Greenwalt Equine

09/23/2025

Just want to give a shout-out to a fellow trainer and friend Kristine Brickey. She is killing it lately on Youtube where she has been putting out some wonderfully educational and transparent content.
https://youtube.com/?si=1EdddAWdKhQzhBfG
My first time meeting Kristine was at a local R+ clinic, and she completely gushed about meeting little ol' me and said she was star-struck. She has gone on to really develop her skills and has been mentored by some of the greatest (Shawna and Jessie). And now here I am, gushing about her!
As I become more and more limited in what I can do with this pregnancy, and have to significantly pull back from my business, it makes me happy to see more and more quality people popping up, that are great resources for anyone using R+ with horses.
This little niche of ours is blossoming, and it warms my heart

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09/05/2025

🐴 “When I stopped asking, why won’t you just do this? and started saying, this is valid, this is real for you, everything changed.” — Karissa Kim

This week’s podcast features Karissa, a piano and voice teacher who has expanded her business to include positive reinforcement dog and horse training. She shares how the patience and step-by-step approach she’s always used in music now guides her animal training, and why validating fears — rather than dismissing them — builds trust.

We cover:
✔️ The parallels between music pedagogy and animal training
✔️ How R+ helped her save her mare Princess from being rehomed
✔️ Why finding community makes all the difference in a traditional horse world

🎧 Listen now and get inspired —
Spotify: "Happy Horse, Happy Human: Positive Training Connections"
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2b73rwY27iVLzkcBKlr0dE?si=JuQCwwL_Su2oMtI_82lIHg

09/05/2025

🎙From opera stages to horse paddocks… Karissa Kim’s journey is one you don’t want to miss!
When Karissa got her first dog, traditional training left her pup withdrawn and sad. But through positive reinforcement, she saw an almost immediate transformation — and she was hooked. Fast-forward to today, and she’s reshaping the lives of her Icelandic horses Princess and Dancer, proving that connection and compassion can replace force and fear.

🎧 Tune into the latest podcast episode to hear Karissa’s incredible story — from music pedagogy to horse training, from imposter syndrome to finding her community. This one’s packed with hope, science, and heart.

Listen on Spotify: "Happy Horse, Happy Human: Positive Training Connections"

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2b73rwY27iVLzkcBKlr0dE?si=YTDKnphlTxWI_pL3F_AgcQ

08/29/2025

I love so many things about this video:

1.) 2 horses learning new things fear-free simultaneously
2.) 2 horses engaged with their humans at liberty when they could be competing for food, bothering each other, or simply walk away
3.) 2 women that started taking lessons with me when I first started my business that were at different barns and from very different backgrounds, now doing some amazing things simultaneously in the same arena, both taking on R+ students of their own
4.) Cognitive game being trained! 🧠
5.) The reverse roundpen set-up ⭕
6.) Yet another new person and horse being introduced to R+ training

I could go on and on!
If this seems magical, it's because it is. I am so proud of the group at Compass!

08/28/2025

🌿 Free-the-Operant Windows: Getting Out of Your Horse’s Way
One of the most powerful (and overlooked) tools in training is knowing when to step back, and get out of your learner's way.

That’s where Free-the-Operant (FO) Windows come in.
👉 These are short, strategic “pop quiz” moments where you stop cueing, stop prompting, and simply wait 10–20 seconds. No target sticks, no body pressure, no verbal cues—just space.

When should you use them?
✅ After 3–5 fluent, successful repetitions
✅ When you’re confident the horse has the reinforcement history to succeed
✅ To build resilience, problem-solving, and agency

💡 Example: Teaching a backup.
At first, you cue “back” and lightly point at your horse’s chest. After a few confident reps, you pause—no cue, no prompt. If your horse leans back or offers even a single backward step, jackpot! Then you go back to a couple easy prompted reps to reinforce fluency.

This balance of structure + freedom builds both confidence and flexibility. It’s not about waiting for errors—it’s about creating a safe space for initiative.

📘 Backed by the work of Ken Ramirez (2019), Michele Pouliot, and Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, FO windows help balance Errorless Learning structure with choice, making learners both confident and adaptable.

🎧 Want more? I just released a podcast episode and blog post on Errorless Learning and Resilience, where I explain how FO windows fit into the bigger picture of emotionally safe training.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7603IgOSD5pqmASk1lN8fl?si=d3b562eae02345ae

https://www.greenwaltequine.com/blog

📝 If you’re ready to take this deeper, my full course inside the Greenwalt Equine Membership includes:

The FO Window flowchart (visual guide)

The Error Budget chart

The 5-Step Motivation Troubleshooting Hierarchy

An Advanced Problem-Solving Flowchart

3 complete training plan examples

Training Video Examples

Together, these tools give you a blueprint for when to guide tightly and when to let go.

https://www.greenwaltequine.com/online-membership

✨ The big picture: You don’t have to choose between guiding tightly and letting go. Smart training is knowing when to do each.

08/26/2025

Due to some medical issues with my pregnancy, I’ll be pausing all in-person lessons until at least January 1, 2026 so I can focus on rest, growing this new baby, and recovery.

Starting September 15th, I’ll also be pausing new virtual client bookings — UNLESS you’re already a member of the Greenwalt Equine Membership. 💛

Over the past few years, I’ve poured my heart into making the membership a truly valuable space — one where you’re supported, informed, and never left guessing. Most questions or training challenges can be answered within the membership through:

✨ Self-paced courses
✨ Live group lessons
✨ Training video reviews
✨ A private, supportive Facebook group
✨ Our nerdy book club

Even while I take a step back from social media and email, I’ll continue to be available for members and current clients virtually, through these channels — just with a little extra patience as I may take longer to reply.

Thank you for being here and for giving me the space to take care of myself and this baby. Your support and understanding means the world. 💛

https://www.greenwaltequine.com/online-membership

08/20/2025

🐴 What I use to train, as a professional R+ Horse Trainer and Certified Equine Nutritionist:

1.) Medalist sprout pellets (mini) or alfalfa pellets (mini) or a mix of both
2.) Vermont Blend
3.) 2 tbs of salt (it's soooo hot right now)
4.) Copper and zinc blend from Custom Equine Nutrition because according to their Minerals and Metals Main Test, they need it
5.) Carrot baby food or applesauce to enhance flavor and help the minerals stick to the forage (carrot seems to go best with Vermont blend)
6.) Standlee Very Berry alfalfa treats
7.) Soak with water so that it is a little mushy and soft

🐎 Most horses like this mixture, but you can play around with ratios and different flavors if you need to!

🌾 If I am in a rush, or training someone else's horse, I normally use Medalist Sprout Mini Pellets with a little water, and use the Standlee Very Berry Alfalfa treats as a jackpot.

🍎 For a high value reinforcer, I use chopped carrots, chopped Fuji apples, or Standlee Very Berry Alfalfa treats.

🥕 Don't forget, there are many ways to increase motivation BESIDES increasing your reinforcement value. Adding sugar and starch should not be your go-to if you are needing to increase motivation.

💚 Learn more about increasing motivation in training sessions, and equine nutrition via the self-paced courses in my membership!

https://www.greenwaltequine.com/online-membership

08/16/2025

Another client video from this week!
She done so well with this mustang and he is becoming SO brave!
Cooperative cafe for the win 💪

08/16/2025

🌟 Fine-Tuning with the Error Budget 🌟

Even with an Errorless Learning strategy in R+ training, mistakes can sneak in—and they’re not always a bad thing. The Error Budget helps us monitor how often errors are happening, what they’re telling us, and when to adjust criteria, prompts, or the environment to protect both learning and emotional safety.

✅ 80–90% Success → Keep going! Fade prompts and raise criteria.
🟨 Successful but Not Fluent → Insert a Free-the-Operant (FO) window and reinforce first effort.
🟥 High Latency, Frustration, Repeated Errors → Stop cueing, lower criteria, redesign conditions.

Track latency, body language, movement quality, and engagement—not just whether the horse “got it right.”

I just released a podcast episode and blog post diving deeper into the Error Budget—plus how it fits with the 5-Step Motivation Troubleshooting Hierarchy, Free-the-Operant Windows, cue guarding, and prompt fading.

If you want the full framework, my Errorless Learning Course inside the Greenwalt Equine Membership walks you through:
📄 4 downloadable visual handouts (including the Error Budget, Motivation Hierarchy, FO Flowchart, and Advanced Problem-Solving Flowchart)
📋 3 detailed training plans
🛠️ Strategies for deciding when to lean on EL vs. FO windows
💡 Advanced troubleshooting protocols

🎧 Listen to the episode →
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7603IgOSD5pqmASk1lN8fl?si=LVY8I1UVRx6hw00Qer1s4Q&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A6i6TfYjAQdQC4iRcepzgaI

📖 Read the blog post → https://www.greenwaltequine.com/blog

📚 Explore the full course in the membership → https://www.greenwaltequine.com/online-membership

08/15/2025

Might as well train them to click each other! Next behavior: holding a target for the other horse to boop 😆
Another awesome client! Video submitted for the live group lesson this week in the membership

08/15/2025

One of my clients submitted a video of target training her foster kittens for her lesson this week as it is her first time training cats, and it couldn't make me happier 😄 🐈‍⬛

05/04/2025

This has me drooling 🤤
This client used my behavior list to make a training binder for each of her 6 horses. My training workbook/planner is great for 1-3 horses, but once you add much more than that, you need a whole binder!
I love the organization, record tracking, and goal setting this facilitates! I have had this on this client's homework list for a couple of weeks now and she did it!
She wins the star student award this week!