Passionate Way Horsemanship, LLC

07/13/2025

Focusing on the big picture can sometimes make you forget about the horse. That's why I always go over what the elements of a puzzle are, making sure my horse can complete each element, AWAY from the puzzle first.

It seems, that once you get into the puzzle, the focus becomes about completing the puzzle, and very often the horse is left in a fog.

When the bigger picture gets too overwhelming, pause and make sure you haven't left your horse behind. Pause, and check in with your horse. Is he high headed? Are his eyes wide and unblinking? Did he get fire in his feet, and start to enter "flight mode"?

We need to stay "piece by piece" present. We need to plan the next move, before looking at the finish line.

If we find our horses dangling over the edge, completely overwhelmed and only hoping this playtime would soon end, STOP and break it back down to individual pieces.

You can always rip apart your puzzles, reach clarity on the ONE piece that you, or your horse, have been struggling with, and THEN try to put the puzzle back together. This is supposed to be fun... FOR YOU BOTH!

07/08/2025

Have you ever wanted to answer an ad for barn help, but didn't think you'd meet the experience requirements?

How do you get experience?

I might have a way to bring a desire to work around horses come to life. I myself, am a visual and physical learner. In order to learn something new, I actually need to be given a chance to DO that thing. I know I'm not alone in my way of learning, so I thought maybe I could offer a volunteer position here. It would be a win win for us both... I would get a helping hand with chores and you would get hands on experiences that would qualify you to answer one of those ads. (Or grow with me)

The tasks would include, but not be limited to, feeding, washing water buckets and outside water tubs, and helping with stall maintenance. As your skills develop, and your confidence builds, opportunities in grooming and handling the horses would be offered.

There is no age requirement, yet some physical strength would be a plus. Carrying water buckets to dump, or flipping over water tubs to empty, would definitely be easier with a little 💪.

Interested?

07/06/2025

🐎 FEAR AFTER A FALL 🐎

Having recently taken a tumble off of a young horse, I got to thinking about the fear that can grow from such a fall. This fall was the result of a young horse, that is being started under saddle, bolting when he was asked to trot with a rider for the first time. This fall resulted in being body slammed into a corral panel, where a broken fibula, just below the knee, left me laid up.

As with anything that happens to us, our brain begins to replay the experience on what can seem like an endless loop. As I watched my last ride, for the third time in my head, before going to the ER, I asked myself which part was I most focused on. Which part could bring fear to my future relationship with riding? Was it the out of control run away? Was it speed? Was it the actual sensation of falling and crashing? Was it the injury? Was it the recovery? Was it the recounting of mistakes?

I have my accident on video, so I can replay the experience visually over and over if I want. I can actually see viscerally what might bring up the adrenaline. Having been badly injured on another "run away" ride forty one years ago, it is the out of control part that my emotions are triggered.

So... now what?

Well, let's stop and see why that happened. I was completely at fault. I absolutely didn't prepare my little horse for that next step. I even stated in the pre-ride exercises that he was not ready to ride that day. I had equipment that was unsuitable for making helpful connections to the scared horse. I had a head stall on him that would be used at a later level in his training. I used new reins that had enough give, when tension came on them, that they slipped through my hands fast and HOT.

So now, having assessed my mistakes, I can consider my accident my fault. Is that enough to tamp down any fear about the sensation of being helpless aboard a frightened horse grabbing gears as he laps the arena for the second time? Not without more work. That work of replaying other rides where the horse was better prepared. Replaying times when those "butt drop and go" moments were defused before they were out of control. Replaying the many different horses that are solid riding horses, because of the education I gave them.

So what do you do with that work? You go back to the beginning. You remind yourself of why you love what you do. You allow yourself the grace to be worried and maybe take NEW steps to test your work. You learn from your error in judgement when imagining that your "relationship" would help a horse through something that requires actual education, not just "love". Then you go back to the barn... You stop and acknowledge that it isn't enough to just know how to apply your foot to the brake pedal, you actually have to install the brakes. You tell that horse that it is YOU who is sorry for failing him. You promise that YOU will do better and that you will show him more clearly what it is that you want from him.

You spread out the puzzle pieces again and give your training lesson another look. You find where your mistakes were, and you formulate a mental plan on how to support your horse through his education. Then you go and work on the parts that didn't fit together perfectly. Show up for your horse, help your horse and PREPARE your horse for the activities you want him to participate in.

If fear arises, don't ignore it. Take as small of steps as you need, but show up. You aren't just showing up for yourself, you are showing up for your horse.

My little horse didn't hurt me through any fault of his. My little horse didn't mean to have me get hurt. My little horse was not prepared for what was being asked of him and he REACTED in a very natural way, he ran. I could allow myself to be afraid, or I could make his comfort in his education my priority. I could go to the barn with "showing up for my horse" my goal.

I also want to start a share group, where we talk about how to get people back to the barn after fear takes hold. I want to help people unpack what their focus is on, and find ways to help get their feet beside hooves. I am not hoping to push people to get back in a barn, I'm hoping to be a safe place to make it ok to struggle with wanting something so bad yet having fear freeze you in your tracks. We can sit on my porch and just watch the horses without having to be within reach of them. We can go to the barn and groom, play puzzle communication games or just BE with them. You would never feel shoved into a trap with no route to retreat if it's too much. I just want to help people, who lost their confidence but not their love, rebuild their knowledge library to rebuild their comfort and confidence around horses, on whatever level suits them where they're at.

07/06/2025

GOOD MORNING FROM THE FARM

07/05/2025

My horses got to enjoy some lovin' from my brother and my sister in law ♥️

07/05/2025

Ritz and my brother, Chris sharing some lovin'

07/04/2025

🐎YOU HAVE TO PROMISE THEM THAT THERE IS AN ANSWER TO FIND 🐎

It's not enough to just make them uncomfortable, when they get the wrong answer, if you hope that they're going to start looking for another answer. You have to make them a promise that there's actually an answer to find. In other words, promise them that there's always something that will bring you to a level of calm, or can bring them a level of comfort. Keeping that simple promise will help to inspire them to look for the answer that they KNOW there is to find.

There's a difference between influencing them, or supporting them to find an answer, than you just being a high energy jerk. One training technique that I think of, when I think of influencing a horse to find an answer that CANNOT be found, is sc******ng their mouth.

Sc******ng a horses mouth???

I have found much of the work I do conflicts with "normal" trainers. I don't feel over powering and "showing them whose boss" is exactly the best approach. I find that developing a language that is understood and respected works MUCH better. It is so tough for me to watch other "trainers" use these over bearing techniques.

One technique that is particularly disturbing to me is the sc******ng of a horses mouth. What, might I ask, is the real teaching goal here? They pull hard to the left, then hard to the right, sometimes leaning back in the saddle for the real "pull" leverage. Is this some illogical way to get a horse to "give" to the bit?

Let me explain how horses learn. Horses main goal in their interaction with one another, or us, is to maintain comfort and safety. They are more than happy to comply with our requests if there is comfort and safety in the end.

To teach a yield, or a give, there has to be an answer to find. Apply pressure, wait, let the horse "find the answer" and the reward is the release, the calm. If there is no release they'll keep looking for the release, or right answer. Over and over a horse can give to the sc******ng, find the right answer, but there is NO release. They tuck their head to the right rein only to get caught in the mouth with the left. Who invented this technique, and why are people so blind to see they are not giving the animal any way to be right?

Most commonly..... (and I suggest you take a moment to look for this when you see this technique be applied).... the horse will, tuck and "give" but because they did not get a release, they keep looking for the right answer. The next attempt to find the answer is the lean on the "trainer's" hands or throw their head up. To the "trainer" the horse is being defiant, so they "get after them".

The next approach is the "trainer" will get stronger in the mouth. In search of the "right answer" the horse might hollow out his back trying to escape the pressure. They even start to look for "the answer" in their feet, and start stuttering with their feet, not sure to go or stop. This again causes the "trainer" to get after them by likely kicking, spurring and even whipping them.

I have watch one of these "trainers" do this technique to four horses. Each and EVERY one had the exact same reaction. Each horse was confused, frustrated and got MAD! Horses either "give" to pressure or 'lean" on pressure, those are their two options.... if you don't tell them they are right when they give, they then try option number two and lean. Both answers they come up with have no release, so they hollow out their backs in a form of escape. They stall out their feet, because they try to find the answer as if this rein abuse is supposed to talk to the feet. That answer is met with MORE abuse.

There is nothing but abuse in this technique. These "trainers" climb on these young horses with NO language, because ground work is apparently over rated, and DEMAND head position and obedience without any understanding. Then when met with confusion, turned resistance, the more obvious abuse begins. I am always saddened by the so called "normal" ways of training horses!

07/04/2025

07/01/2025

Sharing HOW TO videos need to include the first, second and third lessons too. Don't just share what it looks like when you've already gotten the kinks out!

Show the person, who sought out your training video, the real footage. Show the footage that could be a matter of safety for the person setting out to TRY your methods!!!

I am not the type to go onto someone's page and call them out, but I am the type to warn people to be careful what value they put into trusting content to be raw and not "staged".

If I sought a "HOW TO VIDEO" on fly spraying a foal and stumbled on the one that prompted this post, I would have been seriously hurt by this youngster.

If a "HOW TO" video looks a bit polished, and maybe the horse seems a little too "in the know"... Trust your gut, and consider that you might be watching a trainer trying to showcase themselves, not the TRAINING.

06/30/2025

🐎 SHOWING UP FOR YOUR HORSE 🐎

You know, just because they weigh a thousand pounds does not mean that they are 100% confident in everything that you think they're supposed to be doing.

It's important to always show up for your horse if he's having a hard time with something, you show them a better way, a different way, and more comprehensive way.

Horses aren't born knowing what humans want from them. They need to be taught and helped to learn. If they struggle through the learning process, guide them through it. Don't leave them guessing to bang around, help them.

The more you show up for your horse when he needs your help, the more likely your horse with look to you, instead of trying to figure it out themselves.