Heaven Sent Farm, LLC

Heaven Sent Farm, LLC New! Now offering off in person and virtual Equine Nutrition Consultation through HSF Equine Nutrition 🐴🥕

02/20/2025
02/19/2025

I know what makes you cheer. Your boos mean nothing to me.

Fallon Taylor, a prominent barrel racer, recently took to social media to defend her use of harsh riding tactics: whips, spurs, and “starfishing” over her horse’s back. In these posts, she dismisses her critics, saying they are “playing games” and telling her followers to “ignore the haters.” She even goes as far as to complain that horses who calmly walk through the timers are praised, while those who "actually ride" by using whips and spurs are unfairly judged.

Her argument is simple: if you’re not using a whip, spurs, and flailing wildly on your horse’s back, then you’re not really riding. And when she received pushback for this, she accused those who disagreed of being jealous of her success.

First, let’s address the facts: studies have shown that whipping a horse does not make them faster. In fact, “Our comparison of whipping-free and whipping-permitted races found no statistically significant differences in movement on course, interference on course, incidents related to jockey behavior or race finishing times.” Let’s stop pretending that excessive use of force is a legitimate tactic for success.

Here’s some more truth, Fallon: this isn’t about jealousy. It’s about the welfare of the horses. It’s about the fact that you’re justifying inflicting pain on an animal for the sake of your own gain. It’s not about you winning; it’s about how you’re winning. Using whips and spurs as exaggerated, forceful riding techniques is not "real riding"; it's exploitation. When you defend it as such, you’re setting a dangerous precedent that normalizes unnecessary harm for personal glory.

Let me be crystal clear: I am not anti-whip or anti-spur. These tools, when used responsibly and with consideration, may help refine communication with a horse, especially as they progress in their training. Think of it this way: could you operate a TV remote while wearing thick mittens? Tools like whips and spurs can provide nuanced cues, but only once the horse has the foundation to understand them.

When we stand up for the welfare of horses, we aren't attacking competition, we’re attacking the toxic culture that has come to define it. We’re speaking out for the horses who can’t voice their suffering, who endure in silence because their pain is ignored in the name of winning. If we don’t speak out, who will?

It’s not just about trophies, Fallon. It’s about protecting the animals who give everything for us. That’s where true success lies: in the integrity with which we treat our horses, not how many buckles we can collect while ignoring their nonverbal pain signals.

So no, Fallon, we’re not jealous of you. We want nothing to do with the kind of “success” you’re defending. We’d rather stand for integrity than for hollow validation. And we’ll keep speaking out, no matter how many of us you block. Because the horses deserve better, and they’re the ones we should be protecting.

Whip use study: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/11/1985

02/19/2025
02/19/2025

Having ridden a certain way in the past, or even present, doesn’t mean you have to be doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

Horse people need to get more comfortable with admitting when they’ve gone wrong with horses before and realizing that growth is a good thing. Admitting when you’re wrong is okay.

This is an old photo of Milo back in 2016.

He was incredibly nervous at shows. I rode in a flash and a running martingale, which stressed him more.

I also carried a crop because he wouldn’t want to go forward consistently without one. I never beat him with it but I would use it to tap him lightly and it was still a form of pressure to force a response.

Instead of listening to what his behaviour told me, I tried to mask it with equipment and continuing to push him.

I loved him, I still do, but it was the wrong decision and it wasn’t fair to him.

I’ve made a lot of wrong decisions, despite loving horses. Most of us have.

The biggest mistake is to continue doubling down and justifying our actions when we aren’t being considerate to our horses.

It is not healthy that so many riders are so nonchalant about hitting horses repeatedly, using harsh equipment and otherwise relying on pain and fear to make horses comply.

The horse world can shift. We all can make waves through growth. But we can’t grow without serious reflection.

The shame is so strong in the horse world. It’s freeing to own up to where you’ve hurt horses. You’ll realize you aren’t alone and you can release that guilt and make a difference.

Share a “bad moment” you’ve had and let’s talk about some of the things we have done to horses that we may hold shame and guilt about.

Let’s normalize growth.



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Support my work, access behind the scenes and training tutorials: Patreon.com/sdequus for as little as $1 a month

02/19/2025
02/17/2025

Allowing a horse to become unconfident outside in nature is an absolute tragedy. There is nothing more natural to a horse than to be outside amongst other living things.

02/15/2025
Snow and icicles galore ❄️ 🥶
02/12/2025

Snow and icicles galore ❄️ 🥶

02/12/2025

Happy horses, strong bonds, endless fun.

02/11/2025

Recently, a video from the World Equestrian Center in Ocala surfaced, showing a distressed horse on course, while the rider continues to strike them with a crop. It makes you wonder.. If this is how some riders treat horses in public, what’s happening behind closed doors?

How can we stand up for horses in these situations and why it can be so uncomfortable to ‘stir the pot’?

Many of us board at facilities where we encounter riders with different levels of skill, knowledge, and willingness to learn and improve. It’s always been controversial to speak out about the less obvious forms of abuse, but it’s something that needs to be addressed. I say "more accepted" because, for some reason, the equestrian community often turns a blind eye to or re-labels signs of pain as "bad behavior."

We see horses subjected to extreme measures like excessive spurring, cranking their heads into their chest, tying mouths shut, see-sawing reins, draw reins, harsh bits, "teaching lessons" through whips, kicks, and yelling, running horses into walls, and lunging them to the brink of exhaustion. These practices—while damaging physically and psychologically—are shockingly common and, disturbingly, widely accepted.

Standing up and saying, "This isn’t right" or "You’re hurting your horse" often leads to shaming, rather than support. Sadly, it’s more acceptable to let the abuse continue than to speak out against it. The fear of backlash keeps many from protecting the very animals these riders claim to love. But we can't ignore the issue and allow the horses to suffer in silence.

There are ways to challenge these practices, though they vary from situation to situation. Each one must be approached carefully and thoughtfully. The saying "you catch more flies with honey" holds true: If your goal is the well-being of the horse, it's important to understand there’s no quick fix. Sometimes, people are willing to listen to hard truths. Other times, it’s about sharing insight in a way that invites questions and encourages thoughtful conversation, rather than conflict.

What do you think?

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My 2 boys always get chaotic in the snow 🙄😆❄️

The only use we have for "stud chains" on the farm 😆

🎶Please, please, please 🎶 stop buying/bringing home horses to live alone without other equines. Horses are herd animals and there is never an excuse to keep a horse solo long term. "Some people can't afford more than 1, they're doing their best for their horse." You are NOT doing the best for your horse if you force them to live alone. Horses are a privilege, not a right owed to anyone. If you cannot keep your horses happy and healthy in a SPECIES APPROPRIATE environment (Friends+Freedom+Forage) then please, please do not buy a horse and bring it home to give you joy while the horse simply survives. Horses are social herd animals, they need the companionship of other horses. Not only from across the barn aisle, not only from across the fence in another field, not from you an hour or two a day, and not from a goat you found to throw in the paddock (not that other animals can't be great companions, they absolutely can be and are! But there's no true comparison to another horse when you're talking about isolation vs companionship). Horses need real physical companionship from other horses. Please, don't bring a horse home and leave them isolated without other equine companions, it's not fair to them just so that we can say "I own a horse!" Video- two of our geldings finishing up grooming each other in the field. We have a lot of grooming sessions out here 😆 We keep our boys in separate groups based on who can handle grass, but they get time out all together, winter together and they all always have at least one buddy living in the field with them!

Today I'm so very proud to announce that all 5 of my personal horses officially live on a track system! 😍 We just moved Emma and Stella to the track we've been building behind my house, and so far they are excitedly figuring out the fencing and space they have. It feels so good to be able to move them out of their small and definitely boring dry lot up by the road, now safely tucked behind us☺️ We made the decision after dealing with bouts of laminitis for Stella, attempting grass removal in a "dry" lot that refused to be dry, and ultimately realizing being by the road on a hill wasn't great with bad weather living outside 24/7. Now they are in a quieter spot, can see our other horses, are located right next to a spigot for water and electric in the winter, and can enjoy much more movement as they're getting older! Plus I can watch them from my window 🥰 The beautiful fencing was done by Hauser Site Services, and the Amish Shed Outlet relocated our sheds for us! Grass removal was courtesy of my Dad and my farm team 🐴

And just like that we have Track #2 🤩 I am so excited to have a second track installed on the property, and my girls are going to be thrilled with their new home! Thanks to our contractors at Hauser Site Services 🚧 We have electric tape inside of the track, and a second line of tape to make a double fence between them and our boys 🐴 We'll be working on getting rid of more of the grass over the next week or so as well as moving the sheds around and then we'll introduce the ladies to the field 🐴 So excited to have them right behind my house instead of up by the road!

We finally have a sign to go up on our corner sign post on the farm at Belfast Rd.! When the old owner moved he took the farm's original signage with him, and it's taken me a long time to pick a replacement sign to go up there- it's finally here and we're all so excited!

The girls got hosed off to keep cool and Stella had a roll 😆 Today their field was scraped to dirt by our wonderful contractor of Hauser Site Services to keep the girls off the grass & weeds!

☀️Seniors☀️ Senior horses more often than not require special care, especially during extreme weather. In this heat it's important to keep an eye on our seniors! A senior horse is described as a horse 20 years or older who also shows signs of aging such as dental changes, body condition changes, immune decline, changes in dentition, etc. Like any other age of horse, it's important to offer free choice salt options, plenty of fresh cool water, shade, and of course forage options in that shade. But senior horses can also come with a special set of needs, and each horse is different. Seniors may need to be kept in a cooler barn with a fan if there is not adequate cool shelter outside. Seniors may need to be encouraged to consume salt and water more than younger horses, which is where soaking feeds/forages comes in handy. Many seniors also suffer from conditions such as PPID (Cushings) with a heavy coat, Anhidrosis which can quickly cause overheating, dental issues that make it harder for them to get proper nutrition, heaves or asthma, general heat intolerance and more. This makes it extremely important to monitor your seniors closely and provide them with extra resources. Hosing, extra salt and/or electrolytes both free choice and added to feed if needed, staying inside or under a fan or plenty of cool shade, plenty of fresh cool water, fun water options like salt or clay or mint for example, watery treats like cucumber and melons for horses who can safely have them, frozen lick treats, and clipping horses with shaggy coats are all great examples of extra care you can provide your senior horse. Many Senior horses are still ridden which is wonderful! It is however important to give them a break and keep them safe during this heat, so they can resume riding once the temperature, humidity, and/or air quality is better. At 29 years young, Emma is our oldest horse at HSF, named after her. I've had the honor of knowing Emma 20 years this month💕 Emma is c

After Fred had a full week on the track to detox and prepare😆 we put the boys out in the shady grass field for the day to escape the heat 🤞🏻☀️ All 4 of them were thrilled! They'll get to enjoy the shade tomorrow and Sunday before it's back to the track on Monday

Another Horses in the Heat Tip! Let's talk about water 💦 The average full sized horse drinks 10-12 gallons of water daily. That's a lot of water! How to offer water: Providing large tubs (troughs, or buckets) of clean water in the fields and stalls 24/7 is ideal. Water tubs should be scrubbed/cleaned out daily to prevent any gross build up or contaminants. In the summer it's important to keep water in the shade when possible to keep it from getting too hot. Similarly in winter keeping ice broken to keep water accessible is important, and adding a small heater can make a big difference! Horses have been observed to prefer warmer water in cold weather and colder water in hot weather. When does drinking change: Seasonal changes (hot vs. cold weather), amount and type of exercise, and type of forage consumed all play a role in how much our horses will drink. For example, horses being ridden in hot weather will drink more than horses resting in cold weather. Another example is that horses grazing daily on live grass pastures will consume much of their additional water through the grass, where a horse eating mostly dry hay will need to actively drink more to meet their hydration requirements. How to Encourage Drinking: One of the easiest ways is to provide plenty of loose, free choice salt options, provide salt licks, add 1-2tbsp. of salt to your horse's diet if they won't use loose salt/salt licks, add electrolytes to your horse's diet, or even making a salty water bucket option in a separate location from their fresh water source. There are also equine hydration additive products to put in water, sold at stores and online. Water is a crucial resource for horses, especially during times of high heat. Horses are incredibly proficient at heating themselves up, but remarkably poor at cooling themselves down. Keeping horses hydrated is a very important step in keeping them healthy all year! Signs of Dehydration: Weakness, trembling, stiffness, tying up, increas

Tips for the Heat- Fans, shade, hosing, frozen ice treats, and resting to stay cool are all great ways to help our horses beat the heat. Don't forget to provide plenty of cool fresh water and salt during this heat wave too!☀️ 🧂 Salt can be provided as loose free choice in a bucket/bowl, as a salt lick, or added into their feed (1-3tbsp). 🧂Horses are not as efficient as cows at licking salt licks, and not all horses use them, so adding salt to grain is the best way to ensure they get enough. Loose salt is the next best way, though not every horse will eat loose salt either. 🧂Mineral salt, white table salt, and electrolytes are all different. Regular salt or table salt (and pink himalayan salt) is needed daily, while electrolytes mostly need replenishing during intense heat, sweating in high humidity, exercise with sweating, etc. Daily electrolytes can be good, but are needed less than regular salt by most horses year-round. Mineral salts are great fed loose and free choice. 🧂💦Salt can also be added to a small bucket of water to make a salty drink that some horses may like. A flavored electrolyte is another great water additive. Make sure to always also provide fresh plain water too! 💦 Be sure to provide plenty of cool water, ideally kept in the shade, at all times and especially during this heat☀️ Video: Stella (left) and Emma (right) licking one of their mineral blocks. They also get salt and/or electrolytes added to their soaked feed during high heat.

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