"What is your advice for starting a more whoa than go horse?"
This was one of the questions at last week's "Chat with a Horse Trainer" Zoom call.
I am doing one more of these calls for FREE on August 29th at 1:00 P.M. MST. I will present on "Learning our horse's language" before opening up for questions. To join the call, comment "CHAT" below.
Starting in September, these calls will be on a subscription for only $20 a month!
I hope to see you there!
Unpopular opinion: Making your horse "wear the tarp" isn't the best way to build curiosity, and can actually create more fear and anxiety in your horse.
Here is a short clip from my "Chat with a Horse Trainer" call today.
If you'd like to join my next call, it will be on Aug. 29th at 1:00 p.m. MST
Did I mention the August calls are FREE?!
PM me "CHAT" with your email address, and I will send you the Zoom link for the next call!
This kid thinks every time I move (or a rope, pad, flag, etc.) he needs to react to it. I have been working on desensitizing and sensitizing.
Watch through this video as I put an energetic barrier between he and I so that he knows when my movement isn't directed at him. Then I can open back up that line of communication and direct small amounts of meaningful energy to him and he can respond with more focus and response versus reaction.
He's such a goofball! Love this kid!
#snootkisses #coltstarting #energyiseverything #woowoo #truewoo
A little Sunday trotting on Mr. Kevin. His transitions are getting better into the trot! He used to be so bouncy and tense that it would bounce Thea off the side 😂. Thea and Tripp can now catch him and pick out his feet all by themselves. 🥰
I've never seen anything like this! It was at my home in Monroe, Utah.
Phoebe just went home after 5 months with me, and she will be missed! This filly taught me so much, and I am so grateful to her owner, Emily, for trusting me with her!
Phoebe came to me an extreme ADHD case 😂. I couldn't keep her focus for more than 15 seconds without having "squirrrel" moments. She definitely tested my patience a time or two! 😉
Phoebe left my program with focus, drive, lightness in her body and face, confidence with obstacles and cows, and a moldable body and mind. She could do haunches in, haunches out, shoulder in, and shoulder out, she could do a lope departure from a standstill, stop hard on her booty, bring her brain back to me if she got concerned, and so much more!
This filly gave me so much of her, and I truly loved working with her! She is one of those horses that will always have a piece of my heart.
Thank you Phoebe and Emily! I can't wait to see your future adventures together!
This is the first time I've ever asked Freya to sit down with me on her back. She didn't even hesitate! 🥰
I love my girl!
J.R. Progress Video
What a handsome, sweet, and gentle horse J.R. is!
He has been an interesting horse for me to work with. He has been such a gracious boy and is always attentive and sweet! He is built extremely downhill, and came to me pretty overweight. He has been one of the hardest horses I have worked with to get him to use his hind end in his stops, as well as spin properly, which is partially due to his conformation, and partially due to his temperament. He doesn't get in too much of a hurry to do anything, haha.
We have been working on alot of correctness in our slow work, and have done a "giddy up" exercise to help teach him how to prepare himself for quick transitions (although with this exercise, we do lose some of our correctness, so we need to balance that with slowing back down and making sure we stay balanced, soft, and correct).
I have found myself getting frustrated with him at times, as I haven't struggled this hard to get correctness in stops in quite some time, but I have appreciated everything J.R. has taught me. He has pushed me to up my skillset and dive into better ways to help him.
I hope J.R. can go home a successful horse who can get up and go when needed, slow down and find correctness when asked, be a rockstar on the trails, push a cow, handle a rope, and ride out alone on the highway. Thanks to his owner, Stacey, for letting me work on getting this kid educated and handy.
Hercules is back into roping shape! First time turning a steer in a few months and this is how he comes back! 😎 He sure knows his job!
✅ Quiet in the box
✅ Rates well
✅ Handles the steer smoothly
✅ Faces well
This gelding is available!! PM me for more info!
Hercules is on the market! He is a blue roan finished head horse and breakaway prospect. He rates the slow steers, gets after the quick ones (he is FAST when you open him up!), and makes you look good while you're doing it! He is coming off a break from a few months, and is in continued training to be legged-up again and put back into full work. His price will only go up as we continue to put time on him.
He has a royal pedigree, with Corona Cartel, Sun Frost, Ivory James, and more!
For more questions, contact Camri Johnson with J Family Equine.
If you want to see videos of him last year when in great shape and roping full time, jump to 4:20 of the YouTube video linked below. All footage from 0:00 to 4:20 is him last week.
https://youtu.be/bEKpGYDJcbU?si=6z5tvQGMIktuJaZ6
Kevin the mini-mule enjoyed his first group turnout today, and met me at the gate to be caught 🥰
I like 'em big.... I like 'em chunky!
J.R. is lovingly nicknamed Moto Moto for this reason! 🤣
Piece of advice for those who love Redmond Equine rock salt licks:
When you are filling your water troughs, spray off the dirt and dust from your salt rocks👌
Kevin the mini-mule wants to be a cow chaser 😜
I love having so many ways to help horses! Years ago I would've pushed a horse like her through her pain and told her to stop being a brat, being completely unaware that her behavior indicated soreness or pain.
Today I can see her behaviors in a way that shows me what she needs so I can help her more. I used ground driving, lunging with a cowboy-cavesson, ground cavalettis, uneven cavalettis, poll releases, TMJ releases, shoulder stretches, and percussion massages to help this mare feel better about doing what was asked.
This was such a cool moment for all 6 horses to stand ground tied at my clinic over the weekend. 5 year old horses all the way up to 20 years old. Even our high anxiety horses figured it out easily 🥰
Less is more with pressure, and this filly, Piper, is thriving in my program! She is a 2 year old Quarter Horse, and has had 33 sessions with me since she got here a month and a half ago.
#coltstarting #grandmeadowssupplements #redmondequine
#highqualitysaddlesllc
