Future horse graduation
Two weeks ago, you couldn’t walk this horse out the owners driveway without him coming unglued. 12 days later, POW… a nice quiet trail horse. Walks a little fast at first but then he slows WAY down. Love the journey and trust the process. JUST LET GO !!!
I often find it so intriguing that the simplest solutions can solve, what some people find to be, difficult problems. 
I have been working with this gelding for a few weeks on the ground but have not ridden him yet. This past Saturday, the owner said another trainer stepped on him and he was not wanting to go forward or pick up the left lead as easily as the right. She asked me if I would ride him to see what I thought. After showing me a quick video, I noticed in the first 10 seconds what the problem was. 
I rode him for 10 minutes and this is the last two minutes. We just need to learn to “let go”.
And yes, that’s me in a helmet and a dressage saddle. 🤣😂
Helping my client take her Andalusian horse out for his first trail ride. They both did great.
Another success story and another horse ready for graduation.
This thoroughbred mare came to me with some pretty dangerous behavior out on the trail. She would lose her mind, spin around and rear. It got so bad, that the owner would not ride her anymore and she called me.
After some extensive groundwork expanding her ability to handle more stress and teaching her how to find relaxation even in tense situations, she was ready to take out on trail. I already took her out twice before recording this with the client riding her out.
The client said this horse would be especially bad walking down towards the arena and walking back up. Didn’t seem to be a problem today.
Working with a horse that wouldn’t load nor come near the trailer. He would run off with the owner and she would be forced to let go of the lead rope while the horse ran around the barn loose.
Connection, clarity and trust was key to this outcome.
I did not get the first session on film but he was extremely explosive, constantly rearing, bucking and pulled me all over. I could have gotten him loaded in the first session, but I decided to spread it out over four sessions to keep it slow, calm and correct. 
The owner is the last clip. So pleased with this horse. One of the toughest.
Ron working with me on flying lead changes. Super fun!
Sometimes you have to go back a few steps in order to move forward in the training and connection process.
This filly came to me after bucking her owner off at the lope a couple of times. We started with several sessions working with the filly and the client on ground and round pen work. I used my experienced ranch horse to build confidence, safety and the demonstration of good manners for the filly. Here is her first lope with rider on board without any hint of bucking. Her owner is enjoying an improved connection with her and it is a joy to see.
This is a perfect display of a Let Go program goal. Within just a few lessons, this rider learned to let go of the reins, and her horse was able to stop deeper and more relaxed than before. I am super excited to be working with this team and watching her take her new skills to the next level.
Such a fun day this past Saturday doing follow up lessons with six prior clinic participants.
With the philosophy of never passing up the opportunity to change unwanted behaviors, I helped a client to address some concerns with her Appaloosa pony. The horse would start walking off as soon as she put a foot in the stirrup.
In this short clip, you will see how the Let Go Fundamentals were able to transform the unwanted behavior into a desired behavior in as little as one session. This created a much safer situation for both horse and rider. Notice how the client resisted the urge to grab the reins when she mounted the second time, as she had learned to let go. 😁
This was my first time working with this horse, and the owner's goal was to start trailering him in her large trailer. He was fine loading into the small trailer but appeared to be afraid of the narrow opening in the large trailer. The other door could not open as it is a tack room. Using the Let Go fundamentals for 30 minutes, we went from complete avoidance to standing with both front feet in the trailer for several minutes. Here is a clip leading up to that point.
The key is knowing when to apply pressure and when to release it. Done incorrectly, the horse may learn the opposite of what we hope. There were a few points where I thought about stopping and accepting the progress I had made, but this horse indicated that he was ready for more. An important concept is knowing when to quit and when to keep going. 😁
Here is a great video of "learning to let go" of our horses.
This is a new client horse that is a 6yr old QH mare with no formal training. When jogging her around, I leave her on a slack rein and just leave her alone. In teaching her how to turn around and pivot on the hind foot, notice how in her first set of turnarounds going to the right, she never fully puts a foot down and instead just swaps ends. So I never fully let the pressure off. However, when I jog her and go to the left, for a brief moment she plants a hind foot. I search for and recognize the moment the foot is planted and then instantly drop the reins, take my legs off and let go.
She didn’t do it perfectly but she made the correct attempt. This is a great example of learning to let go to achieve those tiny manageable chunks of success that lead to the larger goals. Learning to let go instantly is crucial in teaching and maintaining new behaviors.
Thank you Jennifer Holland Harpole for the opportunity to work with this nice mare. 😁
This mare swished her tail and pinned her ears while being saddled by her owner but this behavior wasn’t consistent when I worked with her. We used the Let Go Equine fundamentals and she quickly learned what is expected of her and how best to act while being saddled. After a couple of sessions with her she is transforming nicely, and consistent use of the methods will maintain her progress.
Seizing opportunities. Today on a short trail ride, this gelding decided to stop and then spooked at something up ahead. Although I couldn’t see what he was spooking at, he was obviously worried about something. I realized he needed the opportunity to stand and process his concerns until he relaxed, licked his lips and took a big sigh. Once relaxed, he moved forward without any concerns at all.  We should seize these opportunities to teach our horses that they can relax and learn to trust us even when something initially seems like a threat to them.
A little demonstration of riding without a bridle. This was pretty fun and something we haven't practiced in a while. It's great to see that Scouter remembers his cues. That's the benefit of taking time and patience when teaching a horse new skills. Are you interested in learning how to connect with your horse in this way?
