Alexander Horsemanship

08/28/2022

Really loving this filly! ❤️

Happy Sunday everyone!

08/28/2022

❤️🙏❤️

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

08/24/2022

I recently read a post about wanting to throw in the towel and give up, but why we can't. Quitting is not an option. When you put your heart and soul into something and life throws curve balls at ya, you can't quit. Even though it might be easier, you just can't. On that post I saw someone comment "Mash the Gas", and it just stuck with me. When you feel like you can't keep going, mash the gas. When life feels overwhelming, mash the gas. Come back stronger, better than ever and chase those dreams. Pedal to the metal baby. So here's your daily reminder (and mine) to Mash. The. Gas. Full throttle. Make your come backs stronger than your set backs.

08/13/2022

Have a wonderful weekend, y’all! 🙌🏼

08/07/2022

Thought for the day..........

08/06/2022

I say this often! Don’t try to piece multiple programs together before completely understanding the programs as a whole! Not fair to you or your horse.

All the theory and studying in the world won’t help you if you don’t put it into practice.

It’s easy to get caught up in every study group, every course, every dvd and book ever made-
But if you aren’t understanding the system those methods require, how they are pieced together, and what order they need to be practiced in, they won’t do you any good.

It’s better to practice a few things you understand well, then to bounce around to pieces and parts of everyone’s methods without understanding them.

You don’t have to know everything - but start somewhere small. Pick the most basic element, practice it, and stick to it. Do small things consistently and well. This is much better for your horse than to be taken up by every method that passes by on your screen.

07/30/2022

I say it all the time - it’s not “if”, it’s “when”!

It’s not if … it’s when.

I came off a horse this last week. I broke my sacrum and am having to take 6 weeks off from riding. I have not came off in over 10 years! However, it can always happen. The more you know. The more you invest in your education. The less of a chance you take with this happening. But there is always a chance.

Hence the reason we as trainers charge what we charge to do something we love to do. We know that by riding more and more horses we take a risk. We know that every now and then we will find the 1 that still can have a hard time with learning to accept us and accept what we are asking them to do. We know they can stumble and fall, they can spook, anything can happen. We put a fees on coming to a clinic, taking a horse in training, or a giving a lesson because we know that first what we are teaching is valuable to other riders and owners because it’s going to lower their risk, but it’s also because we are taking a risk. Be willing and understanding of why you are willing to pay for those that are willing to take a risk.

It is known that there is an 80% chance of coming off a horse. But learning techniques that are safer can take that 80% and turn it into 10%. You can cut your risks down by learning. Learn how to communicate better. Learn how to make sure your body is sending good signals. Learn how to read the horse better. Cut your risks down.

There are so many ways to learn now. Through the typical finding a trainer in your area to help you, going to clinics or expos, now so many of us trainers have online classes. You can now learn from the comforts of your own home.

I will be back training and riding soon. And I learned even more valuable lessons that I cannot wait to teach others. I love what I do. I love making sure that we can teach safer and safer techniques!

07/27/2022

My new girl, SHR Diamonds Please (“Ariel” - granddaughter on dam’s side of WIMPYS LITTLE STEP and daughter of SHR QTS DIAMONDCUTTER) hanging out at the patience pole. 😍

Patience Poles are designed with a hub and tether bar to allow the horse to freely move in a circle without becoming tangled. After a while, the horse realizes that no matter how much she moves, she's never going to go anywhere, so she might as well stand still and relax.

07/22/2022

07/12/2022

❤️❤️❤️

Things that make me happy.....

04/23/2022

Don’t let this be your spring riding experience! If you need a tune-up, get ahold of me!

The joys of Spring

04/17/2022

He is not here, for He is risen! Happy Easter everyone! 🙂

04/04/2022

I attended a Cutting Clinic at Nave Cowhorses this past weekend. I can’t say enough about how well thought-out, professional, educational, and a whole lot of fun this clinic was. Andrew does an amazing job at meeting each rider at their level and not only telling people what to do but the reasoning behind it so both the rider and horse come away with a clear picture of what needs to happen. Can’t wait for another one!

Thank you to all who came out to the cutting clinic this weekend. We had a great time and saw a lot of improvement. We are missing some from the photo because i always forget to stop for a picture.

02/14/2022

💞🐴🐕💞

02/11/2022

Looking forward to warmer weather!

01/25/2022

🤣 🐎 🐮 🙏

01/18/2022

🙌

"Dressage is FOR the horse, NOT the horse for dressage."

Many people think the horse has to be suitable for dressage, and that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Check out this draft horse and western rider doing dressage.

Dressage is designed for every horse, every breed, body shape, size, and personality.

Not only is it not breed or body specific, it is also not discipline specific. Whatever your discipline of choice, dressage will amplify the quality of the performance.

Western, driving, jumping, etc... all benefit tremendously from a quality dressage foundation and continuing education.

Dressage teaches the horse how to be the best athletic, balanced, supple, flexible, and gymnastic versions of themselves.

It also teaches them how to properly carry a rider, maneuver obstacles with more agility and quality, and to move with more soundness and joint protection.

Unfortunately, in many of the modern and competitive dressage training we see today, it may look very breed or type specific, and often times what we are seeing more commonly showcased as dressage is not helpful for many horses (or any horses).

But if you have a quality instructor who understands not only good dressage theory but also good application, it can do wonders for any and all shapes, sizes, disciplines and even personalities.

So those who may say "my horse hates dressage" are likely approaching it in an unhelpful way for that particular horse.

Let's see pictures of your unique dressage partner if you have one!

12/17/2021

And people wonder why animals need chiropractic work! 🤣 🐑

12/07/2021

Just a friendly reminder! 🌲 🎁 🤪🥶 ☔️

11/28/2021

Not our will be done, but God’s ❤️

I am doing my very best to give him my feet right now. I have to remember in my hard times how that feels so that when my horse is struggling with giving me his feet I can remember to have the patience that God has with me.

All we want from our horses is their feet so that we can take them and do fun things with them but they do not know the plan... be kind as you get frustrated with them ;)

11/22/2021

Riding or shopping on Friday??

11/05/2021

It’s coming…. 😩😩😩

11/04/2021

This is a wonderful post I believe in this philosophy 100% - because I struggled through the opposite of it, LOL! If you are a newer rider, it is so much easier to stick with one philosophy and set of methods and style, master it, and then start adding and subtracting to create your own personalized style. Mixing these too early just confuses you and the horse.

I think a common pitfall a lot of riders fall into is dabbling in multiple theories and programs at once. Many of these programs have opposing or different theories, and for some, the learning curve can be steep. Bouncing from one online class to a teacher who teaches an entirely different philosophy, to a clinic based in another style, and so on, can often create a very confused horse and a rider who lacks in solid basics.

What I teach can often take a long time to cement a rider and horse in ideal basic positions and postures. It can take a while to unteach a rider’s hand and leg habits, and having a rider bounce from teacher to teacher, popping in for the occasional tune up, means we will likely repeat the same lesson each time. It means less progress for everyone involved.

Sticking to a method or teacher that speaks to you is essential for growth. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can become more artful and creative with your work. There is a place for meshing styles, and incorporating other theories into your work- but before having a solid understanding of any one style, bouncing from one to another likely will lead to confusion instead of success.

10/31/2021

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭

10/26/2021

You're stronger than you think.