GypsyHeart

12/24/2024

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!! Thank you for following along with the Gypsy Heart journey!🎄🕎

08/19/2024

As I sit here waiting for you to come out of the new big boy classroom you’re moving up to I can’t help but think back on all the things we’ve overcome and how big you are. My baby, my boy, I couldn’t be prouder to be your mama. Ride on little cowboy!

08/02/2024

A great article about the importance of fundamentals and understanding. 💕

Riding schools for children -

I used to teach children riding lessons a lot. It was really fun and rewarding to instill in young people care and respect for the horse, and good riding skills. I found chikdren far more receptive and empathetic than many adults, because they hadn’t been taught to ignore horses expressions to get something done.

The pressure from parents to accelerate the kids skills to more fun stuff, or to prevent the child’s boredom, was a steady presence in teaching- along with maintaining the school horses soundness and mental well-being from being ridden by beginners. Keeping lessons good for both horse and rider was a job of creativity and constant adjustment. I believe it can be done, but the culture at large doesn’t typically make it profitable, as many parents struggle to want to pay for lessons on sound husbandry and good riding basics. The kids want to canter, by God!

I have some firm beliefs about good riding stables, and I realize the expense and strain and adjustment is an ever pressing reality, I stand by these beliefs:

-children should learn good riding fundamentals first, and not progress to trotting, cantering, jumping until they have a good understanding of a balanced seat and can demonstrate it

-children should learn care of and respect for the horse comes before their entertainment. Grooming, tacking, warming up and cooling down, quitting an activity or adjusting if the horse is stressed, learning groundwork, etc, should be a non negotiable

-children should learn to feel a balanced horse to the extent possible. A beginner horse should not simply be a lame horse that tolerates them, but one to teach th em how to ride- children should not be set up for a future of kicking and pulling to get a horse to do something, but learn to feel how to direct a horse with their body, and to feel movement that is balanced, setting them up for a lifetime of being able to balance future horses.

- children should learn to read accurately equine expression and well-being. Children should not be taught to describe horses as lazy, stubborn, etc- these are taught by adults and children learn to adapt these views. The adults are responsible for setting the culture and views of horses and their handling.

Many riders struggle with normalizing tight, crooked, and unhappy horses because this is what they learn to ride on. The instructor is responsible for setting the culture of what their program entails, and I believe this means setting firm boundaries on what the purchasing client can expect, instead of catering to unreasonable demands to keep business. That is a whole can of worms in itself, but one worth opening.

06/07/2024

Every princess needs a pony! 💕👸

06/07/2024

Our morning princess lessons were a hit! I love working with siblings and making their dreams come true!

04/10/2024

For my birthday this year I’d like to get my horses teeth floated! This is a yearly need and if anyone wants to help me get it done so they can continue to be my wonderful work partners I’d be very grateful! You can send funds directly to the vet (Brazos Valley Equine) or to me via Zelle, Venmo or PayPal (). The herd and I so appreciate any help!

Hugs and hooves,
Alex & the herd.

04/04/2024

Some fun with our wonderful horses (and unicorn), Arrow and Emmett! 💕🦄

03/17/2024

03/14/2024

Everyone please keep Scout in your thoughts and prayers! She is home after having surgery to repair her torn CCL. Liberty Hill Veterinary Wellness and its staff(specifically Dr. Murphy) were amazing and I can’t thank them enough. Now we have a loooong 8 weeks of PT and rest, but hopefully by summer she will be back to scooting around like it never happened. So thankful for our girl to be home! 🙏😢🥺

02/14/2024

Happy Valentine’s Day from the sweetest boy around! BIG DINO LOVE!

01/26/2024

My wonderful neighbors are looking to rehome some of their sweet Dexter cows! Anyone looking for quality beef or milk at a fraction of the size?! 💕🐮

01/06/2024

Happy New Years! We are so excited to welcome all of the new clients we have who want to start their adventure into horsemanship.