Fine Print Farms

07/10/2025

Movement should never be a punishment. Movement IS the reward- movement in balance, never away from the person but WITH them.

Quite often I encounter horses who escape the drive aid, are anxious about forward movement, or escalate when going up into the trot and canter.

If we want the horse to be both forward AND calm, we have to think logically about how we present the drive aid and movement. If the horse isn’t getting in the trailer and we run them around in circles outside the trailer, frantically out of balance, until they get in - how will they magically transfer this to balanced movement on the lunge line? If we spin them around in circles at the gate to make stopping here the “wrong” thing, how does the horse know when going back to work that movement is no longer adverse?

How is the horse supposed to parse out when we don’t care if they’re balanced and when we do? How are they supposed to know movement is a punishment one moment, but not another? How are they supposed to become calm and centered if we use the very thing we want them to do, which is move, as a way to put them off balance enough to “behave”?

A calm and balanced horse requires a calm and thoughtful handler- I try to take things one step further. After this horse in on the trailer, how will these principles apply later? After this horse is away from the gate, then what? Good training is layered in thoughtfully, one moment at a time.

07/04/2025

Sometimes the crash comes AFTER the stress

You bought a horse that seemed sound, well adjusted and well trained. You get it home and the poor thing is lame and crawling out of its skin.

Were you conned ?

Maybe

But there are two other possibilities

1- the horse was adjusted to a certain routine, manner and frequency of riding, diet, etc and is now struggling outside of that routine that has helped to keep going - now the horse might feel like a border collie in an apartment without enough opportunity for movement.
(lots of articles have been written about this and it’s well worth looking into)

2- the horse was under some form of stress that has now ended and turned into another -
The stress of decompressing.

Brains are wired to keep us alive. Bodies are made to keep going.
Horses are incredible survivors - they can keep going and being pretty athletic under incredible duress. They are wired to not stop and say ouch at every pain and tweak, even with lameness and developing dysfunctions - because they NEED to. They can look sound when they are under stress. All you need to do to understand this is imagine a lion chasing a horse and know they will run until they are caught or free - and if the lion is the training, the lifestyle, the expectation, they will hold together until they can’t anymore .

So then they are purchased and pulled from this intensive lifestyle and now living in the lap of luxury - they have no reason to be stressed, so we think -

Now they face the lengthy decompression period. Compensation mechanisms are falling away and the horse is left naked here. They don’t know what to do. What to expect. Everything is upside down. The compensations that have kept them tight kept them safe too, and now they are wobbly, insecure and naked.

This is where they need HELP, not just supplements and bodywork and kindness. They need time, sure, but they need guidance. Not knowing what to expect can drive a horse half crazy.

They need some form of structure. A stable herd. A stable guiding hand that can clearly show them the new ropes. Not too fast in expectations but don’t wait too long to show them the new ropes either.

Your language is likely very different. Maybe your goals totally upside down from the training they’ve had. You might be changing everything from head to toe, thinking you’re offering a soft landing, which you likely are - but think of the confusion in their upside down experience - help clarify, guide, explain, show, and support.

And of course, continue giving them supports- maybe the gut needs help right away, or some dietary changes. And of course it can take time, but there are some things that can be helped and should be helped right away.

07/02/2025

We have some more new additions at the farm.

Please do not try to approach or touch.

Enjoy from a distance!

❤️❤️❤️

07/02/2025

Muscle Monday - Longissimus Dorsi

The LONG-issimus dorsi is the longest muscle in the equine body. Although this muscle is the largest and most well know muscle of the back, it extends from the sacrum all the way up to the C4 vertebrae in the neck.

--- Function ---
The longissimus dorsi originates at the sacrum, ilium (pelvis), and along each lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. The longissimus dorsi inserts along the transverse processes of the vertebrae and the tubercles of ribs. Because the longissimus dorsi connects to the dorsal and transverse processes of all of the back vertebrae, it is the most powerful extensor muscle of the back.

- When both sides of the longissimus dorsi engage together, the spine is extended.

- When one side engages, the spine is flexed laterally.

- The longissimus dorsi also stabilizes the spinal column and transmits energy during movement.

This is one of the primary muscles to consider when fitting a saddle. Unlike the thin trapezius, which acts as more of a shoulder muscle, the longissimus dorsi is a large back muscle that can bear the weight of a saddle. I'll show a visual of this in the next post.

07/01/2025

06/26/2025

06/25/2025

Everyone ready to see some Jessie baby pics…?

Stay tuned …

😍

C**T OR FILLY? 💙💗

06/24/2025

🔥𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲

Your horse doesn’t cool down by drying off - they cool by evaporation.

Scraping water off or trapping heat under a sweat rug undermines cooling and puts your horse’s health at risk. This isn’t opinion — it’s basic thermoregulation.

Sweat scrapers and sweat rugs are outdated dogma. And yet, disappointingly, some large equine clinics are still promoting their use today.

In 34°C heat, that advice is not just wrong — it’s dangerous.

Follow the science. Choose vets who understand equine physiology, not just tradition.

✅ Soak.
✅ Shade.
✅ Repeat.
❌ No scraping.
❌ No rugs.

06/16/2025

"Cool" hot weather tips! ☀️

The notion that a hot, recently exercised horse needs to walk until they are completely cooled off is a myth. A 2020 study found that out of the five methods tested, the quickest way to return to normal body temperature was stationary with continuous tap water application. This doesn't mean that you should abruptly stop exercise—finish your ride or training session with a slow walk to allow your horse's heart rate and breathing to gradually return to normal, but after that your sweaty, hardworking horse should be offered a cool shower and drinking water (small but frequent amounts) without delay.

Overall, enjoy your summer rides but be aware of signs of heat stress in your horse. When heat and humidity soar, even moderate exercise can push your equine friend's body temperature beyond safe limits! Be sure to contact your veterinarian for more information about heat stroke and for recommendations tailored to your horse's individual situation.
•
Information brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

06/15/2025

Why won’t my horse slow down?

Many horses are categorized as hot, forward, overly sensitive, “dramatic,” whatever you want to call it- it’s quite often a misinterpretation of what impulsion and forward energy actually is.

Impulsion is DIRECTIBLE energy. It isn’t ahead of you, scattered and frantic. Many horses who are too fast will often slow way down when brought into balance.

So what makes a horse too fast?

1- the obvious: pain, illness, poor tack fit etc

2- temperamental response to beingg out of balance. Some horses will slow way down and not go when out of balance, others will run off. Sometimes they will alternate between the two. Different temperament being out of balance differently.

3- rider imbalance scares the horse : a horse gets quick, the rider grabs or slams their seat behind the motion, the horses back drops more, the rider speeds up their seat to catch up, the horse runs faster. A rider who can’t go WITH the motion and educate the horse to be with them later will be chasing and grabbing the too fast horse, causing them to run faster.

4- too much feed, not enough motion or structure to motion- a lot of times horses are fed like athletes and ridden like weekend warriors. You have a mismatch in energy between an amateur who just wants to chug along and a racehorse type animal who was born to move. This lack of direction of their energy makes the horse half crazy. You wouldn’t have a malinois in an apartment - a lot of times we have the wrong horse for our riding ability and lifestyle. I love cutting bred Quarter horses but i don’t own one because i dont have the type of life for that kind of horse to really thrive

5- just needs more education To being “with” the aids. Some horses are just spicy and need help learning with care ands respect to their nature how to balance between the aids. Creative and correct use of figures, some flexibility, and a good seat pay dividends here.

Rarely is the answer just letting them fly around, or hauling on them either. Whenever we have too much of something we need to look to the root of why - and as always, we can’t avoid learning to ride WELL. No horse likes a poor seat, but some simply can’t survive it.

06/15/2025

https://www.equinebusinessmagazine.com/post/understanding-your-horse-s-metabolic-health-a-functional-nutrition-approach?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwK7LcVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnLBxcpVGwiW3YmtokCV29LMKFu0ctUC1XdNsmCRWupITMGXQ1-AcU1BEoDl_aem_JFQgNivGP06_Pu5OBjfJSQ

How well do you understand your horse's metabolic diagnosis? Here we will review Equine Metabolic dysfunctions and compare how to support them using both conventional treatment and through a functional nutrition approach.

02/20/2025

4-6 weeks no longer or you will have problems

People think this is normal but it sure should not be. If you don't want to have your farrier out more often, then you need to be adding more movement and hoof enrichment to your environment.

Horse owners need to understand

A 6-8 week (or more) trim cycle will very Rarely fix a problem.

If you've got a horse with flares, the cycle needs to be shortened under 6 weeks.

If you've got a horse with under run heels, you need to shorten that trim cycle.

If you've got a horse with folded bars, shorten your cycle.

If your horse is getting toe abscesses, you likely need to shorten your cycle.

If you have a laminitic horse with rotation, the cycle needs shortened. That coffin bone drops because the laminae are stretched and so very often the issue really began because the toes were allowed to get too long, which was the first insult, and then the metabolism changed which compounded things and tipped it over.

If things are not optimum, they cannot be put back into optimum without getting ahead of the issue instead of chasing it.

Shorten your trim cycle and put things back to Best instead of okay.

Optimum hooves make for disappointed dogs.