Willow Grove Ranch

06/24/2025

Everyone is welcome to come and drive or come watch and enjoy the horses!

06/23/2025

Friday we were working on the classic alignment of ear/hip/heel and I caught a shot of Shelby rocking it! This alignment, if not forced but stacked in relaxation, can build a solid foundation for balanced and more effective riding!

I included a line for an easy visual. It's not easy when you are used to riding with your feet and legs too far forward, but the effort really pays off!

06/21/2025

The more advanced and nuanced the requests become, the more challenging it is for the rider! Big movements are easier but less articulate. Small movements in the fingers and wrists are more difficult but much more precise in both timing and sensation.

So when we come to a positive request (aka not pulling and not forceful) for the horse to release the jaw and loosen the poll joint, it's hard! I mean, it would be easy to block, pull, or put on draw reins or side reins...but to simply ASK with your own HANDS for a willing and cooperative articulation of the mouth and poll?

That's hard! But healthy. It builds trust and cooperation instead of just obedience.

So it depends on your overall goals: unquestioning obedience and force, or raising the bar on your own skills to be able to perform a cooperative duet with your horse?

Dave and CC had wonderful breakthroughs this week on this! It was fun to see the horses and riders get clear, relaxed, and just more beautiful!

06/21/2025

Extremism is just bad. Unless it's extremely focused on the inherent beauty of the horse as they present themselves with their own talents and gifts!

06/20/2025

This is our first time raising an orphan foal, and the learning curve is steep and fast! One thing that I became much more aware of is the process of a possible nurse mare. You'd think a mare that lost a foal and a foal that lost a mom would fairly easily connect, but that's not necessarily the case.

We tried 2 nurse mares (both mare owners were SO generous to give it a try with our foal!) and both were not a go. What's the process and how do you know if it's going to work?

Dr Liz at Idaho Equine Hospital put it succinctly: they give the mare a shot to get her to sweat and rub the sweat all over the baby. If they're going to accept one another, they will likely nicker to one another and be welcoming to contact and nursing.

If the mare pins her ears or squeals at the baby, it's just not likely going to work. Baby safety is important and baby nutrition is pretty dialed in. So how are we socializing little Kappy?

With Uncle Khougar! He has been very kindly hanging out in the stall next to Kappy and accompanying him in turnout.

06/20/2025

I have a deep passion for preserving what is at risk for being lost. Willow Grove started with critically endangered Hackney Horses and last year we added Highland Ponies to our efforts.

Both breeds have hundreds of years of history behind them, doing what no other breeds have done. Their unique qualities and abilities deserve conservation and celebration!

For perspective, this year in the US, Highland Ponies had a banner year for foal births: 12.

In comparison, AQHA registers over 80,000 foals per year.

The Highland Pony breed is Critical on the Conservation Priority List. They are calm, friendly and patient but like to be kept busy. This great breed needs more stewards in the U.S. Learn more: www.livestockconservancy.org/highland-pony

06/19/2025

I've been at the ideas of change for the horses for close to 30 years now. I came to the fork in the road and took the path that celebrates each horse in who they are, not what I want them to be. This is my heart for horses and riders. That we see one another, horse and human, with respect, honesty, self reflection, and kindness. Then, going forward, (since the humans are the ones asking for horses to learn and change) we educate the horse with goals that enhance the horse's mind and body, not tear it down or minimize the experience to winning, obedience, or pride.

From the post:
..the reality is, people don’t always change just because they’ve been given better information. Sometimes, they knowingly ignore what they’ve learned.

Not because they don’t care. But because implementing knowledge is hard.

It requires looking in the mirror and admitting:

“Maybe I was wrong”
“Maybe I missed the signs”
“Maybe there’s a better way and I haven’t been doing it”

That’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable.

Recently, I sat with a University professor managing a small research program involving equine behaviour, welfare and management and several of her masters and PhD candidates to discuss the state of the horse industry as a whole.

It was a rich, layered conversation, one that’s still sitting with me days later.

I’ve always believed that education is the key to change.

That if we could just share evidence-based information, raise awareness, and teach better practices, we could shift the paradigm.

That once people know better, they’ll do better.

But during this conversation, a difficult question circulated: Maybe education alone isn’t enough?

Because the reality is, people don’t always change just because they’ve been given better information. Sometimes, they knowingly ignore what they’ve learned.

Not because they don’t care. But because implementing knowledge is hard.

It requires looking in the mirror and admitting:

“Maybe I was wrong”
“Maybe I missed the signs”
“Maybe there’s a better way and I haven’t been doing it”

That’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable.

So instead of making changes, many people stay stuck in cognitive dissonance. Rather than changing behaviour, the mind often tries to resolve this discomfort by justifying or denying the evidence.

“He’s just being difficult”
“It worked for my last horse”
“This is how we’ve always done it”

And so, despite the abundance of credible information, the suffering continues.
Our industry has deep-rooted problems.

Affording the care horses truly need can be overwhelming. The cost of adequate nutrition, bodywork, appropriate tack, responsible training, and appropriate living environments is high. As we raise standards, we also risk making the sport less accessible, particularly for newcomers. So people compromise. They rationalize. They do what they can afford or what feels easiest or most familiar.

So if education isn't enough … What is?
This question keeps me up at night.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen incredible change through education. In our student community, in our graduates, in our clients and followers on social media, there are countless people who have welcomed the information and implemented it with courage.

They’ve done the hard work. They’ve looked in the mirror. They’ve stepped out of their comfort zones. And they’ve made things better for their horses.

But for those who resist, who know better but don’t do better, what will it take?
Maybe it’s not just education we need.

But where do we start?
Do we start by making space for discomfort and showing people they’re not alone in it?

By highlighting the why, not just the how, because transformation is always rooted in purpose, not pressure?

To those who’ve leaned in: we see you. We’re proud of you.
To those who are still resisting: we’re not giving up on you either.

For now, I don’t have the answers.

But I do know this: Change doesn’t start with perfection. It starts with awareness.
And the willingness to keep asking the hard questions.

06/18/2025

How much do dragons p**p?.

Does dragon p**p help with them breathing fire? P**p can be flammable…..

Can centaurs eat pizza?

Asking for a friend…

06/18/2025

Sometimes you gotta review to advance. Caleb was struggling with the idea of interacting with the cart. We reviewed ground driving, poles, and now the travois. He's doing much better with the review under his belt, as we went as slowly as his mind and emotions (yes, we need both to be on board) could process.

06/18/2025

Took some time in the turmoil to spoil my precious Bonny gurl. Love this pony! She's so patient as I play my little pony!

06/16/2025

Experience + education + willingness to learn and change = a bigger toolbox.

Trainers: Athletic and Brave vs. Skilled and Educated

In the United States, there is no formal industry standard for horse trainers. This is both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing is that trainers are free to develop their own methods that best serve their horses and students. And with the wide variety of disciplines we have — at least four major western disciplines, three major English ones, plus dozens of other specialties and countless breed registries — it's nearly impossible to apply a one-size-fits-all system.

The curse, however, is that anyone can call themselves a trainer.

This is why it's so important for owners to carefully evaluate a trainer before committing. Visit their facility. Watch them work with both young, green horses and more advanced horses they have developed. The facility doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be well-maintained, and the horses should look healthy, content, and well-cared for.

There are essentially two types of trainers you will encounter:
The Athletic and Brave vs. The Skilled and Educated.

The Athletic and Brave Trainer
These trainers rely on their physical ability, grit, and bravery. They often approach young horses through force and endurance, outlasting the horse’s resistance until the animal gives up—not because it’s truly trained, but because it’s exhausted, sore, or fearful. The horse learns to comply because resistance becomes too costly.

Many of these trainers even thrive on the fight — the adrenaline of being bucked off and getting back on fuels their approach. The result is a horse that functions under pressure but never truly understands or trusts the process.

This becomes a problem when that horse is sent home to an amateur owner. The owner cannot (and should not) ride the horse as hard or as aggressively 5-6 days a week. Without constant heavy work, the horse recovers physically, regains its energy, and soon discovers that the rider lacks the same level of force they once faced. Before long, old behaviors resurface, and it appears as if the horse was never trained at all.

The Skilled and Educated Trainer
In contrast, skilled trainers understand how to educate the horse — mentally and physically. They are students of biomechanics, equine psychology, and learning theory. These trainers know how to read a horse's body language, assess physical tension, and adapt their work to keep the horse both engaged and comfortable.

They know when to push, when to wait, when to back off, and when to rest. They build trust, confidence, and understanding. The horse learns to carry itself properly, not from fear or exhaustion, but from thoughtful, correct work that develops balance, strength, and mental clarity.

Because these horses are given the time and guidance to process what they’re learning, they retain their education even when their schedule or environment changes. The training "sticks" because the horse understands it, rather than merely submitting to it.

The Bottom Line
The brave trainer uses a hammer.
The skilled trainer uses a scalpel.

Many horses — and their owners — end up frustrated, confused, or even injured because their trainer's toolbox is limited. True horsemanship is not about who can stay on the longest or dominate the hardest; it’s about developing the horse thoughtfully, with respect for both its body and its mind.