Holistic Equestrian LLC

08/28/2024

Never, ever, ever give up!

08/11/2024

Sometimes it's hard to believe this is the same mare that I start training in 2020. 😲 Cindy Reichel's Giselle just keeps getting nicer.

08/08/2024

Ahhh, the beauty of a freshly drug arena. 🥰

07/29/2024

I'm seeing quite a few of these bits on the Olympic 3-day horses. Even on the cross country. That makes me happy. 😊

07/29/2024

This super little mare is a poster child for what I do and why I do it. Her owner brought her to me after spending a couple of years and thousands of $$ trying to help her get sound. The vets were stumped and couldn't offer any more clues as to why she was still lame after all the injections, rehabs, etc. Her owner finally found me and took a leap of faith in bringing her to me as a last resort.

There are no words to describe how much pain this girl was experiencing, but her behavior was what I would describe as "blind overwhelm." You couldn't touch her skin without her losing her mind, trying to cow kick, aggressively shaking her head and trying to get away at any cost. Everything was just too much, and she could not relax or stand still. The more you tried to contain her, the more aggro she would get. Everybody that saw her thought she was just a b*tch and needed to be "corrected," (aka, given a good beating 🤔) but I could tell this behavior wasn't her choice and no amount of "correction" was going to fix it.

There's no magic formula for "fixing" horses in this much distress. It takes looking at the whole horse (thus "holistic" Equestrian) and then stripping away all the layers one by one. There are so many things to consider; possible injury, physical asymmetry, gastric distress, feet, diet, anticipation of pain, and for mares, hormones.

But the first order of business is dialing down the pain so the horse can take a breath and start to think beyond the physical discomfort. Then it's about engaging the horse's mind in ways that they want to try again. It's rarely a straight line from start to finish, but a tweak here, a tweak there, an experiment with this and an experiment with that. Start, and start again. Every day work with the horse that shows up that day, whatever capability it has that day, no matter what.

In this case, after addressing the bulk of her pain, teaching this girl to "target" a cone, and teaching her some self management/relaxation techniques, these little clips of her free jumping are the kind of work she's able to offer consistently. All along I've also taken the time to explain every experience in such a way that she could really understand the expectations and accept life as a horse in a human world.

She has reached a place of total relaxation and confidence in her work. We are on track for having her back under saddle sooner rather than later, and my gut tells me it's going to be a whole lot of "no big deal."

These horses; this kind of "miraculous" transformation, like a caterpillar emerging as a butterfly, are what gets me out of bed every morning. They're why I do this work, why I won't simply focus on training for the show ring, and why I absolutely love my job.

07/11/2024

Hi everybody, I'm ISO weekend (Saturday & Sunday) barn help in Monroe, WA. Small, private dressage training barn, with top care, great facilities and fun atmosphere. Work includes feeding twice a day, stall cleaning once per day, turning out evenings and bringing in mornings, and grooming/tacking up, walking horses for warm up and cool out, and some riding possible.

Pay dependent on experience, $16-20/hr, or partial board for one horse. Approx 5 hours each day. Must be super reliable, detail oriented, and have own transportation. PM to schedule an interview.

07/04/2024

Random pony pics from the last couple of days. The horses have settled into their new barn exceptionally well, and we are in love with the peaceful ease of working around the place. The arena footing is amazing, and we are getting things organized and efficient. Come join us!

06/21/2024

Holistic Equestrian LLC has several openings for training and board at our new home on Old Owen road in Monroe, WA, as of July 1st. We are offering *full service* board at two small private farms next to each other.

Amenities include full dressage court sized outdoor arena built by Mark Rowley, covered arena also full court sized, and riding trails on property. All stalls are bedded for the horses' health and comfort, cleaned 7 days a week, have large mud free runs attached, and horses are turned out on large grass pastures daily. Wash rack and separate grooming stall, tack lockers, or tack room available depending on the barn you choose. Video cameras allow you check in on your horse from time to time.

We do dressage and physiotherapy training, and not only full care but full service. Horses will be fed according to their individual needs, blanket/sheet changes as weather requires, legs washed and dried as horses come in from turnout if they are muddy, and boots for turnout as needed.

Space is limited, so preference will be given to horses in full or part training. Claim your spot early, before we fill up!

06/16/2024

SOLD
Holistic Equestrian is honored to help this beautiful, sweet girl find her new person.

Meet Thestral
Breed: Percheron/Gypsy Vanner cross (unregistered)
Height: 15.3hh
Color: Black
Gender: Mare
Age: estimated 13-15
Location: Monroe, WA
Price: $65🥕🥕 (negotiable to perfect home)

Confidence builder Alert!

Do not pass by this lovely mare. If you have back problems, this is your perfect ride. If you need confidence, this is your girl.

Thestral is a lovely, sweet, virtually unflappable mare. She is solid and sturdy, and so comfortable to ride that you will think you’re sitting on a cloud. She can be ridden western, English or driven (we haven’t hitched her up to a cart, but apparently she was Amish trained and seems 100% confident in the lines). As with many draft breeds, canter is not her strong suit. But her trot is smooth as silk! She would make an amazing therapy or para horse.

Thestral has been in full training for the past several months and is building fitness and learning some of the finer points of working in the arena. She is confident on trails with or without other horses. She’s just a sweet girl, super easy keeper, currently barefoot with great feet, and wants to be your friend. She makes a strong connection with her person and will nicker and come to greet you at the gate.

You must meet Thestral to appreciate just what a diamond she is. Owner is reluctantly selling due to not being able to bring her on an out of state move, and the very best home is the top priority.

PM for more information and to set up an appointment to meet Thestral.

06/02/2024

I would like to offer a shout out to Seth Noble and Noble Farriery. Just by virtue of the nature of the work I do with horses, I've seen some seemingly miraculous recoveries from long standing unsoundness, but nothing so miraculous as what Seth was able to do with my newest charge, Ziva. She went from being left front lame for literally years with no clear cause, and limited response to the best treatments available, to dead sound overnight because of Seth's meticulous attention to detail and skilled farrier work.

He makes my work so much easier because I don't have to wonder if the horses are uncomfortable in their feet, or getting the support they need, so I can focus on all the other parts that make up the whole horse. Thank you, Seth!

05/15/2024

Holistic: hoʊlˈɪs.tɪk

ADJECTIVE
characterized by the belief that the parts of something are interconnected and can be explained only by reference to the whole.
"the solution demands a holistic approach and a strategic vision of what can be achieved"

MEDICINE
characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of an illness.
"many people conclude that holistic medicines are beneficial"

Holistic Equestrian isn't about being "all natural" or "organic." It's not about a particular technique or program. It's about meeting each horse where it's at right now, and addressing each horse's unique needs both physically and mentally in order that it becomes capable of progressing in physical training for sport.

Whatever that takes. If that means I learn a new skill to be able to reach an individual, that's what I do. If it means we have to have a very close partnership with a vet, farrier, or body worker, that's what we do. If that means we have to feed the horse differently to meet its nutritional needs, that's what we do. If it means we need to go out trail riding for a period of time to clear the horse's mind, that's what we do. It's about showing the horse the way to become a joyful, confident partner for its owner, not a slave to our ego or a piece of sports equipment.

05/04/2024

I am forever grateful I stumbled onto Tristan Tucker's methodology. Every time I watch the videos he's produced I see deeper, more subtle clues about the communication and awareness of the horses' bodies. It's been an incredibly helpful tool in my training toolbox, and with these tools I've been able to change the lives of numerous horses and their owners from stress and misery to relaxation and joy. The best part is, you don't have to be a trainer to create good results with your horse, just the willingness to learn to listen to what your horse is trying to communicate on *their* level.

05/04/2024

Equine pain research is fascinating and revealing, even in its infancy. In my experience, horse behavioral problems are pretty much always pain induced. There are just so many ways that our animals can be experiencing pain that never even occur to us! And there are infinite ways they hide it because they instinctually know that as a prey animal showing pain means they are vulnerable to becoming someone's dinner.

With this type of study perhaps we can start seeing a greater recognition of the degree to which our horses are expressing their pain before they start acting out in scary and dangerous ways.

The trick then is to try and find ways to reduce the amount of pain we inflict on them, but we have to be able to recognize it in order to take that next step.

Pain assessment in animals depends on the observer’s ability to locate and quantify the pain based on perceptible behavior and physiological patterns. It is currently well established in veterinary medicine that pain trigge rs behavioral changes ...

04/25/2024

Monroe, WA
ISO experienced groom for part-time help 3-4 hours a day, 5 days a week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Duties would include:
- bringing horses in from stalls or pasture
- grooming and tacking up (washing legs/tails as needed)
- hand walking or walking under saddle (as appropriate)
- cooling out and putting horses away
- cleaning tack and keeping the tack room and grooming areas tidy
- keeping horses groomed and moving at home barn while I'm at periodic shows during the show season.

No stall cleaning or barn chores.

Must have own transportation and be reliable and efficient.
Pay $20/hr

About me:
I'm a dressage trainer with a particular focus on developing relaxation, confidence and long term soundness in horses. My specialty is "fixing" horses that can't otherwise be made sound, but I also train and compete in dressage. I have a small training business so I can keep my standards of care high.
This could be a great learning experience for the right person, because I love sharing what I've learned.
I can be quirky and like to have fun at work, so a sense of humor and appreciation for music and food is a bonus. 😎

02/04/2024

As my little training horse (who used to throw her head up and run backwards when the bit touched her teeth) opened her mouth to politely take the bit without any pressure from me this morning, I am so grateful I've taken extra time on my own to really learn some alternative training methods, such as TRTmethod and positive reinforcement.

Knowing that my training horses have the tools to manage themselves towards relaxation no matter what situation they are thrown into, and are willing to do little things like reach for the bit to take it when I hold the bridle up, and turn themselves to "park" at the mounting block for me to get on, just make every part of training the horses to be better athletes easier and more enjoyable.

We do "real" dressage and compete, but the horses find it so much easier because they are happy, willing, and interested in the process. ❤️ This riding thing is supposed to be fun, after all!

01/11/2024

When you run across a horse that shuts down hard and locks up tight all the doors to their willingness to try, you have to sneak in another way. This is supposed to be fun! But don't forget, it should be fun for them, too.

01/06/2024

Too many times I've had clients tell me a previous trainer said their horse was "limited," "crazy," or too "broken" to continue with and/or achieve their riding goals. I have yet to see any of those things be true when the horses are given a chance to learn to manage themselves, have physical discomfort addressed, and be given a solid foundation of physical conditioning that allows them to do their jobs without struggling.

It doesn't matter the horse's breed, gender, age, or current emotional state, nearly every horse can be more than it currently is, if given the right tools. I don't allow a horse's perceived limitations inform my approach. It's fascinating what horses can become when they are given the ability to explore their own capabilities in a relaxed, thoughtful way.

If you have a challenging horse or have been told your horse will "never" be what you had hoped for, check out Holistic Equestrian LLC. I do things a little differently, and your horse might surprise you.

12/19/2023

Once again, I have an opening for a couple of training horses for full training, at our new home in Monroe, WA. This is your chance to start the new year with a new focus, and a happier, more relaxed, more sound horse!

12/06/2023

Time for a little comparison photo. Kurtis: Sept 11 and Nov 25. He's a cute little character! 😁

09/01/2023

Dressage horses are not made in 90 days, or even 2 years. They are made every day, for the rest of their lives.
~HolisticEquestrian

08/29/2023

Holistic Equestrian LLC has a rare opening for a full training client in our "boutique" dressage training program. Hot and sensitive or dull and sour, our program is tailored to bring out your horse's best and most athletic self. We believe age and physical issues are not limitations, but simply interesting data points. 😊

Our facility has indoor and outdoor arenas, stalls with runs, daily turnout, and excellent quality hay. We have an amazing team of top vets, body workers, saddle fitters and farriers that help keep our equine friends in the peak of health.

We work hard and have tons of fun doing it, and we're not afraid to get out of the arena! We like to show and clinic, and also just go play with our ponies. We believe in building calm confidence and competence for both people and ponies. We love horses, and it shows!

08/13/2023

What does your barn do for a summer barn party? Ours gets all the horses out for a walk through the 'hood! 😎 Then we eat yummy food and sit around and watch the ponies graze. We have the best parties here at Holistic Equestrian LLC!

07/31/2023

A Horse's Tale... (pun intended). Jaimie Snyder's Razzo has been in my program for 8 months. Unlike many horses that come to me, he was a sound and healthy 16 year old with a successful past as a jumper and eventer. He's had some lovely training (nothing to undo) and is a total rockstar at shows. He also has an amazing tail. 😜

Seeing as he is a teenaged horse with miles on him, I've approached his transition to dressage with his long term soundness firmly in mind, and built his body for relaxed strength to maximize his ease of movement even as his workload increases and he continues to age. Even though I see these horses every day, it never ceases to amaze me to do comparison photos and look back to where we started. I thought I'd share.

These photos represent 8 months of "holistic" training. They were taken in November, February, and July.

Incidentally, I have a rare opening for full training at the moment, so feel free to reach out to me if you think you might like to see similar results with your own horse.

06/01/2023

Periodically, I dust off my favorite How To blog on training dressage horses, by Lauren Spreiser, and reread it for inspiration. It never disappoints, and I always feel refreshed, validated, and grateful to have the best job in the world, afterwards. Perhaps you need some inspiration and validation, yourself? You're welcome. 😎

Meet him at late 3 or early 4 years old. He’s keen-eyed and clever-looking, and he walks, trots and canters under saddle. He goes when you drive and whoas when you gather and mostly steers. He stands on the crossties and gets on the trailer and stands at the mounting block. He’s balanced and shi...

05/30/2023

Truth

We must all suffer from one of two pains:
the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
-Jim Rohn

02/13/2023

It's time for a couple of comparison photos. 😊

Razzo, owned by Jaimie Snyder came to Holistic Equestrian LLC in early November. Here he is November 13th and February 11th.

Sue, owned by Criss Cardwell has only been with us for about a month, but with a pretty severe kissing spine that resulted in one angry young man. He's a lot more comfortable in a pretty short time. Here he is January 12 and February 12.

02/02/2023

Another super sweet boy that just needed to be understood and treated for his pain to make a 180° change in his outlook on life. The worst thing a trainer can do is declare a horse "crazy" or "a jerk" if they want to be successful helping their clients with training challenges.

This little guy had very real reasons for his defensive and sometimes dangerous behavior. His owner was smart enough to recognize that he wasn't just being a "jerk" and looked a little deeper to find a pretty significant vertebral compression. Now he's learning to work in a posture that opens up the spaces between his spinous processes, and keeps them that way long term.

Looking forward to his continued healing and future as a dressage horse!

12/20/2022

This.

Top Tip from The Training Scale - Ingrid Klimke demonstrates :
"Looseness is when there is no tension - every muscle is relaxed but the horse still moves with power. It is not loose and flop­py. The horse must still be on the aids, the rider controls every stride, but the horse is loose and letting the aids through, not tense. The rider's rein aids have to flow through the body to achieve Losgelassenheit; you feel it because your ability to sit improves. Loose but firm, and the horse is seeking the contact, not just with the rein, but he is happy to accept the seat and the leg aids as well."
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2018/04/clemens-dierks-and-the-german-training-scale-part-2/

11/14/2022

Quote of the day:

"What is the real difference between a professional and an amateur? Does not your mind immediately turn to the shallow explanation of money-payments? Two definitions have been made which may help you to think deeper than that:

“An amateur can be satisfied with knowing a fact; a professional must know the reason why.”

“An amateur practises until he can do a thing right, a professional until he can’t do it wrong.”"

~Percy C. Buck
Professor of Music, University of London

11/04/2022

Passing Tones
Passing Tones, in music, are the discordant notes that often come near the end of a musical phrase and set the whole phrase up for resolution. If one were to stop playing on the passing tones, the music would sound very discordant. But, playing through the passing tones to the completion of the musical phrase, they add something special to the whole phrase. It wouldn't resolve properly without the moment of discord.

I use this musical reference a lot; in riding, in training horses, and in life in general. It fits so many situations, where things seem extraordinarily difficult, or really off, but those moments aren't meant to be stopped in and analyzed. They aren't the completion of the situation, and if one simply allows them to "pass" through, the whole comes to a satisfying completion.

This is especially true in the different phases of dressage training. In the journey to "beauty and lightness" there are a lot of passing tones. Let's take the concept of "lightness" as an example.

True lightness in the horse is characterized by the lightness of the horse's connection to the ground. A horse moving in lightness will appear to be less earthbound. They may appear to move with greater ease, and be capable of easier changes of direction, be more adjustable, and seem like they must be very easy to ride.

Many people correlate lightness with a light feeling in the hand. But that is a totally backward way of thinking. A horse can be extremely "light" in the hand and completely earthbound in the body. They can also be very light in relation to the ground but quite heavy in the hand. What you see is not necessarily the reality. This is especially true in the "middle levels", where the horse is learning collection but hasn't yet developed the strength to truly carry itself and needs quite a lot of support from the rider.

A strong, stable rider can give a not so strong horse the support to work to a much lighter way of going than it can sustain on its own. This gives the carrying muscles of the horse a chance to work and get stronger without the horse losing its balance as readily. With careful feel and appropriate thought given to the horse's level of fitness, this is like putting resistance bands on your legs and walking or jogging up stairs. It's intense and fatiguing, but builds amazing leg muscles over time!

If one gets to this phase and says, "omigosh, my horse is so heavy in the contact, this can't possibly be correct" and subsequently stops playing the music, they will never reach the completion of the training, but get stuck focusing on the wrong end of the horse seeking a feeling of lightness in the hand and not recognizing that the body is lost to gravity.

If, however, they keep playing, the passing tones of seeming heaviness will resolve into lightness in truth - both in the way the horse contacts the ground, and in the connection with the horse's mouth.

Training horses is fraught with difficulties and challenges from all perspectives, but beware of stopping on the "passing tones!" They are there to set us up for the satisfying resolution of the training phrase.