Blue Sage Horsemanship

07/31/2023

29 July 2023
Kingsville MD

Last day at Hawks Hollow went off with plenty of ceremony at the farm show. I’m so proud of all my students who participated. Everyone had awesome rides and the horses were great sports throughout a very long day. I appreciated all the cards and gifts given to me by families, I will miss you all!

07/25/2023

Some fun pics from the 15 July fun show. I also raced August (Midnight Bushwacker) because his dad wanted to see what he could do! He’s a big powerful guy

07/23/2023

13 July 2023
Street MD

Riding with my friend Malcolm on his ranch in Street. He has (Spanish) Andalusian horses and (French) Charolais cattle. You never know what you’ll find out here in Maryland!

07/15/2023

15 July 2023
Bel Air MD

Fun jumper round on Sissy June this morning. This little horse continues to impress, she just started cantering! Maizie wasn’t feeling up to a full show today so I got to borrow Sissy from her awesome mom for a round 😉

06/10/2023

9 June 2023
Fallston MD

Good night on some good horses. Thank you Smith Riding & Training for hosting!

06/05/2023

3 June 2023
Gettysburg PA

Gettysburg historical ride with the crew! We had a great ride and a great guide (and awesome weather). My mom rides once every five years, might as well make it a special one. And Sissy was a rockstar, she sure has come a long way.

05/31/2023

27 May 2023
Bel Air MD

We had a successful day at the Western Horse Shows of Harford County ranch riding show. Maizie got 5th in open walk trot lope trail (and it was her 7th birthday). Eric also hauled and competed on his horse August for the first time.

05/31/2023

26 May 2023
Fallston MD

Sissy, Maizie, Scotty and Beamer had a great time at the obstacle clinic! A fun confidence-building session.

05/24/2023

19 May 2023

Fallston MD
Do you ever fight with your horse? I do, much more often than I should. It’s probably what I’m least proud of as a horse person. Fighting with the horse only ever creates tension and resentment in both parties. Horses do not wake up with the desire to go to war with us; it is uncomfortable and irritating for them. In an effort to humble myself and create a more harmonious and honest training relationship, I have gone back to working on fundamentals in the bosal with Willow. The bosal is a unique piece of equipment because it lacks a steady force for the horse or rider to brace against, therefore preventing the buildup of tension. If there are “holes” in training, they will show themselves in the bosal. In this picture I am rewarding her mid-stride for a soft trot

05/11/2023

10 May 2023
Kingsville MD

If you’ve ridden Reise you know how hard it is to convince her to trot over even one pole. Check out her and Beth rocking the trot poles! Lots of patience and training to teach impulsion and hip-strengthening went into this accomplishment.

05/10/2023

3 May 2023
Kingsville MD

How many kids look like this their second lesson cantering on the rail? So proud of this young student, she has worked long and hard to get to this point.

09/28/2022

28 September 2022

Kingsville MD
It’s a great day for sheriff’s first canter under saddle

09/26/2022

24 September 2022

Kingsville MD
Sheriff’s first trot under saddle! This 2yo is not yet confident in forward motion. You can only kick a horse so much; when he stops responding to my leg I have to go back to what he knows, which is why I dismount and move his feet on the ground. This also gets him very comfortable with mounting and dismounting. If I had a helper around, they could also send him forward for me from the ground while I ride in the saddle to help build the horse’s confidence.

09/21/2022

Every good horse has its share of wet saddle pads in its past. And what’re they doing, asking for more work? These two love their jobs and their people ❤️

09/08/2022

09/04/2022

2 September 2022

Wi******er VA
We’ve got some things to work on still but we took home some prize money!

09/03/2022

We are back! Had a great night last night at Maple Hill Arena. Here is a student who entered peewee doing her first run with Willow and I! I definitely got my workout in. What you can’t hear is her telling me “faster!”

08/23/2022

Me on vacation 😂 dying to get back to those girls

Guilty. 🤣

08/17/2022

When I work with young horses, I do not pull or force them into contact. This creates a stiff and evasive horse. Through working on their body and the hip, ribcage, and shoulder, the horse will soften everywhere, including in the nose. When the nose softens and is ready for contact, I will then introduce it, almost like a missing puzzle piece the horse has been looking for and now accepts readily.

Since I am on vacation I will be sharing some wisdom from other trainers.

“I’m teaching my horse to accept contact”

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this! Typically it is accompanied by a horse throwing their head up, diving behind the vertical, gaping at the mouth- essentially attempting to be anywhere BUT the contact.

Here is something I often say to people in my clinics.

Imagine you’re on a date. Your date grabs your hand and doesn’t let go. You squirm to get away, but he holds tighter. He says, some day you will have to hold my hand so you need to get used to it. I won’t release until you accept this contact. Maybe he’s brought up in the school of thought that your display of evasion should be countered with a strap of some kind to prevent you from moving away- a flash nose band of sorts for you.

It doesn’t matter how light or heavy he touches- it is contact that isn’t right for the moment. It’s greedy, and inappropriate.

Now imagine you’re on a date and the conversation has lead you to realize you really enjoy his company. Your relationship is developing, he brushes your hand, you reach out and hold it.

Those are two very different feelings, and they come from two very different places.

When the conditions are there, the contact is taken by the horse. Not the other way around.

Contact has meaning. It is not meaningless pressure on the horses mouth, it is a holding of hands while you dance- it is a connection between your body and the horse’s hind legs. It is the display of everything you believe and who you are- manifested through your hand and into the horse- and the horse’s response is a direct representation of their preparation and feelings about your body and hands.

08/07/2022

Horses build cool and confident leaders and this is why!

08/04/2022

3 august 2022

Fallston MD
The first slide on Darci! She has a great stopping cue but she tends to dig in her front end. I have been working on pushing her into the stop to encourage her to sit down on her hind end. She has also found her go button and loves loping around.

07/24/2022

24 July 2022

Kingsville MD
Another post of appreciation for our lesson horses. These fine equines are of a special breed to be able to teach my students so much. Portia had a good attitude today despite the heat and gave us an awesome ride!

07/23/2022

20 July 2022

Fallston MD
Seasoning some horses, young and old, on the trail. First ride outside for all three of the horses Desi, Darci, and Peppermint.

07/22/2022

21 July 2022

Red Lion PA
A great night at no name farm last night! This sport is all about beating yourself- last night my student and I both shaved a couple seconds off our runs and both ended with 6th places.

07/21/2022

20 July 2022

Kingsville MD
Reise is a good model for teaching kids how to groom ❤️