I had the privilege of teaching this young lady for 10 years before she left for college. Now she runs the stable for me during the summer when she’s on break. Lots of great memories!
Whiskey and Sam
When it’s too hot to ride, there are plenty of other things to do. Samantha is desensitizing Whiskey to arrows in case we do mounted archery.
Playtime
Nick, my chestnut 35 year old, playing with Hero this morning. Play is a very important component for the horses around here. Hero is only 22 by comparison. His front feet are bothering him a little bit but you can see he is still engaged with Nick. I try to make sure Nick gets some playtime every day with somebody, usually Hero. There’s no way he could cope in the herd due to his age and attitude. He doesn’t know he’s 35. That would get him in trouble for sure. I love how he rears up near the end. My old guy still has “it,” whatever it is.
I think my friend, Dill, has the right idea!
Video courtesy of Hannah Yaiser.
The grass eligible horses were feeling pretty spicy in this cooler weather. Actually, cool for us humans but perfect temps for horses.
Julie and Ivan practicing jambette.
Julie and Ivan practicing jambette. 
Whiskey Rose has been with us for just under a month now. I am sure internally it has been a difficult transition for her. She was taken away from her other two herd mates and her human, who she was quite attached to. Horses form deep emotional bonds and being taken away from all they know is not easy. She has become very tight with Daisy, the palomino, and was displaying anxiety when out of sight of her. This week I have observed Whiskey becoming much more independent of Daisy as I observe her herd interactions. It helps that Whiskey is grazing in the center of the track and Daisy stays on the track. Last night when I called the horses in off the grass, Whiskey took her sweet time and strolled in about 15 minutes after everybody else while I was feeding. That independence was a huge step for her.
We have done a little bit with introducing Whiskey to R+ training. Our first attempt was in the indoor arena, where there are no bugs, but that proved too stressful for Whiskey Rose. She could easily see Daisy out the door, but there was too much distance. Our next try was in the outdoor arena. As you can see, Whiskey often checks to make sure Daisy is nearby on the fence line. However, my student did manage to get a few steps of hand targeting with her. That same day, we did a little bit of targeting with the ball on the stick as well. Little baby steps with only what she can handle. Change is never easy for any of us. 
My student and friend, Connie, learning how to longe with positive reinforcement. Ivan is a good teacher and is moving well for 18 years old. I especially like that he is more relaxed than when traditionally longed and lifts his back. Special thanks to his partner, Cindy, for letting me use him in Connie’s lesson.
Samantha and China working on various agility obstacles today. Sam would like to help a friend with a spooky horse. We’ve spent the last couple lessons working on how she can help a horse gain confidence using R+. Last week China was quite sure the flag was out to get her. This week no big deal.
I’m excited for my student, Samantha, in this video. She has recently come to us and is learning about positive reinforcement. Over a series of lessons she has taught Willy to bow and is now in the process of transferring to her final cue for the behavior. A wonderful young woman and a wonderful horse make a great team!
Oops- forgot to close gate to backyard. Not to worry, honey, consider it free fertilization.
Post pounding supervisors!
I like to saddle horses at liberty as it can give me a clear indicator of what they think about being saddled and ridden. It gives them the choice to allow it or not. I can’t always do it this way but I try to every few rides.
Jack is ridden very lightly by his partner but a week ago he walked away when we brought the saddle out. There were no pain issues that we could discern. I counter conditioned him through the whole saddling process that day. There was no riding during the week. I was expecting to counter condition again but he was fine for saddling at liberty last weekend. I went through the process anyway for this video.
Horses are always making associations and I strive to make as many positive ones as possible. A bonus here is his huge improvement managing food anxiety.
I took this video to show my student what a difference in her horse’s movement happened when she truly made the shift to riding from her seat and leg FIRST. Lil Mac’s back is lifted, not hollow, and he’s more under himself with his hind legs instead of his usual strung out movement. She’s not using her hands unless absolutely necessary and the result is a much more relaxed horse. She wasn’t used to the change in stride and I told her it was fine to post in a western saddle. The secret was teaching her to half halt to balance him physically and mentally.
A word about hands here. Any riding instructor worth their salt will teach riding from the seat, then legs and lastly, hands. That’s across the board with all riding disciplines. However, newsflash, we are humans. Humans are hardwired to use their hands first. When is the last time you went to your refrigerator and opened it with your foot? So, it is instinctive and natural for us to steer with our hands first. To overcome that, you have to map a new neural pathway in your brain so that your default will be to not use your hands first. According to Caroline Leaf, cognitive neuroscientist, that takes about seven minutes a day practice for 63 days. For a student who is in a lesson only once a week, I teach them to use visualization so they can practice in their mind.  The student riding Lil Mac in this video has the luxury of riding her horse several times a week and getting the practice in. It is definitely paying off and has taken a bit of time for the use of hands first to diminish. However, a happier horse moving correctly will definitely positively reinforce her efforts. Horses will teach us, if we listen to them.
Rookie day with the camera tripod but here we go anyway. Today I played with Jack and introduced him to stationing on a mat. Most of what you see me do with horses is through successive approximation, more commonly known as shaping or free shaping a behavior. However, in this video, I’m using mimicry to teach Jack to station on this little mat. I also use mimicry to teach horses to stand on pedestals. They get the hang of it very quickly as you will see here. I did one session with Jack prior to the video and he did so well I thought I would try recording it in case somebody else wanted to try this. You can easily do it with targeting as well, but I’ve had great success using mimicry.
This is our entry for World Bitless Horse Day 2023- if I can find out where to post it. The theme is trick and treat. Hero is a natural ham! Sound on!
Special thanks to Sydney Good for shooting the video while I signaled Hero.
Original music by Spartacus Jones- thank you for lending us your talent!
My brilliant student, Adair, is learning how to ground drive and we took Willy out for a trail walk in her lesson today. Notice how she guides him away from me without getting heavy handed. And, bit free too.
The main Renegade herd coming in for dinner last night. They all usually run up but with all that grass out there they weren’t overly hungry. The beautiful paint leading the way is Roman. His partner purchased him as a very skinny horse out of an auction in Pennsylvania. Probably would’ve ended up in the kill pen since he is in his 20s.  He’s very sweet with tons of personality.  Then again, aren’t they all? 
