Schultz Performance Horsemanship

12/25/2024

🎄 Merry Christmas from our barn to yours! 🎄

11/28/2024

Wishing you and your family a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and cherished memories! 🦃🍽️🙏🏼

11/18/2024

𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧.

Be ok with not doing something correctly the first day you learn it.

Accept that you are going to look like an idiot while you try to figure it out.

You are going to make mistakes, struggle, fail, and flat out suck at something that you don’t know how to do yet.

It isn’t going to be fun for a while - it’s going to be uncomfortable, frustrating, discouraging, and overwhelming.

Don’t apologize for being ignorant or messing up when you are making the effort to learn.

Give yourself the grace to not be good at it, but work on it anyway. Allow yourself time to figure it out. Don’t try to make it happen - let it happen.
𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Happy Monday! 💪🏻

11/01/2024

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬, 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐓.

While a horse is learning new information and forming habits, they are also associating those things with a certain feeling or mental state. With every interaction, your horse is learning to associate you, your training, and their environment in either a 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 or 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 light.

Look at it this way:
Imagine you are learning something new, and you have a coach that is clear, patient, consistent, and encouraging, yet holds you accountable. While you will struggle to learn initially just like anyone would, you will be learning in a calm, stable environment, and gain confidence and validation during the process. In the end, you will learn the information AND have a confident and positive mindset to go with it.

Now imagine that same scenario, except your coach is confusing, has a short fuse, is inconsistent, belittles you, and constantly puts you in situations that you are not equipped for, causing you to fail over and over. You will eventually learn, but you will struggle significantly more, and have anxiety, negativity, stress, and maybe even some irritation or thoughts of quitting. In the end you have learned the same information, but now you have baggage attached to it because of how you were taught.

It’s exactly the same for horses. As a trainer, one of the most difficult things to remedy is a horse that has learned something, but has negative association or a negative mindset attached to it.

All this being said, no one, horse or human, learns perfectly. It is very normal for a horse to experience a range of negative emotions in the training process at times: confusion anxiety, tension, reactiveness, irritation, discomfort etc. The key is making sure that your preesentation of new concepts to the horse makes his learning simple and rapidly replaces those emotions with lasting positive ones. ✨

09/28/2024

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Here are some key factors to take into consideration when looking at horses before making the decision to buy:

🐎 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
What is the horse’s current level of training and does it match up with your goals, discipline and experience level? If not, figure out approximately how much time and additional training it would take to get the horse to your desired level of training. From there, you can determine if it makes sense to move forward with the horse or not.

🐎 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
What is the horse’s background and history? What has he been used for and what is he familiar with? Has he been hauled? Shown? Trail ridden? Ridden by beginners? These are key questions to ask and find out if possible. If the horse is young and has very little life experience, keep in mind that every experience will be new to him - it may take literally years and probably the investment of additional training before the horse is solid and safe in different environments and situations.

🐎 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Understanding a horse’s natural temperament is of utmost importance because this is the one factor that you cannot change. Genetically and intrinsically every horse is wired a certain way - behavior can be altered but personality is what it is. If you want a calm, steady eddy horse, you probably will not get along with the naturally hot, forward, reactive type horse. If you have ambitions for a very physically demanding discipline, pick a horse that likes to work and thrives when given the opportunity to use their athleticism, not the horse that is low energy and naturally dull. A horse’s disposition directly impacts their compatibility with their rider and also the discipline that would best suit them.

🐎 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
Of course, having a perfectly sound horse is ideal, and often required for high intensity riding, training and competition. Soundness issues also directly affect the horse’s overall value. That being said, sometimes a minor soundness issue or limitation isn’t a deal breaker, especially if you are intending to use the horse for sporadic or less intense riding. Getting a thorough PPE is a great way to get an idea of where any horse is at physically and make an educated decision on if the horse is physically able to perform and have longevity for you and your chosen field.

🐎 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
When you or your trainer try the horse, does it seem like you and the horse are compatible? Do you feel safe and confident? Does the horse’s level of training and experience match up with your riding ability? Do you like the horse’s gaits and how he responds to you? Does he have any behaviors that could potentially be problematic? If you have doubts about your compatibility with the horse, listen to your gut and walk away, or look at other horses to gain some perspective and make comparisons.

For more training tips, visit
https://www.schultzperformance.com/training-articles !

09/27/2024

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫

Probably the biggest and most important decision you will make in your horsemanship journey is selecting the right horse. Here are a few tips that can aid you in your horse shopping process! 👇🏼

𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 looking at horses, take some time to do the following:

✅ 𝐃𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞. It is important to be able to easily communicate this information to any seller, dealer, trainer, or breeder so they can use accurate information to match you with a suitable horse.

✅ 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞. Do you have competitive aspirations? What activities or disciplines will you be doing? Maybe you just simply want to improve your horsemanship and enjoy yourself? Having a clear direction of what you want to do with your future horse helps narrow down your search and ensures that you won’t end up with a horse that is completely unsuitable for your intended use.

✅ 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞/𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. Will he be living at your home in a pasture? Will he be boarded at a stable or living mostly in a stall? Will he be in consistent training with a professional, or casually ridden a handful of times a month? Some lifestyles simply don’t gel with certain horses for a wide variety of reasons, and it is helpful to determine if the lifestyle you have in mind will work for the horse you are looking at.

✅ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 “𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 “𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬” 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞. “Needs” are the non-negotiable traits that you need the horse to have. The “Wants” are the “well, it would be an added bonus if the horse had XYZ”. This list helps hold you accountable and prevents you from making an impulsive decision to buy a horse that doesn’t fit your criteria. It can be hard to not get attached or excited when evaluating horses and get caught up in the moment, losing all practicality. This list will help rein you in from making a purchase based on emotion alone.

✅ 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭. Not defining your budget before your search will waste your time, and the time of others. Get this figured out ahead of time!

✅ 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡. They can be as involved or uninvolved as you would like them to be, but having someone knowledgeable and experienced is invaluable, especially if you are new to horses. Their insight could save you significant time, money, and heartache later on.

👀 Stay Tuned for 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, which will be posted tomorrow!

09/23/2024

𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬. ✨

Set goals. Make a plan. Take action. Be consistent. Fail. Re-evaluate. Make adjustments. Execute. Track your progress. Ignore the noise. Persist.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲!

09/12/2024

𝐀 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Every horse’s unique personality and combination of traits predisposes them to be naturally talented at a particular task or get along with a certain level of rider. These very same traits simultaneously cause them to struggle at a different discipline or with a different caliber of rider. What is considered to be a strength in one field can be a potential weakness in another.

Understanding the positive and negative effects of your horse’s traits can help you make adjustments in your training program to fit that individual. It can also help you determine what a horse may excel at or struggle with.

😌 The Calm, Laid Back Horse’s best and worst quality is that he is unbothered and doesn’t care.

🤪 The Busy Minded Horse’s best and worst quality is that his brain is constantly active.

🤨 The Sensitive Horse’s best and worst quality is that they respond to the lightest of cues and notice changes in their environment.

😎 The Confident Horse’s best and worst quality is that he is a natural born leader with very little fear or insecurity.

😝 The Playful, Charismatic Horse’s best and worst quality is that they bring a lot of expression and personality to everything they do.

The very thing that makes them perfect for a specific job or fit a particular rider so well is the very thing that is also their drawback for a different discipline. Finding a job that matches their strengths results in a horse that performs well and is HAPPY in his work.✨

09/10/2024

‼️ This Gorgeous Girl is Still Available‼️
𝟮-𝗶𝗻-𝟭 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗦𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 🍺
2016 AQHA bay roan mare, Smart Boons x Peppy Nicolena (Nic It In The Bud)
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐟𝐨𝐚𝐥!

Beautiful, brainy, and well trained - Stella is so much fun! Originally started in a cowhorse program, Stella’s transitioned into showing in the AQHA ranch horse classes for the last 3 years. She is solid in her maneuvers, very responsive, and does great on trail rides as well. Excellent ground manners, sound, and no vices. Stands at 15.2 hands. She is confirmed in foal to 5 Million Dollar Sire, Smooth Talkin Style, due in Feb 2025. Stella’s full brother is Sippin Boons Farm, AQHA World Jr Working Cow Horse Champion and earner of over 100k. Whether you are looking for a well broke riding horse, have show aspirations or want an addition to your breeding program, Stella has a lot to offer!

🎥 Full Sale Video: https://youtu.be/SDHR_jHy_gE?si=PreMkxC9FpjEVefb

📍Located in Pilot Point, TX

For more information, PM or contact Hannah Schultz directly:
📧 [email protected]
☎️ 401-345-7859

07/15/2024

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” -Napoleon Hill

Well, we are all definitely perspiring over here, thanks to the North Texas heat! 😅 So at least that part of the equation is a given! 😂

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲!

07/09/2024

👀 𝐒𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐊 👀
𝟐-𝐢𝐧-𝟏 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞: 𝐒𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 🍺
2016 AQHA bay roan mare, Smart Boons x Peppy Nicolena (Nic It In The Bud)
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐟𝐨𝐚𝐥!

Beautiful, brainy, and well trained - Stella is so much fun! Originally started in a cowhorse program, Stella transitioned into showing in the AQHA ranch horse classes for the last 3 years. She is solid in her maneuvers, very responsive, and does great on trail rides as well. Excellent ground manners, sound, and no vices. Stands at 15.2 hands. She is confirmed in foal to 5 Million Dollar Sire, Smooth Talkin Style, due in Feb 2025. Whether you are looking for a well broke riding horse, have show aspirations or want an addition to your breeding program, she has a lot to offer!

🎥 Video coming soon! 🎥
📍Located in Pilot Point, TX

For more information, PM or contact Hannah Schultz directly:
📧 [email protected]
☎️ 401-345-7859

07/04/2024

🇺🇸 Forever Grateful for our Freedom! 🇺🇸

🎉🎉 Happy 4th of July! 🎉🎉

05/24/2024

Friday office views… 😎

🐴: Widows Cash “Stormy” owned by Molly Schultz

05/06/2024

3 Things You Should Never Feel Guilty For:
1️⃣ Changing for the better
2️⃣ Knowing your worth
3️⃣ Staying true to your vision
-Dean Graziosi

Happy Monday! 👏🏼

04/30/2024

👇🏼👇🏼 Training Tip Tuesday! 👇🏼👇🏼
What IS Collection, in a nutshell?

✅ Collection is essentially altering a horse’s posture, balance, and engagement of his body while in motion, which enables him to be more athletic.

✅ This involves teaching the horse to carry itself with more weight on its hindquarters and engage its top line, using its back and neck muscles to achieve more of a lifted, elevated way of moving.

✅ Teaching a horse to carry itself this way has many benefits, similar to how good posture and form benefits us when playing a sport. It allows us to reach peak performance, be physically prepared to execute the next maneuver, and stay physically healthy so we have longevity and avoid injury - it is exactly the same for your horse!

✅ Every discipline has varying styles of collection that specifically benefit the horse doing that particular job. A horse’s breed and conformation also play a role in how they are going to collect and what style of collection allows them to perform at their best. For example, a 14.2h Reiner is going to collect somewhat differently than a 17h Friesian competing in dressage. It’s like comparing the physique and form of a football player to a figure skater - completely different!

✅ While horses have moments where they collect themselves naturally left to their own devices, they do not sustain it on their own. They are more concerned about survival, not with “good posture” or how to be “more athletic”. We have to teach them how to collect and hold themselves in frame, rewarding them for the desired motion and posture that we are wanting to achieve.

A great quote that keeps it simple:
“Collection turns a couch potato horse into an athlete.” -Richard Winters

🐴 For more training tips, visit our website at https://www.schultzperformance.com/training-articles !

04/17/2024

🌴 SPH spent this last week in sunny Florida, doing some private lessons in Pensacola, and a clinic outside of Orlando! 🌴

It was a blast working with these horse and rider teams! Thank you Pam Sackett for hosting and organizing the clinic, and Fiddlers Green RV Ranch for the facilities and amenities.

Thank you to everyone who participated, I can’t wait for the next one! 😁

Interested in booking your own On-The-Road private lesson or clinic? For more info, visit our website:
https://www.schultzperformance.com/teaching

03/01/2024

Food for thought on this Friday…are you being the leader that your horse needs you to be?

8 Ways to be a Better Leader for Your Horse

✅ Exude Deliberate, Calm, Stable Energy. 🧘🏽‍♀️
Nervous, timid, abrupt, aggressive, or inconsistent energy will not build your horses confidence in you as a leader. Who wants to follow someone who is frazzled, unsure and spastic anyway? 🤪

✅ Claim Your Space. ✋🏼
Space means a lot more to horses than it does to us. As a herd animal, they’re social hierarchy is built off of who moves who, and whoever dictates space among individuals is the leader. Therefore, try to avoid stepping out of your horse’s way or letting them push you around as much as possible. Try to always have your horse yield to your space and move out of your way during your daily interactions instead of relinquishing space to them.

✅ Move the Horse’s Feet. 👣
Building off of the last point, moving your horse’s feet in a controlled and communicative manner is very beneficial to causing your horse to respect you as a leader, just like they respect their superiors in their herd that move their feet.

✅ Follow Through and Escalate Pressure If Needed. ⚠️
Horses correct and hold each other accountable physically - by driving each others feet, kicking and/or biting each other. While I am not advocating for hitting/physically attacking your horse whatsoever, you will have to be willing to physically raise pressure at times with your horse for them to truly view you as a leader. It is a normal aspect of herd dynamics and leadership in their world, even though it is foreign in ours.

✅ Provide Relief and Safety. 🛟
For a prey animal, safety means everything. Providing your horse with relief when they are with you and training them in a way that makes them feel safe and secure is very important. If you fail to do this, your horse will always be looking for security and relief from a different outlet (ie. Other horses, the barn, the gate, etc.) and won’t be able to focus and commit to whatever you are asking of him - because he is so obsessed with self preservation instead.

✅ Be Consistent and Clear With Your Communication. 💬
If your communication is inconsistent, unclear and constantly changing, your horse is going to be very unsure about you and what your expectations are - or if you have a dominant horse, he is going to simply want to take the wheel and not follow you at all. Poor communication ruins your horse’s confidence in your leadership - he won’t be able to look to you for direction in any situation and will always be guessing and confused about what you are asking of him.

✅ Reward A Job Well Done. 👏🏼
Make sure to acknowledge and let your horse know when he has figured out a new concept, tried really hard, or done really well at something! If there is something positive in it for him, the happier he is going to be with you and the harder he will try to please you on his own.

✅ Set Your Horse Up For Success.🏆
A good leader doesn’t set their followers up to fail. Try to always prepare your horse for new challenges and situations and avoid putting him in positions that could directly ruin his confidence or get him hurt.

02/20/2024

Good horsemen and well trained horses don't happen by accident.

You've got to:
💪🏻 Put in the work.
📖 Expand your knowledge.
🐎 Build your experience.
💡And above all: keep an open mind.