Katy Negranti Performance Horsemanship

Katy Negranti Performance Horsemanship Horse Training/riding instruction to build confidence in horse and rider through groundwork and riding exercises.

Developing horsemanship skills to maximize the potential in horses and riders. Using a combination of natural horsemanship, equine psychology and incorporating them into the performance world of horse training. The key to successful partnerships between horse and human is the ability to understand and communicate effectively with one another.

03/18/2025

If you have a horse you are called to be horseman. Yet many make excuses for not stepping up…

Everyone wants the companionship, the partnership, the abilities, the feeling, the freedom... that comes with being a horseman.

But horsemanship isn’t a feeling. It’s a responsibility.

A responsibility to put the horse’s needs first. To show up, every day, with the discipline to improve yourself so you can be better for your horse. To lead with clarity. To do what’s right and needed, not just what feels good.

Most people ‘just’ want to have fun with their horse doing what they enjoy. Most don’t want that kind of responsibility. Yet when you have horses, it is your responsibility regardless if you want to or not.

And I do believe horses are here for us to enjoy, yet the fact is, with horses and in life the way we get to enjoy things we want and desire is by first serving others.

Those who actually step up and take responsibility for the role they have taken on… Those are the real horsemen.

As a horseman…
1. The needs of the horse comes first. Always.

Not your wants, desires, goals, or timeline. Not what makes you feel comfortable or cozy. The horse’s needs dictate what needs to be done. You serve the horse first, and when you do the results, your goals, your dreams are able to follow in abundance and quality.

2. You fix yourself before you try to fix the horse.

The horse is NOT a mirror to your soul. Your horse responds to who you are- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If there’s a problem, the first place you look is within yourself and then to your horse.

3. You don’t avoid challenges—you welcome them.

Growth and comfort dont live in the same arena or barn. Growth only happens when there’s pressure, challenges, and sometimes even struggle. That doesn’t mean we go out creating more trouble- absolutely not- yet when it arises in the learning process a real horseman does not shy away those challenges with their horse. Instead, they guide them through it building deeper partnerships and skills.

4. Your emotions don’t run the show.

Your horse doesn’t need your frustration. They don’t need your fear, your self-doubt, or your ego. They need leadership. They need presence, clarity, vision, patience, consistency. You stay present on your horses needs and you feel whatever you need to feel after the session.

5. Pressure is not the enemy. Confusion is.

Pressure is part of learning. Nothing creates a more frustrated horse than a human driven by emotion with a lack of decisiveness, consistency and awareness of the horse. A horseman knows it’s not the amount of pressure but rather the timing and significance of the release that makes the biggest difference.

6. Boundaries create confidence.

A horse that knows the boundaries are consistent and supportive feels safe and can fully submit. Leadership means serving them, giving them structure, clarity, and trust.

7. You let the horse think.

Micromanaging creates robotic, neurotic and anxious horses. You present the question, give them the time and ability to make their own decision, let them figure it out then guide and support them as necessary.

8. You learn from every horse.

A true horseman never stops being a student. Every horse has something to teach you—if you’re humble enough to listen. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

9. The goal is not short term gratification. The goal is setting that horse up for a lifetime of success.

What we do with our horse develops their skills. How we do it develops the partnership. A horse that is forced to perform is not the same as a horse that chooses to.

10. You reflect, you refine, you return.

After every ride, you analyze what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve. You don’t just do more, you do better.

11. You lead by example.

You don’t demand respect, you earn it. You don’t just teach the horse discipline, you live it. Your horse is always responding to who you are. The question is: are you someone worth following?

We are all called to be horsemen but many will never step up because they are too focused on themselves. For those who choose this path to do what is best for the horse, there is no deeper reward.

The world needs more real horsemen.

The world needs more real leaders.

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”

The same goes for our horses.

-Colton Woods

What’s a broke horse? My short definition is one that’s “willingly guided”It doesn’t matter what discipline you do with ...
03/11/2025

What’s a broke horse?

My short definition is one that’s “willingly guided”

It doesn’t matter what discipline you do with your horse. A horse that is well educated AND has a good relationship with their person will go through their career willingly wanting to do what we ask.

Resistance issues arise when we 1) Don’t educate the horse 2) We don’t develop a trusting and balanced relationship 3) underlying pain or illness which prevents the horse from comfortably doing what’s asked.

A journey doesn’t start at the end.

Having a well broke and happy horse is a journey. Start at the start. Put in the effort. Take setbacks as homework that needs to be done.

03/10/2025
03/10/2025

Game Changer for my program ♥️

03/05/2025

Do you want your horse to be successful while doing obstacle work?

One of the most common problems I see with people wanting to work their horse over obstacles, is not having a good starting point/foundation first.

Working obstacles from the ground first, is my key to success. When working from the ground, I can expose my horse to sooo much without risking the repercussions if they make a mistake. When a horse is learning how to cross an obstacle, jump an obstacle and climb over an obstacle, they will make mistakes. They'll leap, jump, trip, duck, dive, refuse, etc. When you work from the ground, you aren't at risk of falling off if the horse makes a mistake. Furthermore, if the horse does to do something semi dangerous or dangerous because its something new and scary and you are on them, you'll instinctively make corrections or punish them for "bad" behavior. This can create a negative and even a traumatic experience for them. But, working from the ground, they can explore without risking punishment.

When preparing your horse for obstacle work, here is a video I put together to highlight the foundation needed. It's pretty simple stuff but takes some practice to have it be good enough to use as a tool. The video was taken back in 2018, my audio and video isn't the greatest but the wisdom remains pretty current.

I hold coached obstacle sessions in the spring and summer at our ranch in Morro Bay. When you come, this is the homework you should ideally have on your horse in order to get the most out of the experience. If you haven't done any groundwork like this before, I offer 1:1 lessons or groundwork clinics to help bring you up to speed. Next groundwork clinic is in the beginning of April. The next obstacle class will be mid April. The better prepared your horse is, the more success you'll have.

I love obstacles because you can add to your horses education with very simple, easy to gather obstacles, you don't need a fancy, expensive setup. Working with obstacles teaches your horse to trust your judgement, listen intently, try harder and have faith in his own ability to complete challenges. Obstacles are an integral part of my foundational program.

To subscribe to my online course, click here: https://katynegranti.thinkific.com/courses/the-complete-package

To book your spot in either a groundwork clinic or obstacle class, click here: https://katynegranti.com/2020-schedule/

This is gold 💛
02/25/2025

This is gold 💛

Knowing when to quit is like saying "Thank You, you've done your best today" to your horse. The more experience you have, the quicker you look to praise and reward your horse's efforts.

I love how much this horse changed so quickly. 2.5 weeks between pictures. Groundwork, bodywork and nutritional tweaks.S...
02/21/2025

I love how much this horse changed so quickly.

2.5 weeks between pictures.

Groundwork, bodywork and nutritional tweaks.

She was fed grass hay 24/7, a little total equine for the vitamins & minerals, some gutx to support the shift in her new routine and ExcelEQ ProElite which supplies omegas and vitamin e for healthy muscle function.

I love how her posture had changed too.

02/15/2025

Want to learn how to belp your horse relax without gimmicks, gadgets or fads?

Horsesanship principles and exercises that are effective in helping your horse learn to relax his mind and body, resulting in healthier and more fluid movement.

Relaxation is essential!

New members can get a 50% discount on a 1 year subscription to my online course. Coupon ends February 17th.

Coupon code: valentine50

https://katynegranti.thinkific.com/courses/the-complete-package

Well said ♥️
02/15/2025

Well said ♥️

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+18057145156

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Videos

Do you want your horse to be successful while doing obstacle work? One of the most common problems I see with people wanting to work their horse over obstacles, is not having a good starting point/foundation first. Working obstacles from the ground first, is my key to success. When working from the ground, I can expose my horse to sooo much without risking the repercussions if they make a mistake. When a horse is learning how to cross an obstacle, jump an obstacle and climb over an obstacle, they will make mistakes. They'll leap, jump, trip, duck, dive, refuse, etc. When you work from the ground, you aren't at risk of falling off if the horse makes a mistake. Furthermore, if the horse does to do something semi dangerous or dangerous because its something new and scary and you are on them, you'll instinctively make corrections or punish them for "bad" behavior. This can create a negative and even a traumatic experience for them. But, working from the ground, they can explore without risking punishment. When preparing your horse for obstacle work, here is a video I put together to highlight the foundation needed. It's pretty simple stuff but takes some practice to have it be good enough to use as a tool. The video was taken back in 2018, my audio and video isn't the greatest but the wisdom remains pretty current. I hold coached obstacle sessions in the spring and summer at our ranch in Morro Bay. When you come, this is the homework you should ideally have on your horse in order to get the most out of the experience. If you haven't done any groundwork like this before, I offer 1:1 lessons or groundwork clinics to help bring you up to speed. Next groundwork clinic is in the beginning of April. The next obstacle class will be mid April. The better prepared your horse is, the more success you'll have. I love obstacles because you can add to your horses education with very simple, easy to gather obstacles, you don't need a fancy, expensive setup. Working with obst

Would your horse benefit from more relaxation?
Would your horse benefit from more relaxation?

Want to learn how to belp your horse relax without gimmicks, gadgets or fads? Horsesanship principles and exercises that are effective in helping your horse learn to relax his mind and body, resulting in healthier and more fluid movement. Relaxation is essential! New members can get a 50% discount on a 1 year subscription to my online course. Coupon ends February 17th. Coupon code: valentine50 https://katynegranti.thinkific.com/courses/the-complete-package

Respect ♥️
Respect ♥️

Why is groundwork preparation important for fixing trailering issues?
Why is groundwork preparation important for fixing trailering issues?

Groundwork, specifically groundwork that helps a horse learn to manage themselves, including their emotions is pivotal in trailering problems. You can ”fix” the loading and unloading pretty easily but to fix the anxiety in the trailer, the horse needs to have a good foundation in regulation of his emotions. Being able to dial it up and dial it down without getting stuck. What does that mean? It means, in your groundwork, your horse can elevate his energy, elevate his effort and potentially elevate their emotions too and when offered a place to settle, they can quickly take a deep breath and relax. It’s a process. The horse in this trailer needs more work on his ability to regulate. He really struggled and showed me he wasn’t ready to fix this task. How do I know that? When a horse has the skills to calm himself, he may be anxious at first but settles down into relaxation relatively quickly. I do this work without ever going anywhere. I make sure they are comfortable and solid at home before using the trailer to get from A to B. As this horse stayed in the trailer, the emotions got hotter and hotter. Funny enough, he has the same trend in his groundwork. He’s only here for a brief stay so I at least can help the owner recognize the areas her horse will need more attention. Groundwork isn’t magic but it prevents and fixes a lot of headaches. Teach the horse to regulate. Much like people who learn skills to manage and dissipate stress. You can’t tell a horse to relax but with training, they can learn to do it themselves.

Young horse skills
Young horse skills

Just a few thoughts... There's misconceptions about frames. One misconception being, when a horse is "in frame" he's collected. Or if his poll is below his withers, he's automatically heavy on the forehand. Both true and both false because it all depends on the deeper structures that are working. I believe most misconception are created due to fads and bastardizing a look for competitive reasons, but I digress. The thing to stop focusing on is the location of the head/neck. Let me break this down simply because I'm not a scientist, I'm just a horse crazy girl who trains horses. So here's my broken down way of explaining it based on my experience. If the back is tense, it can't be round. Period.. If the back is tense, the horse can't engage the core, thoracic sling, etc and the horse can't operate to it's full potential. It's basically either the back that's doing the "carrying" or the core structures. Like a human, engage your core to lift or do load tasks, don't use your back! When a human uses their back for strength type task and then they do any sort of turn or twist... bad things happen! Without the engagement of the core and thoracic sling on the horse, you can't have a true round, collected horse, simply because a tense/engaged back loses it's ability to freely flow with the rest of the horse. The movement will be restricted. The back must first relax, then you help the horse activate and develop the deeper internal structures that are foundational for self carriage and collection. So... if a horse stretches down, they automatically get heavy on the front right? NOPE. They get heavy on the front when they lack relaxation, engagement, strength and balance. Why? Horses are unique in the fact they don't have a collar bone. The head and neck isn't directly attached to the front end like a human is designed. This gives the horse a head start on escaping predators while grazing. A horse can bolt while in a grazing position. But, yes, at first, a horse w

The power of the stretch
The power of the stretch

Having the stretch be part of the regiment, changes the game. I’ve had a handful of horses with kissing spine now. Kissing spine is so painful, causes so many struggles, yet is so preventable when you teach a horse to stretch. As they can release tensions, engage the body and stretch, they build healthy strength in the body. This creates a healthy pattern of movement and becomes their muscle memory. This work literally helps keep healthy space between the spinous processes in the back while also strengthening the thoracic sling, core and topline. On top of that, it relaxes the horse, physically and mentally because they actively release tensions in the body, making them easier to ride and handle. Riding a horse is a very unnatural practice where we put a good amount of weight in the most vulnerable part of the back and therefore takes more intensive work to make sure they don’t feel uncomfortable or in pain as we ride them. The best part is the response from the horse. As they get better at it, they do it without being asked, like in this video. There is no hidden cues, when they’re at liberty like this, it’s all them choosing to stretch and release. I don’t use gadgets or restrictive tack, usually a plain halter, sidepull or plain smooth snaffle. It’s teaching them to release their tensions through connection and contact. Consistent across the board, it’s so rewarding to help horses feel better in their bodies. It’s even more amazing to feel the power and smoothness in the saddle. ❤️ To learn the deeper mechanics and biomechanics of this work, seek Visconte Cocozza of Core Conditioning for Horses. He has a fabulous book that goes into great depth on developing the equine core.

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