Oh Miss Molasses!
I am so proud of Molasses and how far she’s come in the last few weeks. She has turned a corner!
When molasses arrived, she was so shut down and fearful. It was a long process of chipping away at her confidence. I spent 3-5 sessions a day rubbing her up and down, until I got any sign of acceptance. This horse wanted nothing to do with people.
Over the last couple weeks, she has made leaps and bounds! She made a long cross-country trip from Texas to New Hampshire, where she munched on her hay the entire time. She is excelling at obstacles, accepting hoof care, soaking in rubs, and overall just being a happy horse.
It feels so rewarding to see her confidence grow. I truly didn’t expect such a drastic change to happen this soon. Although we still have lots to learn, we are going to keep moving at whatever pace is best for Molasses!
ATFO 2nd required post
#hopteammolasses #atfo2024 #rescuehorse
Molasses is making slow and steady progress. It's so easy to get caught up in a competition and fry a horse, but it's so important that you take the time the horse needs. She is going to progress a lot slower than some of the other horses and that’s okay! To set this horse up for success in her future, she needs slow and steady. So slow and steady is what we’ll do!#hopteammolasses #rescuehorse #ATFO2024
Session 4 is in the books with Molasses!
Every session she gets better and better! I love to see that she comes back retaining the information she learned the lesson before. She is trying her little heart out and I can’t ask for much more than that!
#hopteammolasses #atfo2024 #rescuehorse
Do you understand horse behavior?
So often I find people label horses as “brats” or “naughty” horses but they never look at why these “bad” behaviors are happening.
Are they confused?
Are they fearful?
Are we asking them questions we haven’t prepared them for?
These are things we NEED to ask ourselves to be fair to our horse.
Molasses could easily be labeled a dangerous horse with no future. Her reactions are big and fast. She can even be dangerous at times. To say she is a mean horse, couldn’t be further from the truth. She has a massive flight response created from FEAR.
In this video, all I’m asking her to do, is send onto a circle. She feels like she needs to escape, so her flight instincts turn on. By the end of the session, she was able to send into a circle without that fear setting in. It may not seem like much, but for her it was a great step towards building trust.
Next time you see a horses “bad” behavior, take a step back and ask yourself,
What’s causing these behaviors?
#hopteammolasses #atfo2024 #rescuehorse
Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue, INC
Appalachian Trainer Face Off
Day 2 with Molasses✅
Before I talk about our first couple sessions I wanted to tell you why I picked this pretty girl.
She was my first pick! I’ve always been a sucker for a bay! It also helps that she has great confirmation. It sounds like she’s had a couple trainers do her wrong and I love to give a horse a second chance.
As of right now, she really struggles to find relaxation with people. She is very tight and tense, so even simple things like rubbing causes her to flinch. Being in her personal space is a big worry. She will need lots of desensitizing, time and patience.
We’ve been working on lots and lots of rubbing. She will even grunt because she is so uncomfortable with touch. Another big worry of hers is things behind her. I will spend many more sessions building her confidence.
Although we’ve only spent a short period of time together, I know there’s such a great horse in there. She has shown me great willingness to try.
#hopteammolasses #atfo #rescuehorse
Appalachian Trainer Face Off
Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue, INC
Willow learns to trailer load!
Willow says “trailer loading is nothing but a thing!”🤣
This girl blows me away with her willingness to try new things!
Livin the dream!🤠 #bridleless#liberty#buckskin#rescue #naturalhorsemanship
LESSON DAY!
Come join us! We are hosting a lesson day Saturday, March 23rd in Gainesville, Texas. Participants can focus on liberty, problem horses, groundwork, riding, you name it!
If you'd like to sign up message us or email
[email protected] 😃
#horsetraining #libertyhorse #horsemanship
Working through Catching Issues
When you get run over by a heifer and have a hitch in your get-along, you may need some horse assistance! Here's a video demonstrating how to catch a difficult horse from a saddle horse.
"Connection is why we're here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives."
-Brene Brown
So why not have it with your horse?
#horses #liberty #libertyhorse #horsemanship #horsetraining
Biscuit and I have been hard at work sorting the cows to wean, tag, and take to the sale! Doesn’t get much better than that!
This last month I’ve had the pleasure of starting Nakia under saddle. Nakia is a rescue that came to me very stoic and apprehensive. My goal  with Nakia was to create a more willing and confident partner. In just 30 days, I sure am happy with the progress he made!
I wanted to share this sweet message Nakia’s owner left. It always feels great to hear positive feedback! Thank you so much for trusting me with your horse! 
“Gelinas Horsemanship, Jake;
I just wanted to say Thank you so much for your hard work with Nakia. I see such a transformation in him. He is calm and confident, even more attentive to his people, is not focused on being with the rest of the herd ( he was before at times). We worked on the ground for 30 minutes today and he was exactly the same horse you showed me yesterday even with the babies cutting it up on the other side of the fence, his focus remained on what I was asking. Walked right up in the big pen and slid his head in the halter (you know that was a big deal and I was apprehensive since it wasn’t a stall but an arena sized pen) because he was looking forward to working. He did everything I asked so willingly and confidently - truly transformative your training efforts. I feel him enjoying what he is asked to do.
You have given him the most important gifts: confidence, calmness, willingness & attentiveness. These things will last his lifetime and are the foundation for any horse’s future, but especially traumatized rescue horses.
Thank you so much for all your hard work taking him to the next level.
Fondest Regards,
Nakia and De Anna”
