Tammy Johnson Training

03/27/2025

My 3k horses stand in with my 40k horses.

I’ve had a five hundred dollar horse earn me 100k.

I’ve watched a 35k horse become a five hundred dollar horse with 1 X-ray.

I owned a mare who earned 107k , who I bought for 700.

Horses don’t know what you paid , they don’t know what they’ve won.
But they know how you treat them.

There’s not a single horse on our place that’s treated any differently then the others. You can’t put a price tag on a soul.

Today as I walked my pastures. I pet the noses of winners who’s owners failed them. I pet the noses of horses who could have been winners had they been given the chance.

Today I kissed the noses of baby’s who one day can become winners, if their owners bring them to their full potential.

Horses know no dollar value.
They do know if you love and believe in them.
Feed them & they shall feed you.

~Reposted~

02/14/2025

Spot on 👍

02/07/2025

When a new groom arrives on the scene the old-timers seize an opportunity to have some fun. They send them through the stable area for a key to the quarter pole, a bucket of steam or a saddle stretcher. Other grooms would play along with this until it ran its course.
The new grooms apprenticed under the old timers. They showed them all the techniques handed down to them over the years and a few things they learned themselves. Some of the remedies they brought with them from the farms back home. The story goes that the legendary Dr. Alex Harthill learned from these grooms and many of the products that he developed and sold in his store over the years were the secrets handed down. Once a groom learned from the older men he developed his own style. The black groom never seemed to move too fast and never looked like he was in a hurry. His standard equipment was his rub rag and a hoof pick attached to his belt loop. In some cases each horse had his own “box” in front of his stall and each had his own set of brushes. If a horse shipped in from the farm you never knew what he might be bringing with him. There were many skin diseases and ringworm was one that you didn’t want to spread. Each groom spent hours with his horse and knew if a single hair was out of place. The horse responded to the slow, even-tempered groom. When the groom was working on the legs or rubbing him down, he would talk or sing in a gentle voice.
A groom knew every pimple on his horses. He paid particular attention to his feet. There was an old saying at the track “No hoof, no horse”. Sometimes this required soaking the foot and packing it with Bowie Mud. Other days the groom would sit on a 5-gallon bucket and hose the horse for hours. There were many other jobs that required the groom to do in the afternoon. Even though it was not the morning they would pull manes, tub horses, and clip them in the winter. He also was around if the vet, blacksmith or horse dentist wanted to go in the stall. He was right there to keep a eye on everything that was going on.
Also, grooms on the track never went by their real name. Some arrived with a name they were given as a kid or at the barns back home. If you didn’t have a nickname, then somehow one was decided for you. And when you heard someone talking about that groom you knew exactly who they were talking about. Here is a short list of some names that come to mind: Whiskers, Ham Bone, Tots, Mo, Pockets, Big Denny, Spoon, Chick, Space, Lum, Stoney, Hard Times, Posey, Bean, Pug and so many more.
The photo is a typical horse van that the grooms hopped on if they wanted to relocate to another track or maybe winter in Florida. The vans were constantly moving horses, and it was pretty easy to catch a free ride.

02/07/2025

The work never stops. There were many beautiful days where you were glad to be on the track. However, winters could be brutal. You felt unlucky, your boss didn’t head south and chose winter racing. Buckets are all frozen. You put them in the tack room until they thaw enough to turn them upside down. There would be rows of ice mounds outside the shed. You add extra straw for bedding. Sometime double blanket your horses and shut the top door. It was always harder to do up the horse’s legs when your hands were frozen. Worse was cracked heels. The track put down salt to keep it from freezing and that irritated the horses. You had to keep moving to stay warm and you never had enough clothes. And you had cracked hands from the leg ligaments burning and drying up your fingers. On the other end was summer. Keeping all the fans hooked up to the extension cords running down the shed. Seems like there were never enough outlets. You set the fans on the horses to keep the dam flies from driving them crazy. Your bunkhouse room would be like an oven at night unless you were lucky enough to have a fan of your own.
As a newbie if you learned how to take care of horses from the old timers and you did it right you could call yourself a horseman. You learned to mix a many a bucket of Bowie Mud with Alum, Vinegar, Epsom Salt, and you mixed it by hand. You cleaned and soaped your halters every day and you always rolled your shanks and cradled them in your head piece of your halter. Old bran sack was your rub rag. What most never had to do unless you learned real old school was to sew your bran sacks into a muck sack and you filled it when you clean your stall. Then you tie the four corners and carried it on your back (Just like Santa) to the muck pit.
On muddy days you had to learn how to tie up a horse’s tail. A tail full of mud in a race means the horse is carrying extra weight. Just like the jockey, every extra pound makes the difference of whether you get in the winner’s circle. After the entire barn of horses has walked down your shed row for about 5 hours nonstop, they have made a pretty good rut. All this has to be leveled off and then raked nice and neat. Some grooms go the extra mile and rake designs in their area. After this is done, they really don’t want you in front of their stalls. There is an unwritten rule that is respected by all grooms. You never enter another trainer’s shedrow. You can stand on the street and chat or whatever but don’t set a foot under the roof.

01/14/2025

01/12/2025

Welcome to the family “Nellie” ♥️

01/10/2025

♥️💫

01/09/2025

So true 🤣

01/02/2025

Why do so many girls—and lads too—all over Ireland fall head over heels for horses? And why is it that nothing quite compares to the bond we share with these incredible creatures?

It doesn’t matter if you're on top of the world or hanging by a thread. Whether life feels like it's falling into place or your heart is in pieces, when you stand before a 600kg, 168cm horse, and wrap your arms around its strong, muscular neck, press your cheek to its warm coat, breathe in that fresh country air mixed with the earthy scent of the horse… and listen to the gentle rise and fall of its breath… it’s a feeling that’s hard to beat.

Horses are used in therapy for a reason. They carry with them a mix of power, grace, and a calm presence that you can't find anywhere else. Beneath their soft fur lies raw, untamed strength, like a storm waiting to break—but their gentle nature wraps around you like a warm, quiet embrace.

In that moment, you realise something deep inside you is shifting. The world falls away. Every worry, every heartache, every stress—whether it's the pressures of work, a friend who’s let you down, or family who just doesn’t understand—fades into nothing. With your face buried in their neck, it’s as though the horse is taking you far away to a place where none of that matters. Where it’s just you, the horse, and the peace of the moment.

Horses have been with us for centuries. They've carried kings on their journey to the throne, led soldiers into battle, ploughed fields for our food, and brought us home safely time and time again. Without horses, there would be no Ireland as we know it—no agriculture, no transport, no industry. They’ve shaped our past, and yet their true power and importance are often forgotten. But it’s in their bones, in their very DNA, that they have carried us to where we are now.

Every time I stand with a horse, arms around its neck, I feel that incredible strength. With a single step or flick of their hooves, they could easily destroy us. And yet, we trust them—implicitly. We ride them, care for them, love them. We let our children groom them, clean their hooves, and even crawl under their feet. There’s no other animal in the world that carries such a bond.

I’m blessed, truly, that I get to share this with them every day. If you ever feel lost, drained, or just in need of something to bring you back to yourself, I promise—go find a horse. Wrap your arms around their neck, close your eyes, and just be with them. It’s the best kind of therapy there is, and there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

12/18/2024

While I don’t spend much time on social media, the recent post on Noëlle Floyd titled “Dispelling the myth of "the perfect position,"” with Karl Cook, as well as McLain Ward’s well-reasoned response managed to reach me early this morning. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen something on social media that I thought deserved a comment from me.

I worry Karl’s statements can be interpreted by young or inexperienced riders to mean working hard to create a good position isn’t necessary, when I believe it is the most important fundamental of learning to ride. I worry he missed the “why” of correct position.

The entire point of classical position is not about the right look or winning. It is about safety and clear communication. Safety for rider and, in my opinion most importantly, safety for the horse.

Around JMS, I’m known for saying “the best way to win consistently, is to consistently do things properly.” Winning can mean success in the ring, but winning can also mean a long, safe, healthy partnership for horse and rider.

Every aspect of horsemanship must be based on sound fundamentals. There are far fewer true accidents than people would like to admit. Everything we do in the barn to care for the horses properly is based on safety and what we do in the saddle is the same. If you fall off your horse because of bad position, you’re not going to be able to keep them safe as they gallop off without you. Just like if you don’t do everything properly in the stable, you are risking illness or injury.

Our riders are always working hard to improve their position. Beezie is often held up to be one of the epitomes of classical equitation and she still works with a personal trainer, takes lessons, spends hours maintaining her position. So much of what we do in our sport and with horses is out of our control. One’s position is something we CAN control. I can’t fathom good horsepeople being dismissive of striving for excellence in one’s position, if they truly understand position’s relationship with both safety and effective communication.

Correct position minimizes mistakes. It keeps the rider from falling back and catching the horse in the mouth or crushing the horse’s back or keeps a leg from inadvertently abusing the horse’s side. In the best-case scenario, it gives the horse the ability to jump its best without impingement from the rider. In the worst-case scenario, it puts the rider in a place to be most effective when something goes wrong. A perfectly balanced and positioned rider is much more effective at helping a horse out of a stumble or misstep on landing than one that is incorrect. Correct position should never be confused with stiffness. Correct means supple, balanced, and empathetic. Poor position causes stiffness and imbalance.

Classic position minimizes falls and injuries. Classic position ensures clear communication. Classic position must be MASTERED before any “artistic license” with position can and should be employed.

Straying from the classical position, thinking of Beezie taking the famous flyer to the last fence of the jump off at the National Horse Show with Cortes years ago, would be an example of good use of artistic license. That was a calculated risk with full mastery of her position and complete confidence in the training of the horse underneath her.

Without mastery of the proper position, and all her tools, and training, the same decision would amount to reckless endangerment of the horse.

While perfection is impossible, we are striving for it because it’s our responsibility to the horse, to do our part to help keep them safe in this sport. One must first be safe to achieve the ethical partnership between horse and rider for the betterment of both.

-John Madden

12/10/2024

I'm sharing this because it's so true how we get caught up and forget....

Don’t over complicate it.... 🐎💙☘️

There was a time when you were just happy to ride, happy to be in the company of horses. It didn’t matter if you could execute a perfect lead change or jump double clear rounds. You were just happy to have two feet in the stirrups and ears leading the way!

You didn’t care about having the best tack, the coolest boots, or the newest hi-tech breeches. An old ex-racehorse, your favorite, old worn out pair of jeans with a colorful t-shirt did the job just fine!

You didn’t spend the days between Christmas and New Year’s planning a heavy schedule of training sessions, clinics and competitions. You threw tinsel around your pony’s neck and went hacking with friends!The new year was just another 365 days to go riding!

Don’t forget that you started this sport because you loved the animal. You loved the rush of galloping across open fields and the serenity of watching horses quietly graze in the sun. You do this because there is nothing on this earth that makes you feel more alive than being on the back of a horse, so don’t overcomplicate it…

Enjoy the little things, because one day you will look back and realize... they weren’t little at all. 🐎💙☘️

11/30/2024

The great Olympic 3-day rider Michael Page told me this story about Bill Steinkraus at the USET headquarters in Gladstone, NJ, the week or so before the riders left for the 1968 Mexico Olympics, where Steinkraus and Snowbound were to win the individual gold medal in grand prix show jumping---

Steinkraus worked as a book publisher, so he did not have permanent residency at the team, and when word got out that he was coming to train, the word went out, "Now we will see jumping over some real fences."

Instead, Bill asked Bert De Nemethy to lunge him without stirrups on several horses each day. Mike said that Bill's comment to Bert was, "I want to get my seat back."

So, a little tip to aspiring riders. Find someone willing to lunge you, get rid of those stirrups, and start to become one entity, like a Centaur, you and your horse.

If it was what Bill Steinkraus needed----well, you can figure the rest out----

11/25/2024

“THE DREAM THAT MANY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND:
My horses are my personal dream.
One day when I am very old and when I can not walk anymore, it will be in my heart as a trophy of my memories.
I met people who taught me something and have the same spirit and I met others that I'm glad I forgot.
I got wet,
I felt cold,
And I felt warm;
I was afraid,
I fell,
And I stood up.
I even hurt myself, I have been broken,
But also, I laughed out loud inside.
I spoke a thousand times with myself.
I sang and shouted with joy like a madman,
And yes ... sometimes I cried.
I have seen wonderful places and lived unforgettable experiences.
I climbed on horses that made me feel brave and excited...and then there were ones that terrified me......
I stopped a thousand times to see a landscape.
I spoke with perfect strangers, and I forgot people I see every day.
I went out with my demons inside and returned home with a feeling of absolute peace in my heart.
I always thought how dangerous it is, knowing that the meaning of courage is to advance even feeling fear.
Every time I go out to my horses I think about how wonderful they are.
I stopped talking about it to those who do not understand, and I learned to communicate with other riders.
I have met some amazing people I now call friends because of my horses.
I spent money that I did not have, giving up many things, but all these things are not worth even one special moment with my horse.
They are not a means of transport or a piece of iron with wheels, they are the lost part of my soul and my spirit.
And when someone says to me: "You have to sell the horses and you have to be more sensible", ... I do not answer. I just swing my head and smile.
A horse..... only the person who loves them understands it.
May God bless my friends and all their horses...
And the adventure continues...”
Author unknown

📸Photography credits: Rockin’ Pj Photography
Elsabe Hausauer

11/06/2024

Anyone have a TB yearling that needs to be broke? Lots of success with our babies in the past. I’m only going to take a very limited number so please reach quickly.

11/04/2024

Ready to rock and roll ♥️

11/04/2024

You're never allowed to complain about the cost of boarding your horse.

Again, you're never allowed to complain about the cost of boarding your horse. Unless, that is, you've owned your own farm for at least a year. You can't complain if you've never cleaned stalls every day, even when you're sick. You can't complain if you've never scrubbed a water bucket or a water trough outside, or broken ice in sub zero temperatures. You can't complain if you've never fixed a fence or repaired a stall wall that your horse took out. You can't complain if you haven't swept the barn more than 365 times in a year, haven't spent hours decobbwebbing with an aching neck, throwing down dust control, watering or washing down the arena. You can't complain if you've never paid for a barn full of hay, or at minimum, helped unload it. If you've never rearranged your family, personal or work commitments to take care of horses, you can't complain. If you've never gone to the barn late at night, before bed time, to make sure all the horses are OK, you can't complain.

If you find the cost of boarding to be reasonably affordable, I hope you thank the ones that are taking care of your horse every single day. Thank them for making it possible for you to have a horse. Thank them for making it possible for you to stay warm and dry while they make sure your horse is the same, at the expense of their own warmth, convenience, or comfort.

You know what might be better than your verbal thanks? Your help! Offer to scrub or fill buckets. Offer to help turn out or bring horses in some time, so the people your paying can have a night off.... because they don't really get nights off. Offer to water the arena that you ride in before you complain about the dust. You see something that needs fixing or cleaning, volunteer to help.

You think you're paying for these services and that's simply enough? I dare you to calculate what these people are making. Just don't tell them the answers to your math because it's likely pretty depressing. They aren't doing this to be rich. At the end of the month, if there happens to be a little surplus, I promise you, it's most assuredly going back into the farm to benefit you and your horse. If they were doing this to make money, you couldn't afford to have a horse.

I posted a meme the other day that said "Horses are for people that love work and hate money" and I can't think of anything more accurate. The work NEVER ends. The money NEVER stops going out. Caring for horses isn't for the faint of heart or the lazy or the "too busy." If you are one of those things and that's why you are paying board, you aren't allowed to complain. In fact, you should be the absolute most grateful. You're never allowed to complain about the cost of boarding a horse, unless you've owned your own farm for at least a year, and in that case, I know very well, that you will never complain.

11/04/2024

👍👍