Twin Oak Training Stable, LLC

08/30/2024

"I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can't have both. Not at the same time." — Brene Brown

07/17/2024

"You need to notice the horse making changes for the better. Expression is extremely important. The horse has body expression and mental expression. You must learn to read the horse's expression." - Ray Hunt

02/08/2024

I used to get so nervous before shows that I couldn't sleep the night before! This is so true!

As we enter Horse Show Season we can all use this as a reminder:

1. Horses don’t get broke at home. Be brave and enter! … or haul and ride!

2. EVERY disappointment at the show is a learning opportunity … be humble, be open to change.

3. Everyone gets nervous. Everyone has bad days. Everyone makes mistakes. Literally: EVERYONE!

4. Don’t watch others in the warmup ring and start changing what you have been doing - if you see something cool or you want to step up your game that’s homework for after the show!

5. When we run out of knowledge, we often punish our horses. Seek help instead.

6. Be a competitor! But be a horseman first. There is always someone watching who sees you as a role model.

7. Supporting your fellow competitors and engaging with people will enrich your show life.

8. Know the rules of competition! Make sure your attire and tack is legal. Read the rule book, ask questions and be well prepared.

9. Have FUN, don’t sweat the small stuff!

Credit:- Julia Keil Quibell

11/23/2023

11/15/2023

Horses need horsemen. It's that simple. I get asked the same questions over and over again and nobody gets it. What level rider is this horse suitable for? I'll tell you, the best one she can get, the best horseman that's willing to buy her. The horse will only ever be as good as the rider. It doesn't matter if it's trained to jump hoops of fire, you're gonna bring it down to your level in no time. Your kid doesn't need a $15,000 horse if they haven't already had $15,000 worth of lessons. You can't buy a violin that will gift you the skill of playing. It's the same for horses. There is no magic horse, only a love for the animal, and a commitment to learning.

Most of you are so unfair and demanding of the horse you miss the forest for the trees. "I want a horse that rides out alone!!" well guess what, you better be ready to spend a year developing that relationship, that bond, that trust, she's not a bike, you can't buy trust.

"I want a horse that can sit and be the same after time off" well friend, this is a commitment to a relationship, not a classic car you take out of the garage twice a year. You can't buy what your looking for.

"I want a horse my kids can ride" you better be ready to teach your kids how to be horseman, because if the horse has to do it, you'll likely see the inside of an ambulance, or a morgue.

You can't buy trust, you cannot buy what comes with building a relationship with an animal over years of dedication.

(Shared from Brittnee Woodward-Whitehead)

10/14/2023

Every time you are around a horse you are training it.

You’re not just training your horses when you are dedicating time to work with them to improve them, you are training your horses to have good or bad behavior every single time you are around them. When you’re out feeding? Training. When you’re in the pasture picking rocks? Training. Any time that you are in the same area as your horses you are training them.

A lot of bad habits can be resolved in a horse if you just take the time to notice and correct it anytime you are around your horses. For example I have a mare (Fillinic) that I had bought back. Fillinic had not only become hard to catch, but she was downright dangerous to catch. S much so that I would only allow my husband or I to go and catch horses because she had became a liability to injure somebody as she would not only run away from people at top speed, but she would not hesitate to run somebody over to get away. Now Fillinic within a few weeks has become easy and gentle to catch. I would fell completely comfortable sending a child out to grab her from pasture. How did I fix this?

I didn’t spend hours running her in circles in a round pen, I didn’t make her run and work until she faced up with me, I didn’t chase her for hours on end until she let me catch her. I simply recognized avoidant behavior with her while I was around her and corrected it then and there. If I went to catch another horse and she went and hid behind another horse, I caught her instead. If I went into the pasture and she walked away to the other end, I followed her, made her stop, face up, and then I walked away. Simply taking a few minutes here and there when your horse shows avoidant behavior can turn the hardest to catch horses into a horse that not only is easy to catch, but checks in with you when you are present.

So you can see how ignoring avoidant behavior in a horse when you are in the pasture can train them to either have good or bad behavior for the future? Allowing a horse to paw while standing tied, a horse crowding you while you are carrying hay or a feed bucket, a horse showing avoidance, all those things ignored is training your horse to establish bad behavior. Noticing these seemingly minor behaviors and correcting them can resolve a lot of issues from arising or already established bad behavior.

10/14/2023

I’ve been walking for almost 30 years, but that means nothing for those who know how to dance.

I’ve been speaking for almost 30 years, but it means nothing to those who speak a different language.

Your 50 years riding experience means nothing when you’ve only learned to sit on the back of a horse.

I’ve seen people who have been riding for 5 only years become a better horseman than people who have been riding their entire lives all because they wanted to learn how a horses mind and body works. When you strive to learn the “why” beyond the “that’s just how it is” with horses you can will learn so much beyond the basics of stop, go, left right. You will turn walking into dancing, English into French, and riding into horsemanship.

Your 50 years riding experience means nothing when you use it as an excuse to never learn to dance and only have walked.

10/14/2023

I’ve been reading my book by Bret Davis called “the started Colt” (if you haven’t gotten the opportunity to read it I highly recommend it). I’m one of the first chapters Mr Davis said
“There is no great feat in being carried by a horse.”

Which immediately caught my attention, and then was followed by

“To ride a horse with specific intent with regard to space and time requires a set of skills. One must choose to hone the skills required to ride and train a horse; the choice is an expression of self, an expression of the way one wants to be and wants to be seen and, therefore, is an art. To be a horseman is to practice an art. It has been said by master horsemen that anything beautiful cannot be forced: a dancer, a painting, or a horse. The movement of a fine-finished horse, like a symphony begins in the mind of the artist and is built piece by piece, nore by note, footfall by footfall, until it is a thing of its own, no longe belonging to the horse or the horseman but to art and the practice of perfection. A horse that has been trained by art moves by art and seeks to create art himself.”

I have been having a lot of deep discussions of horsemanship philosophy with quite a few like minded horseman lately. One of the discussions was along these lines Mr. Davis dives into right away. My explanation was at a lack of eloquence that what makes a great horseman is not the ability solely to ride out the rank ones, but the one that takes that horse and makes them great in themselves. To create a horse that seeks to create art themselves is what makes a great horseman. This is a discussion I’ve had with many of men who have done their fair share of riding the rough off rank colts. To me being able to “ride the hair off one” may make you a great cowboy, but if you don’t go past ridin that rough and turning it into artwork it makes you a mediocre horseman at best. Being a cowboy is one thing, being a horseman is another.

As Mr. Davis puts it “riding a horse is a expression of ones self” that expression of how you handle the horses and how you progress them really shows a lot about a man. Are you a master horseman? Or a master broc stomper? Which way do you choose to express yourself.

06/08/2023

"To correct your seat and posture, imagine your pelvis as an old-fashioned goldfish bowl. To maintain your posture while you ride, keep the water in the bowl level. If your pelvis is tipped forward, the water will pour out onto the horse’s withers. If your pelvis is tipped backward, you will pour the water out onto the haunches." — Janice Dulak

🎨: Sandy Rabinowitz

04/24/2023

Horse Facts:

If a horse gets too stressed out they can colic and die

If a horse doesn't eat enough they can get stomach ulcers

If a horse eats too much they can founder or colic and die

If a horse gets stressed out and doesn't eat at the same time they will get ulcers, colic and die

If a horse doesn't drink enough...you guessed it, they can colic and die

If they have a drastic change in diet, environment or routine they can indeed colic and die

If you ride your entire life it absolutely does not mean that you are a good rider

If you ask 100 equestrians the same question you will get 106 different answers all of which which will be told with 100% confidence especially from those who bought their first horse last week

Horses can live outside 24/7 and they also can not live outside 24/7

Horses eat hay, grass, grain, expensive supplements, apples, carrots and 100 dollar bills

The pants you wear to shovel s**t, fix fences and ride in the dirt are more expensive then any other pants you will own

Horses are athletes. Athletes that trip on nothing, fall while playing, need stitches from cutting themselves on something that is not visible to the human eye, colic and die under stressful (competition type) situations, are scared of absolutely everything and don't like to be told what to do

Rank, fresh, hot, spicy, wild all mean the same thing and describe a horse on a beautiful spring day when all you want to do is go for a relaxing ride to unwind

Beginner safe, schoolie, husband type, anyone can ride, Grandma's mount, kid safe normally means, this horse is bat s**t crazy but I'm hoping you'll buy it sight unseen if I describe it as a kids horse and then ghost you when you tell me it killed your Grandma

If you are riding a horse and they see a rock that wasn't there yesterday you are possibly in for a wild ride as they avoid this horse eating rock at all costs. Including the cost of your life

If you see a horse on the road slow down.. actually just turn around and go the other way. For some unknown reason a horse often jumps infront of moving cars in order to avoid the scary moving cars

If your horse comes up lame, no problem you just need to rule out a couple of the most common things that it could be. These include ulcers, kissing spine, founder, EPM, HYPP, Lyme, influenza, cushings, sharp teeth, broken teeth, rotten tooth, tooth abscess, knee chips, hairline fractures from head to toe, cancer, pulled muscle, hoof abscess, weak stifle, lice, worms, conformational defect, headaches, sinus infection, bruised sole, ribs or spine out of alignment, poor fitting tack, laminitis, dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, anemia, infection and strangles.

And they have a frog in their foot

If you aren't the one paying the vet bills these horse facts might seem funny but they are in fact, 100% accurate. So if you get a horse please also get yourself a good therapist.

Horses are not for the faint at heart♡

CC:C.Steele

03/27/2023

Horses only get worried in two scenarios:

1. They don’t know what’s going to happen next.

2. They DO know what happens next….. and don’t like it!

So let’s get good at making what happens next a good thing!

03/24/2023

Life Lessons of a Horse Person:
1. People who don't take care of their own horses will be the first ones to tell you how to care for yours.
2. You should never buy a cheap girth!
3. A handsome horse who's badly behaved will become a lot less attractive in about 15 min.
4. People who think they have nothing more to learn about riding, hit the ground the hardest.
5. Children and ponies are natural allies and often have identical dispositions.
6. The richest horse people often look the poorest.
7. The closeness of a horse is one of the sweetest smells in the world.
8. A solitary ride through the bush is more beneficial than six months with the best psychiatrist.
9. The worse a person rides, the more likely they are going to blame it on the horse. !!
10. The best thing about going to the barn first thing in the morning is that horses don't care how you look.
11. If a dealer insists a horse is worth twice what he's asking, he's usually worth half that much.
12. The best way to appreciate how another person rides is to get on
their horse.
13. I can recognize another horse person no matter what town, city, state, county or country I visit.
14. You can never have too many hoof picks.
15. It is not wise to argue with something that outweighs you buy 1,000 pounds
16. I'd rather have a horse with a perfect mind than a perfect head.
17. Eight hours is too long to be in the saddle!
18. If you think you have left the water on in the barn - you have, if
you think you have closed the pasture gate - you haven't.
19. When someone asks you if you like their horse, always say yes
20. The happiest people I know own horses, dogs, cats and at least one
deranged goat or donkey.
21. If you're looking for the perfect horse you will never own one.
22. Owning a horse can either make a marriage or break it.
23. I can't stand to have an empty stable.
24. You shouldn't talk about your first place ribbon to someone that
came in second.
25. If someone says that a horse has a little buck, it has a BIG buck.
26. If we need rain, schedule a show, if you want it to quit raining
put down fertilizer or grass seed.
27. I've never warmed up to someone that didn't want to walk down to
the stables.
28. A clean stable and a sparkling horse are among life's great pleasures.
29. Even giving away horses can be too expensive, and free horses are never truly free.
30. No matter how badly behaved you are, your horse always gives you a
second chance.
31. A more expensive horse doesn't make a better one.
32. Losing a horse can break your heart, but it will have been worth it.
Author unknown

03/21/2023

03/21/2023

"Take your reins like a flower, not like a stone. Take your horse by your waist and by your seat, not by your hand and never by force. If you do it by force, it is not the art of riding, it is something else." ~ Nuno Oliveira

02/28/2023