Summer Rose Horsemanship

03/11/2025

First official trail ride of the season!

Lucky girl found 2 deer sheds 🦌

03/01/2025

Just a reminder!
No lessons today Saturday, March 1st.
Happy horse Expo!

02/28/2025

“Horses regularly trained with ground work are more relaxed when ridden”

A recent study of dressage horses in Germany that looked at rein length and tension revealed a surprising finding: horses who were regularly trained in ground work/in-hand work had lower heart rates during ridden work than all of the other participating horses. This wasn’t what the researchers were investigating, but it was clear in the results. From this, the researchers concluded that, “Perhaps horses trained in ground work had more trust in their rider.”

So why would it be true that horses who regularly learn via ground work/in-hand work are more relaxed? There are a few possibilities.

1) Horses trained regularly with ground work are more relaxed because their trainers are more relaxed. It’s possible that humans who take the time to teach their horses from the ground are less goal oriented and more concerned with the process. They may be more relaxed in general and foster this same relaxation in their horses. As you are, so is your horse.

2) Horses trained regularly with ground work have trainers who are more educated about a horse’s balance.

Their horses learn to move in correct balance which allows them to be healthy and sound in their bodies and, therefore, more relaxed. Physical balance is emotional balance.

3) Horses trained regularly with ground work understand the trainer’s criteria better. They have mastered the response to an aid before the rider mounts and know the “right answer” already once under saddle. They don’t experience any conflict when the rider asks for a behavior because the neural pathway has already been installed. They are more relaxed about being ridden because it rarely has caused confusion for them.

For us highly visual humans I think that ground work is often a better way to begin exercises because we are much better at seeing our horse doing the right thing than feeling it from the saddle. Often, my feel in the saddle is enhanced by the fact that I have watched my horse perform an exercise over and over in our in-hand work. It feels how it looks. In-hand work is also a good way to teach our horses because our own bodies are often more in balance when we are walking beside our horses. With the ground under our feet we are able to be more relaxed if something goes wrong and less likely to be so busy wrapped up in our own balance that we give our horses conflicting or confusing aids. It’s a good place to figure things out. I am a huge fan of in-hand work.

I’m glad to learn research revealed ground work is good for horses. Horses with a low heart rate are relaxed and relaxed horses perform better and live longer. In this day and age of people starting horses under saddle in under an hour and increasing monetary rewards for the “young horse dressage program“, everything seems to be done in a hurry. The entire horse culture seems to privilege “getting up there and riding your horse”. But as one of my favorite writers and accomplished horsewoman, Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes, “In today’s horse culture there are clinics that brag about starting a c**t in a day, as if the quickness of it was the miracle. But old horse people know it takes years to create art. Horses as great masterpieces are not created in a day. An artist does not need to rush.” We need more scientific studies like this one to encourage us to slow down and take our time with our horses.

So why were the horses in the study more relaxed? Likely it was a combination of all three factors – a relaxed trainer, better overall balance and clear understanding of criteria.

These are things that matter to your horse, and yes, will allow him to trust you when you ride. Take some time to slow down and work from the ground, learn a bit more about equine balance and teach new things in-hand before asking for them under saddle. You can take your riding to a whole new level and help your horse become more healthy and relaxed in the process.” - from the article by Jen of Spellbound Horses https://spellboundhorses.com/2013/03/07/horses-regularly-trained-with-ground-work-are-more-relaxed-when-ridden/

01/28/2025

A fantastic reminder (to me, at least) 😊

That a horse is a horse no matter if the horse is the oldest horse, the best lesson horse, the quietest horse, or the smallest horse... crap happens.

It's funny how much I will miss that purple grooming box. It has been with me since the start of my program. I believe 5 years

Now, to move on to a blue one 💙

01/22/2025

Looks like tomorrow is warming up! Should reach real feel of 20° by 12:00

Afternoon lessons are a GO!

Yay!! Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!

01/19/2025

MONDAY AND TUESDAY lessons are CANCELED

Due to fridge temperatures. Everybody stay safe and stay warm!

Temps for Monday afternoon 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶

01/18/2025

SUNDAY LESSONS

I know that there is snow in the forecast tomorrow.

Snow does not have to stop me from teaching lessons. I understand if road conditions are not suitable for driving. Please let me know at your discretion whether you are going to plan on coming or not.

The driveway will require 4-wheel drive whether it's snows or not.

If roads are unsafe, obviously, that is a cancelation on my end. I am willing to teach as long as people can get here safely.

If you could be in contact with me at some point today/this evening that would be awesome to figure out a plan for tomorrow 😊

01/15/2025

Goodness, it's cold out!

I hope everyone is surviving!

I just want to put out another PSA about my driveway. For the forseable future (I'm guessing for the rest of the month, at least). Vehicles will need to be 4WD to make it to the top of the driveway.

If you do not have a vehicle option with 4 wheel drive. I am more than happy to pick you up at the bottom with my truck.

I have enjoyed lessons the last few days. As we look into next week, temps indicate more will be canceled 😞 but for now, it seems that it is warming up enough by 12 o'clock to continue with lessons! Yay!

I look forward to seeing you guys for the next couple of days before the next Arctic blast 🥶

01/13/2025

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!

01/11/2025

01/10/2025

Good afternoon!

Temperatures do look acceptable for lessons this weekend!
My driveway is accessible by 4 wheel drive.

If you do not have 4 wheel drive, I am offering to pick people up at the bottom of the driveway, and I can bring you up in my truck.

If you do have 4 wheel drive, you shouldn't have any problems getting up the driveway 😊

See you soon!

01/08/2025

I hope everyone is staying warm out there!! Brutal week for temperatures.

Please remember, I do not teach lessons if the real feel is lower than 20°. Keep an eye on your real feel temperatures and anticipate a message from me about lessons over the next few days! Fingers and toes crossed that it warms up here soon 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

01/07/2025

There is a reason, I think, that horsemanship is so hard to teach, and that is because it's truly an art and not a science.

You can go to school for art. You can learn from masters of a particular art form. You can study the chemical composition of your medium and learn about how those mediums behave in different circumstances. You can learn about the history of your art, how it originated and how it's evolved. You can study trends and dabble in different methodologies.

But no matter what, in order to become an artist, you have to experience it. You have obsess over it. You have to go to bed thinking about it and get up thinking about it. You have to become a little bit consumed by it. It drives your passion and your curiosity. You have to dedicate a part of your soul to its inception, creation and development. In some ways, you have to get to the point where you cannot separate yourself from it, as it has become a part of you and you of it.

I have received requests in the past asking me to write more about specific techniques, "how-to's", if you will. I will admit I struggle with this because it feels to me kind of like someone asking me how to have a conversation. I can give you a very general framework, but a conversation is intimate and personal. To write one for someone else would seem to me to be a request to boil down everything that is beautiful and awe-inspiring about horsemanship into base mechanical elements: important, but ultimately in my experience not AS important as the energy, flow and feeling of what is happening between the horse and the human.

Yes, you need a basic skillset to be an artist. You need to know how to hold the brush. You need to know how to choose a canvas. You need to know a thing or two about how your medium behaves and how to bring out the best in it.

But what ultimately creates art is the person behind the tools and the feeling within them. And since no teacher can create this for you, we simply have to try and set up scenarios and allow space and spark inspiration for people to go seek it within themselves.

01/01/2025

12/30/2024

We had just the best weather today!

Greay day of winter camp! Thanks to all the helpers and campers for a great day!!

12/25/2024

I had to share this beautiful card I got!!! Thank you to all my students for riding with me this year 💕 I am so grateful for you all!

Merry Christmas!

12/22/2024

So grateful to all my parents who give this opportunity to their kids! Thank you for trusting me to help guide your exceptional horse kids!!

➡️ Why I Choose Horses for My Kid: Lessons Worth Every Penny

People often ask me, “Why do you spend so much money on horses for your kid? They’re just ‘money pits,’ emotional heart-breakers made of tissue paper that can kick your lights out. Why?”

The answer is simple: because horses teach kids more than any iPad, social media influencer, or textbook ever could.

Yes, you’re right—horses are relentless in every way. They demand your time, energy, and finances. They can test your patience, challenge your emotions, and consume you entirely. But look at what they give in return.

⚡️ Lessons That Last a Lifetime

Horses teach my child skills no technology, trendy outfit, or peer group could ever provide:

• Nonverbal Communication: Learning to “speak” with a 1,200-pound animal without words develops awareness, empathy, and understanding.

• Responsibility: Early mornings, late nights, and putting the needs of another being before their own teach kids accountability.

• Confidence: The triumphs and struggles in the saddle or barn instill self-belief and grit.

• Emotional Intelligence: Handling setbacks, managing fears, and celebrating successes alongside a horse build emotional resilience.

• Decision-Making & Problem-Solving: When something goes wrong, as it inevitably does, kids learn to think critically and act swiftly.

• Goal Setting & Consistency: Progress with horses comes through small, consistent efforts—a powerful life lesson. swiftly.

• Value of Networking & Mentorship: The horse industry molds kids to be coachable and open minded to collaboration with their peers. Success in this industry requires a network - they learn that quickly.

Beyond the tangible skills, horses bring kids closer to nature, science, and even spirituality. There’s something deeply humbling and awe-inspiring about working with these magnificent creatures. I know for a fact they bring you closer to God as well.

🔥The Physical and Mental Challenge

Many don’t believe equestrian activities qualify as a sport. To that, I can only say: spend a day in the barn. The physical demands of mucking stalls, lifting hay bales, and conditioning a horse are real. Riding itself is a full-body workout that requires balance, strength, and coordination. These kids spend more time practicing their skills than most athletes on the planet.

But the mental aspect is just as significant. Equestrianism teaches kids how to master pressure, manage performance anxiety, and handle adversity with grace. Those are skills they’ll carry into every aspect of life.

👉 A Priceless Investment

I would rather my child be so consumed by the living, breathing responsibilities of horses than searching for validation on social media, in peer groups, or, worse, through harmful substances.

Horses are an investment—not just in riding lessons, vet bills, and show fees—but in my child’s future. I’d rather spend my money on building her character, teaching her discipline, and giving her life skills than on fleeting trends or technology that will soon be outdated.

Yes, horses are expensive. Yes, they’re challenging. But they’re also one of the greatest gifts I can give my child. Because when I look at her, I don’t just see a rider—I see a confident, capable, compassionate human being. And for that, horses are worth every penny.