Where The Heart Is Ranch

04/26/2025

How do you develop a relationship with a horse?

With the changing of the culture of horsemanship, more people now are interested in developing a connection, which is a great direction to go in

But I find that in this search, we often find a romanticized fairy tale approach that focuses on the butterflies and rainbows aspects of horse ownership, and leaves out the nitty gritty.

It doesn’t help that we’re bombarded with videos of videos showing the highlights, like bridleless flying changes, kissy face photos, laying together in a field…. But we don’t get much of a view or conversation about hours spent perfecting our technique and timing so we can feel inoffensive to a horse.

There aren’t many popular reels of learning to pick up a hoof with respect to a horse, or handle a lead rope quietly so you don’t feel like a wild caveman to your horse.

So what does it take to develop a relationship?

There’s no way you can buy it, you can’t bribe it or force it.

A relationship is formed by being a trustworthy, stable and calming influence in the horses life

And to do this requires you have the skill to guide
The awareness to keep your horse out of trouble
The understanding of his needs to support his health and wellbeing
The mental flexibility to adjust the goals as needed and not get rigid
The discipline to stick to it when it gets hard or you meet resistance
And the balance in yourself, emotionally and physically, to guide the horse to a better balance too

So you see, it is an act: it’s not just something you voice as a desire, it’s not something that just spending time together gets you:

It’s active and ongoing work, starting with you -

And the horse’s response continually gives us the truth about ourselves and what we offer -

A peaceful relationship with a horse comes from a person who can guide and support, actively, frequently, and quietly. This daily act does not make for exciting online content, but it’s the only way to really accomplish a connection.

Photo by Jasmine Cope

04/25/2025

😴 Horses don't need a lot of sleep (around 3 hours or so a day), but at least 30 minutes of what sleep they do get needs to be REM sleep. 😴

💤 REM sleep can only happen when they lie down, because it requires complete relaxation.

💤 For other types of sleep, many horses do this while standing up because they are prey animals and naturally want to be able to make a quick getaway if a predator appears.

💤 They have a clever and unique ‘stay apparatus’ in their bodies which acts as a stabiliser to enable them to sleep.

💤 This is an anatomical mechanism which locks a hind leg in place to keep horses upright.

💤 It consists of the patella, which is located in the stifle joint on the hind leg and will pop out of place to lock the hind leg into the standing position.

💤 The stay apparatus only locks into place in one hind leg. The other hind limb will be relaxed.

💤 When the horse wakes up, they simple unlock the patella and start moving again.

💤 A second reason for sleeping standing up is that horses are large animals. If they were to lie down for extended periods of time it would restrict blood flow to internal organs.

🌜 Who knew sleep could be so fascinating! 🌝

Read the full article about how horses sleep below:

https://www.yourhorse.co.uk/horse-care/how-do-horses-sleep/

04/17/2025

Good visual! Other than the normal bite, the horses will need regular maintenance (teeth floating) to counteract the problem

04/10/2025

Happy Spring!

Tis the season...

04/10/2025

🙂 - Sir is one out of 8

Can't bridle my laughter! 😂

04/08/2025

Still true

04/05/2025

Not bad advice ☺️

Yes, that's true :D
credits: Pinterest

04/04/2025

🩷 Let Them Have a Horse...

Let them have a horse, let them ride,
Let them learn with dirt stained pride.
Give them reins and room to grow,
Show them truths only horses know.

Let them feel the morning chill,
Boots in stirrups, heart be still.
Let them fight for what they earn,
Through every fall, let them return.

Let them brush and braid and mend,
Make the barn their second home.
Let them whisper, laugh, and cry,
Beneath the endless, open sky.

Let them know the work is tough,
That love alone is only one part.
That feed needs hauling, stalls need cleaned...
That dreams are earned by hands that work.

Let them feel the wind in their hair,
And the freedom only horses share.
For horses teach what words cannot...
Strength, respect, and all they’ve got.

So when they ask, don’t think twice,
The price is high, but so’s the gain.
Because without a horse, they’ll never know, the kind of love that helps them grow.

❤️ Michelle Knutson | Born In The Barn

04/04/2025

Why do we value “friendliness” over life skills?

It happens almost every there is a horse needing to be gentled - the first thing on many a mind is how quick can I make him pettable?

A big sign of progress for many is the horses interest in being up in our space, coming up to the fence, getting scratches etc -

But in this process of making the horse lovable in our eyes and to our standards, what are we teaching them? What have we created that will be inevitably punished later, or something that will block progress and create confusion? And why is the value of an animal to us wrapped up in their ability to “get love” the way WE see fit for them?

When I have a horse to be gentled, I’m interested in giving life skills - how to be caught, trimmed, medicated etc- the things that will benefit their life. How can I make this horse feel calm, and understand that I’m here to help? Petting for an unhandled horse is really scary, and for many, just not pleasurable. It can be later, and of course we’d like to be able to touch them - but in a way that helps them relax and understand.

The more I can improve their life quality by giving life skills, the calmer they can be around us. And shoving my hand in their face til they get used to it, or worse, get pushy and act like an exuberant Labrador like many people expect their horses to be, is not the way to show respectful touch to a horse.

But if you think about it, we don’t have much tolerance for people who aren’t perceived as “friendly” either - it’s an extroverts world, where just making noise without meaning is considered engagement, and the quiet ones are thought to have a problem - we don’t tolerate folks who don’t want to be touched much either, we make judgements about them being cold - or, if they reject a hug will hear “but I’m a hugger!” The world forgets to see the value, or doesn’t know it - in more subtle forms of communication, in quiet or distance, and how two bodies can connect in many ways -

We like our dogs exuberant and neurotically hyperactive too- dogs aversive to being touched by strangers are perceived as unfriendly, and heaven forbid a dog ask for space from touch.

It’s a loud and chaotic world out there. It’s easy for the quiet ones to get bowled over - but there is a lot of value in the quiet, in the sensitivity of quiet things, and in the space they ask for

04/02/2025

DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAUSES GRASS FOUNDER?

Spring is a wonderful time of the year, but it may be the beginning of some serious problems for horses vulnerable to grass founder — like horses that are over the age of 10, easy keepers, overweight or cresty-necked.

Laminitis or founder, as it is commonly called, is inflammation of the laminae of the horse’s foot. Laminae are the delicate, accordion-like tissues that attach the inner surface of the hoof wall to the coffin bone (the bone in the foot). A horse suffering from laminitis experiences a decrease in blood flow to the laminae, which in turn begin to die and separate. The final result is hoof wall separation, rotation of the coffin bone and extreme pain. In severe cases, the coffin bone will actually rotate through the sole of the horse’s hoof where it becomes infected and can ultimately lead to the horse having to be euthanized.

Laminitis can be triggered by different causes, like repeated concussion on hard ground (road founder), grain overload, retained placenta, hormonal imbalance (Cushing’s syndrome), obesity, and lush grass.

In cases of grass founder, the sugar fructans produced by rapidly growing grass stimulates an overgrowth of bacteria in the horse’s large intestine. The bacteria produce and release toxins (endotoxins) that are carried by the bloodstream to the foot where they cause damage to the laminae and small blood vessels.

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing and managing the causes under your control. Consult your equine practitioner for further information and to formulate a plan tailored to your horse's individual situation. If you suspect laminitis, consider it a medical emergency and notify your veterinarian immediately.

03/19/2025

03/17/2025

This!

I ran a lesson program years ago, and got really burned out. My horses did too.

I did a lot of things wrong and I am trying to learn from those now -

A big part of what went wrong was not controlling the general attitude people took to riding and horses. The horses became a vehicle for people, or a tool, and as tools are used, they become used up. As horses respond to the poor feel they are offered, students describe these objections as the horses personality - “hes so stubborn, so ornery!” And so on - and this is how the cycle of poor feel, over aiding, and handling horses like a rock deepens, and continues.

Of course there will always be some “taking from” a horse we all do when learning how to post, how to steer, or how to manage problem solving issues. Mistakes will be made, horses will be bumped, thumped or accidentally pulled.

But the attitude makes up for a lot I believe. If the school insists on the general spirit being not just riding but riding even the school horse with feel, Handling the gentle horse with respect and tact, assuming nothing about their tolerance and being fair and smooth in our handling, that goes a very very long way.

Horsemanship is the art of managing the horse: from haltering to picking hooves to feeding to good riding - not just to get those tasks done, but to get them done in a way that can make a horse feel safe, feel good, feel honored. And even if an amateur makes mistakes here, the intention matters.

Slow down, pay attention, do all things with care and respect. Acknowledge your mistakes but don’t beat yourself up about them. Acknowledge when you get something right, you’ve made a horse feel better, move better, live better. That’s something to be proud of, and take back into the world away from the school.

That’s what riding schools should be teaching - and I believe if we could manage that, if we could insist on that, school horses and instructors both would last a lot longer.

Pictured is Tressa Boulden from Traditions Farm Classical Dressage explaining how to guide the horse with the whole body

03/15/2025

Ponies make great riders!

God bless the ponies!!