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Wild Roots Horsemanship, LLC, Pelzer, SC (2025)

06/24/2025

This trainer is about to take on the world’s ultimate kiddo in the fall - baby Roman is going to make my husband and I a family of three 🥰

If I’m being honest, this announcement has come with such joy and such uncertainty all at the same time. The reality of my work is that it isn’t exactly the most conducive to growing a baby…I’ve gained quite the reputation for taking on tough cases and, if I can be transparent without sounding arrogant, I take such pride in the kiddos I’ve been trusted to help. My calling has always felt like it was for the horses that had previously been understood very little and it was my job to try to understand them a lot.

And then I took a test. And it came back positive. And I felt my whole world shift. I’ve always put my equine kiddos first no matter what because some of the horses that come to me have never gotten that luxury but suddenly, staring at the word “pregnant” on a tiny little screen in a tiny little bathroom, I felt a reason to shift my priorities. I felt so fiercely and so deeply for my own kiddo from the very first moment I learned of him. An ultrasound later revealed that he was just a dot, a blimp, a seedling trying desperately to sprout in comparison to the giant world around him and I knew even then that my life was going to change; that my heart was going to go down a path I could never have imagined even existed.

Everyone knows one of the biggest pieces of my world is the horses I train, love, and help to the best of my ability. So, when I felt such a huge shift in me I struggled for weeks to understand what it meant. I quietly reflected for a very long time on, “What will happen to my business?”. I ran from that question for a bit…argued with it; cried over it; averted my gaze from it. But now, feeling my boy kick and turn over and change my body from the inside out, I’m ready to just answer it. Because I think this change for me was coming all along - my little Sprout just helped me face it.

Wild Roots Horsemanship will continue to put the kiddos who need it as a top priority but how we provide for that need will be shifting from being in the saddle to being a voice for their physical and mental wellbeing; an advocate and a teacher for their health; a translator for their body language. We will not be accepting any more onsite trainees for 2025 and starting in 2026, we will officially change our focus to teaching lessons, c**t starting, and body work that includes massage, nutrition, and physical rehabilitation or therapy. As the next year progresses, we are very excited to add modalities to the body work (sneak peek? You could have access to PEMF treatments, acupuncture, and even saddle fitting through WRH in the near future 👀) and approach changing the equine industry from a slightly different perspective. We will continue to provide educational content and teach in person. We will continue to answer the calls for help. We will continue to help your kiddo discover their wild roots.

Horses have always been my whole life. That will never change for me. I’ll never stop having hay in my hair, mud on my boots, a lead rope in my hand. But the way I can help these animals I love and feel for so much is going to change. I thought for a long time, “Who will speak for these kiddos if not me?” and I’ve come to realize that I can and will continue to do that - the podium I speak from will be the only difference. I have an immense pull towards educating owners, changing horses from the inside out, and showing this world that there is more to it than just what happens in the saddle. I pray that as the business shifts a bit I will continue to be provided with the opportunities to better horses’ lives. Because at the end of the day, my purpose hasn’t really altered - I want to hear the horses who’ve not yet been heard and I want to empower owners to know what to listen for. I want to change the equine industry one horse at a time.

Here’s to the incredibly bright future ahead. Oh, and a little louder of a future too…y’all must know my son won’t ever miss a session and if you thought my laugh was loud? Well. Just wait. Soon there will be two of us 😜

05/17/2025

Same, same but different 🥸

The other day, we posted on the importance of horses listening to our body language as opposed to just the tools we use. This is another way to emphasize that principle. Same horse; same idea; different exercise.

This post is a friendly reminder that there are more than one ways to teach our kiddos lessons we want them to learn. Does one exercise do a better job than the other? Maybe…maybe not. I tend to ask the horse in front of me this question. How best do THEY learn? Does one exercise better play to their strengths and learning style than the other? Does one exercise stress them while one the other one allows for relaxation? If we find that the answer clearly leans to one way, one exercise, one style over the other than it’s ok to stick to what is best for the student. But…if there is no clear winner? Find fun in the fact that there are so many ways to get creative in your teachings. Not every session, every exercise, every day has to look the same. We can apply the same expectations to several different activities and sometimes? That can really be the key to our kiddos learning.

Good man, Rory 👏🏻

05/15/2025

*chuckles nervously* we are surviving the rainy season juuuuuuuuuuust fine….kinda…😬

Anyone else suddenly training mud puppies as opposed to horses or??

05/13/2025

Following the shoulder: a lesson in using body language to communicate 🧐

As trainers, we often get caught up in the tools we use. Tools are a wonderful way to communicate with our horses. They allow us to use the littlest amount of effort and pressure while still maximizing results; extending our reach without moving our feet; guiding our asks without being right in the horse’s ear. Buuuuuut at what point do we find our kiddos listening to the tools instead of us? It doesn’t take long, I can tell you that. They start to look to the tool to know the answer and suddenly we find that our bodies don’t hold nearly as much precedent as they should.

This little exercise helps reiterate the ultimate point of working with our horses - reading and connecting with the human body to understand what we want. More than anything (more than outside environmental factors or tools or other horses around them) I want my kiddos to focus on ME and my body language. So, I have to be very conscious of what I’m saying with my body. I want even the most subtle changes in my energy to hold significance for my horse and that means I have to first teach that my body acts as the ultimate guide for what’s being asked. So much of what we do and want under saddle stems from this very concept - our bodies, and their language, have MEANING. In the end, it’s how we get our horses to ride off just our seat - a true testament to softness and listening on our kiddo’s part.

Here, I ask Rory to follow my shoulder. It’s truly that simple. If my right shoulder is at his drive-line and suddenly he finds I have switched to my left shoulder, he too should switch to match me. My change of direction leads to his change of direction. His left goes with my right and my left goes with his right. When I back my feet up, I’m asking him to draw towards me. When I walk my feet forward, I’m asking him to drive in the same direction I’m walking. Simple. Subtle. Soft. The way communication should be.

Nice boy, Rory 👏🏻

04/18/2025

Just a casual nineteen pound feline reminder that personal space isn’t actually a thing here at WRH. Thanks for understanding.

04/16/2025

The beginnings of “stop and wait” practice for the impatient kiddos 🫠

Recently, we posted about the importance of a trail horse that can not only slow but completely stop and stay stopped. For those that really struggle with the concept, it doesn’t always begin with the ride itself and it doesn’t always look so easy. Vincent is a go, go, go kinda dude so his stop and wait began on the ground in driving reins and, most importantly, WITHOUT a bit.

You’ll notice that Vin does a great job of demonstrating that energy in our horses has to go somewhere…I get control of his feet and he begins to head toss (hence why I don’t have him in a bit…the last thing I want to do is tear his mouth up). When relief doesn’t come, he takes back his feet. I don’t increase my pressure. I don’t up my energy. And I really make sure I don’t overcorrect. I simply ask my question again - can you stop? Can you stand still?

Just because Vin sometimes answers with a “no” doesn’t mean I begin to get loud. I do my best to ask the simplest form of the question(s) I have and hold true to the lowest expectation of answers. If I can get even three seconds of “yes” from a kiddo who was previously hollering “NO FREAKING WAY” I give back. Horses have to see a light at the end of the tunnel. This guy clearly needs a release and if I never give him one until he does exactly what I want and perfectly how I want it, he’ll stop looking for the right answer.

Don’t let your horse’s anxiety or confusion or frustration get you to react in the same emotion. You have to remain neutral, clear, and soft in your ask even when their answer is a little rough. Give a lot even when it feels like they are only giving a little. Do not escalate the situation; instead ask again - simply restart, repeat, or rephrase. Think of it like this:

If I ask you at a normal volume, “What’s 2+2?” And you answer, “I think it’s 6.” Does me shouting, “NO! WHAT IS 2+2?!?!” help you get to four any faster?? Probably not. In fact, quite the opposite, it’ll likely cause you further confusion and deepen the fear of getting the answer wrong a second time. If instead I say, “That is really close but not quite right. Let’s try again. What’s 2+2?” you’re more likely to think on it a little more and make your next guess.

We want the same learning experience for our horses. Their expression of the wrong answer can sometimes look really rough but that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying. Horses can only learn if they stay out of flight or fight - I do my best to keep Vincent in a headspace where he can learn from my releases even though he’s frustrated and technically getting the answer wrong a few times. And in the end? It starts to pay off. Notice how by the last attempt he gives me a nice stop, a sincere wait, and walks off without hurry.

Way to stick with me, Vinny 👏🏻

P.s. check out the comments to see how Vin did under saddle with this same concept 👀

04/14/2025

My beautiful boy 🥹

The world’s most pampered feral has to be Hank. He got his seasonal bath, toes done, and Spring shots all in a week. Got my man out here looking like a Mane and Tail commercial.

I sure do love this sweet boy. Now, if we can just get through grass season without doubling in size 🤪

04/08/2025

Now…I don’t actually wear one of these myself so it’s hard to say for sure but I am 99% positive you’re wearing that wrong Juno…

It’s gonna be a long bug season at WRH, y’all 🤦🏼‍♀️

04/07/2025

Teach a proper load from day one and on day 48295819592 you’ll thank yourself 😉

Dixie is a youngster at Southern Magnolia Gypsy that is going on quite the adventure soon! She needs to know how to properly load, ride, and unload in a trailer for her future to be a successful one. So, we practice and we pick - what matters most to us when loading and unloading to create a safe, sane experience? 🤔

1) Loading WITH me or self-loading. You will never, ever find me trying to pull a horse onto a trailer. We need to have sending power so that our horses either (in a perfect world) self load OR at the very least load up with you - as in you lead them on and their poll stays even with your shoulder. A tug of war match with you standing in the trailer and them standing outside only leads to well…a war. You will never, ever be stronger than your horse and if they learn to plant their feet or, worse, set back you will find yourself in a dangerous situation very quickly.

2) Knowing the “wait” cue. Once a horse is hard tied in a trailer, we have to be able to walk away from them and they must stay in place. This concept, especially for the young and/or nervous loader, can be very difficult. We JUST walked on together…why do we not get to walk off together?? Teach your horse to wait. Practice first without hard tying them to stand in place while you move about the trailer. Then add the hard tie once you are able to move freely around the trailer without them trying to follow. A small hack?? Before you even get to the trailer itself try teaching them to ground tie when you say “wait”. This translates to the skills needed in the trailer quite well!

3) Learning to unload slowly - think one foot at a time. All too often, I meet horses who have been taught by rushing owners that as soon as the divider is released it’s GO TIME. These horses begin to unload themselves and that inevitably leads to setting back on the hard tie, trying to turn around to race out, and other unsafe habits. Teach your kiddos that unloading does not begin until there is a cue from you. Just because the divider is removed doesn’t mean it’s time to get out of there (notice how I wait a good 5 seconds before cuing Dixie to back even though the divider is moved and she’s unclipped from the trailer tie). If I move the divider and the horse begins to move, I stop all forward progression until they settle. I do not approach a fidgeting horse in a trailer. You must know how and when to wait just as much as they do. Only after Dixie stills do I resume my approach to untie and cue for the back. And once you begin backing? Pause randomly. Don’t unload quickly. Slow their feet, slow their mind. The safest horse is a thoughtful horse - make them consider every step and don’t teach the habit of flying off the trailer by backing them nonstop once you start. Remember, there has to be relief and release IN the trailer in order for your horse to want to be there. If all the relief and release is only on the outside, that’s where they will rush to be.

A+ work, Dixie 👏🏻

03/24/2025

Yesterday was truly something special 🥹

WRH traveled to Swannanoa, NC to volunteer for a family event hosted by Warrior Heart Restoration and it’s hard to describe the feelings we experienced there simply because there were so many. Stories were told of the destruction Hurricane Helene brought to homes, businesses, and entire communities and with it came a deep sense of grief; mourning the loss of what used to be. But as people pet, brushed, and held the ponies close, they began to tell a slightly different story - one of hope and recovery and coming together. They spoke of the strength they had come to know and the reward of being there for one another. There were tears and laughter and sometimes just pure silence as people visited with the horses and I watched as my kiddos held space for everyone no matter what they needed.

And I suppose that’s what we really walked away with yesterday. The reminder that amongst great tragedy, where it can feel like there’s nothing we can do, we can still hold space for one another. We can meet people exactly where they are and just let them…be. We can accept that the road back to normalcy is not linear; does not come with a set of rules and the best thing we can do is just show up for each other no matter what. There are so many things we can lose in this life, but what we can never afford to lose is each other. We have to support one another. We have to love one another. We have to realize that at the end of the day, we are all we have.

Thank you WHR for having us yesterday. We may not share a zip code but we do share a love for bringing people together. Here’s to many more events full of all the feelings as NC rebuilds, restores, and reminds the entire nation the importance and power of community.

Wild Roots Horsemanship, LLC

06/24/2025

05/17/2025

05/15/2025

05/13/2025

04/18/2025

04/16/2025

04/14/2025

04/08/2025

04/07/2025

03/24/2025

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Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:15pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm