Enlightened Equestrian

01/16/2025

THIS! 👇

Why you will not see me being spectacular on a young horse:

Klaus Balkenhol explains, "Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks like a carefully developed eight-year-old, and not like a three- or four-year-old just beginning his career. If you force it, you can get a three-year-old to physically look like a developed eight-year-old. Too many colts remain stallions which, if approved, promise breeders higher prices as three-year-olds. Now 250 to 300 young stallions are presented each year, when only 40 or 50 will be approved.
Few breeders have the sense to geld the yearling stallions and leave them on the pasture to mature naturally. Instead, yearling stallions are brought into a stall, fed too much grain, and at three, look like six- or seven-year-olds. They have muscle mass, but not enough bone structure to support it. They look mature from the outside but aren't . . . and when started to work, degeneration sets in. Competitions also create pressure to push horses too fast as competitions are now scheduled throughout the year without any breaks."
Common Mistakes In Pushing Too Fast
Tightening the noseband: "A horse resists by sticking out his tongue. Tightening the noseband too much puts pressure on the nose and on the poll. If it is necessary to tighten the noseband very tightly, then something has gone very wrong in the basic training of the horse. The horse cannot be relaxed, the first step on the training scale," warns Klaus.
Specializing too early: "Drilling every day in the indoor arena is too intense for the young horse. It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free or low jumps under saddle, including small natural obstacles on the trail, and cavaletti. A variety of work will allow the horse to stay mentally fresh and to enjoy his work. Only when the horse is happy can dressage become art."
Not checking tack frequently: "Saddle and tack need to be checked constantly for proper fit and adjusted as the horse's body changes with growth, and as his fitness improves with the training. If the noseband gets too low, for example, and the skin between the noseband and the bit is rubbed and becomes sore, this causes the horse discomfort and loss of relaxation. Regularly check for sharp edges and bit problems in the horse's mouth and teeth."
Working too long: "The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller. Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse."
Riding when the horseman is tense: "Horses are particularly sensitive to the rider's mood. A rider shouldn't ride if she is under undue stress or doesn't have the time to ride. If the rider has a bad day, give the horse a rest day or go for a relaxing trail ride; don't work in the arena. The horse mirrors the rider's mood."
Not praising the horse enough: "The horse must perform from joy, not subservience. Praising a horse frequently with voice, a gentle pat, or relaxing the reins is very important to keep the horse interested and willing. If the horse offers piaffe, for instance, because he's excited, praise him for it. You shouldn't stop the lesson at that point nor make a big deal out of it. If you don't want piaffe, quietly urge him forward into trot, but you should NEVER punish him for offering the piaffe. - Klaus Blakenhol

04/22/2023

03/31/2023

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6045497625488138&id=500273500010606&post_id=500273500010606_6045497625488138&mibextid=Nif5oz

😂🤠😂

06/10/2022

The equestrian world is still looking for that magic something...

The magic bit...

The magic saddle...

The magic method...

Despite new and seemingly undeniable research, we continue to push back against accountability. The reality is, the more we learn, the more we realize this is no gentle hobby. It's hard to handle horses well and to ride well...to have horses exist in our world and not have it be to their total detriment.

If you're looking for the magic something...take a look in the mirror. You're the magic, you're the change.

Fair warning - the magic is really just time, commitment, education and application. Yep, that's right...there is NO easy path. Only life long exploration and dedication. You've got to do the things to improve the things.

Some days I feel like all I have learned has *almost* sucked the enjoyment out of riding because I often seriously question whether we should be riding these beautiful creatures at all. Then I realize, people will always ride and if they're going to ride they're going to need help to do it well (including myself!).

So, that's what I'm here to try to do, whether that's facilitating educational events or simply living my truth in real time. There truly is nothing more beautiful than a horse and human working in harmony and synchrony - THAT brings me joy.

No one can get you there but you though. Just like a spiffy saddle won't, or the most popular hash tagged method, or well marketed bit. It's all a distraction from what really needs to change...and that's us.

It is only when you are truly ready to step up and take responsibility and have some accountability, that any of that other stuff can even matter or work for you.

- Terra

06/04/2022

Bottom left: Over developed under neck, brachiocephalicus muscle. An over developed and hyperflexed splenius muscle, a compressed throat, and tense jaw.

Bottom right: Over developed splenius muscle, compressed throat, along with a dip in the trapezius muscle in front of the wither. Jaw and nostril tension.

**Both of these postures guarantee a tense, tight, dropped back. Engagement from the pelvis and the hind end become literally impossible in these types of contact.

01/18/2022

Are you accepting what your horse has to say, or ignoring it?

German equine osteopath Alena Jenn shared her views on animal cruelty in the wake of the Ludger Beerbaum rapping scandal that is making its way through the horse world following the airing of a documentary by the German RTL tv-station. It showed footage of a horse at Beerbaum's yard getting rapped i...

11/30/2021

""When a lot of folks can't get a horse to operate on a feel, in a snaffle, what most are going to tell you "hell, get a little more bridle, get a little more shank on it, get a chain on it" and then when he's really wanting to flip over then "tie his head down". If he really runs into the tie down then "get a bicycle chain over his nose".............I mean it DOESN'T STOP, IT BECOMES MEDIEVAL WHAT THEY DO.
But when you get a horse to where he's operating on a feel; it doesn't make much difference what you have.
Whereas a lot of people leave the snaffle bit because they flunked out, they failed...............and then they go and get another bit.
Of course these tack salesmen love that. They go and get another bit and then they flunk out in it, ruin their horse. Then they ruin them in that, then get another bit and then pretty soon they've got a whole wall full of bits and they still can't operate the damn thing.
All that money they've wasted on bits; they could've probably bought a decent saddle for the horse so he didn't have to put up with the junk they were riding in. Now that would have been something that would have been worthwhile.
So if you don't get it done in the snaffle (the basics that a horse needs, the fundamental movements that all horses need to do for whatever you have in mind for them) before moving on to something else, well............you're not going to get it."" - Buck Brannaman.

Image of Buck is by Heather Kessler - https://www.facebook.com/kesslerphoto

12/02/2020

Last night, I broke down.

I've been in the horse rescue world for most of my life... I've seen a lot. I've learned to compartmentalize my emotions so they don't overwhelm and inhibit the work that needs to be done. And there's always more work to be done.

But last night as I drove off with a new rescued Mustang in my trailer, I had to pull over as these emotions that I've trained myself to suppress overcame me. I have seen skinnier horses.. horses with worse feet.. horses who were so scared and shutdown from mental trauma.. I've seen many bleaker cases. But for some reason, this horse I loaded up hit me hard.

This old boy with mangled feet, full blown infection and blood coming out of his nose, skinny and extremely dehydrated... all these physical issues are fixable.

What hit me was the way this big, gentle giant didn't see me. He wasn't scared of me... he wasn't angry or nervous... he just didn't see me. I walked up to him, gave him a pet, and haltered him so I could get him out and home as quickly as possible. He stood there, quiet, unmoving. As I led him to the trailer, he politely obliged and picked up his big neglected feet carefully into this strange trailer with this strange person and accepted everything I asked with no protest... But he didn't see me... His eyes were so devoid of emotion that his story became clear.

He didn't know who I was, and it was clear that he had been passed around enough times that it didn't matter who I was... things probably weren't going to get better.

Horses develop what's called, learned helplessness, as they experience an inability to do anything to affect their outcome... so they give up. They quit trying to fight, or to flee, or to open up and play. They just quit trying...because no matter what they do, their actions don't produce a better result. This horse didn't know who I was and he didn't care. He was beyond trying to voice his opinion.

So when I felt this complete shell of a horse, who still managed to be as gentle and polite as can be, it hit me hard. I pulled over and let myself feel every single one of those emotions. Grief. Anger. Hopelessness. Defeat...

But today, I'm grateful. There's no more time for those debilitating emotions. Today, I'm grateful, and hopeful, and joyful.

I'm joyful that this big, beautiful soul will learn what it's like to be loved and he will not hurt anymore.

I'm hopeful that he will come out of his shell and find peace and play and happiness in his life.

I'm grateful for every person who has been a part of saving his life, and so many others.

I'm grateful for the big players who stepped up, paid their bail, and had the courage to reach out and ask if we had capacity to help... knowing all too well how overwhelmed we all already are.

I'm grateful for every single person who is inspired by these horses and finds a way to help, even if it's just to spread the word or donate a few dollars.

I'm grateful to be a part of a community of allies, all fighting for the horses who we love.

And most of all, I'm grateful for the horses... who endure so very much at the hands of humans and still find space in their heart to forgive and share their pure soul with us.

I know that this fight is not over... that this boy has a long road to recovery (mentally, physically, and emotionally)... but I'm grateful that Andre now has an opportunity and a voice.

Stay tuned to watch this beautiful boy, who we named Andre the Giant, blossom.

-Written by our Head Trainer, Stephanie Linsley (Infinity Horsemanship)

11/05/2020

🤪🤪🤪

10/04/2020

Love your ponies and treasure every moment you have with them 🤍

10/01/2020

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HORSE WHISPERER. There never has been and never will be. The idea is an affront to the horse. You can talk and listen to horses all you want, and what you will learn, if you pay close attention, is that they live on open ground way beyond language and that language, no matter how you characterize it, is a poor trope for what horses understand about themselves and about humans. You need to practice only three things, patience, observation and humility, all of which were summed up in the life of an old man who died Tuesday (July 20, 1999) in California, a man named Bill Dorrance.

Dorrance was 93, and until only a few months before his death he still rode and he still roped. He was one of a handful of men, including his brother Tom, who in separate ways have helped redefine relations between the horse and the human. Bill Dorrance saw that subtlety was nearly always a more effective tool than force, but he realized that subtlety was a hard tool to exercise if you believe, as most people do, that you are superior to the horse. There was no dominance in the way Dorrance rode, or in what he taught, only partnership. To the exalted horsemanship of the vaquero -- the Spanish cowboy of 18th-century California -- he brought an exalted humanity, whose highest expression is faith in the willingness of the horse.

There is no codifying what Bill Dorrance knew. Some of it, like how to braid a rawhide lariat, is relatively easy to teach, and some of it, thanks to the individuality of horses and humans, cannot be taught at all, only learned. His legacy is exceedingly complex and, in a sense, self-annulling. It is an internal legacy. The more a horseman says he has learned from Dorrance the less likely he is to have learned anything at all.

That sounds oblique, but it reflects the fact that what you could learn from Dorrance was a manner of learning whose subject was nominally the horse but that extended itself in surprising directions to include dogs, cattle and people. If you learned it, you would know it was nothing to boast about.

There is no mysticism, no magic, in this, only the recognition of kinship with horses. Plenty of people have come across Bill Dorrance and borrowed an insight or two, and some have made a lot of money by popularizing what they seemed to think he knew. But what he knew will never be popular, nor did he ever make much money from it. You cannot sell modesty or undying curiosity. It is hard to put a price on accepting that everything you think you know about horses may change with the very next horse.

From an article by Verlyn Klinkenborg 'Death of a Legendary Horseman' - NY Times July 24, 1999 - http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/24/opinion/editorial-notebook-death-of-a-legendary-horseman.html

Image of Bill is by Steven and Leslie Dorrance - http://www.billdorrance.com/about.htm