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06/02/2025

Filly is as genuine as they come, with a handful of rides under her belt, she is unfazed by my shenanigans, dogs, bicycles, atv's/dirtbikes, helicopters, tractor or wildlife.

In the comments I will add a few more mounting clips- someone is determined to catch a 'fail" video ;)
The wonderful thing about gentling a hoss is that they don't associate humans with behavior such as rearing, bucking or bolting.
A boundary I have set for mounting her, is that if she is not standing square (feet paired eveninly in stance) she is allowed to readjust her feet to become square. She is not allowed to move off from a stand until she is specifically asked to.

Good girl, Filly.

06/02/2025

Please enjoy the sounds of Filbert enjoying a fresh salt Block and a little quality time.

(The herd still had a large chunk of their previous block and have had uninterrupted access to salt)

I have 2 topics that blend together I'd like to talk about.Not taking life too seriously.AndGiving space to those who ar...
30/01/2025

I have 2 topics that blend together I'd like to talk about.

Not taking life too seriously.

And

Giving space to those who are here to learn, so they may do so, by trial and error.

Whether you are in a competition lesson barn, or Grama's back yard, horses have lots of lessons to teach us.
Courage, Tenacity, Leadership. Kindness...
The list goes on.

I grew up in a competition barn, I learned many wonderful life lessons, many tough ones and I learned who I am as a person. What I want out of life; from my relationship with equines and from my relationship with others.
I personally, felt that the pressures of competition distracted and diminished the joy of being 'in the moment.' The complexities of social hierarchy between owners, coaches and parents ate at my focus of the relationship between my equine and I.

My history with the pressures of competition is what ignited me to offer something different.

-Horsemanship, in nature.-

Horsemanship, focused on fun, safety and learning at your pace.

The ettiquette, boundaries and attention to details are still present, but with more time, patience and less pressure.

Ba****ck rides on the days you feel life has been unkind.

Lake swimming to cool off and play in the water with friends.

Ground work days when you're ready to tackle the complexities and subtleties of body language.

Frolicking through the single track trails when things feel 'right.'

They say, that when we pass by trees- the trees lend us energy. I feel so refreshed and recharged after a ride through nature! My purpose is to share this experience with others.

I expect a lot from those who come to me.... I expect a lot of effort.

I don't expect on a timeline, nor expect comparatively. Every horse, -every human is an individual.

Learning should be safe, it should be fun!
My lesson horses are in side pulls for one main reason, that you the rider can feel guilt free in learning your hands.
New riders often (accidentally) 'catch' their upper bodies with their hands instead of their core, with bitless bridles the weight falls across the horses nose and not a metal bit resting on their gums. It makes for a more patient horse.
I love my herd, for they truly are patient, and kind.

My approach is to give as much information as possible, show you myself, then set you up to try yourself. If you make a mistake, that's okay! Let's try again... don't be hard on yourself, don't take life too seriously! You have access to safe, kind horses so that you may try and fail, safely.

We will laugh, we may cry.

Most days are fun, a few are difficult. Nothing worth attaining comes easily, but I promise -
it's worth it.

Pictured is a fun day last summer where the teens played with Bear, Dodger and Filbert in the Lake. They're patiently listening to my safety ettiquette guidelines and I'm proud of all three for playing safely.

I believe someone has Shennanned-again...Good thing Margaret loves being fussed over, even...especially if it involves a...
28/01/2025

I believe someone has Shennanned-again...

Good thing Margaret loves being fussed over, even...especially if it involves a wardrobe, or scrunchies. (And being told how cute she is)

The culprit is not the same for all 'instances,' but me-oh-my what a life to have so much attention, adoration and quality time.

Enrichment flows both ways with this gal.

Equineimity is a play on word,That word-play stems from "equanimity:" mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper...
28/01/2025

Equineimity is a play on word,

That word-play stems from "equanimity:" mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially* in a difficult situation.

The above states what I believe in, full heartedly to be the bases of horsemanship.

Equanimity is my philosophy and how I approach every horse, no matter my end goal. It is also how I employ my students to tackle their horsemanship.

I had a lovely text conversation with a parent, we spoke of how proud we were of her daughter- who has anxiety as many of us do this day and age, and through her anxiety she has pushed herself mentally. By doing so her confidence has soared, and so has her independence.
She has concerns of height, falling and speed.
It takes a lot of personal growth, and equanimity to hear your coach say, "your fears are valid, do it anyways."
And after her heartbeat slows, her breath returns to normal and her body and mind come to terms that nothing bad has happened, she can exhale and put that experience in the memory bank for the next time she's asked to do something out of her comfort zone.

It takes many small, yet significant experiences to build one's equanimity. I believe horsemanship is one of a few beneficial ways to improve our mental state; confidence, softness, patience, being present, assertive, self-talk etc. and this all affects our physical state, heart rate, breathing, strength etc.

Horses have this wonderful ability to mirror our mental state; this is why we must learn to clear our minds, our energy and be present and calm no matter the mental or physical state of our equine.

This allows us to create a calm, positive and inviting safe-space for our equine, one where a student and horse/mule can flourish. When we feel safe and secure is when we feel safe to learn new things and push ourselves: to grow.

Equineimity is the calmness of equine mind, an ode to personal growth, physically, mentally, and even,
spiritually.

26/01/2025

Filbert Briggs had her first ride over the holidays,
It went like this...

We opened and closed gates, had pedestrians and cyclist stop to pet her and chat-up us humans.

It was a wonderful relaxed first outing and I couldn't be more proud of her. Our stable mate had 'opinions' on the way home while Filly remained relaxed with a low headset and listening ears.

I'm excited to see this horse blossom into one of my trusted steeds, her enthusiasm is second to none.

Filbert Briggs is from Quilchena, BC and was graciously gifted to me by Buck a few years ago during fall Round Up. Filly boasts big beautiful gaits and the sweetest doe eyes. She has grace, grit and intelligence and shows much promise to be an exceptional mount.

A 'joy' named 'Margaret'
23/12/2024

A 'joy' named 'Margaret'

06/12/2024

It's a hard life when the equines complain that they didn't get to go out with their preferred human.

Poor, Sad, unloved mule.
(Sarcasm)

For those of you concerned for Margaret, she has risen to 'barn favorite' along with Dodger and gets out many times in a week to fulfill a meaningful life. When she is not being taken out for adventures- she is playing, eating, and snoozing with her arab friends in a herd setting.

But boy-oh-boy is she ever a master-guilt-tripper!

"Problem horses"This is a difficult topic as there are usually many factors contributing to the horses behavior. I belie...
12/11/2024

"Problem horses"

This is a difficult topic as there are usually many factors contributing to the horses behavior.

I believe problem horses can turn into the most incredible partners.

Great horses.

There are bad apples out there. (Nature vs. Nurture)
There is the occasional horse born mean...

But usually? The horse has been 'failed' by humans.
Pain, unethical 'training', unclear boundaries, inconsistent handling...overworking physical and mental limitations. Not listening to the horse.

The worst part, more often than not, the horses' people are doing their best! There is no ill intent, just inexperience, poor leadership/advice from mentors, or not knowing what they don't know.

I love problem horses, because I love problem solving.

Well, I love horses.

And I love helping horses.

The most rewarding aspect of my job, is when an equine breaks free of the title, 'problem horse.'

Restarting an equine takes a LOT more time, knowledge, understanding, patience and energy than starting a clean slate such as a born free equine or a horse with proper handling from day one.

Often there is trauma involved for both the horse and the rider.

The first step is separating the horse and rider and tackling each of their issues seperately. The goal is to reintroduce them when they have done their homework. Sometimes a horse and rider are not a match. And that's okay too.

When restarting a problem horse, there is a lot of compromise to begin with, a lot of praise for the good, and ignoring the wrong answers. I don't believe in harsh equipment, I go back to basics.

The only time I am physical with the problem horse is if their behavior is dangerous. This includes entering my space uninvited.

I believe in pressure and release. To take this further, I strongly believe in the least amount of pressure possible- and release.
I want a soft, supple horse.

I believe in ask, tell, discipline. With giving the horse enough time between the three to make the right decision.

I believe in giving the horse space and time to process the right answer (lick and chew.)

I believe in verbal ques and verbal praise. I believe we have the best communication with our equine when we use ALL the tools in our tool box.
Verbal ques, coupled with physical ques.

I believe in riding with your seat, before your hands. And I believe any time we pick up our reins, we need* supporting leg.

I believe on ending on a good note.

I believe in consistency.

When I restart an equine, I am their hype woman, their biggest cheerleader and supporter. I am proud of every good decision they make, and I make sure they know that.

I believe in building a relationship with them, off mutual respect. Love and affection will follow respect.

Respect and dominance are not the same. Dominance in leu of respect is likely a factor of why the horse is in this predicament in the first place.

I believe if I help the horse without helping the human, the horse will revert back to its prior behaviors, and each time it does so, restarting and training will take longer and more effort each time.

I believe in helping the horse, and the human.

Or finding that horse, a human that is a match, a partner.

My first 'problem horse' was never mine, he belonged to my trainer but my heart was his.
His name was Skookum and he taught me how to be a handler of difficult horses, how to problem solve, support, and place healthy boundaries. How to be compassionate leader.

Because of him, I have the skills to restart other problem horses, who are now- horses.

Great horses. With great people.

Included are pictures of Childhood me and my borrowed 'problem' horse. Who went on to a wonderful lesson barn and became the favorite lesson horse with a website the children could write to him.
Dear Skookum.

Thank you for your lessons, love and memories.

You're one of the Greats.

My life partner is not a 'horse person.' He loves animals in general but horses just aren't his jam.And that's okay.We d...
12/11/2024

My life partner is not a 'horse person.' He loves animals in general but horses just aren't his jam.

And that's okay.

We do have wonderful memories together where the horses are involved, most include bicycles and hooves.

Our favorite shared memory to reminisce and laugh over is back in 2022 when Dodger was finally open to (some) human contact, I asked if he wanted to try and pet Dodger.

He spent an unreasonable amount of time sharing space in the snow, with the hopes Dodger would be interested in some human contact.

However,

Dodger is his own man, and decided that neither hands nor brushes were to be trusted from an unknown human.

Those who know me, know my equine philosophy doesn't include treat-giving, however I DO want my partner to have a positive experience and after what felt like hours I busted out the carrots to help the introduction process go more smoothly and hopefully tip the scales in favor of human interaction. Dodger had only experienced apples, grain and fresh alfalfa from humans, and wasn't familiar with carrots at this time, therefore the carrots were not the incentive I had hoped for.

I DO believe in compromise, and apparently so did Dodger. The compromise was that he allowed the carrot to touch him.

Let me clarify, he was not interested in eating the carrot, only in being pet, by. the. carrot.

So for 20 minutes, Dodger stood still while he was 'brushed' with a piece of broken vegetable. He relaxed into the moment and we took that as a 'win.'

We still laugh about the day the wild born horse set the boundary; "no touchy, unless with a root vegetable!"

Included is a second missed opportunity, my father's attempt to feed Dodger a carrot, but Dodger would rather try to get a reaction out of him by stealing his hat!

Filbert, Margaret, Arlo and I took the day to scour the countryside.Although we saw nothing but a grouse, we had a great...
30/10/2024

Filbert, Margaret, Arlo and I took the day to scour the countryside.

Although we saw nothing but a grouse, we had a great day. Beautiful fresh air, agreeable equines and I'm very proud that the puppy found his place guarding the herd as I toodled off to glass the hillside.

Not a peep out of the team for hours. They stood tied, and were very good patient boy and girls.

When the time came to head home, Margaret wasn't so sure I knew the alternate route but chose to trust me, we had a short chat with a gent on a quad before repacking Filbert for the third time and made it home for dusk.

What I discovered is that I have a preference for the style of pack boxes I use! I prefer the ones with nubbins instead of the notches to hold in the double diamond.

Neat.

(There are a few no-nos in my set up, my tarp is too low over the notches, and when I repacked I changed the style of knots holding the boxes on the pack saddle as well as the tarp's position. Very pleased with the changes)

25/10/2024

Someone was a very good girl

Filberts first pack setOff to work she goes!
24/10/2024

Filberts first pack set

Off to work she goes!

One tired lady and one enthusiastic geldingReady and waiting for me at the gate, thanks Max!
23/10/2024

One tired lady and one enthusiastic gelding

Ready and waiting for me at the gate, thanks Max!

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Filly is as genuine as they come, with a handful of rides under her belt, she is unfazed by my shenanigans, dogs, bicycles, atv's/dirtbikes, helicopters, tractor or wildlife. In the comments I will add a few more mounting clips- someone is determined to catch a 'fail" video ;) The wonderful thing about gentling a hoss is that they don't associate humans with behavior such as rearing, bucking or bolting. A boundary I have set for mounting her, is that if she is not standing square (feet paired eveninly in stance) she is allowed to readjust her feet to become square. She is not allowed to move off from a stand until she is specifically asked to. Good girl, Filly.

ASMR
ASMR

Please enjoy the sounds of Filbert enjoying a fresh salt Block and a little quality time. (The herd still had a large chunk of their previous block and have had uninterrupted access to salt)

Filly's first ride
Filly's first ride

Filbert Briggs had her first ride over the holidays, It went like this... We opened and closed gates, had pedestrians and cyclist stop to pet her and chat-up us humans. It was a wonderful relaxed first outing and I couldn't be more proud of her. Our stable mate had 'opinions' on the way home while Filly remained relaxed with a low headset and listening ears. I'm excited to see this horse blossom into one of my trusted steeds, her enthusiasm is second to none. Filbert Briggs is from Quilchena, BC and was graciously gifted to me by Buck a few years ago during fall Round Up. Filly boasts big beautiful gaits and the sweetest doe eyes. She has grace, grit and intelligence and shows much promise to be an exceptional mount.

It's a hard life when the equines complain that they didn't get to go out with their preferred human. Poor, Sad, unloved mule. (Sarcasm) For those of you concerned for Margaret, she has risen to 'barn favorite' along with Dodger and gets out many times in a week to fulfill a meaningful life. When she is not being taken out for adventures- she is playing, eating, and snoozing with her arab friends in a herd setting. But boy-oh-boy is she ever a master-guilt-tripper!

Someone was a very good girl

On August 15th I posted a video clip of Demelza waiting patiently at the mounting block and accepting my weight. Two days ago we had our first riden adventure, it went like this...

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