Big Dog Horsemanship

09/08/2022

Casually offering:

They are FULL sisters.

Bay Tobiano:
"Bailey"
*2018 mare
*grade(sire reg. APHA, dam reg. AQHA. No breeding paperwork, don't ask. Sire has since deceased, I don't know where the dam is. Neither in my name, so cannot be reg. under Pinto with lineage.)
*Started
*x,###

*Bailey has had around ~20 rides in the last two years. Despite the inconsistency, she moves off, flexes, stops, moves her hips and shoulders. I ride her in a bosal as of right now. Will be fairly easy to continue training, as she's incredibly smart. She does think she's smarter than you, so sometimes she does try her hand at saying "make me," but just moving her feet a little fixes that. Also, because she is only 4, sometimes she will hump up a little when she's had time off. I've only had her really buck once and she didn't try very hard.
*She has no maintenance, and her only real vice is she can be marish towards other horses. Just fancies herself the boss, but gets put in her place very easily.
*IF you don't have a sense of humor, she isn't the horse for you. She likes to untie knots, will take the hose out of troughs, plays with things, etc. She's a very curious mare who likes to interact with her surroundings.
*Very easy on the ground, not spooky, bathes, stands tied all day, stands for the farrier, SUPER easy to catch. Meets you halfway and loves people.
*Probably best suited for a teenager or young person with a trainer who wants an all around horse, their sire was a ranch/rope horse, but she has no real inclination for speed. EXTREMELY brave, though.

She will continue to be ridden, and I can work out a deal on training if needed/wanted.

I will be particular where she ends up, as we've had her since she was 3mo. She doesn't need to go anywhere, but my plans are geared toward AQHA and breed shows and I feel like she's been on the backburner and doesn't deserve that.

Bay:
"Penelope" UNAVAILABLE
*6-7 years old
*Grade(sire reg. APHA, dam reg. AQHA. No breeding paperwork, don't ask. Sire has since deceased, I don't know where the dam is.)
*Unstarted
*x,###

*Penny has only had groundwork done. I have not saddled her yet. She is a project, but I don't think she'll be hard to start with some patience. She was mostly untouched until I got her a year ago, so she hadn't/hasn't seen many things. A little watchy, but not dangerous.
*Basic ground manners: loads, stands tied, good for farrier, bathes, easy to catch, etc. Has not been hauled very much, so she quite literally is a blank slate.
*Compared to her sister, she got the athleticism. I think she'd be a good ranch horse, or probably do decent on barrels. No maintenance, only issue is she does breakout from flies. Not all over, just her neck. Does not affect her otherwise, just itchy. I keep her fly sprayed and use MTG medicated baths and it helps.

Neither are for posted for their own faults, just don't fit my program anymore and thus they're not getting the time they deserve.

08/24/2022

08/23/2022

PD Easy aka Rowen
- 6 year old AQHA gelding
- 16.2 hands

Big, broke, blue roan gelding!

Everything you could ever want in a ranch horse or roper, right here! Rowen's got the looks, size, and bone to tackle your big, all day jobs. He has big forward movement, with a ground covering trot and even more powerful lope. Has a second gear and can really flat out move.

He participated in the EXCA Futurity with Joshua Rushing in 2019, coming out 7th. Has placed 1st multiple times in EXCA/UHCA races. Been hauled extensively. This horse has seen just about every obstacle you can think of, and he's darn near unflappable. Fantastic on trails, alone or in a group. Loves having a job, preferably with cattle. Rowen has been roped off of multiple times, and can work a cow. Has a big jump as well. This horse has been there, done that.

Best under a confident, more experienced hand, as he does have buttons and a big stride, but he is owned and ridden by an amateur. Will carry around an intermediate rider with no fuss. No buck or rear, even after sitting.

Rowen has been ridden in a bosal since he was started, and has carried around the bridle, ready to be worked in it. He also packs around in a correction or snaffle.

A stellar gentleman on the ground! Walks up to you in the pasture, no matter how big. Gets along with every horse. One of those horses you love having in your barn because he's well mannered and fun to have around.

I have videos of his EXCA Futurity runs upon request, and I am working on getting updated videos ASAP. Owner and him just do not get along, not for any fault of his own.

PPE at buyers expense

3x,###

03/04/2022

12/17/2021

Easy going horses oftentimes get the worst start under saddle and the horse is the one that pays the price later.

Sure those easy going horses may be simple to get on, walk around on and build up from there, but that’s the problem.

When an owner, or even sometimes a professional with not enough experience, starts working with a really easy going horse they inevitably get to thinking about all the things they’ll be able to do really soon and start skipping steps.

They skip the very steps, the very building blocks that build a solid foundation in a horse’s education and sets them up for success the rest of their lives.

How do I know???

Because for years now our training barn has been filled with sexy, beautiful, good minded, quick learning horses who now have quirks, ‘bad habits’ and started doing dangerous behaviors no one saw coming because the horse was ‘such an easy start and so good minded’.

Your horse only gets one start.

Whether you’re investing your own time to start your own horse or you are investing your hard earned money to have a qualified professional start your horse- I have one thing to say to you: commit.

Commit to seeing that your horse gets the very best start to their education as one day life circumstances may radically shift and the horse’s life and well being could depend on that very education.

[And for the type A horse people reading this, committing does not mean micromanaging, that never serves a relationship positively.]

The key to keeping horse’s out of rescues and life threatening situations is a solid foundation in their education. And you may think- ‘my horse would never end up there’ but todays circumstances don’t matter. It is about tomorrow for your horse. It doesn’t matter how good looking, well bred or who owns a horse. With just a few series of events a horse could find themselves in a life threatening situation and it can be their education that bails them out.

They get one start. Commit to it. It is your responsibility. See it through. Don’t skip steps. Take the time it takes. It’s the beginning of the rest of their life.

-Colton Woods

11/10/2021

Evening adventures! He’s such a good boy, very very excited to race him this next season.

**tstarting

10/19/2021

Mia last night! Definitely unimpressed with being saddled again, but we’ll work through those anxieties ☺️

**tstarting

10/18/2021

8 skills your horse needs to know, most of what we do with our horses under saddle use a combination of these:
Bend laterally on both sides – (1-2).
Bend laterally and disengage at same time both sides – (3-4).
Go forward – (5).
Go backwards off hands – (6).
Get off inside leg both sides – (7-8).
You can see how to teach your horse these on our video site: videos.warwickschiller.com Just follow the First Rides and Basic Body Control videos.

10/07/2021

Boo Radley the other day ❤️ he’s such a monster when he doesn’t get worked every day

**tstarting

10/03/2021

Love this girl, she’s going to be a BEAST. Hopped on after a hot minute, and we went off like it’d been just yesterday.

Also, her feet will be getting done. I’m struggling to find a farrier. And the pad is for the ponies, she was just modeling.

09/30/2021

09/30/2021

Finally got the round pen back in working shape last night 💪🏼 so these butts can get in shape eventually

**tstarting

09/29/2021

I feel like I’m in a dream with everything I have right now 🥰

09/28/2021

she’s an idiot and almost killed herself and my unborn grandchild yesterday🙄

**tstarting

09/26/2021

I am a reining trainer, but horsemanship comes first.

For that reason I will not drug horses even for shows. I also won't make them bleed, from their sides or their mouth.

* Horsemanship: The art or practice of riding on Horseback. *

I love this definition. Training and riding is an art form that takes A LOT of practice.

Would drugging horses possibly give us better scores? Sometimes. So why don't I do it? Because then true horsemanship is pushed aside.

True horsemanship is a physical and mental exercise. We have to learn to master ourselves, emotionally, physically, mentally.

What lessons would we miss by taking the easy road? What personal growth would we miss out on?

Prizes and winning is amazing! We all love to win! But how much sweeter is the victory when we have put the work and time in to do it right.

And gone through the ups and downs along the way.

As humans we love instant gratification.

Becoming a great horseman or horse trainer is not instant it's a steady build of learning and growth.

That should be a lifetime venture, we can always get better, learn more, and improve.

That's part of the draw for me personally. No matter what we pursue in life we should always be learning and trying to develop ourselves.

True horsemanship is connection with your horse. It's taking the time to learn timing and feel.

And honing that skill until our horses can read what we are thinking and we can feel what they are thinking.

It's being able to add and release pressure in a manner that the horse can understand.

It's also learning each horses personality and understanding them as an individual.

Developing people and horses that can communicate and work together well even under the pressure situation of showing is our goal.

If you can learn this skill it will transfer over to other aspects in life.

That's why we use the phrase complete connection. It means developing connection between you and your horse.

It can also mean the complete connection to ourselves. Horses can help us feel what a real connection is.

In this busy world they teach us slow down, dig deep, be brave, and never give up.

09/22/2021

I’m awful at posting, I need content 😭 but here’s the land whale yesterday. I’m way too excited for this baby 😆

**tstarting

09/18/2021

The one good thing about injuries… usually the horses come out well rounded 😆

09/07/2021

I stole the photos from Taelynn Finan because I haven’t gotten out there to take some pictures, but welcoming Mia to the herd for 90 days! She’s going to be learning the basics, and how to adjust herself since losing an eye. :)

On the other hand, Winifred decided she needed to give me a heart attack yesterday. Somehow managed to tear a hole in her cheek, and separate the muscle. She currently looks like she had a stroke, since that side of her face is drooping and she can’t control it as well. Managed to find a vet on call for emergencies and got her all stitched up! We’re on the mend now, and praying it heals correctly! 🙏🏻

**tstarting

09/01/2021

Rowen 8/31/2021

Handsome man :’) he’s so much fun to ride, but unfortunately he leaves Sunday to go back home. But Gracie comes in his place!

08/30/2021

Honestly I could look at her all day 😍 I adore her head. Super excited for Pippin’, she’ll start her groundwork soon enough :)

08/24/2021

This is how Winnie feels about the heat and I agree!

I’m slowly but surely getting over COVID-19 🙏🏻 yesterday I rode for the first time since last Tuesday, but now today I feel awful again :(

08/17/2021

It’s pretty insane how far this mare has come. I was looking at photos from when I first got her compared to now, and you can see the worry melt from her eyes in each consecutive picture as time goes on.

I can’t wait to start riding her around, but for now our groundwork is taking precedence.

Winnie had her first round pen session yesterday, and she literally ROCKED it. Immediate engagement, no fear of the flag or my energy, constant focus on me. The biggest thing is she WASN’T FEARFUL. If I had tried this even three months ago, everything we worked on would’ve been ruined. But because I’ve waited, and taken everything at her speed, she is gaining confidence in her ability to trust me. This shows because now she’ll voluntarily follow me, I can take the halter on and off, and pick up all four feet while she’s loose! :) I’m incredibly thankful for everything she’s been teaching me, and how far she’s come.

08/08/2021

I’m pretty excited for the line up of horses I have :)

08/07/2021

Welcomed this girl to the barn today ❤️ she will likely be available in the future!