Garland Farm & Stables

11/05/2024

Who’s looking for their next partner!?

10/31/2024

A great way to keep frustration out of your rides or training sessions with your horses 🫶🏼

10/31/2024

Clients and students have heard me say all of this ☺️……. When I was younger, we didn’t give our horse “excuses”. I wasn’t taught to step back and figure out the root cause of the behavior…..

But I do now, and it’s made a huge impact on how I ride, train, teach over the last several years. . I’m seeing it make huge impacts on my clients and their horses. Horses have feelings and emotions about what we are asking of them. And their response will always be “because they are a horse, acting like a horse”. It’s our job to continue to learn how to do better, so we can be better for our horses 🐴 🫶🏼

10/22/2024

Holding The Reins....

The question often comes up about how a rider should hold the reins while riding. Tight or loose, one hand or two, what to do with the rein tails, hand and finger placement and on it goes.

If the rider navigates with a very short rein with constant pressure on the horses mouth, that rider tends to get tuned out. And both get tired, maybe even burned out.

Now I ask you, how do you hold the reins on life. Have you shortened up, constantly pulling so tight on the reins that both you and the horse are worn out. Have you spent the majority of your time convinced that you have to pull back in an attempt to keep something bad from happening.

Now remember, this is likely all out of good intentions. However, sometimes in life, a good intention doesn't always produce a good result.

In order for something to change in life, we have to change something. Continue to do the same thing and we will continue get what we have always gotten.

I have learned that when riding and in life to put my hand down, loosen the reins and ride the next stride. Instead of worrying about what might happen, that I can't control anyway. When on a ride, when the boogy man jumps out, I will adjust my reins and stear and guide the horse towards peace and then go back to a lose rein.

Peace and calm can be experienced, usually when we make the determination to look at life from a different perspective and put our hand down.

Pc Tracey Buyce Photography

10/16/2024

Ray was SO enjoyable to gentle, anyone would be lucky to own him! He is smart and very sweet. Loves people and sees out attention!

10/14/2024

Inside or out, we can be there!

10/11/2024

10/08/2024

The difficult horses always teach you the most

I hope that all equestrians will find themselves so lucky one day to discover the truly difficult horse.

The horse who demands such fair and respectful treatment that their refusal to put up with unfairness initially takes you aback, leaving you unsure of how to respond to them in training. Leaving you questioning everything you knew.

The horse who forces you to reflect on your training toolbox and to consider why resorting to physical punishment as a go to for unwanted behaviour may not be the best method of problem solving.

The horse who, ultimately, results in such a systemic change in you as a horse person that every horse you touch afterwards is better for it.

Sometimes, we just need a truly difficult horse to force us to reflect on our areas of weakness and reawaken why we got into horses in the first place.

This type of horse is one who refuses to give in to unfair treatment. They will demand from you kindness, fair work hours, transparency and respect. They want to know what is in it for them. Such demands can be exceedingly uncomfortable initially.

Many horse people may react to these types of horses with anger and choose to blame the horse for being too naughty, too stupid or too disrespectful. Doing so is taking the easy way out and lacks accountability.

For those who are ready to commit to self betterment, though, they will respond to these horses with curiosity and start to look inward and adapt to reach this horse and help them succeed. Even if they aren’t able to have this response initially, they will eventually get there.

And thus begins the journey that will change your perception of horses as you know it. It will help you adapt your training in a way that allows for you to work with all types of horses. You will learn important deescalation tactics and realize that explosive stress responses are often created from human intervention, not the fault of the horse.

These horses teach us traits that make us better people as a whole and they are ones that we will always remember and hold dear, no matter how much grief and frustration they initially may cause us.

I am so incredibly thankful for these horses. For without their demands, without their strength of spirit; I would likely have continued to enable myself in lacking flexibility in training, in engaging in lazy training methods that come at the expense of the horse.

Their strong wills and clear communication were the catalyst to a necessary change within.

So, thank you to the difficult horses. The horses who demand more from us and don’t succumb to poor treatment, even if it initially results in unfair treatment to them. They keep on demanding, they keep on communicating, until they are finally heard.

These are the horses that ignite the change in the very fabric of horsemanship. Even amongst the horse people who initially try to ignore them.

Thank them for their difficulty.

09/29/2024

09/28/2024

09/26/2024

I am starting to line up clinics for 2025 at Garland Farm in Milton, and at West Road Stables (my old barn) in Rye, so keep an eye out for updates on this page!

So far, this is what I have booked. I’ll add to this post as I get confirmation:)

🐴 May 17-18, 2025
Shawna Karrasch Equine will be at Garland Farm! $435/per person/horse for the weekend. Bring your own horse, or work with one of the Mustangs here at Garland!
*** an event page will be created with more info and registration for the clinic****

⭐️THE CLINIC⭐️
Learn to utilize positive reinforcement systematically in your training both on the ground and under saddle by learning from one of the top equine behaviorists in the world as well as a former traditional professional trainer who has started hundreds of horses.

From trail riding to upper level horse shows, a clinic with Shawna and Jessie is going to help you teach your horse to be confident, relaxed, and to improve things that will give you an edge in your riding.

When horses see the world optimistically, they tend to make better choices and develop the ability to stop and think before reacting.

Want a better lead change, piaffe, or to have a more relaxed partner on the trail? Is your horse struggling with getting injections or standing quietly for the farrier? Shawna and Jessie help you reach any goal you'd like to achieve.

✨More about Shawna, and Jessie here:
https://angelic-base-918.myflodesk.com

09/20/2024

Dear Horse Owner,

Stop blaming your horse for every little thing.
They aren’t pushy or avoidant because that’s just their personality. They are pushy or avoidant because you created that.
They don’t buck going into the canter just for the fun of it. They buck going into the canter because they are in pain or communicating.
They aren’t sore from playing with their pasture mates. They are sore because your tack doesn’t fit, your bit is too harsh, you yank on their face, your seat is unbalanced, you push them past the point of fatigue and/ or are compensating for your ailments.
They aren’t grumpy 24/7 because “she’s just a mare”. They are grumpy because they don’t feel good and/ or are confused by your unpredictable behavior/ cues.
They don’t fake lameness to get out of work. They are lame.
They didn’t cost you the win because they broke the barrier, knocked a barrel, didn’t listen to your cues, etc. You lost the win because your preparation was poor and/ or it was rider error.

Start taking accountability for your horsemanship.
Your horses actions are a result of what you know or what you don’t know.
You aren’t going to do everything right all the time. Frustrations will hit and it’s easiest to blame or punish the horse. I have been here too! And guess what. It’s ok. But we have to be better. We have to be aware. Horses can be extremely forgiving, especially when we come to them improved.

Put in the work. Invest in yourself! You can be the best or worst thing for your horse. So be the best. You deserve it, and so does your horse.

Sincerely,
Someone who wants to make a change.

08/29/2024

Definitely making an effort to attend this clinic!