Square One Horsemanship LLC

Square One Horsemanship LLC Developing your horse's education and potential, starting at square one.
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01/12/2026

This is not sponsored (maybe someday 😆) and I have no affiliation with this company, but if you have a German shedder like me or another breed that sheds a lot, this GroomPro from Rhykin Pet Co is hard to beat! Diego used to leave tumbleweeds of hair around the house, and since using this consistently it has significantly reduced.

Link in the comments!

01/10/2026

That handful of grain really makes his day 😆

01/09/2026

We do actually have some pretty broke barn cats 🐱

01/08/2026

Never a dull moment out there 🫣

01/06/2026

Just showing up for our horses is the most important thing - even if you can only spend 10-15 minutes a day with your horse, staying disciplined will result in progress over time! Strive for that 1% improvement each day ✨

01/05/2026

In the past I’ve been told that I’m wasting my time when I work on desensitizing my horses because “they’re always going to spook at something.” And to be fair, that’s true! They are indeed prey animals and are naturally suspicious about potentially dangerous things and there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with that.

But because they live in a domesticated world, I believe it’s our responsibility to help our horses be confident and relaxed.

I will never say that the purpose of desensitizing is to make a horse never spook at anything – in fact, that’s quite an unrealistic goal and could easily cause a horse to be shut down and stressed even if they keep their feet still.

So what is the purpose of desensitizing then? To me, it’s to teach my horses how to go from the sympathetic nervous system (reactive - fight/flight/freeze responses) to the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxed/calming mental state). Most of us look for and encourage the “lick and chew” response, which is actually a result of a dopamine hit when horses go from the sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system activation!

So when horses react to something and then come back down to a relaxed state, you are helping them learn how to regulate themselves. You are not trying to have them not spook, you are trying to have a little bit of a reaction out of them and then encourage and teach the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in.

When horses learn how to transition easily into a relaxed state, it results in the spooks that we all would like to have – the ones where they might stop and jump in place, and then almost immediately relax and lick and chew.

Horses may always be wired to be cautious about new things, but we can certainly strengthen their ability to self regulate and come back to a place of relaxation and peace.

01/03/2026

Nothing like the old “Oop sorry, gotta go feed the horses!” excuse 🤗

01/02/2026

Or send them to me and I’ll do it 😉

12/31/2025

What resolution would you give your horse for 2026?

12/30/2025

Always so confident we’ll remember 😔

12/29/2025

I’m normally about as type b personality as you can get but when it comes to caring for my horses, it’s something I take very seriously.

Besides the obvious of keeping hay and fresh water in front of horses at all times, there’s one thing that I am most adamant about, which is checking on horses while they’re eating grain and after they’re finished.

I had always happened to be around my horses while they were eating, but after a certain situation it became a top priority for me. I had a yearling in baby bootcamp a few years ago that choked on his grain one evening, which led to the emergency vet having to come intubate him. It was a rough and a bit traumatic process and involved a somewhat lengthy recovery. I was very grateful I was right there when it happened.

After talking to the emergency vet, I was told that the vast majority of choke cases are called in during the morning hours due to the fact that owners will drop feed in the evening and then leave before the horse is finished. The horse will start to choke and does not receive any help until the following morning when it is oftentimes too late.

This is incredibly disheartening to think about and has caused me to be very aware of my horses while they’re eating. I unfortunately know many barns that regularly feed horses without checking on them later, and while oftentimes they are absolutely fine, I strongly believe it is worth the bit of extra effort and time to at minimum do a quick check once they’re finished (or better yet, monitor them as they eat!).

I also highly recommend soaking feed and using ground feeders, which can also help prevent choke, as well as always soaking alfalfa and beet pulp pellets.

I’m all for efficiency and avoiding unnecessary work, but this is one of those things that I just think is worth it. A few extra minutes of time could potentially prevent or reduce the severity of a choke, or could even save a horse’s life.

Please share! 🙏rye

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Pendleton, KY
40055

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+15027583412

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