Hidden Branch Stables

08/19/2024

Mika being a good 2 yr old trail pony. She’s so brave and kind. 💙

"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens."
Psalm 8:1

08/18/2024

A small stab in the heart is what you feel when you put up the day's riding list and you see riders sinking heavily in their shoulders when reading which horse they are assigned for the lesson. A small stab in the heart for that horse that for an hour will carry around a rider who has already decided that he does not like his horse. A small stab in the heart for the horse that did not choose the rider himself but still does his best, lesson after lesson.

Riding is a privilege and something you have chosen to do. If you chose to ride at a riding school, your instructor assumes that you actually want to learn how to ride. The instructor's highest wish is that you get good at it.

Often there is a plan and a thought as to why you are assigned to that exact horse. Before you mount up next time, ask yourself "what can this horse teach me today?" All horses have something to give, a feeling or a new tool in the box.

The art is actually in being able to get a lazy horse to move forward, to get an uncertain horse to gain confidence, a naughty horse to focus or a tense horse to be released. It takes work. If you think a horse is boring, it's more likely that you don't ride the horse as well as you think! It's not easy to be confronted with your own shortcomings, but it is in that very situation that you get the chance to truly grow as a rider.

The excuse that "it's not my kind of horse" is actually a really bad excuse. A good rider can ride any kind of horse. A good rider has trained many hours on different types of horses to become a good rider. A good rider can find and manage the gold nuggets in every horse.

If we absolutely want to ride, it is our duty to strive to do it as best as possible, even if it's only for fun. We owe it to every horse that carries us upon it's back.

Copied and shared with love for all of our horses, ponies and riders 🐎❤🐎

08/14/2024

🩷

08/10/2024

Cherry 🍒 is a rodeo horse, now! 🤩 She won SECOND in her very first rodeo performance! She was definitely a bit freaked out by it all, but I had a feeling she would love a crowd and she went in there to work even with the deep ground. 💪🏻 She is such a blessing to me and I’m so proud of her. 💙

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

07/22/2024

Cherry’s 🍒 final day of racing at the Elite yesterday … she was so consistent all three days and made three great runs. I’m so proud of her! 🥰

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.”
Psalm 9:1

07/21/2024

Cherry 🍒 continues to exceed my expectations! Improved our time on day two of the Elite running our fastest time again in this arena, 15.5. 💪🏻
Ended up middle of the 2D and 84th overall out of about 500 runs. ❤️

“For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”
Romans 11:36

07/20/2024

Cherry 🍒 started our weekend out right equaling our fastest time in the show barn in the Elite warmup race and ending up bottom of the 2D. 💙

Thanks to my cheering section and videographer. Thanks L&J Hoof Care for keeping her in new sneakers.

Romans 11:36
"To God be the glory forever. Amen”

🍒

07/15/2024

Happy “National I Love Horses Day”! ❤️

Job 39:19-24
19 “Do you give the horse its strength
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.

🍒

07/04/2024

Happy Independence Day!! 💥 🇱🇷

"Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord"
Psalm 33:12

Storm ⛈️ enjoyed cheering on her aunt Cherry 🍒 while attending her very first barrel race today! She’s so grown up. 💙


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⛈️

06/24/2024

06/12/2024

The English crew had a great time schooling at Pinehill this past weekend!

06/10/2024

Cherry 🍒 made two great runs this weekend in Groesbeck, and we finally met my goal of breaking into the 16s 💨 ! We had a nice smooth pass Saturday running 17.11 and placing fifth in the 2D. Sunday she busted into the 16s running our fastest time, 16.92, even with mistakes on my end and ended up fifth in the 1D (our first 1D placing 💪🏻). 🩷 She has gotten so fun and consistent; she goes in and does her best every time, making my job easy. All the glory to God, she has been such a blessing. 🩵

1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

05/27/2024

Happy Memorial Day 🇱🇷

Thank you to all those who have served and sacrificed, both two and four-legged. ♥️

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13

05/23/2024

Watch out for the scrappy ones…. The ones with scars… The ones with faulty DNA…. The ones with imperfect xrays… Watch out for the ones who have felt pain that would break most… Survived things that would kill most… But overcame, healed and became stronger and grittier because of it…. These are the ones that won’t back down from a challenge, won’t let a lil bit of struggle stop them from reaching their potential and goals…. These are the horses AND humans that the perfectionists count out….

No I haven’t rode every horse in the world nor have I met every human, but there is something different about the horses and humans that have been through hell and high water… No one wants to join this survivor club… But those that do - are given the gift of perspective that no other circumstances can teach!

05/16/2024

Hard to believe these two beauties are two years old this month! 🌸

Mika 🩷
Mouse 🐭

05/12/2024

“She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.”
Proverbs 31:25

Happy Mother’s Day! 🌸🩷🌼

05/10/2024

Despite the conditions in Groesbeck ⛈️ (hail, monsoon, thunder, lightning, flash flood warnings, electricity going out in the arena 😬), Cherry 🍒 handled it all great and ran our second fastest time in that arena to be third in the 2D! She’s gotten so mature and confident. 💙

04/22/2024

Happiest of birthdays to Julie!! She always makes sure our horses have the best place to live, the absolute best care, and answers all of our millions of questions about their health! We’re all so lucky to have you and I know I couldn’t navigate this crazy horse world without you! 💕

04/14/2024

Cherry 🍒 had a fast run at Groesbeck Saturday to win 2nd in the 2D 💪🏻and 1st in the 2D mare incentive 🩷! So proud of her and grateful she brought home a good check! 🤑😂

04/13/2024

The babies are hauling and starting to learn they’ll have jobs, enough freeloading 😆.
And Cherry 🍒 was nice and relaxed prior to her run today. 💙

04/06/2024

Cherry’s 🍒 run from Thursday night. 💙
Not as smooth as we would like but good enough for bottom of the 2D. Need to get things smoothed out so maybe we can get up into the money placings again 😆.

03/31/2024

Happy Easter! ✝️🐣🐰
He is risen! ❤️

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6

03/11/2024

HBS had a great time at the schooling show at Meadowcreek Park this weekend! Everyone had fantastic rides and ended up in the ribbons!

03/11/2024

5 Things Your Horse Will Always Remember!

Horses have an exceptional level of awareness, meaning that they can understand situations much more deeply than other animals. They are so attentive that they can pick on other people's
emotions through body language, voice, or just the general vibe you give off. This type of awareness can lead to much more intense experiences for horses. Here are some experiences your horse will remember forever!

1. Places
Horses have quasi photographic memory.
meaning that they can remember places very clearly. It can be positive or negative, depending on the experience they had in a particular place. Imagine your horse witnessed a very traumatic event. Most likely he will never forget the place
or event and move away from that area. If your horse seems hesitating to go somewhere, listen to him, comfort him and trust him, he knows what he's doing!

2. People
As horses have an almost photographic
memory, it's no surprise that they remember people by their faces. Show them the picture of someone they know and they will probably react. Horses can even recognize people after years of being apart! But their memory goes far
beyond our general appearance. Horses can read our facial expressions and remember them for later, too.

As part of the study, horses were shown
pictures of people with happy or sad
expressions. After meeting these people in person (with neutral expressions), the horses reacted based on the original expression they had memorized in the photos. if you meet a horse for the first time, then you have to make a very good impression on him!

3. Emotions
Besides places and people, horses have an innate ability to recognize human emotions. Horses have a tendency to perceive body language, even the most subtle, which helps them determine a person's feelings. If we are feeling stressed, sad or angry, our physical
appearance tends to reflect this. Same goes when we feel happy or excited! Horses don't just read emotions, they also remember a person based on the last emotion they felt from their last interaction. This is a useful strategy for
horses to avoid any possible aggressive
encounters.

4. The other horses
Humans aren't the only ones who can leave an indelible imprint on a horsel Horses can remember and recognize other horses from their social network. Whether it takes a few years or
decades, one horse will never forget its
relationship with another. This doesn't mean as much they will pair up with each other if they ever get together. One horse will only react to another if the bond they had was particularly strong. If he knows a horse from a previous encounter, he may treat it differently than others.

Other important bonds between horses, like the one that unites a mare and her foal, are known to last a lifetime. As horses also remember smells, this can help a mare recognize her baby, even years after separation.

5. The words
Horses are able to understand words much deeper than we thought, but not in the traditional sense we give words. They
understand the words by tone, height and length of the voice. Words with fewer syllables tend to stick better to horses. They can tell when someone is insulting them and when someone is complimenting them. Don't underestimate
their intelligence, because there's a good chance they're listening very attentively to every word you utter.

Horses are incredibly gifted animals, and should be treated as as such! Having an idea of the memories horses hold with them forever will allow you to understand and communicate with them even more deeply. Whatever the experience, good or bad, you can be sure your horse has felt it fully. Do your best to give them a good memory, and they will surely do the same.

03/08/2024

These three stooges and the in honor of International Women’s Day 🦄. 😹

Storm ⛈️
Mouse 🐭
Mika 🤍
Cherry 🍒
Misty the Matriarch ❣️
🩵🩷💙