Miranda Allyn Horsemanship

01/18/2025

As I've been doing research on topics that I'll be covering in my course, I've been amazed with the facts that I'm learning.

Did You Know?!.... Wild Horses have a lot of the same hoof issues as domestic horses.

In an article by UC Davis Veterinary Medicine, a study done on Equus Fossil Records (approx 1.3 million years old) exhibited pathology consistent with Chronic Laminitis!

There is a lot of hype, critisim, and marketing around how horse hoof care is extremely unnatural, cruel, and we need to let all horses be barefoot and only use natural style trims.

This research is proof that that's not true, and corrective shoeing can do your horse a world of good.

A good farrier not only trims, but judges confirmation and can positively (or negativity) impact a horses confirmation, balance, movement, etc.

Here's the article if you want to learn more!

We have all heard the saying “No hoof, no horse.” Hoof care is a vital part of ensuring horse health, but the best ways to keep hooves healthy are often hotly debated. We worked with UC Davis veterinary hospital farrier Shane Westman, APF-I, to share ten things you might not know about horse hoo...

01/14/2025

Tis The Season For Tack Sales! Here are my top tips and tricks for Buyers AND Sellers to make the most out of your tack sales!

Here are my top 3 tips for both buyers and sellers to make the most out of their tack sale season!

01/14/2025

A lot of dreams start around a kitchen table. Lord knows I've had many that I've plugged away at here.

Here's a sneak peak at the current one 😉

01/08/2025

Great idea on how to monitor conditions in the trailer! I'd say summer time would be just as if not more important too!

This Is A Reprint Of A Very Good Post From A Very Good Horse Woman: Really Worth The Read
Jo Christensen AERC: American Endurance Ride Conference
Hey everyone,
Temperatures inside horse trailers are a concern to most endurance riders I know. We tend to haul very long distances, both in the heat and in the cold. I had to do some winter hauling today and before I left, I installed a temperature monitor inside my horse trailer. What I discovered was surprising and fascinating and changed my mind about what I thought was going on back there… so I decided to share what I learned in case of value to anyone else.
I hauled two horses about 6 hours today through the mountains here in western Montana, to a veterinary facility in another town. I was concerned about temperatures for the horses before I left. Forecast temps along some of the route were in the low single digits. My horses have very good winter coats but I was trying to decide whether to blanket or not. I recently switched to an enclosed gooseneck trailer and realized that I had no idea what hauling conditions in the winter were like back there.
I bought an inexpensive temperature monitor with a base station- the kind folks hang out on the porch so they can see what outdoor conditions are like without going outside. Before I put it into use in the trailer, I verified its accuracy by comparing its readings to some equipment I know is very accurate.
I hung the sensor in a mesh bag (good air flow) about halfway up the side of the wall in the trailer that encloses the rear tack room. I didn’t put it on the roof (heat rises) or near the floor (cold air sinks). My trailer is a 3 horse slant load, and I put it in the stall that did not have a horse in it. It was not hanging on an exterior wall. My trailer is not insulated- no living quarters, just a standard small dressing area in the front.
The trailer did have about 3 inches of hard encrusted snow insulating the roof-this snow stayed the entire journey.
The side windows could not be opened- they were encrusted with ice- however we opened all three roof vents to their maximum extent and turned the so that airflow would be maximized.
When we left our house in the Bitterroot, the temp inside and outside the trailer both read 20 degrees. BTW I was using my truck temperature monitor to determine the outside temperature (I had previously verified its accuracy and that it read the same as my newly purchased gear).
We loaded the horses and took off this morning about 0345 hrs. By the time we got to Missoula (30 minutes later), temps in the trailer had risen from 20 degrees to 32 degrees. In contrast, outside temp was still 20 degrees. By the time we had been on the road for an hour, the temperature in the trailer was (are you ready for this?): FORTY FOUR DEGREES.
Along our route, outside temps dropped as low as 14 degrees. At the same time, temps in the trailer NEVER dropped below 39 degrees. For the vast majority of the journey, the trailer was holding at 44 degrees. Temps inside the trailer were ALWAYS OVER TWENTY DEGREES WARMER than the outside.
We stopped for a half hour pitstop did not unload the horses. However I opened the back door and let cold wind flow into the trailer. Temps in the trailer quickly dropped to the high 20s. But they were back up to the low 40s in about half an hour.
We left both horses at the vet in Three Forks and returned with an empty trailer. All the way home, temps inside the trailer were identical to temps outside.
So here are my take-aways from all this. First of all, it’s very easy to monitor temps in your trailer and I would highly encourage everyone to do it! I think I spent about 20 bucks on my monitoring stuff and it was easy to use and very accurate. Secondly, I cannot believe how fast two horses could heat up a 3 horse trailer in very cold weather and keep it warm. I never dreamed that horses radiate that much heat. And to think I had been considering blanketing them.
Of course the need to blanket and other things might be different if your horses are body clipped or your trailer is different. And of course this is an enclosed gooseneck, not a stockside trailer. But rather than just guess what might be going on back there and whether it is appropriate for your clipped horse (or sick horse or…?) just go get a temperature monitor and find out!
And believe me, my eyes are going to be GLUED to this thing come summer and I’m hauling in hot temperatures…

01/04/2025

This saddle is my baby, and is proof what a saddle can look like if you take good care of it. I've had it around 22 years!

We purchased it used with about 5 rides, so it was like new. You can't say its nice because i didn't ride it it much... 😂 I rode in it a TON! But I also cleaned it a couple times a year.

This was my only saddle that I rode in for years! From 4-H, HS Equestrian Team, HS Rodeo, College Rodeo, & my Horsemanship program in college. The only reason I got a new saddle was I needed a wider one for my tank, Queenie.

There is a scratch in the horn from my belt buckle when I went flying over the front of my horse running flags at a HS Equestrian meet. (IYKYK 🫣)

There is a debt in the front silver concho from when I wrecked in Montana and flipped my truck & trailer up the side of a mountain.

This saddle has been with me through many highs & lows, and I hope one day my kids will get to ride in it and enjoy it to. W

01/03/2025

Sometimes there are no words with horses...

No words for how amazing the horse community is.

No words for how impactful & amazing of friends you have that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for horses.

No words for how a horse can sooth your soul on a difficult night.

No words for how a horse can help you learn to believe in yourself again.

No words for how a horse can help you understand someone else's achievement & how proud you are for them.

No words for how amazing it is seeing a 1200lb wild animal melt to take care of a child.

Sometimes there are just no words with horses and that's I think what makes them so magical.

01/02/2025

Don't let fear get in the way of your dreams.

12/31/2024

This is a blog post that is near and dear to my heart and something I wished I had known many years ago.

Relationships are the reason that sets horses apart from any other hobby that a person could have. Relationships are built on trust, and building trust can take time, but here are my thoughts on helping speed up that process.

12/27/2024

You know it's gonna be a good night riding when it's warm enough to wear one pair of pants!

Woohoo above freezing ride! 🙌

12/18/2024

It’s that time of year where I get a little burned out, and take a bit of a social media break…

There are a lot of voices out there who have much to say, and little to show, and it gets discouraging for those of us who are in the arena, quite literally, day in and day out.

I think the most common experience in the horse world is well-meaning owners letting the voice of others become more important than their horses’.

As we approach the new year, I encourage everyone to leave in 2024 anything that isn’t serving their horses.

Specifically, any methodology that just gets louder when horses plateau, rather than listening.

Pull the shoes that are keeping an unbalanced trim locked in.
Shoe the horse that isn’t thriving barefoot.

Try a curb on the horse who hates snaffles.
Try bitless on the horse who hates bits.

Be skeptical of those who get defensive and dismissive when someone suggests a horse’s behavior may be a result of pain.

Be skeptical of those who use boundaries and pressure as domination.

Be skeptical of those who are dismissive of horses becoming less and less emotionally regulated when we remove boundaries, or who don’t empower them with the superpower of navigating mental and emotional and physical pressure.

Take everyone’s advice and opinion with a grain of salt. That includes famous gurus, both old and new.

Don’t put anyone on a pedestal.

Don’t take anyone’s feedback to heart if your gut says otherwise. Whether it’s a vet, a farrier, or a trainer.

Second opinions are good, third and fourth opinions, however many it takes, until you find someone who sees what you’re seeing, as the person who knows your horse best, are even better.

Our horses have no choice but to trust the decisions we make for them, so we should make sure those decisions are based on listening to our gut and our horse, and not just the loudest voice out there.

Seems like everyone’s trying to sell us something, even if they aren’t asking for our money.

The truth for each horse sells itself.

It’s loud out there.

What drew many of us to horses in the first place was the ability to withdraw and get quiet, just us and the horse.

We need to keep learning and evolving, yes, but there’s always going to be the necessity of going to the horse, and letting all that noise fall away, so we can listen.

12/17/2024

I'll be checking all my saddles after this!

12/16/2024

12/14/2024

Yesterday was National Day Of The Horse.

Fun Fact: The day was started several years ago by Ty Murray (king of cowboys) and a few others. It was passed very quickly with a duh why hadn't anyone thought of this before? Sweetest part, Ty picked his mama's birthday for the day.

I personally had a hard time this year thinking of what to post since this was the first time all of my horses I've ever owned are gone earth bound.

Every day I'm so thankful for the horse, the blessings they've bestowed upon me, my family, and all the amazing friends I've made because of them.

Give your horse(s) an extra big hug for me today. 🩷

12/13/2024

It may be winter, but that's doesn't mean your horsemanship growth needs to stop.

I currently have some availability for 🐎 lessons this winter.

Group lessons get a discounted rate!

Winter is the best time to prioritize groundwork & building a relationship with your horse.

12/13/2024

I'm officially referring to horses as cooked steaks 🤣

Is that green broke mean he's raw, rare, medium rare, or even almost medium? Because if I'm shopping for a medium rare/almost medium, I sure as heck don't want no rare c**t 💁‍♀️😁

12/13/2024

It's not a how bad do you want it, it's how much do you love it?

Current temp is 16 degrees, feels like 4 degrees.

I was the happiest popsicle tonight getting to do some groundwork on a 2 year old and having a relaxing ride on a good ol mare 🥰

12/12/2024

This is definitely the best story to be following at the nfr this year ❤️

The same wind that fuels a forest fire extinguishes the candle..

BE THE FOREST FIRE 🔥🔥






Photo by Jamie Arviso snapshot

12/10/2024

Do you know the difference between direct and indirect pressure when working with your horse?

Understanding these communication styles can transform your horsemanship, strengthen your bond, and improve your horse's responsiveness.

In my latest blog post, I break down techniques and share practical tips to help you use them effectively. Whether you're building trust on the ground or refining your cues in the saddle, this is a must-read for every horse owner.

Read my full blog post here 👇

Discover the difference between direct and indirect pressure in horsemanship. Learn how these techniques impact your communication, build trust with your horse, and improve your groundwork and riding skills.