Rein with Grace Horsemanship

10/06/2025

Wise words . . .

08/04/2025

This, it not just about you liking the horse.

We can't wait to welcome Buster McLaury to the Road to the Horse 2025 Ranch Retreat in September in Decatur, Texas!

03/18/2025

02/04/2025

Forward fixes everything

Forward is your favorite F word.

You’ll hear us say this in clinics and lessons so many times.
Forward needs to come first. Without it you don’t have much. It’s the first foundation block to anything. When a horse knows they can move out your ride is safer. When we hold back from forward, for lots of reasons, we end up creating more problems. Many times your horse is willing but we aren’t. And if that’s you right now, that’s just fine. The amazing thing about horses is how adaptable they are. We can change our perspective now and the horse will come right along with us fairly quickly.

The anxious/hot horse, relies on forward to feel comfortable. So you can use it in a productive way to help dissipate that. The sticky horse has not yet learned that forward can be freeing and help. This horse needs to learn that forward is okay and something they need to seek. You don’t need it for long with these types of horses, get it, and reward it quickly as you start to change their attitude to what forward means. Horses who aren’t allowed or able to go forward freely when can end up being bolters, buckers, rearers ect.

But in order to have forward, we have to start with getting them (and us) comfortable with it and out of their way in doing so. A lot of anxieties and brace comes into a horse when we ask for the gas and then immediately hit the brake. Once a horse is comfortable going forward on a loose rein, with a relaxed topline and mind, you can take than and build it into anything you’d like. But first build the horses desire to move out relaxed and without the obstacles of our hands/reins.

Photo of our students in a recent lesson on her extended trot.

11/22/2024

This is one of favorite exercises here at the barn.

“As the horse coordinates his limbs to abduct and straddle the pole, he releases tension from his bottom muscle chain. He also activates the deep hip stabilizing muscles, which play a cybernetic role communicating to the brain about a limb’s position and tonicity.

1. Place a single pole on flat ground. Ideally, the pole should be 10 to 12 feet in length.
2. Lead your horse to approach the pole straight from one end.
3. Pause briefly for a second or two to ensure your horse is listening well and not rushing.
4. Now very gently, one tiny step at a time, lead him forward with the pole under his midline.
5. Stop when he is fully straddling the pole and give him a pause to settle in that position.
6. Now ask him to take one step backwards, continuing to straddle the pole. Then bring him one step forward again.
7. Continue this motion of stepping him backwards and forwards while straddling the pole.”

By Jec Aristotle Ballou from her article “Building Stronger Horses: Stability Before Strength” www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/english/dressage/building-stronger-horses

This exercise is much more challenging than it looks and sounds, so I will often just start with the front legs only and have the horse stand relaxed with no back and forward walking when introducing this exercise for the first few times.

JAG Khasanova “Khody” practicing the straddle the pole exercise. 💪 Photo by Jessica Ann Designs