Back To Basics Horsemanship

12/06/2023

Just enjoying this “warmish” December day

12/01/2023

So proud to be part of this awesome unit!

We are highlighting the units that make up the Wisconsin State Fair Park Police!

Wisconsin State Fair Park Mounted Unit
Team Leader: Officer Nathan Anhalt / 10 years of service / 8 years mounted
Officer Thomas Dammer / 26 years of service / 3 years mounted
Officer Dan Nikolaus / 21 years of service / 3 years mounted
Officer Ryan Gaeth / 11 years of service / 2 years mounted
Reserve Officer Alyssa Thomson / 2 years of service / 2 years mounted
Reserve Officer Marissa DiTunno / 3 years of service / 3 years mounted
Reserve Officer Lisa Docter / 2 years of service / 2 years mounted
Reserve Officer Annabelle Chally / 5 years of service / 3 years mounted
Reserve Captain Debra Caravello / 24 years of service / 20 years mounted

11/29/2023

Wall life = nap time

11/13/2023

Taking advantage of getting this c**t out on the trails before he goes home at the end of his 60 days of training

11/11/2023

Great day to take training horse out on the trails before winter hits

11/06/2023

30 days with Mr Archie 💜💜💜

11/04/2023

Placing order Friday! Anyone interested please PayPal/Venmo me your order by Thursday. Thanks!

11/04/2023

10/17/2023

Taking tshirt and hoodie orders. They would be black with any of the 4 colored logos on the back. Let me know if you’re interested.

Gildan Cotton T-Shirts:
XS-M = $22
L-XL = $23
2XL-3XL = $28

Gildan Hoodies:
XS = $32
S-XL = $33
2XL = $38
3XL = $41

10/13/2023

Sucks being 2 and having to grow up 🤣🤣🤣

10/09/2023

It’s so important, not just for c**ts, but for all horses to be able to ride with a loose rein. Yes there’s a time place when you need to have ahold of your horse, but they also shouldn’t be “held back” all the time. I like to finish off every ride with a loose rein, checking to see if they’re still with me moving off my seat and legs even when they’re relaxed.

10/09/2023

Your legs aren’t I just for steering. Your legs and body create bend and body control. Archie, who’s had less than 15 rides, is learning to bend around my leg and to soften up coming around a turn.

10/04/2023

“I was scared today.

I was scared to get on, scared to walk out the yard because I had a bad ride the day before. One bad ride, and it made me scared.

I didn’t know why. I’ve had 1000 bad rides. I’ve had 1000 falls. I’ve broken bones and bruised my pride on countless occasions, but today I was scared.

Why? Because confidence is fragile. It takes months and years to build and seconds to lose and yet we are so careless with it.

When we get on a horse, we wear a hat to protect our head. We wear body protectors, gloves, boots...

We pay so much attention to protecting ourselves physically, we forget that our minds are not invincible, and our confidence certainly is not.

Your bank of confidence needs regular deposits, not just from others... but from you. Self confidence is the most valuable currency in life.

When you go to get on, and you hesitate, you falter and you start to ask yourself “can I do this?”, chances are, your account is almost empty.

Every time you laugh and say “oh no, I’m no good” or “so and so is 10x better than me”, you make a withdrawal from that account, and before you know it, your account is empty and you’re scared to get on.

But every time you say “I’m really pleased with how that went” or “I think I rode that really well”, your balance increases.

We need to learn to give ourselves a break, pat ourselves on the back and allow ourselves to feel proud of where we are - after all, most of the time we’ve worked bloody hard to get there!

Recognising your strengths is just as important as recognising your weaknesses. Never allow yourself or anyone else to empty that account.

Confidence is valuable, don’t bankrupt yourself.”

Author- cromwellandlucy

09/24/2023

Excited to get this one going….meet Archie! 7 yr old Lusitano gelding that had 60 days 3 years ago and is in to get restart/refreshed. In all the years his owners owned, bred, and showed horses, this is the first time sending one of theirs to a trainer. I’m so grateful they did their research and trusting me with this guy. Looking forward to see what he does!

09/22/2023

🥰🥰🥰 love hearing feedback from my clients

09/21/2023

Excited to ride this big boy! Owner is wanting this 4 yr old to get back in shape and keep him legged up for them. Such a sweet boy and so smart

09/16/2023

Here’s another one of my favorite clips from our trip in Mammoth, Kentucky. Trail riding not only exposes your horse but really gets your horse thinking and paying attention especially when you make them take it slow. This is why trail exposure is a huge part of my training program (weather permitting) especially with c**ts

09/16/2023

Now that my trip is coming to a wrap, here’s one of my favorite clips of the trails at Shawnee. Definitely a trail system you want to make sure both you and your horse are ready for. Both me and my daughter are the two in front

09/11/2023

Just friendly reminder to all my clients I’m gone camping with the ponies until Sunday. Will be back to normal schedule next week

08/28/2023

And this is why being tied is a huge part of my program! So many good things are learned just from something so simple

I mentioned the other day that one of my ponies was ‘left tied for a while, to think about life’ after she’d had a workout that featured a number of grave misdemeanours. This was not a popular share and in fact, several of you were moved to give me the dreaded ‘angry’ emoji.

Why, I wonder?

As so many people tell me that their horses are either drawn to pulling toward the barn, or else dealing with outright herdboundness, it confuses me that a quiet and caring antidote, such as standing at the tie rail—just waiting a while at home—should anger them.

I never, ever ride here or haul home and then, just turn my horses out.

Never, ever. This means that they are not rushing to get back from where we’ve been. They are not pushing to the front of the line. They are not jigging around while I unsaddle, getting ready to break free. They are not banging on the sides of the trailer, as soon as we’ve parked… and please, use your common sense here. If they’ve been on an hours’ long haul, they need only to go to the corral for a drink and a roll. Anything we deign to call training must come later.

Most days, they know that when we get home, they’ll be unsaddled and groomed, or their cinches will be loosened a hole or so. But they’ll be asked to stand at the hitching rail a while, as I busy myself with putting things away, cleaning out the trailer, or putting the kettle on. They’ll learn to sigh deeply, c**k a hip and relax. They will learn to do this without the crutch of nearby friends, or a haynet. Again, use your common sense. If they are struggling, start them out with an old expert horse tied nearby; let them have something to munch on, if they are worried.

Tying is not punishment! If it’s a hot day, I’ll find them some shade in which to stand. If it’s cold or windy, they’ll have a warm cooler on and I’ll put them in the sunny spot. We need to realize that their learning is helped, just as our own is, if we have a place in which to step out of the whirlwind around us, to stop drinking from the proverbial firehose… and just THINK.

I liken this to the feeling I have after a long day at work, or a meeting that required a lot of concentration. I just need to get off the merry-go-round for a while.

I encourage as many of you as possible to consider standing and tying as a place for a horse to reset in a decompression chamber, without the wham-bam of going from our hands, straight into the wild blue yonder. I am assuming that our horses know how to tie, for I’m finding that many of today’s horses do not. What a pity. It’s a reminder that if you have a young horse, from a weanling onward, don’t put the tie rail training off until it’s too late. The bigger they get, the harder it is.

Tying is ordinary wisdom from the working horsemen of Grandfather’s day. While some of this has got tipped sideways by those folks who stand their horses for endless hours at the so-called ‘patience pole’, I think that in moderation, standing tied is one of the most underappreciated horsemanship secrets there is. Even now, it’s worth implementing… whether you’re heavily into performance or relationship, or a healthy blend of the two.

Whether we ride our horses English or Western, we can teach them far worse things than how to find relaxation on their own.

08/19/2023

This girl worked her butt off this season in LBW Rodeo. She qualified for finals tomorrow in all 3 events: goats, barrels, and poles. Definitely made momma proud! Wish Kylie good luck tomorrow at finals

08/17/2023

Honored to ride with all these officers during state fair

Madison Mounted are the 4 on the left, then the 8 in the middle are state fair park, and the 4 on the right are Milwaukee mounted.

08/01/2023

Having some fun dragging stuff….including children lol

07/08/2023

Recognize a few faces?

07/06/2023

Do your research before you send a horse out for training.

You are just as much responsible as the trainer if your horse comes back in poor condition.

Find out what the feed program is. Go visit your horse or require regular photos and or videos—especially in this age with technology there are zero excuses for not receiving photos/videos.

Don’t choose your trainer from the win column. Just because someone is a great competitor does not always mean they are good trainers or horsemen. Go see their facility. Make sure it meets your standards.

Use trainers that have a similar style to you if you plan to ride behind them.

Communicate with the trainer.

Bottom line:
Do your homework and know where you are sending the horse.

www.betweenthereins.us

06/27/2023

Who doesn’t love a little ”sword” fight

06/24/2023

Using my children as “desensitizing tools” is a huge part of my program. Nova, one of the newest mustang c**ts in to get started

06/19/2023

Sundays are for the little things
Slow down and appreciate every moment
Take time off social media
Enjoy the company of friends and family
Plan for the next week and put it aside
Spend time on a hobby or passion

05/30/2023

There is a lot of hype about “desensitizing” among horse people and some clinicians these days. They get the horse completely desensitized then they have to sensitize them again to get them to operate. In some cases, I see the horses getting very confused and irritated with this procedure. Why d...