Hillbrooke Stables

11/15/2025

10/21/2025

Great day for a ride in the neighborhood!!

10/20/2025

I often need this message!

A calm and quiet mind navigates the wonders of the world around you with joy and peace.

An overachieving, busy, rushing mind is met with resistance, anxiety and stress - unpinning a stressful life.

Slowing down is strength. Sticking to a way of life that supports calmness and joy is a super power.

Choose carefully, the destiny of your life depends entirely on your choices.

Quieten down, slow down, disengage, laugh, love and live a little slower.

Mindful is a life choice 🥰

10/05/2025

Some straight talk about riding ba****ck---

99% of riding well is about creating one creature out of two, the prime example of which is the mythical Centaur.

Little kids who were able to just climb onto their ponies ba****ck and go play and ride developed a feel and a balance and a sense of security that almost nothing else can replicate.

Yes, you can fall off, and yes, you can get hurt, and yes, we now live in a highly litigious society where coaches and barn owners don't dare take the risk of letting kids do this.

But, if you can do it, do do it. It will give you gifts and skills that will last a lifetime of riding, and there is not much else that a rider can do to become as close, literally, to the living, breathing, moving horse.

09/08/2025

I had a great afternoon with these two sweet granddaughters!!

09/07/2025

This is my motto when it comes to horses!

08/13/2025

How well do you really know your horse’s herd? 🐴👀

I love watching my horses out in the field with their friends—it’s fascinating. There’s so much subtlety in the way they interact, from the gentle step-aside look the confident leader gives to the way a less confident horse might startle and zoom back to the herd.

Too often, people use the fact that horses can be forceful with each other as an excuse to be forceful themselves. But if you actually watch them, you’ll notice: there’s strategy, negotiation, and personality in every move.

Do you know:
✨ Who moves for who in your horse’s pasture?
✨ Who might hang by themselves off to the side?
✨ Who scratches who’s back?

Herd dynamics are always changing—especially among my young mares, who grow more confident as they age, or whenever a new horse joins (or leaves) the group. It’s a living, breathing social network (maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always found social networks insightful—sociology major vibes 🧐).

And a gentle reminder: horses NEED friends. Thoughtful grouping matters, but taking away social interaction permanently? That’s unkind. Pasture time with buddies isn’t a luxury—it’s essential for their wellbeing.