True Feel Horsemanship

07/21/2024

Threw on a neckrope and wanted to see if we could do some cantering and we ended up playing with some changes. This boy gives me his all every ride.

07/16/2024

This 10 year old gelding came very troubled and unable to be saddled and he was very stressed when ridden. I’ve done a lot of work trying to find out the way to saddle him with the least amount is stress and anxiety and have been riding him on a loose rein. Today his owner was able to ride him on trail for the first time and he was happy and relaxed. Good things are in store for his future!

05/20/2024

I was able to work with some younger human clients this weekend and really enjoyed it. This sweet horse who had a rough past apparently had learned to park and I found it by accident.

05/08/2024

Welcome Trigger to the program!

05/03/2024

Starting soon at Windfall Ranch! Horsebrain seminar with Dr. Steve Peters. Still time to sign up and attend all day Saturday and Sunday!

04/29/2024

Available- Diego AQHA bridle horse

Diego- 2016 AQHA gelding. Bridle horse trained in Buck Brannaman style horsemanship

04/28/2024

Last change to register!

Alpine California
Dr. Steve Peters
Horse Brain Seminar
May 3rd 9-11am
May 4,5 9-4:30
$300-Lunch provided Saturday and Sunday and no horse needed.

In the beautiful and intimate setting of Windfall Ranch

Have a “pushy,” “spooky,” or “reactive” horse? This seminar will change the way you work with your horse and label them..

Have you ever wanted to learn more about your horses brain and how it is different than the human brain and how to optimize your riding/training sessions with your horse? Are you interested in providing your horse with the lowest stress environment that you can? Learn how to re-wire your horses neural pathways and allow for growth of new, positive behaviors and at the same time giving your horse an internal locus of control. All this and so much more!
This seminar will have lecture based information and horse demonstrations to show how the science works.
Dr. Steve Peters is a Neuroscientist specializing in brain functioning. As a horse brain researcher, he has given Equine Brain Science seminars/presentations and performed Horse Brain dissections around the world for the horse owning public as well as Veterinarians and Veterinary Surgeons. He is the co-author with Martin Black of Evidence-Based Horsemanship. For more on Dr. Peters please visit his website at https://horsebrainscience.info/
To sign up please dm or contact Tanja at 858-395-3873

04/22/2024

The boys at the Buck Brannaman clinic

04/08/2024

Welcome Burbon to the program!

02/22/2024

Dave Gamble horsemanship clinic May 24, 25, 26 at Windfall Ranch.
Am session 9-12
Pm session 1-4:30
For more info or to sign up pm or call/text Tanja at 858-395-3873

http://standingheartranch.com/dave/

02/19/2024

Super proud of my friend Monica! She is not the most confident rider and we did a lesson yesterday riding in the rope halter tossing it back and forth over the horses head when she changed direction. It was a lesson on riding with your legs. I was half joking when I asked her to canter Gus (aka Guest Suite, grade 3 winner of over $650k). She promptly picked it up! The feeling of confidence a rider gets after a kesson like thar is truly irreplaceable. ❤️

02/18/2024

Boon Scooten Boogie- This 4 year old well bred, high energy gelding needs a home where he can live in a pasture and have a job. 14.2h soft and responsive, Boogie requires an upper intermediate to an advanced rider. W,t,l, leg yields, and haunches in. Pm for more info will not respond to comments.

02/05/2024

Coming soon- Ziggy- 10 year old Arab that is not your typical Arab. Soft, sweet, and not overly hot. Likes a confident rider and is great on trails and arena. Very fun ride and one I’d keep if I had room. Looking for his perfect forever person!

01/21/2024

How to give your off-track thoroughbred the best chance at a new start in their career:

You made the decision to give an ex-racer a chance at a new life after their racing career. Congratulations on an exciting journey ahead with arguably one of the most versatile, sensitive, and rewarding breeds of horses to own and work with. Before you begin down your path with your new thoroughbred, I wanted to share some tips that I have found to work the best in my experience with the 40+ off track thoroughbreds I have re-started and ones that have come to me for re-sets even after they have been off the track for a few years because their current trainers or owners have been having various issues with them. What lies ahead are opinions and please make sure to always speak to your vet, farrier, and trainer as each horse is unique. However, I strongly feel that these guidelines will lead to as seamless of a transition as possible.

Choosing a trainer
This step is extremely important! Find a trainer that has extensive experience with re-starting off-track thoroughbreds. Go to their barn and watch them ride some and see how their thoroughbreds respond to them. Are they relaxed? Do they have martingales, draw reins, flashes, tight nosebands? What types of bits are they using? Do they allow their horses to go around on a loose rein or are they always “on the bit.” Can the horse travel on a loose rein without running off? All of these are important to me when I am restarting them because their job was to run and pulling on them meant run. These horses have built in neural pathways that are connected to the pulling of the reins and the signal to go faster. To break this loop and allow a new neural network to form the trainer needs to ride them in a different manner. This would include working on a loose rein and teaching them to stop off one rein and even more ideal with time making a connection of slowing off the rider’s seat and body so 2 reins do not need to be pulled on. As for harsh bits, and other items of restraint they should not be needed when properly restarting the off-track thoroughbred. Restraint is a stressor for all horses, especially a horse that is already coming from a stressful environment. I have restarted all of mine in a 3-piece snaffle bit with a copper roller, and no noseband. That is as much as is needed when time is taken, and proper steps are followed.



Stabling
The life of many racehorses during their racing career is mostly spent in a 12x12 box stall with little interaction with other horses. While there are the exceptions to this rule it’s a good rule of thumb. How and where you are going to stable your horse is critical for their well-being. The most ideal situation you could have for your thoroughbred is for them to be out in a pasture all day with a small herd of horses and brought in at night into a large pipe corral or an open-air box stall with a run attached. They thrive on movement and social interaction with other horses, however most of our beloved thoroughbreds don’t have the best of feet and do well with some dry places to be in times of bad weather. While this may be an option for many, this may not be an option for others depending on where you live. Next best is daily extended group turn out time and a large pipe corral (24x24 or larger). I absolutely would not recommend purchasing an off-track thoroughbred and putting them in a 12x12 box stall with no run attached and isolation. If the horse must be in a box stall for extended periods, make sure that the top half front and sides are open so the horse can always see other horses around them. Isolation is another stressor in horses and in my experience the ex-racers have done much better in pipe corrals than box stalls. Remember that they are high energy horses that are not meant to stand in a 12x12 stall. The better you can accommodate their movement and social needs the happier horse you will have.

Let down
You have your trainer and your place to stable your new thoroughbred now it’s time to let their body and mind heal from the stress of racetrack life. Preferably you have found a home with pastures, and they are able to spend their days learning how to be a horse and being integrated into a herd. Depending on how long your horse has raced you will want to give them 1-3 months of letdown. If they came off the track with an injury, you would need to consult with your vet and you will be following a different protocol depending on the severity of the injury. This is the perfect time to ditch the leather halters, and stud chains and introduce your horse to a rope halter with a tied-on lead (not a clip on). With the help of your trainer work on ground manners, leading without pulling, and groundwork (see buck Brannaman or other natural horsemanship trainers such as him for groundwork suggestions if your trainer is not familiar with it). Through groundwork you can start putting the bend in your horse and teach them circles, leg yields, and so much more even before you ever put a saddle on their back. My suggestion is never to lunge these tb’s once you start groundwork, so it doesn’t get confused. If they need to get energy out before a ride give them a turnout. Let them run, buck and be a horse.

Feeding
As you are spending this time letting your horse come down and getting to know them through groundwork their feed and nutrition needs to be addressed. Their race career demanded very high energy grain and hay. Even if you do plan to make your new thoroughbred into a high-level eventing horse, they still need to have a change of feed from the track. Depending on the job, personality of your horse, and the level of rider that you are all will make the decision as to their feed program. Please do consult your vet as the following are guidelines that have worked well with my off-track thoroughbreds with through the recommendations of my vet. I slowly (being the key word) switch them from their heavily alfalfa laden diet into one that does not have as high exergy and high protein. Your vet can provide a reference as to how to do this transition. In general, my thoroughbreds will receive 75% of their forage calories through a lower energy hay such as Bermuda, teff, orchard, or whatever works for you and your horse and 25% from alfalfa. One main reason for this is that many come off the track with ulcers and the calcium in the alfalfa helps to decrease the amount of acid in the stomach due to its buffering ability, which in return reduces stomach acidity. However, there are some thoroughbreds that seem to spook at the imaginary shadows even after the changes in feed and can’t seem to tolerate alfalfa at all. In these cases, I have had to take them completely off alfalfa and supplement with Purina enrich plus. It contains high quality protein, concentrated vitamins and minerals, no added grains so it is okay for horse’s sensitive to starches and sugar and is formulated without corn and oats. This is also my go-to if my thoroughbred it not keeping weight on hay alone. I am not an advocate of loading any horse up on high sugar grains and this is the best feed I have found that can address their nutritional needs. A very important need for all horses is that they have continued access to forage and are able to move around as much as possible. I provide my thoroughbreds with unlimited teff in the pasture during the day, so they always have access to hay. If you are in a boarding stable and they only generally feed breakfast and dinner most facilities will feed lunch at an extra charge, and this is an important meal that you do not want your horse to miss out on if all day foraging cannot be provided. Joint supplements: for any of you reading who are or have been athletes you may know where I am going with this. Your horses have either raced for many years or for a short time. In my experience they all have benefitted from a joint supplement in their new career as they age. Which one and if it is warranted, however, is a discussion for you and your vet.

Feet
Oh, the feet of the thoroughbred! Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of the breed. Due to the breeding and race shoeing they have mainly been left with thin walls, thin soles, long toes, and underrun heels. One of your biggest challenges will be to get a great farrier that can get your horses feet going in the right direction. I have been extremely fortunate to work with an outstanding farrier who always has the best interest for the horse in mind and as a team we try to look toward the long-term goal for the horse. With all our ottbs we pull their shoes when they arrive. This allows their feet to take a break from being shod and grow some sole, heel and get back to what a strong hoof should hopefully look like. Unfortunately, this is a tough journey for many horses in the beginning. I have had to put hoof boots on horses for a month every time I have taken them out of their stall. There are a bunch of options on hoof boots but always have an extra one around in case one gets broken. The other option I use in the beginning is to durasole the soles of their feet, then wrap with diapers, cotton, vet wrap, and duct tape. This may take up to 2 weeks until they are comfortably walking without the extra cushion. If you can make it through a 3-6 month or even 9-month period to keep your thoroughbred barefoot it should tremendously help your horse. Unfortunately, I have had times I have not been able to successfully transition my ottb into being barefoot for this amount of time and have had to put shoes back on after one cycle, but it is truly worth the time and effort for the future of your new horse if they are able to tolerate a longer time period barefoot before transitioning them back into the appropriate needs for their planned career.

Groundwork
Arguably the most important parts of the re-start process with any horse I work with no matter what the breed. Before I set foot into the stirrup of any of my horses whether green or advanced, I run through my groundwork to check my horse out and see if they are feeling and looking ok and where their mindset is at that time. Especially with ex-racehorses that primarily run only one direction their body is stiffer more to one side than the other. Groundwork will help accelerate their being able to bend on both sides and, develop lateral flexion that will down the road lead to vertical flexion when the time is right. It also helps develop a partnership with your horse that can help them learn how to change from their sympathetic back to their parasympathetic nervous system when arousal comes too high. It is important to remember that groundwork is not lunging, and it is not meant to exhaust your horse before riding but to check in with them mentally and physically. These are only the tips of the iceberg of the benefits of groundwork, but it truly is not a step that should be overlooked for a smooth and seamless transition that will benefit both horse and rider throughout their career.

Moving forward
Hopefully these tips have helped to get you started off on the right path with your new partner. While they may seem trivial, I have found that they truly make a large difference in bringing a relaxed thoroughbred ready to start their new career and make a willing and eager partner! For any questions, please contact [email protected]

01/19/2024

Fun working with these two ladies who traveled to better themselves and their horses for the next 3 days. Coach Allanah was quite bored however with her job🤣.

01/10/2024

Welcome Bobby to the program. He is a 4 year old off- track thoroughbred with only 3 races under his belt and 1 win and 2 seconds and hails from the Baffert stables.

01/09/2024

Horse brain seminar with Dr. Steve Peters May 3,4,5 in Alpine, Ca. at Windfall Ranch. May 3- 3:30-5:30pm, May 4,5- 9am-4:30pm. Cost is $300

Have you ever wanted to learn more about your horses brain and how it is different than the human brain and how to optimize your riding/training sessions with your horse? Are you interested in providing your horse with the lowest stress environment that you can? Learn how to re-wire your horses neural pathways and allow for growth of new, positive behaviors and at the same time giving your horse an internal locus of control. All this and so much more!

This seminar will have lecture based information and horse demonstrations to show how the science works.

Dr. Steve Peters is a Neuroscientist specializing in brain functioning. As a horse brain researcher, he has given Equine Brain Science seminars/presentations and performed Horse Brain dissections around the world for the horse owning public as well as Veterinarians and Veterinary Surgeons. He is the co-author with Martin Black of Evidence-Based Horsemanship. For more on Dr. Peters please visit his website at https://horsebrainscience.info/

To sign up please dm or contact Tanja at 858-395-3873

01/07/2024

Welcome Bobby to the herd. This 3 year old off track thoroughbred had a very short racing career and came from Bafferts’ stables. He’s a sweet as pie and I’m excited to see his progress. ❤️

12/19/2023

Rolly Royce was a babysitter today for a wonderful older gentleman and his older mare who had issues on trail where she would jig the whole way, not lead, and turn and head home. We worked in the round pen for a while then set out for a ride that ended up being a success. Give your horses time to think and set them up to make choices. True Feel Horsemanship

12/13/2023

Coming to Windfall Ranch November 7-10, 2024. Dm for more details

12/03/2023

True Feel Horsemanship mini clinic December 9 and 10th at Windfall Ranch! 2 sessions 12-1:30 and 1:45-3:13. Max 4 riders per session. $75 per rider per session. Ground work, dull horses, hot horses, trailer loading issues, spooky horses… all addressed using natural horsemanship and how horses learn and respond to stress and making learning happen in the least stressful environment for the horse. For more info or to sign up please contact Tanja 858-395-3873

https://truefeelhorsemanship.com/

11/16/2023

Back by popular demand , Dr. Steve Peters horse brain seminar! May 3,4,5 in San Diego, California. Learn how the brain of your equine partner works and develop a better relationship and understand with your horse.

11/03/2023

Training opening starting December. Please pm for more info!

10/15/2023

Ottb Gus coming along nicely in his 2nd career

09/29/2023

4th ride for Tipsy, his first in a bit and his first canter. Unfortunately I don’t have a round pen so I have to make do with what I have. This young man has a bright future!

09/27/2023

True Feel Horsemanship is proud to present a seminar with Dr. Mark Silverman October 14th at 9am - 1.5 hour “How to do a Physical Exam” on your horse. $60 a person with 10 people max. Will be located at my place in Alpine and hands on with horses. Open to anyone who wants to learn!

08/29/2023

Diego

08/26/2023

Ottb Gus coming along nicely

08/06/2023

Molly Beth traded in her western saddle today and we worked over some small jumps. Great job for this team who hasn’t jumped in a year!!!