Devout Horsemanship

12/02/2023

Driving the hind under does not collect the horse. This is a perfect example. I tack my horses up hobbled. He knows not to move his front feet but to reach some green grass he moved his hind forward.The hind legs cannot come any farther forward but all the weight is on the forehand.

10/14/2023

Leave your horses, dogs, stock and people better than you found them.

08/30/2023

Things don’t always go to plan that’s why you practice

08/17/2023

08/16/2023

“Something inspiring”

08/13/2023

08/04/2023

Riding is simple. There is a finite number of ways that a horses joints can move. Only four places he can put his weight. Move the horses body within his capability and understanding.
I think riding similar to dancing, I want to lead the dance as graceful as I can. But I want the world to see us magically moving together.
Junior doing some aires

06/28/2023

One of my stock dogs showing what she’s got

06/25/2023

Collection comes from the hind end not from the mouth.

06/20/2023

I thought I’d share this photo. Not only am I passionate about working dogs and horses but I love the stock as well. I enjoy handling these future steaks in a quiet civil manner. All the while putting weight and fat on them. Mimicking how nature has done it for eons. I believe if you love what you produce that product carries that love to the end user. All the work and sweat is worth it because I imagine a family pulling one of my amazing ribeyes off the grill and serving it to their family. Knowing the care, consideration and love that went in to that steak!

06/08/2023

In addition to training dogs and horses I also started my own little beef herd. I strive to offer the public top quality beef raised in a manner that your family can agree with. If you buy our beef whether it be freezer meat, replacement heifers or cows you can be assured on their health and well being. Which translates to your family’s health and well being!

05/13/2023

Started this sweet stud a little more than a month ago. He is a very good boy and such a Joy to work with everyday

02/21/2023

First time exposing junior to the school halt. Right now he can only briefly hold it. I have found a horse has to be trained to the rein aids and leg aids before one can do this.

02/18/2023

Riding to me is simple, put the feet where you want them.

02/17/2023

Part of the cavvy

02/14/2023

If you asked me what I’m about. I’d say,It’s my intention to DEVELOP horses where they are sound physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually into old age.
The PROCESS that I use takes the pathway of the brain to the body. Instead of the inverse of that. Meaning I want to use as little “physical” on my part and get the horse working mentally for me. I want him asking questions, I want him to want to be there.
I want every horse to be the absolute best that he is capable of on that day.

02/13/2023

43 Likes, 0 Comments - Reed Sykes / Horse Trainer () on Instagram: "This is what junior does everyday when we tack up. He is probably just stretching his neck but, I’d like to think it’s his way to take a moment and say I got your.l back human, do you have mine?"

02/07/2023

02/06/2023

More of junior

1 Likes, 1 Comments - Reed Sykes / Horse Trainer () on Instagram: "Junior has been used over the past year to help me start my c**ts. I prefer to do my “Ground work” on horseback. It gets me above the horses eye, it keeps them from learning to pull on the human, gets them use...

01/20/2023

Zero learning happens when things are hectic and out of control. I believe each horse has a rhythm or frequency they go through life with. Some horses we have to lower our energy, slow the dance, to make the feet accurate and correct. I want LIFE in my horses, but I want that life at my fingertips not an out of control explosion. This is Di- double G y he is one of the 3yo horses we bought in Ireland last fall.

01/07/2023

This part of the second ride we are working on smooth transitions. A c**t doesn’t have to grab their ass and run off to transition. Logan gets to be the good guy to his horse and me the mean guy that’s making them move.

01/06/2023

In this short video I’m moving my apprentices c**t that he started the day before. As you can she this filly really wants to be down on the side of the arena where she came in at as well as she knows her pls are at. Since I’d prefer I don’t get someone hurt, I want her to start to understand what the human has in mind for her is pretty prosperous. The intention moving her is not to get her tired and chocking for air. The intention is to get to her mind from her feet. From the first second I want my horses to learn the lesson that I have always got their back, they are safe with me. They can be vulnerable and trust me. This is a lifelong pursuit.
You can see on my YouTube channel that Logan put two what I would consider successful rides on her while she was here. Success to me is no unnecessary expression of energy😀 ie bucking kicking out ,running off. Then I want to Expose her to as many things as we can without overwhelming what her brain could handle.
It’s kind of like if you sent your kid to kindergarten for the first time and the teacher explodes and yells or does the teacher say omg look at this we can learn with this! And the kid says holy cow that’s cool what else. And the teacher says we’ll look at this poster this is how we will learn our ABCs. And the kid is like omg I always wanted to learn my ABCs and then the teacher says well if you think THATS COOL check this out here is all the crayons and markers we will learn to draw with…. Etc etc etc

01/01/2023

https://youtu.be/isIl_FVtA_g
I can confidently say there are about 3 horseman in this world that have had great influence on the path I took and take in my own horsemanship.
Here is the back story
Years ago I had seen many horses that Tristan was selling and training in Montana. I was extremely impressed with what he was able to accomplish with his young horses, his older horses and in addition some problem horses. I had a client looking for a horse. So I asked my client do you want just a horse or do you want something TRAINED. He said he wanted something trained. I said ok well we need to go try the horses I see this guy tristan training. So we haul up to Mt and after speaking with Tristan about my clients needs, wants and skill level he had two horses that we thought would fit the bill. My client rode both and I rode both. We decided on one and bought it. Now that would be a pretty boring story but here is what I got out of it.
In doing what I do I sit on a large number of horses and see/exposed to a large number of horses in the western and English world every year. Before riding these two horses of Tristan and since then, I have never felt something so trained. It was scary trained like so sharp don’t look at it wrong because it will cut your eye trained. I FELT what all the guys we look up to talk about. See I knew all the mechanics of how a horse should move and position it’s body. I knew all the mechanics of the que my body should do to tell the horse what to do.
But I had been missing the most important part. I was missing the horses mind heart and soul. What I felt that day was a horse that WANTED to be where you asked him to go, because the horse believed where you put him was going to be pretty prosperous. We have all felt a buddy/barn sour horse “pick up” their energy when they are going where they want to go.
Since that day I have been chasing that feeling in my horses. I want to show them they can believe in me. They can be vulnerable and allow me to lead them, they can put aside their natural fear and self preservation and trust me to not get them hurt or killed. This is something everyday I come to class and try to myself be vulnerable and open to my horses to hear what they are telling me. To be intelligent and humble enough to change when my horses tell me I got it wrong
Tristan is a mentor and my friend.
He is a true Master Horseman
Notorious Horsemanship

Tristen answers a question from JW about neck reining and roping.

12/29/2022

Some slow-mo roping fun!

12/28/2022

It’s all about the feet. Where you put them, where the horses weight is. Try and place the foot EXACTLY where you want it!

12/23/2022

One of the many horseman I have had the pleasure to learn from. But as Pat puts it “I’ve shown you, but I know you will figure it out on your own”. One day I asked him what he was alluding to when he said that. He just laughed😀

In this video, Pat shows you where he is with Chinaco and his thoughts as he hangs the spade bit on him for the first time. For more information, please chec...

05/16/2022

A shot I’ve been working on

05/04/2022

I think we all would be a lot better off if we treated our fellow man, dogs/horses, and our planet as if we were a guest in someone else’s house. Leave it/them better than we found it.

04/30/2022

It’s my opinion. All humans want to be apart of something bigger than themselves. Whether it’s a professional sports team, clothing, sneakers, cars, cowboy, buckaroo, horseman, stockman.Humans want to identify as part of a group, then belittle others who aren’t in their “group” to justify to themselves why their own group is better. I think this hardwired in to us from our caveman days where it was more advantageous to be apart of a band or tribe than on your own. I want perfection, genius, fancy, dignity, skill, grace, humility, lightness. If it looks good I’ll implement it if it doesn’t and serves no purpose to me I throw it out.
For me, what’s bigger than myself is excellence, that’s what I want.