Reghan M Performance Horse Training

08/14/2024

Chicadee took a second place at the Iowa State Fair western horse show in ranch horse walk trot. I could not ask anymore from a horse that I had on the backburner this summer. We rode in a very large class with competitive horses, to say I was pleased is an understatement.

08/13/2024

Tomorrow has already spoken, and told you what today is for

Krymsun Duke preparing to show at the end of the month at the Iowa Classic, in Cedar Rapids Iowa

08/01/2024

Happy horses make even happier riders ❤️ Ghost and his rider Becky Klein enjoyed and nice ride this afternoon, I’m happy to have her back in the saddle and enjoying her horse.

06/28/2024

⭐️Congratulations to the Lowry Family on their purchase of How Bout This Fella! I could not think of a better fit for Cowboy, he will be well loved and get to enjoy the show ring with a Youth rider for years to come! ⭐️ 🤠

06/16/2024

A little boy just resting ❤️

05/31/2024

⭐️HOW BOUT THIS FELLA⭐️
He is truly a wonderful horse! He possesses the true gelding qualities many people love. Big puppy dog personality and a beautiful ride! It can’t get better than that.

Cowboy will be consigned and cataloged to Schmitty’s Sale Barn for their June 14 & 15 sale in Aplington Iowa. Come to the sale and watch him ride around or watch and bid online. This gelding is going to make a fantastic show mount for someone!

05/29/2024

⭐️HOW BOUT THIS FELLA⭐️
2020 AQHA GELDING

Cowboy is by the great sire How Bout This Cowboy (LTE $35,910 and sire of multiple world and congress champions), and a daughter of Promote This Chip by Zips Chocolate Chip ( LTE $59,443 AQHA’s all time leading sire of western pleasure point earners for many years). Cowboy stands 16 hands, beautiful bay, with a thick mane and tail. He has been shown twice in western pleasure futurities, winning $3,000. He’s been in training for the past year, for western pleasure and ranch riding. Cowboy has a very good handle, as he transitions easily between gaits and departures, and is very smooth to ride. He has all of the quality’s to make a big time trail show horse!

Cowboy will be consigned and cataloged to Schmitty’s Sale Barn for their June 14 & 15 sale in Aplington Iowa. Come to the sale and watch him ride around or watch and bid online. This gelding is going to make a fantastic show mount for someone!

04/25/2024

Krymsun Duke stretching his legs and showing off how naturally balanced he is with his freedom of gait.
I tell people I think of training young horses like a tree if you don’t have strong roots and a base the whole structure will be unstable. It does take more time to truly bring a horse along the stages and phases of my training tree but the end result is strong and unwavering.
🌳Rhythm, relaxation, freedom of gait, contact, straightness, balance, impulsion, suppleness, on the aids, collection.

The roots (foundation)
Rhythm- evenness of movement order of footfalls
Relaxation- all muscles relaxed
Freedom of gait- natural movement of horse
Contact- steady elastic connection between the riders hands and the horses mouth
Straightness- hind feet step into the same tracks as the front feet
Balance- equal distribution of weight

The trunk (buttons and ques)
Impulsion- horse stepping through from behind
Suppleness- bending all joints without stiffness
On the aids- horse accepts and is obedient to aids
Collection- Gatherd together from the hind end and travels more up

The branches (disciplines)
Reining
Western pleasure
Barrel racing
Ranch riding
Dressage
Hunt seat
Show Jumping
Eventing
Trail riding

Training horses is being aware of where you are headed on the training tree and conscious of where you have been. This becomes a cheat code for identifying holes and making corrections a horse will understand. Begin to train your eye and you will start to notice patterns and pieces of the tree coming togeather.

04/12/2024

LET THE HORSE MAKE MISTAKES
During last nights ride I allowed my horses to choose. I stoped micromanaging every foot and allowed them to fumble so I could pick them up and help guide them in the right direction. These animals must become independent and have a sense of self control and preservation. It’s okay to hold their hand in the beginning but at some point you must let go and allow them to make a mistake… and they will. How you react and influence the correction of that mistake, will be the fine line of how that horse chooses to respond the next time you ask them to become independent. The horses had productive rides because of this and I was a much better rider. As trainers we often get carried away expecting perfection of every step that we often times mistake perfection for micromanaging. Become aware and find balance, everything works hand in hand.
KISS (Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.)

03/18/2024

There will be no lessons this week. The barn is getting a deep clean and power wash on March 25th. I will have horses at a horse show March 22-24 so I will be using Thursday to clear out the barn in preparation for power washing, then I will be on the road Friday morning with horses headed to a show. I look forward to seeing everyone next week in a nice squeaky clean barn!

02/20/2024

I will be making a Dac order here soon. Quality nutrition can be what separates you and your horses from the rest and Dac has 40 years of gurenteed quality. From pro bio paste, gut support, essential vitamins, amino acids to grooming supplies. Dac has a product to help your horse succeed. Both of these training horses are on the orange superior and bloom going on two months and they not only have an unbelievable shine to their coat but they are healthy inside and out.

I will be at the Abraham’s Equine Clinic Winter Challenge Series this weekend, come find me I will be more than happy to chat about a plan to help your horse be their best self!

02/06/2024

Sophie is down to her last 100 days of gestation! I cant wait to see what this pretty girl has been cooking 🥰
Dream ALittle Magic x Hollywood Impasta
Thank you Stacy Hansen for letting me foal her out at your place!

02/05/2024

Chicadee showing off some of her ranch horse skills for Jackson in his lesson last night! It’s always nice to see how my personal horses ride for others. This gives me a chance to observe their training from a different POV, on the ground instead of in the saddle.

02/02/2024

Ask me what I’m feeding… I’ll probably tell yah 😉
Duke has been on DAC Orange Superior for 4 Weeks I started adding 2 oz of DAC Bloom 3 weeks ago. This is my go to combination when prepping and fitting a horse for show season.

This is Duke fresh out of his stall I hadn’t touched him with a brush yet. You can’t argue with quality products when the results are this good!

If your horse is lacking shine, looking dull, acting uninterested, ulcery, metabolic, maybe they don’t quite fill out in all the right places, or your just looking to add a balancer to their daily routine, reach out to me. I can help set you up with Dac products that will work for your specific horse or heard.

01/15/2024

❄️Iowa winter is hitting everyone hard!❄️

Lessons will be temporary closed to students until the temperature hits 15°F & above during lesson hours. I’m lucky to work out of a heated barn that allows training and lesson horses a place to stay comfortable throughout the day. The arena is not heated but is suitable for training to continue and when the temperatures drop below 15°F training horses have to have a modified workout regimen in order to keep lung health a priority. We are doing our best in this winter wonder land and lessons will resume when the weather is appropriate. Current lesson students are welcome to reach out and schedule a time to come groom and visit lesson horses but this must be scheduled during the hours I’m in the barn. Thank you and keep warm! ☃️

01/03/2024

Unfortunately there will be no lessons this week. I have caught Influenza A and have not been able to get my temp in a normal range. Please hold tight and Hopfully we can be back on schedule next week. Please allow for some time to respond if you have messaged me.

12/27/2023

Liza teaching Keeleigh some working trot transitions this last week. I have seen lots of improvements from this young rider in the last 6 months. I’ve been able to throw her on a few different horses and seeing her adapt to each one and ride each one for what it is is phenomenal. This is an important skill. It’s one thing to ride a singular horse, it’s a whole other story to influence multiple different horses. Kayla McHugh

12/20/2023

As the new year approaches a quote from a great mentor has repeated itself in my head.

“It’s hard to go back to basics when you havnt been there to start” -Dr. Ron Meredith

This goes for both the horses and riders. Over the last year I have had my fare share of borderline dangerous horses to ride and correct as well as unrealistic time frames to do so. With each of those horses and the small milestones they made, I found myself being thankful for the horses I’ve created before them. Thankful for the solid foundation I created that made reliable horses to throw your leg over and ride off. To remind myself not every horse that comes through my program got the opportunity to learn the basics and it is my job to go back and teach what they missed out on. Thankful to my clients who trust me to start their young stock and allow me the time to create the foundation with no holes, so they too can be the reliable horse later on in life.

12/08/2023

I am currently laid up with a thrown out back since Tuesday. I’m hoping to be back to normal by the weekend with lots of rest and muscle relaxers. Unfortunately this means all lessons are canceled for the remainder of the week. I have reached out to everyone individually, and appreciate the flexibility and understanding!
I also ask that if you try to get ahold of me please allow for some time for me to respond. I’m taking meds that unfortunately make me groggy but are helping me gain mobility back. I’m trying to get back to everyone as soon as I can! I am taking a few days to recover so I can be back on the horses as soon as possible in the best shape possible so I can continue training and teaching lessons. Thank you for your patience!

11/20/2023

Mindful Monday:
Pay attention to your transitions, how you are asking with your body, starting and stopping after each one. Today I made a mental note to work on this throughout each ride. I have found if you can start and end your transitions with purpose, everything in between becomes consistent. There becomes less picking, less fiddling, and more correctness throughout the whole ride. It’s easier to start correctly and end correctly than to panic and fix it half way through. This has kept my horses forward thinking and willing.
FORWARD: Go when you want to go, slow when you want to slow, and everything in between.

11/09/2023

How does this mess turn into to this?
DAC tangle free detangling oil!
I have 5 bottles available if anyone would like to give it a try!
A little amount goes along way and my horse has A LOT of hair.
$20/bottle pickup in Muscatine or Tipton.
I also add a few drops into my coat conditioner spray bottle and it adds a wonderful shine

11/04/2023

I am really excited for this duo, Eve Dorris riding Rob Bohnsack’s 2 yr old filly Nevaeh. I’m looking forward to working with them as a team and seeing what all they can get accomplished in this up coming year!

10/31/2023

✨Last Thursday the Wilton Ag class came out to advance their equine science skills.✨
We went over coat colors, anatomy, how to halter, properly wrap legs, saddle, and groom a horse. Most importantly they got to have a hands on experience of what it’s like to work with horses. The Oldie Goldie’s got a wonderful grooming out of the deal and Chicadee got her fair share of attention. Thank you Maxwell Equine for allowing me to use a few seasoned horses and allowing me to continue sharing the knowledge out of your barn!

10/12/2023

I will be offering something a little different for the 2024 season. I want to offer a show lease available to 2-3 students who will be serious about showing. This will require the riders to compete at ABRA worlds, Pinto worlds, Iowa Pinto shows and possibly other color beed shows. I’m taking my buissness into a higher level of showing. I have horses that are working to be shown at that caliber and would love for motivated youth to show them. However this is not a charitable offer nor a work off the lease type of situation. There will be cost for showing and they unfortunately are not cheep but the horses provided have training on them and will be ready for competition as well as being show quality. You will get to compeate on nice horses without the cost of training. Riders will be responsible for the cost of entering each show as well as class fees. There will be a show lease fee and contracts as well as hauling, hotel, coaching expenses and on site lease agreement. I’m looking for youth who want to show bigger shows than local play days and would like to get their foot in the door at breed level shows in the ranch horse classes. This is a commitment that has great benefits for a few youth riders who want to step up their game. Located in Muscatine Iowa.
Absolutely NO off site leases. More information to come at the start of the new year in 2024. Stay tuned and feel free to reach out if you think this is something that would benefit your youth rider. Limited horses mean there are limited spots for this opportunity.

10/10/2023

Chicadee approved ✅

10/06/2023

Check out these shirts and give Georgette a call if you are looking for a great farrier! Quality work!

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09/23/2023

It is one thing to swing a leg over a horse and ride. It is a whole diffrent story to swing a leg over and INFLUENCE a horse. Once you know the difference you’ll never go back to just “riding a horse”. -Reghan M Reghan M Performance Horse Training

08/20/2023

⚠️ATTENTION⚠️
Due to the excessive heat warning throughout the week ALL lessons are canceled for the safty of the horses and riders.
Training horses will still be lightly worked at modified times to avoid the heat. Please stay hydrated we will continue with normal scheduling Monday August 28th.