Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Daniel Johnson Horsemanship, Horse Trainer, Nashville, TN.
My name is Daniel Johnson and I use a blend of feel based horsemanship and classical principles to help horse owners develop happy and confident equine partners.
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Getting the “office” organized this morning. These are a few tools that I use just about everyday.
Gorgeous spring day here in Tennessee.
Strength under control.
Great words from my teacher Larry Whitesell. Ride back to front!
Loving a winter ride with this mare.
Such important information regarding quality in lateral flexions.
Continuing the lunge work on the other side.
This is a mare that I’m bringing back from an injury. She needs to regain flexibility and muscle. We’re working on finding horizontal balance with the cavesson at the lunge. I want her neck to fall right out of her withers, chin to about the base of her chest, to put a little tension on the nuchal ligament which will free the hind legs to swing through with rhythm. This rebalances the horse to have their weight more equally distributed across all four feet, rather than a majority of it being born on their front legs.
We guide and set up sign posts through various training techniques, but ultimately the horse must find the balance for themselves.
Developing Shoulder-in in hand.
Thank you to everyone who came to the clinic at Crossroads Ranch in Nolensville TN this past Saturday. We got some good work done in a short amount of time! I look forward to seeing you all again.
Really looking forward to this clinic, see you all there!
Good visual.
Round
What does it mean to make your horse round?
Contrary to what many believe, round, when it pertains to the horse, is not in the neck but rather in the back. Sadly, the hyper fixation on having a particular head set is part of a larger problem which stems from the lack of understanding in what a properly moving horse looks like, as well as how horses use their body to help themselves balance and move when they lack the physical strength and training to be in self carriage. Any position, regardless of whether it is considered "healthy" and correct, if held consistently throughout the ride will create tension. Suppleness is brought by constant changes in posture throughout the training session, however these position can never be forced or held by the rider, only encouraged and guided.
Roundness itself refers to the back of the horse, who through correct training is able to carry himself with his hind as opposed to pulling himself along and "grabbing ground" with the forelegs. The measure of self carriage is by assessing the angle of the spine and the engagement of the abdominal muscles and hind end through high-level movements.
Halter Starting a little Mule c**t this week. I have learned so much from the few mules that I have worked with. Gotta take your time and really focus on setting things up so that the right answer is easy.
Great quote from a great horseman.
The only reason you bend a horse is to get to the feet.
Learn details at TheBuckChannel.com
Photo by Nicole Poyo Photography
Great quote from a great horseman.
Really love this post.
Dub the Tennessee walker is learning a new job and Finnegan the Gypsy Vanner is learning how to follow a feel.
Wise words from my teacher, Larry Whitesell.
✨“The draw is more important than the chase.”✨
Brent doesn't like chasing horses until you're the only thing left to come to. That's not building trust and showing the horse you're trustworthy, it'll cause more issues and you'll lose the softness horses already have.
You want to draw the horse to you in a way that shows you're safe and that you will protect them. Not in a domination kind of way. This approach reserves the softness and creates a better long term relationship with your horse.
This clinic has given me a whole new perspective of softness and how to interact with horses. I hope anyone who wants a deeper understanding of horses finds a chance to come learn from Brent and Kris. The way they work with horses is something we should all strive to do. It's an enlightening experience.
Brent Graef Horsemanship
Draak the Friesian x Percheron in for halter work and a little bit of in-hand/lunging. He has the body of a dragon and the heart of a teddy bear.
He’s 3 years old this month, I’ll get him going under saddle a little closer to 4 years.
Amy Skinner, if you read this post I would like you to comment with the first Lord of the Rings quote that pops into your mind.
Such a helpful visual. Its amazing all the work we put in to get to that top picture, but it's a journey worth committing to.
Did you know that a horse that hasn't been how to properly support and carry the weight of a rider will instinctually hollow their back away from the weight of the rider? Many riding horses spend their entire careers going around with hollow backs, even upper level competition horses.
Carrying weight with a hollow back is, at best, uncomfortable for the horse, and in many cases is actually quite painful. Many horses tolerate this discomfort because they don't know any alternative. Other horses develop behavioral problems and become labeled as bad horses.
For a horse to remain healthy and comfortable in his work he must be taught how to support the weight of a rider with first a neutral back and then later on with a lifted back. This is a process that takes time, as you can't rush muscle development.
I've found that the best way to teach a horse to lift his back is on the ground first, through classical in hand work. Without the extra weight of the rider, it is easier for the horse to learn how to lift his back and it is easier for him to develop the strength that he needs in order to maintain a lifted back for an extended amount of time.
Once the horse has and understanding of this healthier posture and has developed some strength, it will be much easier for him to accomplish the same thing with a rider on his back.
The horse will then feel more comfortable and have an easier time performing his job. He will be less prone to injuries and behavioral problems and he will be able to continue doing his job for much longer than if he never learned to move in a healthy way.
As stewards of our horses, we owe it to them to give them the best lives possible. That includes taking the time to teach them how to move in a way that is healthy and comfortable for them.
Want to learn more about the horse's back and how you can teach him a healthy posture? We invite you to join our Healthy Movement through In Hand Work course, available in our Virtual Classroom. You'll learn how you can help your horse to move in a healthier way through the use of In Hand Work.
This work is beneficial for horses of all ages, breeds, and disciplines and no previous experience is necessary.
Learn more and sign up here- https://tuskeydressage.com/register/virtual-classroom/
The latest horse in the barn for training, meet “Dub.” Super sweet Tennessee walker. He’s in to gain a better balance and become safer for his owner to enjoy on the trail.
I have the best job 🙂
This is an iPhone video of Gideon from a recent demonstration for his owner. My main goals with him have been to help him find rythmic, forward, and calm motion. As he releases tension in his top line, the brow band of the bridle starts to come forward and down. His natural gait becomes smoother because he is able to use his hind legs to support himself. It’s not perfect but it’s progress.
The wind chime sound is the jingle bobs on my spurs. I didn’t realize how loud they would be on camera- ha.
This is Gideon, he’s a Tennessee Walking Horse who has been in training with me for the past three months. the first two pictures represent the natural posture that he preferred to carry himself in, whether in motion or at rest.
If you look at him as a whole, you can see that he positions himself in a “U” shape, with a much longer “underline” than his top line. This posture drops his back down and puts his back in a less than ideal posture for carrying the weight of a rider with soundness.
The third picture represents what he has begun to learn through his time with me- how to release his “under neck muscles” (which cause him to carry his head in a high position) and engage his core muscles to step his hind legs further beneath his body.
Now his body is becoming more and more a bridge that can support the weight of the rider. His natural gaites have improved and he is able to respond to the aids with both lightness and softness.
It brings me joy to see him choosing this posture while at rest because it means that the new neural patterns of movement we have been creating are starting to take deep root.
Softness begins with the mind.
This is following up a recent post in which I wrote about lightness vs. softness.
Softness starts with the mind. The mind is written in the muscles. If the mind is anxious the muscles will be tense and the body will be locked up. If the body is locked, the horse cannot get round and lift the rider.
The mind follows the eyes and the feet follow the mind. Sometimes the first place to start is simply testing whether or not you have the ability to change what the horse is thinking about. This can be through touch, visual stimuli, or sound.
In this photo, I am working with an anxious Andalusian. As I put a soft feel on the lunge line, she puts her left ear on me. Then follows the eye, then follows the pole, then the right front foot about to cross in front of the left.
This series of events came, not through pulling the horse back onto the circle, but through seeking to change what she was thinking about.
The eyes are the key to the mind, the mind is the key to the body.
I found this sign in the bathroom of a restaurant the other day. Isn’t this what we hope to model for our horses? Really, it’s the gift that they call us into if we choose to work with them in the spirit of “Praus.”
Not just Lightness, but Light and Soft.
Lightness is what we are all chasing, but few understand lightness because few understand how to help a horse find softness. I think of Lightness as being external, while softness is internal. Lightness may describe a horse being quick to respond to an aid, but she may not necessarily be soft…
Softness starts with the mind, a horse’s mind is written in their muscles. If the mind is anxious the muscles are going to be tense, specifically the muscles of the horse’s top-line. This will block the flow of energy from the hindquarters up through the body to the jaw and ultimately to the hands of the rider. The back will likely be hollow and the rider will feel an unnecessary amount of weight in the reins.
When the horse softens her mind (makes a shift from an anxious state to a secure and confident state) she can then soften her body by releasing the muscles of her top-line. Now, rhythmic forward movement is possible- she can flex her lumbosacral joints as she reaches her hind legs forward and under, lifting the chest, which pushes the neck forward and onto the bit. The rider will feel a lightening of the contact and a sense that now they can both move together with ease.
Nashville, TN
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Continuing the lunge work on the other side.
This is a mare that I’m bringing back from an injury. She needs to regain flexibility and muscle. We’re working on finding horizontal balance with the cavesson at the lunge. I want her neck to fall right out of her withers, chin to about the base of her chest, to put a little tension on the nuchal ligament which will free the hind legs to swing through with rhythm. This rebalances the horse to have their weight more equally distributed across all four feet, rather than a majority of it being born on their front legs. We guide and set up sign posts through various training techniques, but ultimately the horse must find the balance for themselves.
Developing Shoulder-in in hand.
Draak the Friesian x Percheron in for halter work and a little bit of in-hand/lunging. He has the body of a dragon and the heart of a teddy bear. He’s 3 years old this month, I’ll get him going under saddle a little closer to 4 years. Amy Skinner, if you read this post I would like you to comment with the first Lord of the Rings quote that pops into your mind.
This is an iPhone video of Gideon from a recent demonstration for his owner. My main goals with him have been to help him find rythmic, forward, and calm motion. As he releases tension in his top line, the brow band of the bridle starts to come forward and down. His natural gait becomes smoother because he is able to use his hind legs to support himself. It’s not perfect but it’s progress. The wind chime sound is the jingle bobs on my spurs. I didn’t realize how loud they would be on camera- ha.
Meeting a new horse and working on a solid foundation.
