BlackHorse Horsemanship

18/07/2025

15/07/2025

He wasn’t naughty
He wasn’t an a**hole
He wasn’t “just being difficult”

He was however so skeletally compromised that a comfortable ridden life was never going to happen and time was against him. Not every horse is suitable to be ridden just the same as not every human is compatible with being an athlete. We need to normalise that behaviour is communication. We need to accept that there are many things in a horses body that make riding super hard for them.

This horse went through two breakers before his owner very diligently persisted with positive reinforcement training. He did make excellent progress, that is to be commended! But here’s my issue, positive reinforcement sometimes still masks these issues. It became obvious to his owner that he was becoming more internalised and less happy even in the paddock. Horses will try harder if you ask them nicely and there’s rewards for good behaviour. I’m not saying positive reinforcement is bad, it’s a great tool….im just saying it can mask serious issues. The biggest give away was how seriously assymetric he was. This is something I have felt many times while ridng these types. Asymmetry is normal but riding a horse that has wildly different left and right reins is not normal.

This is so complex on so many levels, so many.

Ever met a horse that was odd from birth? I believe inherited trauma is also a real factor, if you haven’t read the study on mice and how it took many generations to stop passing along, I suggest you do. It’s now well documented in humans too. Link below.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fearful-memories-passed-down/

This guys story is available on patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1606429in

15/07/2025

🤠❤️

14/07/2025

There’s a line a lot of people cross with their horses… and most dont even realized they’ve done it.

It starts from a good place.
They love their horse. They want a connection. They want to do right by them.

But over time, that desire to connect starts to blur things.
It gets emotional. Sometimes even obsessive.
And before they know it, they’re not seeing the horse for who the horse actually is, they’re seeing only what they want to see.

And that’s where the whole horse-human dynamic begins to break down.

Because when we lose sight of the truth: the nature of the horse, the reality of how they’re wired, how they think, how they learn…
We can’t lead.
We can’t build a reliable partnership.
We can’t give the horse what they actually need to thrive.

And here’s the hard part.
It’s not because people don’t care enough. It’s because they’ve lost sight (or been mislead) to what truly matters and works.
They idolized the horse to the point that their decisions, their expectations, even their communication… it’s all distorted.
It’s not healthy.

They’ve placed the horse so high on a pedestal that they’ve started relating to them through a lens of human emotion and fantasy…
Rather than truth, understanding, and responsibility.

Now, anyone who’s spent a life with horses knows how much of a spiritual experience it can be at times.
How moving. How sacred.
But horses are not divine.

The horse is still… a horse.
A prey animal.
Beautifully simple. Honest. Present.

And if we’re not grounded in that truth, that horses are not idols nor divine, our desire for connection can actually get in the way of real partnership.

Because the more we understand the true nature, design and creation of the horse…
The more we honor their nature instead of projecting our own emotion onto them.
And the stronger the partnership we share with them can become.

As professionals, we see this all the time.
We work with clients who care deeply. Sometimes so deeply, that they lose clarity.
They come in caring deeply, but no boundaries. Passion, but no process.
And it’s our job to help bring the relationship back into alignment.

Because true partnership requires more than love.
It requires leadership.
Clarity. Consistency.
And a deep respect for the nature of the horse, not just the dream we’ve built around them.

We weren’t meant to have idols.
Not horses. Not people. Not anything that clouds our vision of the truth.

Because at the end of the day, truth is the only thing that actually leads to freedom.
In life. In faith. And with our horses.

And when we operate from a place of truth about who we are and what the horse actually is…
That’s where the real connection begins.

-Colton Woods

📸 Dusty Frame Photography

13/07/2025

👌❤️🤠

Thought for the day:
I still get asked regularly if I can take a young or green horse to further it’s training.
Often as not the request includes a story about how everything was going ok but then one day outside pressures caused it to act up.
The request is generally to enhance it’s knowledge or change their mindset so that they can handle all types of scenarios and be calmer and better behaved.
Often these requests are never attached to an aside like “can you teach me how I should handle and ride a green or inexperienced horse?”.
The onus is all on the horse to be able to carry (no pun intended) the rider through any situation that may arise and keep them safe.
That is too much responsibility for a young or green horse.
Your horse needs some support and help while it gains experience.
Regardless of your knowledge of horses or riding or a particular discipline you may find a green horse a challenge if you are inexperienced with them.
Many older horses can be much more forgiving of mistakes and have more experience of the world.
It takes more than a stint at a trainers to make an experienced horse.
Often there is a way through but it takes the help of people with the experience. Hands on help.
It also takes a little fortitude and the ability to not make your horse feel trapped with your hands or legs no matter what occurs.
Most of what is called acting up would not have occurred at all if the rider had acted the way the horse needed them to.
The first thing that it takes is the recognition that to ride young or green horses you may need to have yourself trained.

11/07/2025

Buddy and mousse are best pals 🐕🐕 ❤️

11/07/2025