Cedar Springs Equestrian Center

12/08/2024

Additional Youth Halter and Showmanship classes will be held at the Fairgrounds Livestock Arena on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
Please fill out this registration form and send copy to [email protected] or bring it to the Fairgrounds on Tuesday am.

WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR YOUTH HALTER ENTRY FORM EIA VERIFIED________________ (ONE EXHIBITOR PER ENTRY FORM) ENTRY NUMBER:_________________ PLEASE PRINT ALL INFORMATION: Exhibitor AGE on January 1st of current year (if under 19 years):_______________ ...

08/08/2024

So true for everyone-enjoy the ride and love of the horse !

05/08/2024

Last summer camp is done! Thanks everyone for a great year.

09/07/2024

60 day checkup all good.

16/06/2024

Luna check at 30 days. Afires Heir x Second Millennium. Baby has a heartbeat. ❤️

05/06/2024

Please use this link to sign up for the clinic to get free lunch and t-shirt. https://uaex.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6EjggCwnRhsq2V0

Bring your own horse and show attire to get advice. Let's all step up our game and make 2024 the best County Fair Horse Show!

22/05/2024

Luna is pregnant!!!

21/05/2024

Springtime on the farm.

26/04/2024

Summer Camps are filling up! Camp 1 is full. Camp 2 has one more spot available. Please let me know if you would like a spot in camp 3 or 4. $100 deposit will hold your spot at any camp you choose. We have some new ponies to play with this year and as always lots of friends and fun!

16/04/2024

We had a great first ANWARC show this past Sunday! I'll post some pics. Parents feel free to tag Cedar Springs in your pics :) It's going to be a fun show season.

06/04/2024

Abbie :)

01/04/2024

The Green Country Arabian Spring Fling was a success. We won some, lost some and learned a lot and a good time was had by all :)

22/03/2024

How many problems can you spot in this photo?

12/03/2024

Happy 21st Birthday to our beautiful Jasmine. She is super pony :)

08/03/2024

06/03/2024

Anyone lose a boot yesterday?

20/02/2024

15/02/2024

The Scottsdale Arabian Show is live online for free.

Welcome to the live stream from the Equidome at Scottsdale 2024. For free on demand video from prior days, please click here.

15/02/2024

Most people who get into horses have had prior experience with dogs. As a result, they tend to speak to horses as they have with dogs. This is a common mistake that confuses horses. There is a great deal of research on animals' understanding of human language, and the studies agree that a horse can understand between 8 and 15 words. Dogs can understand 165 to 250 words.

What we can learn from this is to be quieter when communicating with horses. For example, it is important to speak to horses without sentences. I teach young horses the words - walk, trot, canter, back, whoa and stand, only 6 words. This leaves space for the next owner to teach a few more words to the horse.

Voice commands are very useful in early training. It is important that each word that we speak to a horse sound unique and distinct. Do not mumble your words. When your words sound similar it makes it difficult for a horse to connect the word with a desired action. Words are particularly practical when we make the transition from groundwork to training from the saddle. Words like walk, stand and back are useful forever in the barn or in a trailer.

Clucking and the kissing sounds are the equivalent of words to a horse. Remember to include them in your word count when training. I do not teach a horse these or other sounds as cues because in a hunt, polo game or other group activity, another horse might hear them and respond to my sounds, thus taking control of the horse away from their rider.

It is very important to understand that horses respond to tone and inflection of command words. I believe that tone and inflection is equally important as the word used with a horse. There is "Stand." and there is "STAND!". When training a horse, it is useful to vary your tone and inflection in order to access and understand the perceptive sensitivity and skill in a horse. Horse trainers must learn each horse's individual reactions and thresholds to each word they speak with their tone and inflection.

I regularly write about the balance of leadership and domination in the horse training process. Many people get confused about using domination in training. I think this is because they do not understand the difference between compassionate domination and abusive domination. Using words can be either leadership or domination as in the example of "Stand." versus "STAND!". With a child chasing a ball into the street, there is Stop. and there is "STOP!", the latter being compassionate domination.

Remember to be quiet when training a horse except for the words that you wish to teach the horse. Running your mouth at a horse during training is just you trying to feel humanly comfortable, but it confuses the horse and makes them uncomfortable. So, stop running your mouth while training. Be aware of your tone and inflection when using the words you wish to teach a horse. Lastly, use touch, when possible, along with words. For example, when teaching a horse from the ground to back, only say "back", nothing else, and use your hand on the horse's chest to direct them, and when the horse acts correctly reassure the horse with your kind hand.

06/02/2024

It's time to start planning for Summer Camps. Please let me know if you would like a spot. $100 deposit will hold your spot at any camp you choose. We have some new ponies to play with this year and as always lots of friends and fun!