Mattalyn Rogers Dressage

03/17/2025

Get the year started out on the right foot! All breeds/disciplines welcome. We will have handouts, diagrams, journaling materials and more as well as hands-on exercises tailored to your horse’s specific needs in order to set yourself up for achieving your goals this year! Regardless of whether your goals lie in competition, trail riding, or bringing your horse back from time off or injury, this clinic is for you!

12/01/2024

Have you been looking for a way to get yourself or loved one into horses? Have you been out of horses for a while and want to get back into it? Do you have horses but just don’t feel like you know enough and would like to fill in the gaps in your education to be safer and enjoy your horses more?

We’ve got the perfect program for you! This program is all-encompassing and will teach you all about horse care from feeding and first aid to ground-work and problem solving to riding in whatever discipline you desire!

This program is designed to be budget and family friendly, with discounts given to family members and groups. Scheduling to follow, based on response to announcement, so get in quick and make your requests early!

11/20/2024

Luna’s first time with the reins hooked directly to the bit! I’m a huge believer in preserving the mouth at almost any cost. While you will see me get in a horse’s way if they’re pushing through me, with a green horse’s sensitive little mouth I am VERY careful. For this reason, and also because it teaches them to follow the feel of the rein with their whole head/neck/shoulder/body, we attach the rein to the rope halter THROUGH the ring on the bit. This dulls the effect of the bit some, but also helps them with the transition from halter or side pull to bit without a huge jump in the feeling in the mouth. Luna has had lots of opinions about the bit and we’ve taken a long time to get her really comfortable with it. You can obviously see moments where her greenness shines through, but what I love to see is that she is learning to follow the feel of the rein and turning her shoulders (instead of turning the head/neck and falling out with her shoulders) while following through with the hind legs, which she isn’t quite convinced exist anyway! 😝

11/19/2024

Not sure what to get your loved one for Christmas? Tired of telling your parents/significant other what to get you? Give and get the gift of learning with horses! We are offering exclusive Christmas packages that come with all kinds of MRD SWAG! Lessons/sessions/intensives can be scheduled up to a year in advance, or saved until you’re ready to use them! (We get it… nobody wants to ride in February in Tennessee! 🙃🥶)
Message us today to buy yours, and be sure to like and share the post so your loved ones can GET THE HINT!

11/19/2024

While it may seem like nothing, Rourke standing this quietly “tied” by himself (no other horses around) is a huge step for him! It began with him trying to go up and over the round pen gate (not on video as I was focused on keeping him safe) and ended with him taking deep breaths and regulating. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: patience is one of the most valuable skills (yes, I said SKILL as it is learned!) you can teach your horse, along with inconvenience. They need to learn things can go the way they don’t want them to and still they can be okay. This is often enforced by creating a situation of learned helplessness, but by teaching these things incrementally and with the right timing, the horse can become patient vs shut down, calm vs introverted, and regulated vs disassociated.

11/06/2024

Baby’s first trail ride!

Seeing the progression of confidence in young horses is ONE of my favorite things about training horses. 🥰

11/05/2024

Cooper progress post!

Cooper has been home for a little over a week now and is being a perfect patient! He is on stall rest but gets some time outside in the round pen and gets to graze a little. Doctors are happy with the healing so far. We’re far from out of the woods but feeling more relieved by the day. 🤞🏼

Huge thank you to everyone that bought packages to help get us through and keep in mind we’re still offering these packages to help with his ongoing vet bills, as well as a fundraiser coming soon!

11/01/2024

Join us in honoring our horses by learning more to help them in the season of thankfulness! 🙏🍁🍂🦃

Our next clinic will be Nov. 16th at 9:00 AM at the Marucchi Farm in South Knoxville. We will have individual ground work sessions, followed by group riding, a lunch-break with discussion and individual riding sessions in the afternoon! A second day can be added for those interested. Send us a message to reserve your spot or get more information! Cost to participate is $175/horse, auditing is $35.

10/29/2024

Day seven of her ten day intensive stay. We’ve had several breakthroughs but progress remains sloooowww and steady. 🥰

10/29/2024

Our beloved Delta Burke. Also known as murder cat. Loved by many and certainly worthy of being celebrated on National Cat Day!

10/25/2024

This is a hill I will willingly die on.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Afns7SqbqA7W4zbq/?mibextid=ox5AEW

After seeing multiple videos posted by various breeders bragging about their 2 ½ year olds/recently turned 3 year olds and sharing videos of them cantering around in the arena, I have decided to once again circulate the below article.

First of all, breeders *should* have the knowledge to understand a horse’s fragile and slow maturing musculoskeletal system. Breeders should not condone their own horses let along anyone’s horses being cantered around under saddle at an incredibly young age. Period. This sets a terrible example and is quite honestly animal abuse. Just because a horse does not object does not mean it is right. And quite frankly, most of the videos posted show animals that are already in pain or developing pain…

As breeders, we should strive to produce healthy and sound animals. We should promote horsemanship that produces long term soundness. No, starting a horse later does not guarantee soundness. But it certainly helps.

I am a firm believer in scientifically backed approaches to horsemanship. You can’t argue with science that has been proven time and time again. Let’s dispel some stupid rumors:

1. There is no such thing as a (skeletally) slow maturing horse or one that is fast maturing. No horse is skeletally mature before the age of 6. And that is on the low estimate for age.

2. Growth plates are not just in the knee. Every bone behind the skull has a growth plate. Not every single one needs to be converted to bone before starting. There is a schedule of when bone fuses…this is the information needed to know when to start a horse. Not their outward appearance. It is a known fact that during growth, proprioceptive awareness can regress, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

3. Starting a horse is not the same thing as riding a horse. Starting a horse does not mean cantering it 3-4 days a week in an arena.

4. Injecting a horse that is in pain does not mean you fixed a problem. You masked it.

5. You can build correct muscle and teach a horse how to move their body from the ground. This creates a solid foundation to work from once your horse is ready to actually be backed. Teach a horse to use its body correctly before backing and you’ll save yourself a lot of vet bills down the line.

Hocks are “late” for maturity. The growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals do not fuse until a horse is 3-3 ½. Ever wonder why so many horses seem to have hocks issues?? Horses need to learn to carry themselves and their own weight well before adding a rider.

The growth plates that are LAST to close are at the base of the neck. This area is where we ask a horse to raise the base of their neck and come round. If under too much stress, the growth plates can fracture or be permanently damaged.

There are DOZENS of activities you can do with a young horse to build healthy muscular development. None of them involve a saddle or your weight on their back. Teaching a horse to carry themselves correctly BEFORE adding a rider is essential and cannot be done in a week. A 2 ½ year old horse is a baby. Mentally and physically. We see far too many injured performance horses at VERY young ages - broken down and/or sour from work. It’s wrong. Period. They need slow and steady work and need time to recover from even the slightest of injuries.

PLEASE, if you are considering when you should start your horse and what that work load should look like, please read the below. There are some wonderful things you can do with your young developing horse. Please don’t rush a year out of greed.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

10/25/2024

Food for thought!

Dominance theory was a terrible mistake, that even the scientist who cataloged it, regrets doing. The deep level of misunderstanding that happened based on inappropriate studies just spiraled out of control into a culturally accepted excuse to train and work with animals with force and punishment.

Dominance theory was the idea that animals, horses included, have a linear dominance and set roles within the herd. The idea that there is a set leader, a decision maker, who controls the other horses' behaviors through threats and the other horses love this horse as their leader. The idea that horses have a linear set hierarchy that determines who's in charge and only changes if overthrown by someone stronger. These deeply flawed ideas have lead people to believe that they can be the leader horse by mimicking equine behavior, they misunderstood, justifying their use of forceful physical control and punishment to train behavior. All under the idea of being a "good leader".

The thing is, science is constantly growing and self-correcting. As we spend more time actually studying horses in various scenarios and environments, and each species individually, their family units, their herds, packs, groups, etc... We have learned this concept of dominance is wildly inaccurate and deeply unhealthy, only seen in extreme, inappropriate environments (like old overpacked zoos with many unrelated animals, as the original studies were based on).

What's really going on then? What is Dominance really? Do we need to be dominant?

Horse herds really work in a much more fluid and dynamic manner, it's not a linear hierarchy. Horses make decisions based on need, if someone has a need, they satisfy that need, the other horses stay with them out of social bonds and safety in numbers. A secure, confident horse will be more likely to make decisions that lead away from the group, while insecure, nervous horses might be less likely to make decisions, sticking more closely to the center of the herd. This isn't leadership or dominance, just confidence, in themselves and their world. This changes constantly. A confident horse may be more clingy and insecure if they have a pain problem, if they're pregnant, or if they're sick. This dynamic is constantly flowing. Who makes the decision, is up to how much the individual wants something. Who stays or goes in the herd is based on social bonds, friendships, familial relationships, and resource needs.

What was frequently mistaken as "dominance" was actually determined roles of priority access to resources. If a resource is limited, the herd knows who has first access, usually the bully. This varies by resource, my sweet itch mare has priority access to the shelter, while she doesn't care about defending food resources. She may shove everyone out of her way for shelter from bugs, but someone else may shove her out of the way for food. A group of 2 might pair up to move off a single horse who would typically move either of them individually. This access to resources is determined with little squabbles, but usually is limited to just some body language threatening gestures. It would be unhealthy if the herd were to compromise each other in fights over resources, when they have the bigger threat of predators they need to remain safe for. We only see extreme linear resource guarding in domestic settings where resources are limited. If hay is fed in limited supply one horse may always get priority access. If there isn't enough shelter, one horse may not let the others in it. This isn't dominance, but resource guarding. This isn't leadership, but the opposite, a horse who is deeply insecure in their resources, in their safety, violently defending themselves. If one horse resource guards excessively, most of the other horses avoid them, ignore them, don't want to groom with them, and don't want to risk dealing with them. They're like a human child bully, so insecure in themselves they act out against everyone else to try to soothe their need.

Ethology has also shown that horses do not think humans are horses. Even if we mimic their body language, they do not equate us as horses. We don't have a place in their access to resources, because we aren't sharing their resources. We are their PROVIDERS. We are the ones giving them their resources, it's our job to understand herd dynamics and ensure our horses have adequate resources in appropriate ways so there is no need to fighting, insecurity, or herd stress. It's not our job to challenge our horses for access to the very resources we are giving them! We are their caretakers.

Dominance and access to resources has nothing to do with training, only knowing how to provide care and management without creating unhealthy or dangerous equine interactions.

Training should be done with a compassionate understanding of behavioral science and how to apply positive reinforcement. It has nothing to do with herd dynamics or dominance, or even strong leadership, but rather clear communication, compassionate care and gentle behavior training.

Additional resources
https://www.awla.org/uncategorized/alpha-dogs-dominance-theory-fact-or-fiction/

https://www.clickertraining.com/node/2297

https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/dominance-when-an-outdated-theory-wont-go-away

https://news.asu.edu/20210805-discoveries-myth-alpha-dog

https://journal.iaabcfoundation.org/horse-dominance-1-28/

https://www.thewillingequine.com/post/dominance-leadership

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/debunking-the-alpha-dog-theory/

https://positively.com/dog-training/article/ethology-why-pack-theory-is-wrong

https://www.rover.com/blog/alpha-dog-meaning/?msockid=323ef8c5489068da23bbeaa549916988

https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/dominance-when-an-outdated-theory-wont-go-away

10/24/2024

I realize I’m late with this update. Cooper made it through surgery well, surgeon was happy with it. If all continues to go well, he will be allowed to come home tomorrow afternoon to recover at home. A huge thank you to everyone for your support and love during this time, and remember our packages are still available at a reduced rate to help me pay for his surgery and treatments.

We will also be selling some really cute merch soon to help raise funds for his continued care and recovery, so be on the lookout for that!

10/23/2024

We love to see it! There’s something incredibly special about seeing the person that’s waited patiently for FIVE YEARS to grow up their baby horse to the point of being able to sit on their back. They had a lovely first ride, and so happy to see one ready to graduate. She’s a happy, healthy, solid little girl and they have years to enjoy each other!

10/20/2024

Our 👻🎃SPOOKY🎃👻 clinic was a great success! Thanks to everyone for coming out and making it so great! I have two possible dates for the next one, November 16th or 23rd. Please send us a message and let us know if you have a preference!

We will plan to do groundwork in the morning, and riding in the afternoon. We will have horses available to borrow as well! 🦄

10/19/2024

Today’s the day! Come early for coffee and donuts! See y’all soon! 🥳

10/18/2024

Tomorrow morning! Come on out and join us for a fun/spooky day! 👻🎃👻🎃

10/18/2024

Baby horse in the wild! 🦁

She ended up needing her Emotional Support Human (me 😂) but learning to carry people over all kinds of terrain when you’re this wobbly can be a slooooww process.