait, and wait without anxiety”. - Gabby Bernstein

08/23/2023

I need something to take my mind off all these terrible wildfires that we are experiencing, so where does my mind wander?
Horses, of course.

We are all told over and over in our horsemanship journey that we need “soft hands”

While this is an admirable goal for any rider, it’s really only 1/2 the story.

Soft hands with poor timing/release still creates a hard mouth horse.

Hard hands (not cruel) with great timing/release will create a soft mouth horse.

Simply stated, you cannot create a soft horse without great timing/release, no matter what.

So, work on your timing/release with everything you do with your horse, from Liberty to Groundwork to Riding.

You will be amazed at the progress you make with your equine partner.

08/07/2023

"What you put in their mouth is not near as important as what you put in their head"
-Glenn Stewart

07/31/2023

In the lifelong journey that is Horsemanship

Frustration always surfaces when Knowledge ends.

07/10/2023

Remember
Keep one leg on each side
And your mind in the middle
- Ben Longwell