Wild Roots Horsemanship, LLC

When people ask what I do on the slow rides…I find cacti, point them out to my sister, and insist on mimicking them to make her laugh. My horse loves it, too 🤪

Is there anything more fun than riding in the woods with friends?? If there is I sure haven’t found it yet 🤷🏼‍♀️ Grateful for good ponies, good weather, and good company. The two kiddos in front of me had never been trail riding before. We do weekly lessons in an arena working on technical skills for both horses + riders but every so often….you just need some time in the woods. So proud of Monty (who is a former WRH alumni!) and Meeko for being the goodest boys on the trail that day. What an awesome life these horses give us 👏🏻

Nova learns to ground drive and so does my student 🤓 WRH has been SO busy with lessons. From August to November, we have averaged 48 lessons a week 🫠 This video is a great example of why lessons are my favorite. These two had never worked together but my student needed a little change of pace to keep her motivated so we tapped into the training side of things to stay creative. I often find that people’s biggest obstacle when working with horses is knowing how to remain neutral especially when their horse gets stuck, confused, upset, etc. Little lessons like these, where someone can experience a horse that is also learning, teach us how not to be intimidated by the process, our horse’s reactions, or the unknown. Ground driving is a great teacher for this concept as it encourages trusting feeling and really, when it comes down to it, 99% of training is based in feeling our way through. We try a little of this, a little of that, and above all else we try to guide our horses through the learning curve into clarity. There is no one size fits all - we have to feel out what fits the horse in front of us best. If I can leave my lessons teaching anyone only one thing it would be just that; trust yourself and your horse and never be afraid to try again. Excellent job, ladies 👏🏻

🔊 TURN UP THE VOLUME Y’ALL Someone recently posted a video of their horse drinking from a fresh tank and asked the question, “What’s your favorite horse sound?” Well. This is mine. And it sounds like SLOP. Now, I’m no nutritionist (yet 👀) but I’ve been around the equine block a time or two and the more I feed the more water I add. Every single horse that stays with WRH learns to love the sloppy side of life. And why?? Because it can literally save their life. I feed a 1:1 ratio of water to concentrate. So, if they get “1 scoop” of feed they get “1 scoop” of water. This trick can prevent choke, colic, dehydration, and the waste of important supplements/feed additives like electrolytes or medications. Adding water to a horse’s feed can be the difference between a happy horse and a dreaded vet visit. So, what’s my favorite horse sound?? The sound of water being absorbed into the gut to aid in digestion; the sound of mimicking the horse’s most natural-known diet (forage in the wild would contain a high percentage of water); the sound of senior horses still receiving much needed nutrients despite a decline in dental health; the sound of regulating the horse’s body temperature. Soak your feed. It’s free. And it has more benefits than you could ever imagine ✌🏻

Even the biggest kiddos have to pass the test of thundering I mean cantering trails 😅 Fergus was with WRH for 45 days recently and we worked mainly on his ability to stand well for the farrier buuuuuuut we also snuck in some really good trail training. As a Percheron/Friesian cross, Fergus wasn’t exactly the most forward kiddo we’ve ever had but! Even he picked up the pace on the trail and was much more willing to find the higher gaits in the open space. This serves as a good reminder that truly reliable trail kiddos can find their forward just as easily as they can find their stop. Granted it does take Fergus a little minute (you try stopping 1300lbs on a dime) he still slows up immediately when asked and happily gives me a downward transition all the way into a back up. Try not to let your horse get in the habit of all go or all whoa. The trail requires a healthy balance of both! And so, we should constantly practice allowing our horses to move out and then coming back down. The end goal remains the same no matter the size of the horse - control of the feet; that means not only direction but speed as well. Whether they find themselves on a 20 meter circle or on a long, open stretch of trail, our kiddos need to be responsive to our asks and responsible for their answers. Excellent work, Fergie 👏🏻

Dream masters the “one foot at a time concept” and reminds everyone it’s never too late to learn cool stuff 🤘🏻 I have found myself talking to a lot of clients this week about the art of controlling each foot of your horse. We have discussed this topic on this page before (remember how important this concept becomes when asking your horse to line up at the mounting block) but this particular exercise shows just how creative we can get in trying to make every step our horse takes count. For Dream in particular, this little workout hits home on two parts - one being controlling the feet and the second being that she really focuses on her handler. Dream can be buddy sour so this exercise really helps her focus on what matters the most; the person working with her. But this exercise isn’t just for the horse! Handlers often have a hard time knowing just how much pressure is good pressure. A puzzle-based ground work session like this one can help you practice finesse in your asks. If I don’t use the exact right amount of pressure, Dream will either do too little or too much. We have a responsibility in our asks; we have to remember that the amount of pressure we bring to the table directly reflects in how our horses will respond. The tighter and more precise an exercise the better our timing and more exact our asks how to be. Great work, Dreamcicle 👏🏻

When you’re on a “diet” but also…oatmeal pies are a thing…👀🤫 Sorry Steele Horsemanship and Farriery we broke the no sugar rule!

Mo Mo has been on the trail and “trimming” it too…one bite at a time 🤣 *sound on to hear me remind him we can’t eat trees as we pass them* This kid has been doing really well! His 90 days are almost up and he’s done walk, trot, canter, a little bit of solo trail, obstacles, ground work, and lessons with his owner. I’m super proud of how far he’s come and can’t wait to watch him grow during weekly lessons once he’s back home. Mo will be hauling in to continue his work with his owner and I after his contract is up. The best part of this journey is watching how much these kiddos grow up - Mo used to be pretty uneasy about situations he wasn’t used to and now he tackles new adventures like a champ! I hear all the time from owners of youngsters about how they barely recognize their horse after training - the horse is more confident, more relaxed, more comfortable in their own skin. And that’s what training is really for…beyond the skills learned training helps develop their brains and if it’s done right you see the best improvements. Good boy, Mister Mo 👏🏻

Sometimes I think I’m really getting the hang of this horse training thing and then I spend some alone time with my stud colt and realize…there’s improvement yet to be had with a few of my methods apparently. Thanks for always keeping us laughing at the very least, Baby Dragon 🤪

Geronimo proves that rain is nothing but another opportunity to train 🌦️ I hear people say all the time, “I can’t ride today - it rained and the ground is wet!” This is super fair…for certain types of rides. Lord knows I have cancelled a lesson before due to wet ground! But if we remember that riding can be more than just circles in a technical space, we can actually use wet ground to our advantage. This is more than just a chance to practice puddles (although for some horses that in and of itself is enough of a challenge). I use moving out, transitioning down, and even backing in uneven terrain with water up to the horse’s fetlock to put to work a practical concept that otherwise often goes unpracticed until we really need it. On the trail, you never know what kind of ground or weather you’ll encounter. Maybe the ground starts good and suddenly you find yourself in an awkward space that you need to turn around from. Maybe the weather starts good and suddenly you find yourself in a rainstorm being drenched with puddles quickly forming along the trail. Maybe you have a bit of both. We can never know for sure what a trail ride might hold for us or ask of our horses. So, I take advantage where I can. Teaching Mo to navigate poor ground and to balance through unpredictable terrain in a controlled environment at home will one day pay off when he is in a less familiar place. I’m asking Mo to trust himself, think about every step he takes, and problem solve through both higher and lower gaits. At the trot, things can become slippery. At the back up, things can become sticky. Both instances require the horse to commit to considering his feet and stay focused on being sure-footed. Of course, if you’re going to be stupid be smart. I’m aware there’s a reason we don’t traditionally ride in conditions like these. For Geronimo’s sake and my safety, we stuck to straight lines and gave ourselves LOTS of space. This prevents a lot of the risk we see

Joker demonstrates how having a pattern to rely on while trail riding can be the difference between a little spook and a big spook 😱 This kid used to have a pretty decent sized spook - he’d jolt at just about anything and then immediately escalate into a lot of forward motion borderlining on a bolt. But Joker isn’t actually a super spooky kiddo…I believe his buddy sour behavior has been leading to the lack of confidence on the trail. So, Joker and I have only ever trail ridden alone during his time in training to allow us to really tackle the core issues at hand. If an owner brings me a “spooky” horse, I have to see what they’re talking about…which means tackling the hard stuff head on. Joker needed to learn how to be ok by himself, rely on himself and his rider, and regulate himself - the only way we were going to begin achieving that is if we took him out by himself. How do we get to the root of a problem like this to begin helping our horses?? And more importantly, how do we do it SAFELY?? 1) Begin on the ground. A lot of the time a horse that is truly spooky on the trail is having trouble regulating. They will become tense at some point (sometimes as early as during tacking up or as soon as it’s time to leave the trailer or barn), and the rest of the ride they hold onto and build upon that initial tension. Every single change then becomes intolerable for them - a squirrel running across the path, a rider adjusting their seat, wind blowing. But it’s hard to SEE this tension in your horse as the rider…their expressions are hidden from us while we’re on their backs. So, begin on the ground. I start by hand-walking horses on trails so I can watch their expression closely. Are they blinking? Are they licking and chewing? Are they sighing/blowing out regularly? Are their nostrils curled or lips pursed? Are they grinding their teeth or gaping their mouths? Once I get a general sense of the horse’s body language, I spend the next few sessi

‼️ RETURN TRAINEE ALERT ‼️ Y’all might not recognize this kiddo from between the ears so I’ll be sure to post a photo in the comments that will have everyone going, “I know that horse!” And yes…I’m late on this one too. Did I mention we’ve been busy? 😅 It’s Blue Belle! This mare has grown up SO much since she was here last. She came to us the first time looking like such a teenager and now she’s like a real adult 🥹 still wears all her infamous fly gear though…as my dad called her “the fancy dressed one”. BB has returned for some advancement in her canter work, offsite practice, and dialing in her focus regardless of the environmental activity. Like a typical youngster, BB can get a little distracted when there’s lots of “fun” happening around her - especially dogs…BB loves her some puppy dogs 🤣 But over the last few weeks she’s done a wonderful job in every area of training she’s here for. She’s been focused, building a balanced canter, and was a total dream offsite. We always love having this mare around and as we close in on her last few rides we are trying to enjoy every second! Good job, BB 👏🏻