Halo Horsemanship LLC

11/24/2022

This cute little filly has been a blast to work with. She is the most determined trailer loading princess you ever did meet. Her attitude and try bring great joy to my life. Thanks Rosa for making us smile and giving life all the zest!

09/18/2022

|| Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers. ||

- Robin S. Sharma

08/20/2022

"When he sees that you are giving him the respect he deserves, and the understanding he needs, he will start to trust you in return... When you have his trust, you’ll have the horse. Once he trusts you, putting the saddle on him won’t be a problem."

- Mark Rashid

08/07/2022

|| A horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves-strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. ||

06/25/2022

One of the primary ways horses communicate with us is through their behavior. Again, it is my belief horses don’t distinguish between how they feel and how they act. So if they act a certain way, their actions are reflecting the way they feel. A horse’s body then becomes a mirror for their emotions. So the body informs us of what is truly going on internally.

- Mark Rashid
Whole Heart, Whole Horse: Building Trust Between Horse and Rider

05/17/2022

A window to the soul. Horses are mirrors, what is yours telling you?

04/09/2022

"Flagging"- A horsemanship term used to listen and guide a horse through fear and nervous system regulation. The flag is a powerful and effective tool when used to build confidence and teach horses how to process [uncomfortable] stimuli.

Firenze came to me with significant anxiety and overstimulation responses. Through patience, trust and education, flagging has become a positive way to nurture a calm, confident, thinking horse.

Initially, I used a standard horsemanship flag with somewhat muted sounds and affect to evaluate his responses. He tolerated that flag well however continued acting very "spooky" and fearful in day to day activities.

I noticed a significant change in response when introducing the "plastic bag flag" aka "use whatever you have in the barn" flag. Initial response, I'm outta here. Followed up swiftly with, I will kick and or strike this flag. Cue flight or fight response, anyone??

Slowly and gently I began rewarding [ The Try ]. Listening to his boundaries and recognizing when he engaged, followed swiftly with a *click*, rewards and removal of pressure.

We've been working on clicker training as a form of bridging desired behaviors and increasing resilience to uncertainty.

The progress is astounding. Firenze increases his calmness and reapectful confidence daily. His restart is flourishing.

The moral of the story is, each horse presents a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and test various techniques to see what works for them and how to consistently better our skill sets and nurture a positive partnership for the future.

What goals and activities have you learned and shared with your horse recently?

04/08/2022

"Flagging"- A horsemanship term used as opportinity to listen and guide a horse through fear and nervous system regulation. The flag is a powerful and effective tool when used to build confidence and teach horses how to process uncomfortable stimuli.

Firenze came to me with significant anxiety and overstimulation responses. Through patience, trust and education, flagging has become a positive way, to nurture a calm, confident, thinking horse.

Initially, I used a standard horsemanship flag with somewhat muted sounds and affect to evaluate his responses. He tolerated that flag well however continued acting very "spooky" and fearful in day to day activities.

I noticed a significant change in response when introducing the "plastic bag flag" aka "use whatever you have in the barn" flag. Initial response, I'm outta here. Followed up swiftly with, I will kick and or strike this flag. Cue flight or fight response, anyone??

Slowly and gently I began rewarding [ The Try ]. Listening to his boundaries and recognizing when he engaged, followed swiftly with a click and removal of pressure.

We've been working on clicker training as a form of bridging desired behaviors and increasing resilience to uncertainty.

The progress is astounding. Firenze increases his calmness and reapectful confidence daily. His restart is flourishing.

The moral of the story is, each horse presents a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and test various techniques to see what works for them and how to consistently better our skill sets and nurture a positive partnership for the future.

What goals and activities have you learned and shared with your horse recently?

04/01/2022

Horses + Conservation!

Spring in the PNW! Wonderful confidence building session with this sweet boy. Also, an absolute treat to share time at a facility that promotes sustainable equine management and horses for clean water.

No mud + rotational grazing + conservation management practices = winning!

✳️ Would you like to learn more about the connection between horses and conservation? ✳️

Comment Below!

03/26/2022

Tbt starting this fancy little mare. Missing her something fierce. She's a special one! 💕

Do you have any horses in your life who deeply touch your soul?

03/13/2022

"If a person is patient, calm, willing, quiet, self-confident, focused, and dependable, it is more than likely, the horse will reflect these qualities." 🦄

- Mark Rashid

Restarting this sweet and worried little arabian has been an absolute gift. He is intelligent and inquisitive, trusting and uncertain, soft and concerned. Through each emotion, we practice empathy and consistency. Patience through the steps with confidence building tools. Great progress this week as his journey evolves. Each horse is a treasure to learn and grow from.

03/11/2022

⛰️

reneeroaming • So I’m addicted to this… | Hey Effect

02/05/2022

💥

Hey Effect

01/22/2022

🏆

Lyra Effect

01/22/2022

"We are spiritual carpenters." 🍀

- Kat Fountain

Appreciating every moment with the abundance of horsie juju I've been surrounded by lately. ♡ What are you grateful for in your life today?

12/06/2021

♡

𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙣 Effect

11/26/2021

Huge fan of highline training for horses. It's an excellent and safe way to help with tie anxiety, patience, and pull back remediation.

Anatomically, on a highline, horses cannot pull back and align their spine to sit as they may in a hard and fast standard tie location. This allows some give and flexibility in the line to safely foster a sense of confidence and security for the horse, while also helping them learn to tie.

Highlines are a tool often used by packing outfits in the back country as well as c**t starters. Most of the horses I work spend some time on the line.

There are a few things to know when considering teaching highline tying:

1️⃣ Generally, hardware is not used on my halters/leads, meaning no snaps or buckles with the exception of a necessary swivel on the highline to prevent the rope from twisting if the horse walks in circles.

2️⃣ Sturdy equipment, in good condition, is essential for success and safety. This means ropes, halters, posts etc. are rot free and clean. For reference, the line will be strung between two posts/trees around 8-10 ft. from the ground for safety and success.

3️⃣ It is recommended to place a rubber mat under the area where the horse will stand for initial training to prevent them from being able to dig a big hole if they decide to paw and thus tighten the lead rope as the hole gets deeper.

4️⃣ When tying the horse to a highline, do your best to make sure the halter is snug and well fitting while also tying the lead rope at chest height or above for safety to prevent a leg or neck from getting stuck or tangled. Generally, when first taught, the highline rope connected to the horse is a little shorter until the horse understands the gist of not pulling/spinning etc. and then loosen it a bit once they know how to stand quietly.

5️⃣ Finally, the goal is to allow the horse to be on the highline in increments as they learn and grow, with the understanding that they are taken off the line when they are standing quietly and calmly, versus when they are frantic/spinning/pawing/circling etc. Do not punish them as they navigate the line. Set them up for success and allow them the opportunity to learn.

11/24/2021

Firenze. 🤍 Absolutely adore this special little gelding. I've known this darling polish arabian since the day he was born, 16 years ago.

It's such a treat to be working with him again after all this time. Stay tuned for some wonderful pictures and videos of our journey! This sweet boy will be working on confidence and enjoying being a horse.

Also, special shout out to for the awesome polos!

10/15/2021

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." 🌴

– Anthony J. D’Angelo

10/13/2021

"My favorite words are possibilities, opportunities and curiosity. I think if you are curious, you create opportunities, and then if you open the doors, you create possibilities." 🌴

- Mario Testino

Wonderful session with this stunning 3 yr. old Friesian filly. Izzie is smart, curious and kind. She's learning the nuances of partnership, trust, patience, rewarding the try, yielding her shoulder/hips and understanding pressure/ release.

Incredibly pleased with her beautiful spirit and mind! Great work and congratulations on this lovely prospect!

Stay tuned for some more pictures and stories of this gorgeous mare!

10/08/2021

"The capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn is a skill, the willingness to learn is a choice."

- Brian Herbert

This handsome young man had his first ground driving experience with a breast collar and crupper! He takes everything in stride with a great attitude!

He is having a growth spurt and I'm loving the cute little rump high look. Haha. Also, the plaid felt so fall like and melted me in cute overload!

DM for Details. Located on Maui.

10/07/2021

* New Logo * ⬇️

I am thrilled to showcase our new logo designed by the incredibly talented . It embodies everything we strive for here at Halo Horsemanship LLC. Stay tuned for exciting new things happening this fall!

10/06/2021

Peanut gallery watching Indy's lesson today. These two were so cute and quite jealous that he was receiving all the attention! Sunday and Pheya melt my heart. Feeling really fortunate to have multiple generations of these lovely ponies to work with!

》▪︎What is something that made you smile today?▪︎《

10/05/2021

"Trust: Choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person's actions."

- Charles Feltman

Listened to a great podcast earlier from Brené Brown on trust and communication. When I think of partnerships with equines I'm consistently reminded of the parallels between people and horses. There is power and humility in recognizing how our words and actions impact those around us, human and animal.

I've found creating a positive and curious environment for horses to learn, increases progress and understanding exponentially. 🍁

》▪︎Where can you practice conscious trust building in your life?▪︎《

10/02/2021

“Synergy – the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously.” 🍃

– Mark Twain

Sneak peak of an incredible day with this handsome young stallion. He's such a dreamboat! Indy is one of the most level headed and talented youngsters I've had the privilege of training.

Today, he was exposed to all sorts of fun obstacles. To cap it off he had a six minute long yawning and jaw release session. I've definitely had horses yawn before; the length and commitment to relaxation this kid showed, won the blue ribbon today. Good work Indy!

Stay tuned for more pictures and videos of this phenomenal young stallion!

DM for Details. Located on Maui.

09/16/2021

🔹️Studmuffin alert.🔹️ ⬆️

Looks. Brains. Talent. Temperament. What more could you ask for?!

DM for details. Located on Maui.

**tstarting