Howlin’ Revival Horsemanship

Howlin’ Revival Horsemanship Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Howlin’ Revival Horsemanship, Horse Trainer, Richmond, KY.

Training through classical principles and biomechanics for horses & humans of every discipline
Approaching Horsemanship through holistic & horse-first practices

Happy New Year 🎆🎉May your year be filled with blessings and horses!! -Anna ✌🏼
01/02/2025

Happy New Year 🎆🎉

May your year be filled with blessings and horses!!

-Anna ✌🏼

IN REGARD TO EDUCATING THE HUMAN I believe in harmony and in partnership. This can only be done if both the horse and hu...
12/29/2024

IN REGARD TO EDUCATING THE HUMAN

I believe in harmony and in partnership. This can only be done if both the horse and human are willing partners and have similar desires.

It means sometimes being a translator for the horse, which can lead to uncomfortable conversations with the humans. In particular, letting go of perfectionism.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to see my students achieve every goal they have and to achieve harmony with their horses throughout their journey. BUT often times it requires I ask both the horse and the human to trust that sometimes being uncomfortable leads to great results.

Much of my teaching style is the way it is because I believe deeply in the experience and “why”. I think that this allows for me to guide humans in being thinking, feeling, and aware horsemen/horsewomen. That’s a skill that is foundational to life long success with horses regardless of the discipline and regardless of the horse.

There’s alot of silent time, especially in the beginning stages of my work where new concepts start to click. I want to be there to guide, but I also want humans to trust their horses as teachers. I ask many questions in my sessions as well, and even if I can’t entirely see the reasoning I want my students to walk me through their thought processes.

What are we aware of? Why does it matter? How can we improve? How can we appreciate little victories? How can we get where we need to go through maintaining harmony?

Much of this work allows for their to be an environment where experiences can happen. It allows for mistakes to happen as well as successes and thorough conversations in the moment to deepen understanding.

It allows for the ego to become tamed and for perfectionism to rest. It allows for us to be honest with ourselves and with our horses without fear or anxiety.

I believe that relaxation is fundamental in the education of both horses and humans. I believe in art, and I believe in harmony.

Being able to work with students both horse and human in this way continues to inspire me. It’s one of the many things I am excited about bringing into 2025.

🔹🔷Success is not a destination, success is a direction. 🔷🔹
12/28/2024

🔹🔷Success is not a destination, success is a direction. 🔷🔹

12/22/2024

HRH is proudly sponsored by RWFarms

I had my first session with this awesome guy today! I’m super amazed at how it went. When we began today he was a little...
12/21/2024

I had my first session with this awesome guy today! I’m super amazed at how it went.

When we began today he was a little bit unsure of me and the strange things I was asking of him. But by the end he was really happy with the work that his human and he were doing.

When he came out, he was pretty unwilling to work in a rhythm that would allow for his back to swing. Sometimes he even struggled to take a fluid step forward. There was a lot of pausing before movement to mentally and physically regroup to be able to do the movement in a way that made his nervous system feel safe.

By the end of the session his expression was much happier and his body was much more stable which led to swinging walk steps and confidence in our in-hand work. We were able to work on a lot of things because of this development.

We also began to have the conversation about re-education of the outside rein. As you can see, it’s on the cavesson ring. The reason this is set up this way is so that eventually we can reeducate to the bit. However, due to him having a tendency to hide behind the bit, it was in his best interest to use the cavesson ring instead.

Because he was so on the forehand and dumping in the front and lacked stability and awareness through his body, we had some missteps. But I am so pleased with how this allowed for him to gain confidence, willingness and trust.

Throughout the in-hand work we aimed to enegage the thoracic sling as well as address some issues in his low back. The picture on the left is before and the picture on the right is after.

I am looking forward to seeing the progress this amazing horse continues to make!

The most important thing to remember is The Horse doesn’t owe you, me, or anyone ANYTHING. Never has, never will. But we...
12/15/2024

The most important thing to remember is The Horse doesn’t owe you, me, or anyone ANYTHING.

Never has, never will.

But we do infact owe them everything.

Hey y’all!! I’ve had some requests about opening up more spots for virtual lessons. I’ve decided I’m going to do that fo...
12/12/2024

Hey y’all!! I’ve had some requests about opening up more spots for virtual lessons. I’ve decided I’m going to do that for 2025!!

I will have one weekly virtual lesson spot available for the month of January. Because I will only have one spot, I didn’t put registration on my website. So if you’re interested please send me a message!

Here are some requirements to help make virtual lessons go smoothly:

Virtual lesson checklist:
-WiFi or good service
-access to Zoom
-Bluetooth earbuds
-optional: human to help by holding the video device

If you’re interested please reach out! I’d like to get scheduled now so that we can begin as soon as the new year starts!

Well, I made a new friend today. Happy Transformation Sunday from Zeus and I!! Like any Standardbred who had a job as a ...
12/08/2024

Well, I made a new friend today. Happy Transformation Sunday from Zeus and I!!

Like any Standardbred who had a job as a cart horse in a past life, he knows a thing or two about pushing with his shoulders and leaning in. Although not pictured here it led to significant over development of his underneck muscles and no development of the muscles on top of his neck.

We also were working with a lot of tension in the low back as well as instability in the hind end and in the thoracic sling. This led to a horse that felt like a noodle to ask to stop. In fact, I’m not quite sure if he’s ever given ANY thought to where his legs are supposed to go outside of pulling himself along and maintaining a protective posture.

So that’s where we started. With relaxation and the ability to have walk/halt transitions in hand. Slowly I introduced the idea that it’s possible to shift weight from the front legs to the hind legs. This was a point he took to heart and used to his advantage in positive movement throughout the session. I was really impressed! Through working on this he began to be okay with standing still and being able to halt AND offering to halt with his forelimbs equally bearing weight.

With stability in the thoracic sling we worked on stability and understanding of all of the legs through slow and easy lateral steps as well as pole work. We took many breaks to investigate a ball in the arena as well as a flag. It was cool to see him open up and find such joy in his work even though this was all incredibly new to him.

The picture on the left is in the beginning of the session and the picture on the right is at the end.

Holistic care of horses is species appropriate care of horses. Yes, it means lots of group turn out, it means forage-bas...
12/05/2024

Holistic care of horses is species appropriate care of horses.

Yes, it means lots of group turn out, it means forage-based or forage only, it means training with biomechanics in mind, and it means maintaining a natural and healthy lifestyle for the horse.

Holistic care of horses IS NOT neglecting the basic needs of the horse.

It is not over feeding, or feeding the wrong stuff.

It is not under feeding.

It is not providing inappropriate turnout conditions.

It is not neglecting regular hoof care.

It is not pushing the horse in training sessions inappropriately.

It is not neglecting veterinary care.

It is not something that should be harmful to the horse. Period. End of story.

Holistic horse care is HORSE-FIRST care.

Absolutely we should take their nature into consideration, but this does not leave room to be negligent.

Providing this lifestyle for the horse should be the foundation of a relaxed horse. If the horse is not relaxed or is unhealthy, there is something that needs to change.

Listen to the horse, he will show you what he needs.

Schooling to the weight aids, and the hand OR leg (not hand AND leg) should support the movement. I like to be able to d...
12/04/2024

Schooling to the weight aids, and the hand OR leg (not hand AND leg) should support the movement.

I like to be able to do something else while I ride, or atleast have the option to.

If we consider the purpose of cavalry or even the californio style, there’s is a job to be done. Sometimes that means riding with one hand and having a horse so aware that the weight aids is all that’s needed and support from the leg or a single point of rein contact is just that, support.

I am most grateful for my greatest teacher, The Horse. They are the most insightful guides in life, and for that reason ...
11/29/2024

I am most grateful for my greatest teacher, The Horse.

They are the most insightful guides in life, and for that reason I will always choose the path of a life with horses.

No amount of gain for the ego is worth losing touch with the lessons from The Horse either.

So in today as I reflect on the idea of thankfulness and gratitude, I will always first pick The Horse. I will choose a path of life long learning. I will choose a path of discipline. I will choose a path of artfulness as well as mindfulness. I will choose a path that is driven by ethics. I will choose a path that demands my heart and soul.

I am forever thankful and forever grateful to my greatest teacher, The Horse.

This horse has been super fun to work with so far! I wanted to share some of our progress from our session today. Unfort...
11/24/2024

This horse has been super fun to work with so far! I wanted to share some of our progress from our session today.

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from the first few sessions we had because she was unable to stand still. She showed quite a few anxious behaviors which manifested through her posture as well. This mare was pushy, which is not helpful to maintain a healthy posture and reinforced her forehand heaviness. There is very much still evidence of this throughout her body, but I’m pleased to share the progress that we made in our session today.

The picture on the left is the beginning of our session. I actually had to ask for her to be held for that picture because she just couldn’t stand still. She was anxious and it shows. This posture would allow her to flee should she need to with her nervous system being in “just in case” mode.

We worked primarily at liberty in the beginning. We worked on voice cues and rhythm in the various gaits. It was wonderful to see her enjoy working at liberty. There was an element of excitement that I hadn’t seen from her before. Next we worked in hand and considered the shift of weight between all four legs as well as straightness work.

The picture on the right was taken after our in-hand work. It’s amazing to me how much longer her neck and back got in a short amount of time! I’m really impressed with this awesome gal. I’d also like to mention that in the second picture she was ground tied. We were actually able to ground tie many times throughout the session which was fantastic because she began to be more comfortable and relaxed.

Through considering her nervous system first, these changes are possible. She moves better and is more willing and relaxed.

I am so excited to continue to work with such a cool horse! She offers a lot and latches onto the little changes which makes building on them that much more exciting.

We are merely students in the presence of masters, Horses are the best teachers; a good horseman is simply the horse’s t...
11/23/2024

We are merely students in the presence of masters,

Horses are the best teachers; a good horseman is simply the horse’s translator.

Can the horse step out of balance or make a mistake but maintain willingness, relaxation, and joy to work? Can the horse...
11/23/2024

Can the horse step out of balance or make a mistake but maintain willingness, relaxation, and joy to work?

Can the horse still look for guidance in these moments?

Does this even matter?

Absolutely it does!

The way that the horse recovers when taking a step out of balance or making a mistake through learning is absolutely important. The horse should maintain a positive mental state even when training is not perfect and throughout finding balance.

I care very much about my horse’s mental state throughout training. I want it to be as positive as possible throughout. School is fun!

Through this the horse builds confidence and trust. Even when things aren’t perfect, the situation is still under control and everything is okay. They need to know this.

I think many riders don’t pay close attention to how their horse mentally recovers from missteps but I think that level of awareness at that moment is critical.

Some Saturday thoughts to chew on this weekend if you’d like!

In order to fill space, there must first be the creation of space. This was a thought tonight during my in-hand sessions...
11/20/2024

In order to fill space, there must first be the creation of space.

This was a thought tonight during my in-hand sessions. It’s often a thought during my in-hand sessions but it’s also a theme throughout riding and handling for me as well.

If the horse is to step laterally in-hand, there must be space to do so. Truthfully, if the horse is to work at all in-hand, there must be space to do so.

Our posture and position matters to the horse for communication and maintaining their natural sensitivity. It takes quite a bit of self awareness and self discipline to begin down that road ourselves. It can be pretty tricky!

It’s easy to want to micromanage and get in their space too much which can cause confusion to the horse, tension, and brace. Then we want to fix with the hands or leaning in with the shoulders amongst so many other things.

But the horse is waiting for us to just breathe.

I often think about in-hand work like dancing with a partner. I don’t want to step on any toes, I want to carry myself with lightness and consistency, maintain rhythm and awareness amongst so many other things.

It can often be difficult for the horse to be working WITH us if we don’t allow them to due to our own lack of awareness.

But to fill space, we must first create space. If I would like a shoulder-in, there MUST be room for the shoulder to move and allow the horse to maintain confidence throughout the movement.

Balance before movement mentally, emotionally, and physically. Then, balance throughout movement mentally, emotionally, and physically.

11/10/2024

A fine horse is made in the details! Some transformation pictures over the past year!

We had a special delivery of from RW Farms last night!! Big shoutout to RW Farms for keeping the girls shiny and happy...
11/09/2024

We had a special delivery of from RW Farms last night!!

Big shoutout to RW Farms for keeping the girls shiny and happy. They’re even getting all dappled with their winter coats which is awesome!!

Good forage is essential to the total foundation that a horse needs to perform at their best. It’s absolutely essential that forage makes up the majority or even the entirety of a horse’s diet. Feeding quality makes a massive impact and although I’d love to say my grooming routine keeps the gals sparkling, it is all truly thanks to good forage and plenty of it!!

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Richmond, KY

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Videos

HRH is proudly sponsored by RWFarms
HRH is proudly sponsored by RWFarms

HRH is proudly sponsored by RWFarms

A fine horse is made in the details! Some transformation pictures over the past year!

Awareness + Understanding = Feel. Beginnings of a conversation from the ground.

Sunset lunging session this evening with the beautiful autumn colors and a beautiful Salty girl! We are making the most of the last bit of warm weather!

Some thoughts on softness.

It is important to know where the feet are at in order to positively influence the horse's body and make the most sense to the horse in terms of communication. I'm teaching this horse about responding to my seat through working with his feet. #howlinrhorsemanship #forthebettermentofthehorse #equinebiomechanics #horsemanship #classicaldressage

Reeducation of the bit through in-hand work! #howlinrhorsemanship #forthebettermentofthehorse #classicaldressage #appaloosa #equinebiomechanics #horsemanship

Schooling should be joyful to the horse. If it is not, that is the first step we should take with the horse. Today was our first focused training session together. We overcame quite a bit of anxiety and replaced it with relaxation and willingness.

There certainly is no “I” in Team. 💙 #howlinrhorsemanship #forthebettermentofthehorse #horsetraining #libertyhorsemanship

Happy Training Tip Tuesday! 📸ACE Photography #howlinrhorsemanship #forthebettermentofthehorse #horsetrainingtok #horsetraining #horses #blmmustang #quotes

Sometimes I like to do slow liberty work at the end of a session to check in with the horse and how theyre feeling. Sometimes that leads to more lessons learned. #howlinrhorsemanship #forthebettermentofthehorse #horsetrainingtok #horsetok #horsetraining #horsetraining #horses #horsesofinstagram #libertyhorsemanship #libertyhorse #ottbsofinstagram

You've got to work with the horse that comes out that day in order to create the best horse possible. Fighting for the horse you want causes brace. Working with the horse promotes harmony. #howlinrhorsemanship #forthebettermentofthehorse #horsetrainingtok #horsetok #horsetrainersoftiktok #ottbmare #horsetraining #classicalhorsemanship #horsesofinstagram #horses

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