Emily Tasker Balanced Horsemanship at Fox Hill Equestrians LLC

08/15/2024

Jumping into a long weekend away with the fam like…. 😍 (huge thanks to those helping keep things going while we’re gone!!!)

08/09/2024

Mason is a 10 year old, 17h puppy dog who would really like to be able to fit in your pocket. He’s the type of horse that every trainer wishes for their rider- kind, confident, calm, the same on and off farm, respectful on the ground, no baggage, handsome, and did I mention kind?

Mason started his life on the track, but with a couple slow starts he retired sound and went on to win the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover with Tik Maynard. After that he spent some time in Florida doing some lower level hunters before moving up to NH. Once in NH, Mason has been owned by an AA who primarily rides hunters but has used him most for fun adventures like to the beach, trail rides, XC, and trail courses. His owner has decided to downsize her herd and since he’s built to go more like an Eventer/ dressage horse than a hunter it’s time for him to find someone else to enjoy him.

Mason is well trained at liberty, can go bridleless, and has spent the last 2 months ensuring that there are no holes in his flatwork under saddle. He has no baggage, and is gaining strength in the 1st & 2nd level lateral work. While his flat work has been the main focus lately, Mason is currently jumping 2’6 which seems quite small for him. With some good educational miles, he should easily go Novice soon and have no issues through Prelim at least. He’s brave and rideable to fences of all kinds. He’s safe for anyone to ride but he would benefit from being in a program that prioritizes straightness, suppleness and correct biomechanics of horse and rider. What he lacks in show miles, he makes up for in personality, rideability, and safety. He will take the right rider pretty far in the show ring, or make a non competitive person one heck of an adventure partner!

I can see Mason most enjoying a home doing Fox Hunting, eventing, dressage, or being an all around good boy for a nice rider. He is up to date on all vetting, wears plain front shoes, had a full set of clean X-rays when purchased by current owner, and likes having buddies in turn out.

JC name: Looking My Way

Located: Barnstead NH

Asking: lower 5s starting with a ✌️

Contact: Emily via PM

https://youtu.be/CPyeLtnj2sI

08/01/2024

Gotta love being able to stick a kid on the training horse to cool him out with a hack down the road and not worry at all ❤️

07/30/2024

We took sales horse Mason for a field trip today and man…. This is just an awesome horse! I’m still gaining confidence XC after a pretty traumatic fall a few years ago (with very little XC riding between now and then to regain that confidence). I just loved being able to tell myself “it’s ok Emily, as long as you don’t just jump off of him, Mason’s gonna take care of it”. My stirrups were too long, my fitness for jumping is nonexistent, and I still knew that if I pointed him at something he not only would go over it, but it would be calm, enjoyable and well executed. I’m truly thankful for horses like this to come through my barn. It’s now my job to find him someone who won’t take advantage of his genuine kindness and honesty.

07/29/2024

07/29/2024

“Behind the vertical” is becoming a buzz word that seems to make keyboard warriors sound like they know what they’re talking about. And it’s DRIVING ME INSANE!

Classically, you’re looking for your horse to have their nose/ front of their face be in front of or at a vertical line. When looking at a horse from the side you want their nose to be the first thing that gets to where they’re going, while traveling seemingly under their forehead.

Being able to see that a horse’s forehead is leading and their nose is a little bit farther back does not make someone an expert.

Being slightly behind the vertical with their nose does not automatically mean that a horse has been improperly trained, abused, or any of the other things these armchair quarterbacks assume.

Yes, you can easily teach a horse to evade the bit and travel with their nose “behind the vertical” by using side reins too tight, pulling arms etc. BUT that’s not the only reason a horse may go like that.

You’ve gotta look at the conformation of the horse, look at where they are in their education, look at what the rider is asking them to do, etc. An image or TikTok reel is not going to give most people enough information to be able to make an educated opinion.

I’ll try to make some more specific posts about how conformation, training level, biomechanics etc come into play on this big “BTV”… but for now… just stop listening to people who use this as their platform in a social media professional training debate. 🤦🏻‍♀️

07/27/2024

Let’s talk about what everyone else is already talking about…. I may lose some friends on this one but hopefully it can help some others get some perspective.

Ive seen the video of Charlotte that’s circling. I’ve also read some widely shared posts on both sides of the opinions…. Here’s my 2 cents.

When emotion or ego get involved, simple training can easily become abuse. But how do most of us learn where the line is? I can tell you that I’ve learned by either watching others cross it or by crossing it myself, then saying “oh man, that wasn’t ok…. Yep there’s the line on that one”. I’m a very different horseman than I was2,4 , 10, 20 years ago. Ive learned better ways to regulate myself and to realize when to push and when to walk away. Ive learned more about how horses and riders learn. I’ve learned a lot, honestly, by being in a situation with a horse and not liking how I felt I dealt with it. I’ve done a lot of research and educating in pursuit of a different way to handle a situation more gracefully in the future. I’ve also had a lot of really difficult horses who have needed some tricky thinking to figure out.

Now- I do NOT think a horse needs to be smacked repeatedly as an acceptable form of training so don’t come at me for thinking it’s ok. But in a video that’s less than a minute long with zero context I don’t think it’s my place to jump on top of someone I don’t know.

I will say, I hope none of you keyboard warriors watch a 1 minute video of me putting out a fresh horse on a windy day while wearing a baby on my chest. Or see me put a chain on a lip so that I can lead a horse that’s been on stall rest and CAN NOT GET LOOSE. Or the many other things that are most definitely kind and thoughtful within the situation I am in but may not look like it without any context (horses are big and I value my life).

What I’m most upset about in this whole topic is how those who “care” are handling it. This isn’t about whether or not I think the actions in the video are acceptable it’s about how we already have a MAJOR crisis in the equine world happening. How the general public is handling this is NOT HELPING ANYONE. Yes this type of training is a major issue, but burning Charlotte at the stake is not how to handle the problem. Why can’t we use this as a learning opportunity? Why can’t we ask her, with listening ears, “hey what the heck? How have your grown since then?”

She has done so much good for the sport and creating and expectation of harmony, suppleness and class in modern dressage that I’m really struggling to imagine her being one of the bad guys behind closed doors. No, I don’t know her personally, but I do know that there are far more people out there doing much worse by the horses in their care and the horse sports in general who will NEVER get caught. Scrutinizing her and removing all the good she’s done for the sport(s) WILL NOT make those who ARE actively and consistently training with inhumane methods stop. Bashing her as a human WILL NOT help horses who are being ridden lame, with poorly fitted saddles, drugged to perform or the other million things happening to horses across the world. Be nice. Look at yourself, and don’t think you can judge someone on an old short video. We’ve got bigger fish to fry and Charlotte isn’t even in that pond.

07/24/2024

Timing is something that can be taught, but at some point you've got to have a good feel on your own.

The timing that I'm talking about is for when to keep asking a horse for a movement and when to stop.

Now, many trainers that I know (and myself for millions of situations) usually stop asking once the horse responds and begins the movement. But... I also find that there are some times where you've got to hold that movement until the horse realizes that they can afford to do that hard thing they thought was impossible, not just try and still have anxiety about it.

"Afford to do the movement" is a phrase I heard in a lesson once and it stuck with me.

So, how do you know when your timing should be immediately upon trying and when it should change?

If a horse is learning something new- timing of release should be immediately when they answer you.

If a horse is struggling with something new, sometimes you need to release even on their "try" without a full answer.

If a horse is learning the movement, understands it but is still new to it- release but continue the movement for a few steps

If a horse understands but feels like they physically can't (but are sound to do the job)- this is where I tend to wait for them to show understanding and to realize they are still alive even though they still are within the movement. When they decide they can afford to continue, then release.

This timing thing is TOUGH. Get it wrong and you can start grinding the wheel or releasing before you've gotten an answer. Working on something like this with a knowledgeable trainer is your best option to be able to help you and your horse progress confidently.

Maybe I’ll do a mini clinic on timing sometime soon… anyone interested?

07/23/2024

When I train horses, I think it’s my job to give them life skills.

Life skills that will truly keep a horse in good hands, out of an auction house, safe in most situations, and happy in their job.

Things at the top of my list:
Giving to pressure instead of panicking
Looking at scary things instead of running away
Self regulation after being scared or confused

This includes-
cross tying
ropes around their feet
Side reins
Moving over when asked
Leading without pulling
Looking at new type of jumps before rushing them over
Giving them time to stare at the plastic bag/white mailbox/tractor until they decide they understand
Moving their feet in a productive way when they need to “run”
Showing signs of relaxation like licking and chewing

What I think is the responsibility of their people is-
To realize when they’re flooding them (with pats and praise too)
To be respectful of their space (like don’t yank on the halter when you didn’t even give a cue that you were stopping)
To recognize them trying to understand and getting after them about it (like when they stop and stare at a scary thing and you just kick them along and tell them to ignore it)

I’ll train a horse how to be a happy participant in our world, it’s your job to learn how to be a respectful partner in theirs.

If you’re not sure how to start, find a trainer who truly understands and loves the horsemanship and emotional wellness piece of training horses.

07/21/2024

As a tall rider it’s taken me a long time to sort out some of my position issues. I’m naturally a pretty rider with a tall torso and long legs, but some things used to just feel off to me. Especially jumping. I think that since I am an effective rider with not glaringly obvious position issues that most people I’ve ridden with just didn’t notice.

But then as I was trying to hone in on some of the things that bothered me, I realized something- I needed to watch and ride with people built like me and specifically ask them how our body types can make the adjustments I was needing to make.

So… what’s my point? Sometimes you’ve gotta be aware that we won’t all use our bodies the same and that’s ok. Just be sure to work with people who can explain how to get YOUR body to do all the things instead of just how they do it.

07/20/2024

What a nice day!!!

07/19/2024

I’ve been seeing some fantastic discussions about how we need to get back to true horse husbandry and make sure that horses are living like horses. These discussions talk about how much less colic, biting, stress injuries, reactivity etc the horses will have when they are put out in herds, fed forage rich diets and have freedom to move. I 10000% agree and have this as the goal for our farm.

I do want to touch on some of the horses who seem to not settle into this lifestyle though. I’ve had a few horses like this but am going to use Belle, my ottb, as the star of this post.

Belle came off the track as a 4yo. She raced 2 days prior to me bringing her home. At the time I didn’t even have a stall to put her in so just gave her a paddock and shed.

She rarely came out of her shed.

She had no clue how to just be out. When we built the barn, she was my only horse coming into a stall at night and didn’t seem to care that she had no friends. I put her out alone because I thought she would like that better since when I did put her with other horses she just pinned her ears and was pretty grumpy. She also was a super hard keeper. She’d lose weight if the wind blew wrong and she’d drop it FAST. She seemed happy enough in her solo life but was reactive when riding her. I did ALL THE THINGS to help her relax and gain weight. FOR YEARSSS I worked to help her be happy in her own skin.

Then after I had my baby, I left her out most of the time and just kind of told her she needed to deal because it was better for her to be out and moving than in and slamming the stall walls. I didn’t have much time to ride her so she basically had to figure out how to just be a horse. At first she lost some weight and whinnied when we usually turned in for the night, but then settled into the life and got pretty content. Then I put my daughter’s mini out with her. He’s pretty unflappable. And She’s SUCH a different horse. She comes to greet you at the gate and is fat and happy.

What am I getting at?

Some horses tend to do really well in a more natural, out all the time and in with other horses setting and some don’t…. YET.

Sometimes horses who are secretly (or not so secretly) tightly wound have been holding it together so long and just kind of have figured out their own coping skills in a human centered world don’t know how to decompress and just be a horse. So when they’re given the type of place to be able to decompress, which is less structured and man made, they don’t know how to relax because they’ve only created coping skills for a more human run world and are a bit emotionally bottled up. When there’s more “silence” in their life, it makes them uneasy… like when you tell a very stressed person to relax and it just makes them more stressed because they suddenly realize they’re not relaxed and you asking them to relax makes them more stressed about not being relaxed. (Been there? I have.)

So what do we do with these horses??? What I did with Belle was just cater to what I thought made her happy. I managed her life so that she didn’t have to learn to settle herself. But now in hindsight I realize I was just actually letting her stay wound up and cope with life the only way she knew how. After her being able to decompress from the track life, then she was able to settle into just being a horse. I now know that these types of horses usually fall apart before they get better. Sort of like when you have a really good big ugly cry before you gather yourself a bit calmer and move on with a better plan.

Should we just let the horses who don’t settle well in a more natural environment just stay in their bubble wrap? Well, I guess that’s up to you. I personally would rather help sort out what they’re stressed about and help them become more grounded and settled. Give them a herd, give them the choice to move, be conscious about your interactions with them and trust that they’ll figure it out. Most of them will settle then flourish.

Picture of baby Belle at the track the day I bought her!

07/17/2024

Tongues and thoracic slings…

Here are 2 articles that talk about the thoracic sling and its connection to the tongue. You’ll have to be a tiny bit smart to realize the connection, but I’m hoping that once you get it there will be no unseeing it.

I’m also hoping that after you understand it you’ll be so much more sympathetic to horses who put their tongues out. These horses are BEGGING for help and such amazing creature for feeling this unbalance/ painful/confused in their own bodies and just sticking their tongues out instead of becoming explosive and dangerous.

The photo is from this article…
https://onlinepethealth.com/the-thoracic-sling/

https://horsesandpeople.com.au/the-hype-about-the-hyoid/

07/15/2024

I’ve had a theory for a while but more and more am adding layers of knowledge to it.

Here it goes: horses who have mouth issues, and specifically who stick their tongues out, have anxiety. Ok that part is more well agreed upon. The second half is… they have anxiety because they feel like their posture and way of moving is painful or dangerous.

Let me explain-
I’ve had a few horses in who have major tongue out issues with a bridle on/under saddle. All of these horses have been labeled as very well behaved and calm. So why are these well behaved horses sticking their tongues out? They all have been quite crooked in their bodies for a long time. They’ve all been quite laterally crooked (some parts fall left and some parts fall right) but the biggest imbalance is that they’re dumped onto their forehand with zero lift in their thoracic sling.

So most people say that horses put their tongues out to evade the bit. But let’s ask ourselves… why are these good horses trying so hard to get out of work? I think it’s not them getting out of work but it’s them being survivors. I think that these horses learn A LONG TIME AGO that in order to survive, they needed to make adjustments and one of them was to get their tongue out. Now I’ll go into more detail on another post but basically, a horse’s tongue is strongly connected to his whole body but especially his thoracic sling. If we don’t educate them on how the hand/ bit communicates with the hind end, or how to lift their thoracic sling up in order to get off the forehand and off the bit, then they’re not only on their tongue at the bit, they’re very uncomfortably on their tongue all the way down between their shoulders.

So how do you get their tongues to stay in? Easy (for those who get the bigger picture) teach them how to balance and help them become straighter. Get their weight off of their forehand, slide that thoracic sling higher up between their shoulders, and help them be in less of a vulnerable and dangerous posture.

07/13/2024

Let’s talk about fixing spooky and overly dominant horses…

I have had so many horses come in who are either here to fix being spooky or pushy. I want to let you in on a little secret- the same thing usually fixes both problems.

Make them feel straight and balanced and I bet 99% of your problems go away.

Spooky horses are reactive mostly because they feel like they can’t get away as fast as a horse who is traveling straighter and with better balance. For a prey animal that’s TERRIFYING. A horse who isn’t able to get away faster or as fast as the rest of the herd when a mountain lion comes is dinner. If you make them feel more comfortable and agile in their bodies, they won’t need to be on high alert and reactive since they’ll know they can get up and go when needed.

Horses who are pushy are so because they feel like no one is paying attention to the way their body feels so they need to be on a different type of high alert. They just tend to bowl over or not listen to their handlers because they feel like it’s a way of staying safe. They’re actually insecure about their straightness and balance and thus reacting in appropriately. (They may also be annoyed with how many conflicting signals you’re using or the fact that you’re invading their space/ not being clear about boundaries so double check yourself)

Find yourself a trainer who will help you and your horse travel more athletically, straighter and with more balance and see how many of your behavior issues go away.

07/12/2024

I find that the ones who are introverted, stoic, and generally really well behaved actually have a harder time transitioning because they’ve usually gone through a couple transitions really stressed but kept it under the radar. Then at some point they have a transition that they very much can’t handle because they’ve never really learned how to transition other than to bottle it up. As a trainer, I hope this big one (or more) is with people who know how to handle and support it and not where they’ll be ignored or punished. Even with a good trainer it may take them a while to help them figure it out, but when the horse feels listened to then they can learn to not get so stressed in the future.

"New Home Syndrome"🤓

I am coining this term to bring recognition, respect, and understanding to what happens to horses when they move homes. This situation involves removing them from an environment and set of routines they have become familiar with, and placing them somewhere completely different with new people and different ways of doing things.

Why call it a syndrome?

Well, really it is! A syndrome is a term used to describe a set of symptoms that consistently occur together and can be tied to certain factors such as infections, genetic predispositions, conditions, or environmental influences. It is also used when the exact cause of the symptoms is not fully understood or when it is not connected with a well-defined disease. In this case, "New Home Syndrome" is connected to a horse being placed in a new home where its entire world changes, leading to psychological and physiological impacts. While it might be transient, the ramifications can be significant for both the horse and anyone handling or riding it.

Let me explain...

Think about how good it feels to get home after a busy day. How comfortable your favourite clothes are, how well you sleep in your own bed compared to a strange bed, and how you can really relax at home. This is because home is safe and familiar. At home, the part of you that keeps an eye out for potential danger turns down to a low setting. It does this because home is your safe place (and if it is not, this blog will also explain why a lack of a safe place is detrimental).

Therefore, the first symptom of horses experiencing "New Home Syndrome" is being unsettled, prone to anxiety, or difficult behaviour. If you have owned them before you moved them, you struggle to recognise your horse, feeling as if your horse has been replaced by a frustrating version. If the horse is new to you, you might wonder if you were conned, if the horse was drugged when you rode it, or if you were lied to about the horse's true nature.

A horse with "New Home Syndrome" will be a stressed version of itself, on high alert, with a drastically reduced ability to cope. Horses don't handle change like humans do. If you appreciate the comfort of your own home and how you can relax there, you should be able to understand what the horse is experiencing.

Respecting that horses interpret and process their environments differently from us helps in understanding why your horse is being frustrating and recognising that there is a good chance you were not lied to or that the horse was not drugged.

Horses have survived through evolution by being highly aware of their environments. Change is a significant challenge for them because they notice the slightest differences, not just visually but also through sound, smell, feel, and other senses. Humans generalise and categorise, making it easy for us to navigate familiar environments like shopping centres. Horses do not generalise in the same way; everything new is different to them, and they need proof of safety before they can habituate and feel secure. When their entire world changes, it is deeply stressful.

They struggle to sleep until they feel safe, leading to sleep deprivation and increased difficulty.

But there is more...

Not only do you find comfort in your home environment and your nervous system downregulates, but you also find comfort in routines. Routines are habits, and habits are easy. When a routine changes or something has to be navigated differently, things get difficult. For example, my local supermarket is undergoing renovations. After four years of shopping there, it is extremely frustrating to have to work out where everything is now. Every day it gets moved due to the store being refitted section by section. This annoyance is shared by other shoppers and even the staff.

So, consider the horse. Not only are they confronted with the challenge of figuring out whether they are safe in all aspects of their new home while being sleep deprived, but every single routine and encounter is different. Then, their owner or new owner starts getting critical and concerned because the horse suddenly seems untrained or difficult. The horse they thought they owned or bought is not meeting their expectations, leading to conflict, resistance, explosiveness, hypersensitivity, and frustration.

The horse acts as if it knows little because it is stressed and because the routines and habits it has learned have disappeared. If you are a new human for the horse, you feel, move, and communicate differently from what it is used to. The way you hold the reins, your body movements in the saddle, the position of your leg – every single routine of communication between horse and person is now different. I explain to people that when you get a new horse, you have to imprint yourself and your way of communicating onto the horse. You have to introduce yourself and take the time to spell out your cues so that they get to know you.

Therefore, when you move a horse to a new home or get a new horse, your horse will go through a phase called "New Home Syndrome," and it will be significant for them. Appreciating this helps them get through it because they are incredible and can succeed. The more you understand and help the horse learn it is safe in its new environment and navigate the new routines and habits you introduce, the faster "New Home Syndrome" will pass.
"New Home Syndrome" will be prevalent in a horse’s life until they have learned to trust the safety of the environment (and all that entails) and the humans they meet and interact with. With strategic and understanding approaches, this may take weeks, and their nervous systems will start downgrading their high alert status. However, for some horses, it can take a couple of years to fully feel at ease in their new home.

So, next time you move your horse or acquire a new horse and it starts behaving erratically or being difficult, it is not being "stupid", you might not have been lied to or the horse "drugged" - your horse is just experiencing an episode of understandable "New Home Syndrome." And you can help this.❤

I would be grateful if you could please share, this reality for horses needs to be better appreciated ❤
‼️When I say SHARE that does not mean plagiarise my work…it is seriously not cool to copy and paste these words and make out you have written it yourself‼️

07/07/2024

We had a great clinic today!!!

As I was building this proprioception clinic in my head, I realized I had way too many tools to go through in just one clinic. So this was the first of a mini series! Today we focused on HANDS! 🙌🏻 which are the most “floating in outer space” of our aids.

Here’s some comments I heard while the riders were experiencing some of our tools:

I feel like a teeter totter when I’m not engaging my core

I keep having to find my center

I need to be more thoughtful

My left and right don’t work the same

I give in my hands a lot more than I thought I did

I feel more free

I just started sitting so much deeper immediately

Stay tuned for the next in our series!

As usual, I only got a few pictures of one of the lessons 🤣

07/03/2024

Come PLAY WITH US!!!

Proprioception is like our real sixth sense!

It’s “the sense that lets us perceive the location, movement, and action of parts of the body. It encompasses a complex of sensations, including perception of joint position and movement, muscle force, and effort”

With a deep knowledge of rider biomechanics and a full toolbox of proprioceptive tools, I can help you get some of those “ah ha” moments that you’ve been looking for!

Steadier arms, quiet legs, centered seat, mobile hips, independent hands… and more!

Thera-bands, Franklin balls, Kinesiology tape, etc. we’re going to have a good time and your horse is going to be happier when you’ve put your new knowledge to use.

semi private lessons- $65
July 7th

07/02/2024

At the end of last year I had a horse fall on me and I got a concussion. I then spent a good chunk of the winter not riding for various reasons… now that I am back at it, I’ve found myself being a bit more of a chicken than usual. As a professional, it’s a bit of a funky thing being kind of scared to do the thing you’ve claimed you’re good enough to be paid to do. I’ve still been riding and doing really well with training all of the horses, it’s just caught me off guard once in a while.

Last week I realized I was still putting on the same helmet that I knocked my noggin in (fyi, don’t follow my lead- replace your helmet when you fall on it) but I finally had time and remembered to go get a new one. With some added excitement from my daughter about my new helmet… I had a great first ride. I rode again today and weirdly feel a bit more confident than before. Do I really think that my new helmet is magic? No. But I do think the act of throwing away my old helmet and deciding that I was done with that episode and putting on a new one before getting on has helped.

I’m not telling you this because I want your pitty- I’m just letting you know that we ALL go through tough times and lose confidence in one way or another. So find a way to shift your mind set, change the scenery, and know that once you stack enough good rides on top of each other your confidence will suddenly be back.

Also- since when are “schooling” helmets so nice and comfy?