Amelia Lorden Horsemanship

02/13/2023

I have two more spots open for my March 5th clinic!

Focus on finding the feel under saddle, advancing your skills.

02/11/2023

Oops! Caught me!
Ride now talk later!

Happy Saturday! Take this as a sign to go spend time in the barn. 😉

02/11/2023

Remember how much fun this was!! Thank you again Sandy Hodskins for a super fun weekend last summer!
Who wants to do it again!? Maybe when it’s a little cooler 😅

Www.WestMeadowFarmNH.com

02/09/2023

I can hear the birds singing!!

I’ll be looking for a little help doing some spring clean up! 1-2 days a week. Paid or working student. Days are flexible. Prefer 18+ with a drivers license. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. and not afraid to get a little dirty. Where there’s horses there always 💩

Pm if interested!!

02/07/2023

MARCH 5th FOUNDATION IN THE SADDLE.

Need help achieving your goals? March 5th I am hosting a clinic, the first of 3. We will work on feeling foot falls, the basics behind getting your horse to use it’s body better and perform better and how to get there.

Limited space! I will only be taking 6 riders. To be able to really take the time to concentrate on each individual.

Northfield NH. Driftwood stables

$135 for each rider
$15 to audit
Will include lunch from dominos pizza 🍕

Pm me to save your spot!!

02/04/2023

Yahoo! Everyone getting a little indoor time during these freezing temps. Still a little cold for our ol waters to go out just yet. Gambit particularly appreciated a little play time!

02/02/2023

The girls and I did more goofing off then riding this afternoon. Much needed quality pony time!

02/02/2023

A long but super good read.
I am also someone that take things to heart and will keep me up at night, trying to figure out the best way to talk it out. Thanks Craig for writing this so well. Some good points and light humor too!
I can add from my experience. Horses are looking for a leader, they’ll do well with a friend, but even better with true guidance. The warm and fuzzies are good until it’s not.

A Few Thoughts From a Recent Criticism

These days I’m most fascinated by people. You can prove to them that something works and they’ll not believe it or they’ll just go into all the reasons why it’s bad. We are experts at rationalizing our thoughts and opinions.

So I wake up this morning and find a comment from a person on a video I recently posted. The video is of a 9 year old Welsh Cob mare getting her first ride. And the comment was about how what I was doing was wrong and trust needed to be built first. Her theory was that time needs to be spent sitting with a horse and asking for absolutely nothing. Just being there, and being present. Well in my opinion that’s just fine! If that’s what you want to do with your own horse then great! However, I charge money for what I do. And for that money folks would like some results. If I can’t get results then I let the owner know and send the horse back. I don’t make claims that I can train them all.

Here’s what fascinated me the most though, I would bet that this is the kind of person that talks about acceptance and understanding. They probably promote being understanding of all others and accepting them for who they are. But then that changes when they see something they don’t like. I shared enough of that session so a person could see the horse was worried. Then they could see how we came out pretty good in the end. The horse was being ridden on her very first session here. And I was sitting up there petting her softly by the end. To me, the horse was clearly learning and improving.

Here’s the deal, I don’t mind how ever that lady wants to work with horses. She can expect little or nothing at all from them and I won’t go to her page and badmouth it. But she came to mine and did just that. And of course she thinks she’s helping people. Turning them away from what she might consider as a completely bad or evil way to interact with a horse. It’s ironic because I’d tell folks of why I don’t agree with how she does things. I’d give opposite advise from what she gives and I’d also think I’m helping. The irony is that we will both help people while giving opposite advice. The advice a person needs is highly based on their individuality and current issue(s) with their horse(s). While her and I may not agree, I can respect the fact that some people need to hear the information she’s spreading. I can also criticize the information she’s spreading because it’s that kind of information that held me back and stunted my growth in the past.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that many people like her will post quotes or memes of Ray Hunt. Then I really have to laugh to myself! I’ve got a few of Ray’s videos. The guy was AMAZING!! I’ve learned so much from those videos. But he also got a lot done in a short amount of time. He also got on some horses who still had some worry and helped them through it. And I’m by no means near as good as Ray was. But I bet I’m as good as Ray was at one point. When he was younger and learning to get as good as he ended up being. It’s a journey and a process. I’m doing my best to help as many horses and people as I can but I make no claim to be perfect. I’m not even close to finished learning. I honestly have no idea what my horse interactions will look like in the future. The point of this paragraph is that people will share his quotes while they discredit folks who ride horses “too fast”. They like his words but know little of his actual work. I’m personally a HUGE fan of Ray.

Getting back to the ladies idea of sitting with a horse and asking for nothing. While I won’t go on her page to criticize it, I will tell y’all how I currently feel about it. I’ve kind of tried it, and let me explain what that means. I don’t want to say I fully tried it because honestly I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t for me, so I can guarantee I gave up long before anything like results started to creep in. Here’s the thing, we’re all individuals. It’s our individuality that will dictate things we will and won’t be good at. And I knew very early on that I wouldn’t be capable of sitting around doing nothing with a horse AND taking someone else’s money. I knew I wanted to do this to make my living so that also had some weight.

So the first issue is that the technique didn’t align with me as a person (maybe one day it will, who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️). The second issue is that I’m a keen observer, and do you know what I saw and continue to see? A house of cards! No matter how big it was built, a tiny breeze could blow it over and it was like completely starting over. So you build this horses trust by asking ABSOLUTELY nothing from him. Then you start saddling, and it’s going good. Then you get the ground work done with the saddle and you’re feeling great! Heck smooth sailing, just like that tree hugging lady on the internet said! Then your confidence is beaming so you get a ride in! You don’t move the horse at all but heck, you rode him! Day two of riding you even take a few steps! BUT……..somewhere between ride 2 and ride 6 old fluffy BLOWS UP! Yup…the house of cards comes crashing down. Of course you’ll blame the wind, the cat, your husband, the leadrope, a unicorn fart, yourself, or who knows what else, anything but the horse or the method.

What a devastating day, and honestly I feel bad for these folks. Many invest anywhere from 6-18 months on this way of “training”. But back to the story. The next day you go out to catch your horse to figure out what went wrong, hoping it was a fluke. But guess what! He’s hard to catch. You get him caught, but then he’s TERRIFIED! He doesn’t trust your hand, the brush, the saddle pad, and don’t even think about picking up that saddle! Talk about discouraging! You just invested months and months into this. And now you feel worse off than when you started. You feel like you’ve wasted a year of your life. You feel like you’ll never ride this horse. You question if you should just sell all your horse stuff and get a new hobby.

I really feel for these folks. I feel like they were mislead with false promises about doing less and getting more. And yes, in the process, no stress horse training feels better. You constantly relax your horse and never get him worried. But now he has a smaller comfort zone and doesn’t know how to respond when he gets worried. He’s been coddled and catered to. His worries are what tell you what to do. And he’s being built into something we’d consider dangerous. Think about how bad this type of upbringing would be for kids. It’s similar to raising a spoiled and entitled kid. The world is a much harder place for them as an adult than a kid who was given discipline and difficult situations to conquer.

Obviously y’all can change a few minor details but we’ve heard many stories like this. Folks waste a lot of time and sometimes the horse is beyond repair for that person. What that person taught that horse can generally be fixed for a different person. But it’s harder to fix for the actual owner because now the owner has PTSD from getting bucked off or hurt by that horse. He can sense your fear and lack of leadership and it’s a recipe for inevitable chaos in the future. It’s a very damaged relationship and tough to rebuild. Generally the person who dug the hole has a hard time filling it back in. I’ve also seen folks who say they used stress-free training but then after an incident like written above, they go to moving the horses feet. They get him desensitized and responding better and get things straightened out then go back to the stress-free way. So pretty much they spend a little time doing some things a lot like the things I do to gain some control and success in those worried spots. 😜

I’ve avoided criticizing passive horsemanship but I’m going to be honest with y’all. It’s starting to lead to a lot of injuries and dangerous horses. Dangerous doesn’t always mean they attack people out of aggression. Sometimes it means they’ll kill you to save their own life. They’ll run you over if a plastic bag blows by, they’ll run off if a tree stump looks peculiar to them, or they might just buck you off because a fly bit them.

Here’s my main point. Don’t judge others for the way they do things. If it’s animal abuse then I’ll grab my pitchfork and fight with you! But just because an animal is uncomfortable doesn’t make it abuse.

Be observant, take what you like and leave what you don’t. But be aware of what your animals turn into and try to figure out why. Also be aware of what other peoples animals are like and try to figure out why. If you want your horse to be more like someone else’s horse then you may need to do some of the things they do. Or you may need a new horse, they aren’t machines, their individuality must also be considered.

The best thing you can do is train your horse well. Then it will always have value. That will give your horse the very best chance at a good life if something were to happen to you.

My last bit of advice…hire a pro! Finding a good one that you like and trust will be the toughest part. But it’s worth it. I don’t do my own taxes and I don’t suggest folks start their own c**ts. If you are going to do it, just know it’s going to be a bumpy ride. No matter what the guys on the internet say, don’t expect smooth sailing. Horse training is an amazing puzzle because of the challenges that arise and the rewards of overcoming them. If you’re up for the challenge, be ready for the struggle.

Live and let live.
If you want other people to do what you do, all you have to do is get consistently better results than them. That’s the the convincing they’ll need.

02/01/2023

The key to success. Time and patience. Lots of it.

What you’re working towards may take consistency over a week, a year or 20+ years.

Stay consistent & results will come.

01/23/2023

Almost forgot to share a motivational Monday post :) these sure help me!

Don't let fear stop you from trying.

01/23/2023

I have one training stall that just opened up. Please message me if your looking to get your horse tuned up or started under saddle. This is a great time of the year to get your horses started!

01/19/2023

Well said.

The term "soft hands" is misunderstood by most people. If you're not effective with your hands you make a horse pushy.

01/15/2023

Have you hugged a horse today? 🐴❤️

01/13/2023

Teaching this fussy mare to put her head down into the bit willingly. Certainly not perfect but a good start. The goal is to keep with the horse best you can while they are being fussy, and let go when in the right position. As you gain softness and progress you can ask for more. **tstarting

01/12/2023

I am thrilled to have a happy ending for Sky, aka Siva!
As some of you know she was rescued from a bad situation, before coming to me. A couple weeks ago I was tagged and message by a few people who recognized this little crème mare. A faint blaze, and her unforgettable character, it was a match! This is Sivas breeder who desperately missed her after selling her, and had been looking for her since. A very happy reunion!!
Best of luck to Siva!

01/07/2023

That sky though….

01/07/2023

Lunging 2023! Happy new year!

01/05/2023

For those still figuring out how to tie your nets, here’s a good video of the simple half hitch knot. :) quick and easy! (Also does not freeze up on you! For my fellow winter climate horseman)

01/04/2023

When the lesson is done, it’s time to soak it in.
Sadie, not a mule 😂 demonstrating some big releases after our lesson today. Standing quietly while I untack.

01/03/2023

It is the new year, which means many of you have orchestrated new goals for yourself and your horse! We can’t wait to watch you crush them!

Your time to build your best show horse, or to to work towards your best trail horse is now. To build all of those things in your horse take time, a fit horse, and effort.

Don’t find yourself trying to cram your horse for the first show 2 weeks before it starts. Start now, build consistency in you and your program and get your horse fit.
So many problems we see where riders and horses struggle stem down to a horse just not being fit enough to do what the rider is asking.

If you need some extra motivation, join us in our Annual Horsemanship Challenge starting February 1st!!

01/01/2023

May 2023 be filled with horses.

01/01/2023

Happy new year everyone!!
Every year we grow and have a blast doing so!
Ready for 2023!

I’m excited to be hosting more clinics, and events this year at driftwood stables. The calendar is filling up fast!!

Kicking off with Saturday play days! Starting Jan, 1st.
I always offer these fun group play days during the winter and spring to keep us motivated through out these cold winter days! Obstacles, working patterns, and trail rides. Truck in and join the fun! $30 for each rider to truck in, or $100 for 4 day package. If your already part of our boarding community just $10! Every Saturday at 11-1 please rsvp if you are coming!!

By popular demand we will be doing our foundation from the ground up series again this spring, stay tuned for those details.

New this year I will also be playing with some cowboy challenges!! A timed and judged obstacle/task challenges around the property!

Always looking forwards to more ranch riding this year, looking to do a little more traveling out. And also plan to work more cattle this year as well.
If this sounds like fun to you reach out about joining our team!!

12/24/2022

The girls and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

12/19/2022

Happy gotcha day Lu!
(I’m a few days late as usual)
I can’t believe it’s been 3 years already. I just love everything this mare has to offer, I don’t even know where to begin. I say she is the best impulse buy I’v ever made! when something just feels right, you do it.
My personal black beauty I never thought I’d have 🖤

12/16/2022

12/15/2022

Putting miss Sky to the test, working with some one new. And she was perfect 🤩 look at those ears forward and attentive! And a good job to Addison as well, who is learning a little more about ground work!