Heidi Potter Holistic Horsemanship

11/27/2024

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Email from Heidi Potter Holistic Horsemanship Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! View as Webpage Having just returned from my final 2024 clinic I find myself reflecting on this past year. My reflections lea

11/01/2024

New Credit Link: https://www.equinestudies.org/

After seeing multiple videos posted by various breeders bragging about their 2 ½ year olds/recently turned 3 year olds and sharing videos of them cantering around in the arena, I have decided to once again circulate the below article.

First of all, breeders *should* have the knowledge to understand a horse’s fragile and slow maturing musculoskeletal system. Breeders should not condone their own horses let along anyone’s horses being cantered around under saddle at an incredibly young age. Period. This sets a terrible example and is quite honestly animal abuse. Just because a horse does not object does not mean it is right. And quite frankly, most of the videos posted show animals that are already in pain or developing pain…

As breeders, we should strive to produce healthy and sound animals. We should promote horsemanship that produces long term soundness. No, starting a horse later does not guarantee soundness. But it certainly helps.

I am a firm believer in scientifically backed approaches to horsemanship. You can’t argue with science that has been proven time and time again. Let’s dispel some stupid rumors:

1. There is no such thing as a (skeletally) slow maturing horse or one that is fast maturing. No horse is skeletally mature before the age of 6. And that is on the low estimate for age.

2. Growth plates are not just in the knee. Every bone behind the skull has a growth plate. Not every single one needs to be converted to bone before starting. There is a schedule of when bone fuses…this is the information needed to know when to start a horse. Not their outward appearance. It is a known fact that during growth, proprioceptive awareness can regress, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

3. Starting a horse is not the same thing as riding a horse. Starting a horse does not mean cantering it 3-4 days a week in an arena.

4. Injecting a horse that is in pain does not mean you fixed a problem. You masked it.

5. You can build correct muscle and teach a horse how to move their body from the ground. This creates a solid foundation to work from once your horse is ready to actually be backed. Teach a horse to use its body correctly before backing and you’ll save yourself a lot of vet bills down the line.

Hocks are “late” for maturity. The growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals do not fuse until a horse is 3-3 ½. Ever wonder why so many horses seem to have hocks issues?? Horses need to learn to carry themselves and their own weight well before adding a rider.

The growth plates that are LAST to close are at the base of the neck. This area is where we ask a horse to raise the base of their neck and come round. If under too much stress, the growth plates can fracture or be permanently damaged.

There are DOZENS of activities you can do with a young horse to build healthy muscular development. None of them involve a saddle or your weight on their back. Teaching a horse to carry themselves correctly BEFORE adding a rider is essential and cannot be done in a week. A 2 ½ year old horse is a baby. Mentally and physically. We see far too many injured performance horses at VERY young ages - broken down and/or sour from work. It’s wrong. Period. They need slow and steady work and need time to recover from even the slightest of injuries.

PLEASE, if you are considering when you should start your horse and what that work load should look like, please read the below. There are some wonderful things you can do with your young developing horse. Please don’t rush a year out of greed.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

10/17/2024

ZOOMing into Success!! The results of Virtual Lessons Astonish Me!

"It is so nice to have someone to coach me. Sometimes I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel and trying to learn things from the inside out instead of just following what other people do. Other times I long for someone with more knowledge than me to teach me. What I like about you is that you both give me information and allow me to discover things independently. I'm very grateful for you. You have such a great combination of empathy and willingness to explore different options and different points of view, while at the same time being practical and having both feet on the ground, so to speak. ❤️🙏" Trish-a student who continues learning virtually through Zoom"

Helping horses and their humans has always energized me and filled me with gratitude. Amazingly to me, doing it online via Zoom doesn't change that feeling or the results one bit!

I'm currently coaching a few virtual students. One in Michigan is now taking her progress on the ground into the saddle, working on confidence, connection, and communication. Raising her right stirrup up on a new saddle one hole, and tweaking her seat, rein and leg aides created amazing balance and softness this week.

Another student from Tennessee adopted 2 untouchable rescue horses, both around 5 years old. One is a stallion and the other is a briefly and poorly started Paint. Coaching her through the Horse Speak protocol had both horses approaching and muzzle "greeting" with touch by the end of the first session. Continuing to use Horse Speak's "Precise Equine Body Language Skills" and adding in Clicker Training has opened up a whole new world of communication. We are thinking outside the box and committed to using trust-building, gentle methods as we stride towards touching, grooming, and haltering.

Here's a link if you are interested in seeing how you and your equine friends can ZOOM into creating safer, more trusting and enjoyable partnerships: https://heidipotter.com/consultations-with-heidi/

10/16/2024

The Hunters Moon is one of my favorites as it is joined by the changing colors and brisk air of Fall. We watched the almost full moon rise over the mountain as we headed up from chores last night. I never tire of Mother Nature's gifts

10/10/2024

Anyone use HP 902 ink? I had to get a new printer and have over $100 of black and colored ink.

09/19/2024

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Happy Fall Everyone! View as Webpage I hope this note finds you all safe, well and welcoming in Fall. My husband Rob, & I have been motivated to do a Fall clean-up in preparation for this weekend's "D