Meet The Charge Horsemanship

12/07/2023

“It is my hope that I can leave the next generation one step closer to violence-free training.” Monty Roberts



📷 Lucas Boland

10/12/2023

So 👏 much 👏 this👏

Riding is the cherry on top. 🍒

Don’t get me wrong, I love to ride. But it is low on the list of priority behaviors that I teach my horses. I don’t start to consider preparing for under saddle work until my horse has a solid understanding of my foundation behaviors and safe handling skills.

What this means:

➡️ The ability to lead safely and calmly, in a flat nylon halter (not a stud chain) in many locations, past distractions, and with other handlers.
➡️ Cooperative hoof care, grooming, and bathing
➡️ Medical behaviors - accepting oral medications, cooperative injections, standing still for the vet, temperature taking, etc.
➡️Trailer loading

These behaviors are key to a horse’s safety and ability to be handled in emergencies, and are prioritized far over ridden work in my books.

10/10/2023

Instant gratification comes at a cost..

And many times is actually a longer, harder path.

Connection is understanding.
Control is fear.

Connection feels calm
Control feels heavy

Connection grows
Control is stagnant

Next time you attempt to "control" your horse, breathe and switch vour perspective

From " What is wrong with this horse?"
To "What is this horse showing me?"

Then proceed and watch your connection grow, you will both feel lighter after.

How do you catch yourself in a controlling mood?

Do you feel it first or act first?

Peace & Love
Melissa

P.S- this is also true for all relationships in your life ❤️

10/08/2023

I need to make an appreciation post for this little horse.

For those who don’t know, back in December I made a bold move and adopted a little mare from a local rescue. I had intermittently worked with this mare on and off for a few years, and had always kept my eye on her. There was just something about her that I appreciated, despite all the baggage she carried with her.

When I went to pick her up, she took a few minutes to get caught. She was grossly overweight and still very scared of people; so we just took our time to get her haltered and loaded into the rig and we were on our way home.

Fast forward to this past week, where I dragged her and the gal leasing her to a groundwork clinic I had been asked to teach. The clinic was held at a location where this little horse had experienced a lot of different people with varying expectations and degrees of experience handling her. This was the second time she had come back to this facility since her adoption. Despite the chaos and shenanigans of strange people and new horses in a stressful environment, she handled herself like an old pro.

So to the naysayers who believe groundwork is boring and doesn’t serve a purpose, take a look at this little rescue mare and her student, and the journey they have traveled together. This is not the same horse that loaded up and was adopted 10 months ago.

To my student, I hope you can see how far you have come and are proud of what you have accomplished with this exceptional horse. You have both exceeded any expectations and I couldn’t be prouder of you both.

09/03/2023

Connection stems from feel. 😌

08/05/2023

A very big thank you to AMcGinley Photography for doing such an excellent job of catching the herd and all of their unique personalities! We look forward to watching your skills as an equine photographer grow!

08/02/2023

Look at Tink being an absolute rockstar!

07/30/2023

This! So much this!

There is no denying that, just like people, our animals all come with their own histories and baggage, and most of all, their own personalities.

As stewards for the animal, we must customize each and every interaction for the particular individual we are handling.

Thank you for sharing, The Willing Equine!

At the end of the day, behavior is always the study of one.

The science of behavior and learning applies to every species, but the application of that science is an art form and needs to be tailored to the individual.

No two horses are the same. This is something that I am reminded of daily, in working with my own 7 personal horses, as well as all of my clients horses.

Always be willing to experiment, learn, and adapt to help the individual. 🐴

05/30/2023

Coexisting is enough.

PSA: Don’t punish your horse just for being a horse.

So often I hear the words, “He’s too expensive to just be a pet. He has to work and have a job.”

I have five horses. Trust me, I know how expensive they are to keep. But that is not the horse’s fault. Do you wake up in the morning and look at your dog and say, “what are you going to do for me today?”

When you tell someone that you have a dog, the first thing they typically ask is “Oh my gosh! What’s his name? What does he look like?! Do you have pictures?!”

The first thing people ask me when I tell them I have a horse is, “Nice. What do you do with him?”

People don’t mean any harm when they say that. It’s just that this view of the horse is a historical thing. From the time you are a little kid, you’re flooded with images of horses being ridden. You learn about horses throughout history that carried soldiers into battle, worked across the Great West, and served a distinct purpose for humans. This doesn’t mean that the people who were using horses as a tool didn’t love, admire or respect them (though we know some didn’t), it just means that the horse has always, throughout time, had a JOB.

But that doesn’t mean they HAVE TO have a job today. It’s not their fault hay prices are out of control, board rates are high and their accident-prone tendencies bring on thousands of dollars of vet bills. It’s not their fault they cost a lot of money to maintain and keep. Horses are beautiful, energetic species just like our dog and cat friends. They should not be forced to have a “job” just because they cost a lot of money.

Now, I’m not saying that your horse shouldn’t be ridden. I’m not saying horses hate having jobs. (Although we know a lot of them don’t actually like what they’re doing.) I’m saying that OUR INTENTION, OUR ENERGY, and OUR ACTIONS need to shift in order to approach the “work” from a place of mutual respect, joy, pride, excitement, and LOVE.

I used to tell my horse, “I work 40 hours a week to afford you. You can work 1 hour a day.” I ignored his attitude, his attempts to communicate with me and his objections because my ego had decided that I worked too hard to not get everything I wanted from that horse on any given day. I was punishing him just for being a horse.

It took time for me to shift my perspective. It took truly seeing the horse as a beautiful, independent being to realize that actually: I worked 40 hours a week to afford him, yes. But he didn’t need to work 1 hour a day to justify that. All he needed to do was look at me with those big brown eyes when I showed up to the barn, nicker softly and breathe against my cheek. THAT was all the “payment” I needed. THAT made the 40-hour work weeks worth it.

Funny thing is? As soon as I dropped the “you owe it to me” schtick, his attitude softened. He offered more to me in terms of “work” than he ever did before. He started ENJOYING rides, taking real pride in what we did together and being a very active participant in everything we did together. It wasn’t the “work” or the “job” that needed to go away. It was the reason I had for asking him to do it. It was MY attitude that needed to change.

It’s been years since that shift occurred for me. Years since I needed to have a horse held at the mounting block so that I could get on. Years since I told my horse they could “suck it up and be ridden” for an hour. And in those years, I’ve seen more horses happy to work, more horses willingly and enthusiastically showing up to sessions, and have felt more fulfilled and proud of the work I do with horses than I ever did when my ego was in charge.

Just some food for thought. Honor yourselves, .

05/27/2023

So much of the learning of the equine body happens in two dimensions.
This often results in limiting people's thinking into two dimensions.

Any streamlined body traveling at speed has a tendency to tip and deviate from the line of travel, rotating about its center of mass. It may swing from side to side, rock about the long axis, or tip upwards and downwards.

We can look at movement in three simple plains: lateral frame dorsoventral frame and rotating frame also considered a contractile frame.

These three frames maintain the shape of body structure while the body is moving against gravity.

05/19/2023

Inconvenienced
Kathleen Beckham

Years ago, I had a baby horse, and when he was about 18 months old, I had the opportunity to have an equine chiropractor work on him. He was wiggly and squirrelly, and I apologized to the chiropractor for that. “That’s okay,” she said, “Little babies haven’t learned how to be inconvenienced yet.”

That was big for me. So big. “Inconvenienced.” I hadn’t thought of that before, but it was the perfect word for it. We don’t want our horse to tolerate being hurt, or being treated unfairly, but he dang sure needs to be able to be inconvenienced.

From that day forward, “being inconvenienced” became a more thoughtful part of my horse work. I started to see some of the “issues” students were having with their horses as having to do with the horse’s inability to be “inconvenienced” without becoming very anxious. I also saw the stress that some of my students experienced when they knew they were going to inconvenience their horses. It turned out it was, indeed, a “thing.”

The ability to be inconvenienced and be resilient about it, it’s a skill. It’s a skill for people, it’s a skill in dogs, and it’s a skill in horses. It’s a skill that needs to be purposefully taught, and then carefully developed and expanded over time. It should be part of any training process for horses, because it’s something that they don’t necessarily come “from the factory” with, and it’s something they really need to succeed in the human world we insist they live in.

For a horse, “being inconvenienced” can be things like being asked to work while other horses are eating, standing tied, not being fed first, being turned out or brought in a “non-preferred” order, standing next to strange horses and not being allowed to socialize, having their feet picked up, going down the trail while other horses speed by, having veterinary work done, getting in a trailer or other small space, not being allowed to graze while working… I think you get the picture. Once I started thinking about my horse being “inconvenienced,” I saw it everywhere. Gosh, a LOT of a horse’s life in the human world is inconvenience. I also started to see how much stress a horse who had not learned to be resilient about being inconvenienced could experience.

It’s not always possible to remove the inconveniences in our horses’ lives, and I’m not sure that’s the way to go anyway. A horse who is resilient about being inconvenienced develops many other positive qualities because of his ability to be inconvenienced. He learns to self-soothe, he learns to think before he reacts. He learns patience and he learns to be flexible. He learns not to get stuck in patterns and expectations. He learns to be softer and more thoughtful. He learns to be calmer and quieter.

A horse who develops the ability to be inconvenienced as a principle of his training/life is less likely to be herdbound, gate sour or barn sour. They’re more likely to trailer load easily, to tie quietly and to learn whatever we are trying to teach them. It’s kind of the “secret sauce” of horse training, if you know about it.

Being inconvenienced might start very small. The first time one of our youngsters is inconvenienced might be the first time we have him on a lead rope and he wants to go left and I want to go right. Or he wants to eat grass and I want to take him for a walk or take him over to get his feet trimmed. So it might start very small at first. But I’m aware of it. I’m aware of when he’s inconvenienced, and I’m aware of how much inconvenience he’s able to take, for his stage of development. I am carefully and thoughtfully, methodically building his “fitness” to be inconvenienced.

Those little, fleeting inconveniences will turn into bigger ones eventually, like being left outside or in the barn by himself, or standing tied to the trailer all day, or working in the rain, or working while the farm is being fed. Those are much bigger inconveniences than being asked to turn left when you want to turn right. A working horse, or a horse we want to be able to take places and do things with, he’s really got to be able to be inconvenienced. That makes him much safer and more fun to be with.

Being inconvenienced is also about a horse being practiced at changing his mind. So he can practice thinking about one thing (“I want to go sniff that horse over there”) and change what he’s thinking about (“Hey horse, let’s go over here, away from that horse, and do a stop/back/bring our front end around.”). To do that, we have to be able to decipher what our horse is thinking about, and then become proficient at causing him to change his thoughts. Horses who can’t change their thoughts do not deal with inconvenience very well, while horses who are good at changing their thoughts will be much better at being inconvenienced.

This is different from “desensitization,” and it’s not about getting the horse “shut down. It’s not about hurting him, or flooding him, or setting him up to fail. It is literally about building the horse’s mental flexibility, by degrees. It’s methodical and progressive. It’s sometimes a delicate balance, and it can be something that takes some awareness and skill on the human’s part. It’s no different than building a horse’s physical fitness and abilities, it’s about choosing the right size steps for that horse’s fitness level.

A horse whose ability to be inconvenienced has been well-developed will be quieter, less anxious, less ulcery, and more physically and mentally balanced. They will have more brain-space available for things of our choosing.

This ability to be inconvenienced, it’s a gift to the horse. It’s a gift to him, so he doesn’t have to suffer the unnecessary stress and anxiety caused by his lack of mental flexibility. Done mindfully, it doesn’t have to be scary or dangerous. And done earlier, it’s easier. And older horse who has never been inconvenienced, that’s going to be more difficult than a younger horse with no preconceived ideas about things.

At the end of the day, this is a practical thing. We choose to have our horses live in our human world, so if they can be inconvenienced, that makes living in our world a lot easier for them. It’s a gift, not a burden to them.

Coming soon... The Attention Course: an online learning opportunity that will help you get, keep and direct your horse’s attention (thought), and in the process, become worthy of it. This is part of being inconvenienced, because it is not always convenient for our horse to pay attention to us (or for us to have to ask for his attention). If you’d like to be eligible for a discount on The Attention Course when it goes live soon, sign up for your discount here: https://www.ethosequine.com/courses

04/26/2023

Tag your mentor ….

There is a difference between a trainer and a mentor. A trainer teaches you how to ride and a mentor teaches you how to be horsewoman. A mentor is someone you call for their endless equine medical advice. Someone you go to for a pep talk when you’ve lost your confidence. Someone who cries with you when your horse has died. Someone who encourages you to trust your gut. Someone who’s kindness and understanding of both horses and humans is something you strive to emulate. Someone who is honest without being cruel. Someone who pushes you towards scary goals because they believe in you more than you believe in yourself. Someone who respects you as a peer while knowing more about horses than you could ever dream of. Meet my mentor ….

03/27/2023

Listening to the horse’s needs makes far more positive progress than pushing through. The horse always comes first. Thank you JR Robles for demonstrating good horsemanship.

03/17/2023

HORSEMAN
There are horse trainers, horse traders and horse whisperers. There are show men, show boaters and show offs. There are fast talkers and would be magicians.

But then there are true Horsemen and Horsewomen, and these are harder to find and sometimes even harder to recognize because they are often tucked away in quiet hidden places, working slowly and silently without national recognition or appreciation.

Often times, the true horseman or woman does not have the most horses in training or those horses that are exceptionally bred or high priced. Often times, the true Horsemen and Women do not have access to big money owners or run through dozens and dozens of prospects in order to find the few that can take the pressure of aged event prize money or high profile exhibition. Many times, the true horsemen and women are slow and steady, methodical and patient, training on an individual horse's timeline and not to a rigid show schedule set by the seasons or show management.

These people recognize a horse's physical and mental capabilities and showcase their assets without sacrificing their bodies or minds. Horsemen and women take their time developing their horses' skills and confidence through a traditional steps, one before the next, placing just as much credence in their teaching relationship and equine partnership as they do in show pen results. Horsemen and women are humble because their reward comes from within; from knowing that they have taught through kindness, patience, fortitude, and logic. Their rewards coming from creating a confident horse that works with them and not for them, horses that are not scared or intimidated, horses with solid foundations that last season after season and that carry a gamut of riders from the experienced non pro to the Amateur to the Green Reiner. Always Dedicated. Always Patient. Always Consistent. Whether it be riding young horses, resurrecting older horses, or maintaining the Steady Eddy, a True Horseman is one of the first ones to throw a leg over in the morning and one of the last ones to pull their boots off in the evening.
Horsemen and women are a pleasure to watch in the arena or on the ranch as they diligently and patiently impart their knowledge and logic to both horses and students.

In an era where the horse industry is so economically driven and success is measured primarily in prize money and accolades, the tradition of the true horseman and the process of training horses seems to be changing; giving way to an assembly line mentality where immediate success and financial compensation take precedence over handcrafted quality and longevity. Dedicated to their craft, loyal to their students, ambitious, hardworking and a role model for anyone interested in making their way in an industry dominated by pressure to build great animals in less and less time, old fashioned horsemen are women are now Artisans, assets to our heritage and traditions and harder and harder to find.

A thoughtful teacher, a thorough instructor, a gentle hand, a firm guide, a rational yet fearless showman, the greatest compliment that I think could ever be given to someone who works with horses, is to be thought of as a Horseman.

📝Becky Hanson

03/08/2023

March 6, 2023

And many horses are in PAIN!!

01/18/2023

There’s a future equestrian always watching ringside…be the inspiration you wish you had as a child.

Do you remember that girl you used to envy way back when? All those years ago when you were a teen and showing horses? The one you thought was so skinny and had the perfect body for hunt seat equitation?

Even though you might not have thought so, your body weight was just fine.

And you do remember that rider who had the perfect equitation? You thought you could never be like her.

Your equitation was pretty stellar, too.

Do you remember wishing you had an unlimited budget to buy the best horse in the world so you could compete at the top levels?

A million-dollar horse doesn't equate to instant success.

And do you remember feeling like an outsider, wondering if you would ever fit in? Maybe your clothes weren't quite right, or your tack wasn't new enough, or you didn't pull up in a fancy truck and trailer.

Those other girls felt like misfits, too. But trust me when I say this, you were all wrong.

Dear younger me, when you look back at those days and remember that you never felt pretty enough or good enough or had a horse that could compete at the top levels, you will realize that you were always where you needed to be. Those days of working hard and making the best out of what you had would serve you well in life. They would teach you what it meant to set goals and to work toward your dreams. They would teach you not to quit.

Older me recognizes there will always be times when you feel like you're the odd man, er, woman out. And that is all those times you forced yourself to be friendly at horse shows or talk to someone on the rail, you were learning how to get out of your comfort zone, something that would serve you well.

Sometimes it's not that people are unfriendly. Sometimes they're just as introverted as you are. They don't return a smile because your smile makes them uncomfortable. Because they're shy. It's easy to judge from a distance. Far harder to give someone grace until you truly get to know them.

Remember, you are always enough. Speak kindly to yourself (because those inner monologues can be brutal sometimes.) And on the days when comparisons threaten to steal your joy, remind yourself of your success. Got a tough problem? That's OK; you've conquered many challenges before. You can do this.

Don't lose faith in yourself. Sometimes the difference between winning and losing is the confidence you exude. Hold your head just a little higher than your competition. That spark in your eyes tells the judges you're someone to be reckoned with. Always walk with confidence, because people notice.

𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙙. 𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮, 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚-𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮.

Pamela Britton-Baer's humor column focuses on the ups and downs of horse ownership. To get a message to her, write to [email protected].

12/31/2022

06/08/2022

It’s important for us to remember where we come from! We are all proud LOR alumn.

05/27/2022

What a perfect evening for an outing!

05/24/2022

Field trip day!

We love venturing out to CSU Equine Sciences to support our alma mater! Stay tuned for what our adventure today was!

03/20/2022

What a great first outing of the season! Many more adventures to come!

Wit's End Horsemanship

03/16/2022

We love feeding Redmond products - our horses thrive on Redmond Crushed Mineral, Daily Gold, and Rock on a Rope!

Redmond Equine

5 reasons your horse needs salt 🐎🧂
1️⃣ Salt encourages water consumption
2️⃣ It plays a vital role in water retention and muscle contraction
3️⃣ It contains important minerals for digestive health
4️⃣ It helps maintain healthy electrolyte levels
5️⃣ It aids digestion by helping break down food

02/07/2022

What a fun time at the CSU English Riding Club’s annual schooling show! A big thanks to for getting us off property and out on all the adventures we can imagine! Too bad our over-fence videos won’t publish!

02/06/2022

Here’s to hoping we can keep our mane plaited for five hours until we head out to the English Riding Club at Colorado State University schooling show!

02/05/2022

Guess where we’ll be on March 5th!