Willow Way Equestrian

08/30/2024

What do you even do with a jumpy jumpy too cool fella like that? 😂

08/29/2024

Hayyyyy! Ready to ride? 🐎 🐴

08/16/2024

Tips from the pros- I preach to ride like you’re squatting 👍🏼 🏋️‍♀️ 🐎

💪🏻 Ⓣⓡⓐⓘⓝⓔⓡ Ⓣⓤⓔⓢⓓⓐⓨ💪🏻

3 TIPS TO STAYING BALANCED IN THE SADDLE, WITH CHEYENNE WIMBERLEY

1. DON’T STEP ON YOUR OUTSIDE FOOT.

Cheyenne Wimberley: I’m all about staying in the middle of a horse. When I get to the backside, I don’t try to get on the outside hip or anything. I don’t want to change that horse’s plane, I want them to stay in the middle.

2. KEEP YOUR HEAD BEHIND YOUR REAR END WHEN APPROACHING THE TURN.

CW: If your head is beating your ass, terrible position. What happens then, is that we’ve switched most of our weight to the front end of the horse and 90 percent of the time, your horse will cut the pocket off.

Hint: Using your horn correctly can help with this.

3. DO YOUR SQUATS.

“Some people ride with their feet forward and some people ride a little bit behind. I like the heel of my foot to be even with my butt, almost in a squat position. This helps me control my upper position—it’s truly like doing a squat.”

08/13/2024

Y’all look at this little gem! I’d snuggle him up!

08/13/2024

Dependable horses and dependable people have a skill in common that separates the from the rest in stressful situations.

Dependable horses and people think through stressful situations using their knowledge, skills and experience gained from proper preparation and training to make a thoughtful and precise decision and actionable response.

They do NOT let their emotions take over and do NOT let their feelings dictate their actions.

Emotionally led horses and people are a liability to all those around them and cannot be depended upon. They live in a reactive and erratic state of mind.

And it’s important to note, there is a vast difference between being in touch with ones feelings (which is critical & positive) and being emotionally led (which is dangerous and a liability).

As leaders for our horses, family, business, community and all those who should be able to depend on you, it is essential you put in the work to truly be dependable. To gain the skills, knowledge and experience necessary. To have control over your emotions. To be prepared for the most stressful and worst situations.

It requires being proactive and taking ownership for yourself- because others depend on you and your own life could depend on it.

If you or your horse is not prepared, it’s no one’s fault but your own.

If you’re not willing to take responsibility, you’ll never be prepared.

Becoming dependable is admirable and a necessity.

Otherwise you’re a liability to those around you, your horse included, and it’ll show up.

The choice is yours.

And there should only be one choice.

Become dependable in every way possible.

And it’s not about being perfect- none of us are. It’s about being better today than we were yesterday by being better prepared.

-Colton Woods

08/07/2024

How incredible!!! Must watch!

07/17/2024

The riding lesson boss is in. Everyone better keep that chin up, heels down, and soft hands or Miss Rosie will get ya! 🥰 🌹 🐎

06/28/2024

💥 We had a blast at our first summer camp at our new location at the beautiful Chalakee Ranch in Guntersville, AL.

🗓️ Our next camp will be July 8-12 from 9-2pm

🐴 We have a few slots available, so holler and sn**ch them up while you can.

🍀 Openings available for new students for Summer and Fall for riding lessons.

🏇Watch for upcoming events and riding opportunities!

🗣️ Holler for any of your equestrian and horsey needs!!

L📱 Text/Call/leave message to Letitia @ 256-347-1013

03/16/2024

Willow Way Farms has changed locations ‼️
Awesome news coming soon ✅ 💯

WWF page will be shut down in the coming week. 🛑

Great changes bring great changes ❤️🙏🏼

Please contact Letitia Lockhart on Facebook or call/text for any questions-
(256)347-1013 (text preferred if possible) 📱

11/14/2023

06/09/2023

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

05/27/2023

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