StableManners, LLC

09/08/2025

09/08/2025

🏇 That shoulder that drops or is it the one that rises? uneven hands, one leg that draws up or a pelvis that drifts off to one side, a subtle head tilt. All of these, as this brush beautifully shows, are part of a pattern, no part of the body works on its own.

As the body works in patterns, not parts, and the key is to find the root cause to restore this whole pattern of change.

A riding problem you notice the most when riding is often the domino effect from elsewhere.

Holding your body in a traditional visual riding correction. By moving and holding a body part where you believe it should be, in an attempt to fill in a postural gaps.

Which makes it really hard to move with the horse and is not maintainable

It’s not visual perfection; it’s connection through your body that matters. A body that can work with the horse, not against it.

Riders come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve worked with many who felt defeated because they didn’t fit the stereotypical rider’s conformation.I’ve also worked with many injured riders and the problems that they brought to their riding and life.

Over 25 years, I’ve helped thousands of riders and horses. One thing I do know is the body is always capable of change.

And working on yourself through your daily movement not only makes you more saddle ready. It really helps your body in your everyday life.

That’s why I created my online course “Screen Time to Saddle Time”. I see more and more how computer work affects riders’ bodies. This course will help you:

✨Ride and move better

✨Live and work happier

✨And even supercharge your sense of feel.

Comment SCREEN for details👇

Drawing credit: Sandy Rabinowitz / Dressage Today

09/08/2025

Needs a deeper discussion for most, but I like his explanations.

09/08/2025

09/07/2025

Good comparative anatomy!

09/05/2025

: Sitting deep in the saddle is not about leaning back. It’s about using your core muscles to be more of a presence in the saddle. I like to think of my torso as a French press. To sit more deeply, I push the plunger down. All leaning back does is push my lower leg out in front, disengage my abdomen, and make my low back squish in a direction that is not conducive with my own long term soundness.

📸 Susan J Stickle Equestrian Photography LLC

09/04/2025

If you’re trying to get the horse balanced, don’t make the reward out of balance!

In other words, don’t let the reward be BEING out of balance.

Many times people will seek a good balance for a horse and find a nice moment - fluidity, rhythm, a nice overall feeling - and stop very suddenly, flopping the horse around, jamming them onto the forehand to reward this moment.

This tightens the horse back up and puts them on the forehand for one - but for two, can be very jarring, even scary to the horse. It is abrupt, it kills all the flow, and it locks up and destroys everything you just worked so hard for!

I teach my riders to pet while in balance, stroke the horses neck while your seat moves. Don’t make the reward a punishment!

From a human perspective it can seem like you’re making it obvious - making a big deal out of what they did- but most people’s timing is way off anyway - the good moment is over and done with and now the horse is just pulled to a stop or startled. They can love scratches and treats - but are you sure they’re really relating the reward to the actual moment?

The best reward is being WITH the horse as you flow. Horses love balance - they love when you’re with them, not against them. Even as you praise and reward - give them a balance and keep your own.

Learn to pet while you ride, without throwing the balance away. And if you’re giving treats, consider the balance the horse is in and what you’re teaching posturally - because if the horse was in a good balance, but you spin them around, throw them on the forehand and they crane their neck around to get a treat - what are you rewarding there? When you reward and how matters, a lot.

09/03/2025

Amen.

𝟲 𝗥𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗!!!

This is the most basic of the basics 🫣
Your horse should be able to…
1.) Lower his head when asked. This includes using halter pressure to ask the horse to lower their head, but also being able to put your arm up over to ask them to bring their head down. Otherwise, how are you supposed to halter or bridle them?
2.) Lead at walk, halt, and back without pulling on them. If your horse is half asleep and you ask him to walk forward, fine, you can give him a little bump to get him leading forward. But you shouldn’t have to pull on a horse to get them to walk with you, nor should you have to pull on them to get them to stop and not run you over. If you walk, they should walk and if you stop, they should stop. Foals and freshly haltered mustangs can learn this in one session, so there’s no excuse for your horse not knowing it. It’s also just not that hard to get a horse to back up off of body language. I don’t care if you have to mimic the chicken dance, but you should be able to back up your horse from the ground without pulling on the halter or shoving into his chest
3.) Yield the hind quarters. It’s even okay if you need to use the lead rope to tip the horse’s nose toward you, but it should just take fingertip pressure to move the haunches away. (both directions please)
4.) Yield the forehand. I’ve literally seen people that don’t know how to turn their horse to the right and instead they would make a 270° turn to the left, because they only knew how to pull the horse towards them, and had no idea how to turn the horse away from them. It’s all right to have one hand up by the halter and the other hand at the base of the neck or even the shoulder. You should be able to make the horse turn approximately around their tail or hind legs. I’m not gonna be picky because this list is just rudimentary basics, but you need to be able to get those shoulders to turn away from you. (Both directions obviously)
5.) Send. You should be able to stand on either side of your horse and send them forward and around you. Otherwise, how do you even take them through a gate? If you need practice, set up a pole or barrel near a fence or wall and send your horse back-and-forth through the gap. Send your horse into their stall. This isn’t some fancy groundwork exercise- it’s just basics that you need in order to take a horse from field to stall and stall to field!
6.) pick up feet AND SET THEM DOWN!
Get help with this one if you need it because you can put some bad habits into a horse real fast if you don’t know what you’re doing. But you should be able to not only left your horses foot up and handle it, but don’t just drop the foot! Set the foot back on the ground underneath the horse. Just dropping the foot is rude, and while some horses learn to deal with it quite well, it makes others distrusting, so get in the habit of setting the foot back down politely.

Picture of a haul-in student learning to send her horse and create a little space between them. This mare clearly knows basic life skills, but the owner had some holes in her own education that were making things more difficult than they needed to be. Thankfully, she understands the importance of maintaining good ground manners and is eager to learn how to keep her nice horse nice!  

09/03/2025

⚠️ Warning: This is a reality check - for horse shoppers, horse savers, and anyone still slightly delusional about making it to Grand Prix

The #10 reason people get stuck with a horse? Having an inappropriate horse for their experience level, time, or resources.

📝 Collectable Advice - Entry 10/365

Horses aren’t like knitting or cooking - hobbies you can pick up, put down or throw in the bin. They’re living, breathing, expensive animals who need education, fitness, handling, and regular time with you. The stakes are high: your safety, their welfare, and your enjoyment of horses all hinge on whether the partnership is appropriate.

But here’s where most people get caught: buying on emotion. A pretty face, a dream of high-level riding, or the urge to “rescue” a horse can cloud judgment.😕

I’ve seen it all - like someone returning to horses after 30 years and buying an unbroken two-year-old. (Spoiler: that didn’t end well.😱) Compare that to the same rider paired with a seasoned, steady mare - suddenly they’re having fun, learning, and feeling safe again.

The truth is, being “over-horsed” isn’t just about size - it’s about time, skills, and realistic expectations. A horse that needs five rides a week and professional guidance is a nightmare if you’ve only got weekends. But the right horse, matched honestly to your life, is pure joy.

👉 Ask yourself: am I stuck because of my horse’s problems… or because I’ve got the wrong horse for my situation?

📓 Remember: this is part of my 365-day notebook challenge - short, sharp advice you can collect and keep. Save it, share it, and add it to your “unstuck” library.

IMAGE📸: This is the mighty Mica and he appears on my book because helping clients find the right horse for their real life is what I do professionally. I’ve guided many riders to their “heart horse” - the one that makes riding joyful, safe, and sustainable. But not everyone can work with me directly, so I’ve also built a resource to help you avoid the wrong-horse trap and make smarter, kinder choices (details in comments for the curious). This photo was taken by Agape Photography ❤

09/01/2025