Wild Roots Horsemanship, LLC

🔊 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 👏🏻

Sometimes, I send owners fantastic content full of educational moments and proof of progress…other times I send this. Poppy is FULL of herself these days 🤣 we made her confident and now she’s out here blazing her own trails. Whoops! In all seriousness, this kiddo has been making some truly amazing progress. I’m incredibly proud of this mare and watching her grow into such a sure ride has been wonderful. I cannot wait to get Poppy offsite and show her even more of the world outside a pasture!

Arya had her first solo offsite ride and I was reminded that sometimes the best thing we can do for our trail kiddos is get out of their way 😅 You’ll notice in this video that as Arya finds her way through the tricky part of the trail I give her as much rein as I can allowing Arya to decide how best to navigate. I see all the time people gather up their horses and try to control every foot, every decision while on the trail because the rider is assumed to know best (or because we are the “leader” we feel we must be the one to choose the path). But you’ll see me often trying to do the exact opposite - I want my horse responsible for…well the horse. As much as we want to, we will never be better than the horse itself at knowing their balance. Imagine if you were trying to balance on a log and someone came up and proceeded to adjust your legs, hold down your arms, move your feet, change where you’re looking all to what they believed would be better for you. Oh, and after they control everything you’re doing on the log they hop onto your back for good measure. Would you be able to balance based on someone else’s idea of what’s best?? Probably not. Our horses are no different. They need their faces, necks, hooves, and legs free to properly balance and navigate difficult terrain. We can’t know what they’re feeling as the ground changes beneath them. We have to trust that in those moments THEY might actually know best for THEIR bodies and balance. I know it’s difficult to trust the horse - some horses panic when the going gets tough; some horses rush; some horses make a bad choice. Being able to make the safest, best decision comes from experience. Your horse needs to have many miles underneath them in order for you to feel good about fully letting go and them to feel good about fully taking control when the trail gets tricky. Until then, try this: interfere as little as possible and as lightly as possible. As your horse builds their confiden

Aslan’s been out here just learning away while his trainer hasn’t posted a single update 🤦🏼‍♀️ This kiddo has been doing some really, really technical work under saddle. A little while back, we had the wonderful Dr. Krause come do some chiropractic work on Aslan and with her we discussed how important it will be for Aslan in particular to really use his body properly in every ride. He has a tendency to be just a hair lazy in engaging his body the “right way” (in a way that builds proper muscle) - he and his trainer have that in common 🤣 So, we’ve been working quietly but consistently on body engagement through turns, through stops and backs, through gait transition. But you guys know me…I can’t say no to throwing in a random trail ride every now and then. In his pasture life, Aslan can be VERY herdbound. It’s gotten better with some short stints of practicing being pastured alone but that really only tackles one side of it. Sure, they learn to stay calm even when the pasture empties of buddies but their confidence level only changes so much - especially because he can still see, smell, and hear other horses in other pastures. How can we really build a sure, steady horse that can regulate away from the herd?? You guessed it; the trail. Trail riding solo can be an AMAZING tool to building a horse’s confidence. Now, like with all things, this comes with a much needed explanation. There are a few things we need to keep in mind about this method… 1) It doesn’t happen overnight. Y’all tired of me saying this yet?? It’s the truth. This video shows Aslan on his first longer solo ride and it is the result of several small rides. To begin, I rode Aslan alone on the trail for no longer than 10 minutes. We’d focus on just walking as far out from the farm as we could and once he started to become really nervous, we’d do some technical work in that spot (a few figure-eights for example) to get his brain focused up and then head back

A little while back, we waved our goodbyes to Monty as he headed back to Hidden Creek Horse Farm, LLC after completing his tune-up 🥹 Monty (AKA Big Mondo, Montasaurus, Mont Vesuvius, Monte Crisco) was truly one of the gentlest kiddos. He worked really hard while with us to fix his steering and build some much needed muscle. He also learned, very sadly, that you cannot actually force treats to materialize from thin air 🤣 Monty did so well in his time with us - learning not only what were very necessary skill sets in a technical space but also sneaking in some solo trail rides. Now, that he’s back with his family we get to continue seeing Monty for lessons! We have so enjoyed watching Monty and his owners grow together at WRH - we can’t wait to see them continue back home. See ya Thursday, Monty 👏🏻

Layla gets out of the round pen and keeps her head on like a pro 😎 This little mare has done such a nice job. We have had to spend quite a lot of time inside the round pen working on getting her more confident with mounting but the extra time paid off. I find that often times horses are rushed through one of the most important pieces of a ride - the mount. We hop on as quickly as we can, immediately walk off, and then wonder why it takes so long for our horses to relax into work. It. Starts. At. The. Mount! I get it - we have an agenda 99% of the time when we ride and we have schedules to adhere to. But do yourself and your horse a favor; sloooooow down before giddying up. Ask yourself, “Does my horse willing approach for a mount? Can they step up to the block or to me one foot at a time? Do they look worried in their face or tense in their body? Do they walk off as soon as they feel weight in the stirrup?” Your answers to these questions will decide if it’s time to go back to the basics and work on mounting. Layla was showing signs of being a little tense at the mounting block (head high, worried eye, unwilling to step up) so we took the time we needed to get her relaxed, to make the mounting block a place of rest and wouldn’t ya know it the ride that followed came extremely easily to her. Don’t skip the basics, y’all. Take the extra time. Earn relaxation and trust from the get go - believe me it’ll lead to much greater rides and much happier horses. Great work, Layla 👏🏻

Easy Breezy lives up to her name and gains confidence outside the round pen 😎 This mare has been working hard to conquer expanding her riding skills both in and out of a technical space. So far, Breezy has been extremely successful with the basics but she definitely is much more freed up out on the trail compared to a small technical space where her gaits slow, feet can be a bit sticky, and her motivation drifts. With horses like this I tend to get them out on the trail ASAP both alone and with a buddy so we can get the forward motion we need to really test things like steering, stopping, and moving out. Breezy hasn’t had a lot of experience outside of her home so this training period has been a lot for her! But she’s taken it all in stride and remained an incredibly reasonable little mare. Very proud of her progress. Good job, Breezy Babe 👏🏻