Off The Rez Horsemanship

11/19/2025

When Kokopelli ( koko)
came here he was over weight and barely could walk. He would not have made it through another winter out in the wild.
Thanks to a strickt diet, a good trim he is feeling pretty good these days.
We didnt do a whole lot with him since Aug, merely trying to get him feeling comfortable.
He is such a pleasure to be around.
Studs don't come any kinder than this boy.
I am so glad a good friend of mine adopted him and am pretty excited to start working with him more.

10/25/2025

The feeling of first touch of a wild stallion never gets old.

08/23/2025

As King’s trainer, my first responsibility is always to him. My job is to set him up for success, and right now, that means stepping back from the Trainers Challenge.

This was not an easy decision. I’ve put my heart into this journey, and of course I wanted to step into that arena with him. But forcing King before he’s ready would undo the trust we’ve built. I won’t risk that.

I may feel like I’ve let myself, my family, and my friends down, but in truth, the best way to honor the work we’ve done together is to protect it. King has given me his trust, and I owe it to him not to break that bond.

So tomorrow, we’ll be watching from the sidelines—but still moving forward, in our own time, in the right way for him.

08/19/2025

08/14/2025

" You can't feed your ego and your soul"

08/08/2025

The Journey.

King was one of the most defensive horses I have ever worked with, from stepping into the round pen using two flags when he would come at me to him nickering every time he sees me.

These past 100 days haven't
been anything I pictured it would be. It's not so much what I was able to teach him it was what King was able to teach me.

Even though im not anywhere near where I want to be training wise I am proud to say i never let ego get in the way; King always came first. Respect is earned, one cannot demand respect. It is earned by listening to him and respecting his boundaries.
He can pin his ears and i will respect his boundries but he cannot come into my space with pinned ears.
Without respect there can never be trust.
It is my job to set him up to succeed at what ever we do. He didn't get tight or broc when I saddled him up for the first time or when i had my first rides on him.
My 3rd ride in I felt a slight hesitation it wasn't that he wasn't ready.
I noticed his asymmetry and that his shoulder was getting pinched by the saddle. I didn't realize that there is probably a 1-1/2 " difference as he shows no sign of lameness and is sound.
Unfortunately buying a saddle wasn't in my budget and riding ba****ck is out of the question with my neck and shoulders feeling the way they do I am still waiting on test results. I am walking away with one of the greatest lessons; that it is ok to have boundries its okay to say No; and when a horse does say no one needs to ask oneself why is he saying no.