"God made horses from the breath of the wind, the beauty of the earth, and the soul of an angel." -unknown
I believe this is why the horse is the quickest way to breathe life back into my soul. 🩵
What my approach as a horsemanship coach is all about and what you can expect at one of my clinics.
Happy Spring ⚘️
Bring on the sunshine & dirt to boost those immune systems 🌞🐎
Horses are a relationship.
The best way I've found to strengthen that relationship is on the ground.
From brushing, ground work, petting, to just going for a walk to graze. Its a give & take. It's a great way to learn each others energy, buttons, favorite treats, and all other things that make up a relationship bond.
Where as riding can feel like just take, take, take by the rider.
I love working with clients who understand & respect the importance of groundwork & development the relationships that can come with a horse.
If you just want to get on & go without much effort, get a 4 wheeler. But if you want a best friend to share your ups & downs with, and many laughs, then get a horse.
Groundwork & Lunging are NOT the same thing.
Do I do both- Absolutely
Groundwork is directing anywhere from 1 to all 5 main body parts where you want them to go to flip on the thinking side of the horses brain.
This mimics the alpha mare moving their feet to gain control of their mind.
Lunging is good for getting muscles warmed up, burn off a little energy, check to make sure there is no lame steps, etc.
However, if your horse is already in a reactive mindset, lunging will only amplify the reactiveness if you don't first flip the switch to the thinking side.
Some lazy horses may act like they're starting to listen by running circles, but often times it's more out of avoidance of exercise & not a true willing partnership.
I have used groundwork a million times to take a very reactive, hot headed horse & bring them down to peace & willingness on planet earth in a few minutes.
Understanding the Psychology of horses is everything.
I always start every session with my horse with groundwork. It can literally be 2 minutes of forward, backwards, left & right at a horse show to say hey you ready to turn your brain on? Cool, let's go ride.
Groundwork has made all the difference in my life & I'm happy to teach others too.
Everything in the universe is made up of energy.
And let me tell you, our horses are some of the most sensitive to energy. (This can be good or not so pretty 😅)
Tap Play to listen more!
Horsey Psychology!
Obviously they are a prey animal, but did you know horses have been around for 55 million years?!
Did you know as humans we often give off predator energy without realizing it!
Tap Play to listen more.
The 5 main body parts of the horse & how I use groundwork to gain control.
Here's a short little video clip of me discussing what my approach is in these upcoming horsemanship clinics. 🩷🐎
I'll try to get more videos in the near further of better explanation & hopefully a better location than the bathroom, but hey, babies be sleeping 🤷♀️😅
It's the best national day- National Day of the Horse!
Here's a few special memories of mine with my ponies growing up 🥰
There's no greater high to me than stepping on a very talented colt in a Caldwell saddle, paired with a pair of heavy split reins, in a freshly drug arena, and a ride that makes you say, "damn, that felt good." 🩵🐎
I could play nights like these on repeat.
Pictured is the sweetest old mare I normally putz around on.