Isi Seiyr - Equestrian Riding School

08/16/2024

Interesting read

“Horses have the ability to think and plan ahead and are far more intelligent than scientists previously thought, according to a Nottingham Trent University study that analysed the animal’s responses to a reward-based game.

“The horses cannily adapted their approach to the game to get the most treats – while making the least effort.

“Previously, research has suggested that horses simply respond to stimuli in the moment, they don’t proactively look ahead, think ahead and plan their actions – whereas our study shows that they do have an awareness of the consequences and outcomes of their actions,” said the lead researcher, Louise Evans.”

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/12/horses-can-plan-ahead-and-think-strategically-scientists-find

The actual research paper…

“Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task”
Louise Evans et al.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159124001874?via%3Dihub

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https://www.akhaltekefoundation.org/programs.html

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08/11/2024

Advice from a trucker.
If this is how you trailer your horse on the drivers side, please stop it immediately. Yesterday made the 3rd time in recent years that I’ve had to put a semi in the ditch (maintained control, not wrecked) to keep from decapitating your equestrian friend with his head 3 1/2 ft. over the center line on a narrow road. Thank you!

07/28/2024

A small stab in the heart is what you feel when you put up the day's riding list and you see riders sinking heavily in their shoulders when reading which horse they are assigned for the lesson. A small stab in the heart for that horse that for an hour will carry around a rider who has already decided that he does not like his horse. A small stab in the heart for the horse that did not choose the rider himself but still does his best, lesson after lesson.

Riding is a privilege and something you have chosen to do. If you chose to ride at a riding school, your instructor assumes that you actually want to learn how to ride. The instructor's highest wish is that you get good at it.

Often there is a plan and a thought as to why you are assigned to that exact horse. Before you mount up next time, ask yourself "what can this horse teach me today?" All horses have something to give, a feeling or a new tool in the box.

The art is actually in being able to get a lazy horse to move forward, to get an uncertain horse to gain confidence, a naughty horse to focus or a tense horse to be released. It takes work. If you think a horse is boring, it's more likely that you don't ride the horse as well as you think! It's not easy to be confronted with your own shortcomings, but it is in that very situation that you get the chance to truly grow as a rider.

The excuse that "it's not my kind of horse" is actually a really bad excuse. A good rider can ride any kind of horse. A good rider has trained many hours on different types of horses to become a good rider. A good rider can find and manage the gold nuggets in every horse.

If we absolutely want to ride, it is our duty to strive to do it as best as possible, even if it's only for fun. We owe it to every horse that carries us upon it's back.

Copied and shared with love for all of our horses, ponies and riders 🐎❤🐎

06/21/2024

I have been questioning myself about writing this for over a week but feel I should...

Last week Wednesday I took one of my beloved horses Grace to the animal hospital for blood work. She had been having appetite issues, odd swelling symptoms and weight loss that my primary vet nor I could figure out. To be thorough we opted for an ultrasound to check her for various potential causes.

Unfortunately, the vet found a massive mass in her abdomen (cancer) which was the root cause of her discomfort, weight loss and symptoms. The vet told me short of surgery which was highly unlikely to succeed there was nothing they could do for her to make her comfortable that I wasn’t already doing, unsuccessfully.

One of the hardest things about owning and loving another living being is having to make the choice to let them go. Having to stand there crying into your horses mane, your friends mane, when you came in for “just blood work” just to find out the only proper decision is to let them peacefully pass on.

I have done this before, and will do it again. But I feel obligated to say this in the memory of my fur friends that have now passed on. If you own an animal you owe them the best care, the most love, the highest dedication to their well being and the ability to make choices for them regardless of your emotions or comfort.
They do not have the ability to find a new owner if you treat them wrong.
They do not get to choose when they eat, when they work, or what they do today.
They do not have the luxury of speech to let you know “Hey I’m uncomfortable” or “That hurts today.”
They are entirely dependent on us and our choices for everything!
Proverbs 12: 10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

So, if you cannot or will not, do the right and proper thing by your animals, if you cannot or will not treat them with respect, compassion and understanding. If you won’t spend time learning how to keep improving that care and If all you want is the fun and enjoyment, Please don’t own a horse, or any animal!

I lost my friend last week.

This week I get watch people cut corners on caring for their animal “Because its to hot, to hard, to much effort, I'm to busy, its raining, their just a horse, etc.” while I sit here wishing I still had mine to care for.
This week I get to listen to people talk about how, “My horse wont x,y,z maybe ill sell it and get a new one.”

This week I hope you read this and realize that some of us are wishing we had our friends to take care of. This week I hope you give that extra carrot, Take the time to brush them out thoroughly, Learn one new thing about horse care, Double check that water bucket and love your horse a little harder than before because one day… you too might be going in to check something simple just to have to let them go.

To Grace: Your name means elegance, and favored of God. Gallop free now in heavens green pastures. Mane flowing like the wind, short chopped tail evidence of the love I have for you and my pain seeking to keep a small part of you close. While I may never hear your sweet nickered greeting, that you never failed to give whenever you saw me, again on this earth, I know that where you are now you are at peace. One day, perhaps we may meet again, and when we do I hope you can tell me about all of your adventures with the heavenly herd you have now joined. Be free my sweet girl and gallop on.

06/07/2024

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

05/20/2024

05/17/2024

😳😳😳

05/08/2024

Ok friends, let’s be real… We’ve all seen some ISO ads lately that would make any true horseman stop in their tracks…

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ISO Unicorn

Absolutely no spook, quirks, vices, maintenance, special needs. 100% safe.
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Thank goodness they are shopping for unicorns and not horses, because a good horseman knows that is absolutely impossible from a horse.

Personally I spooked at a squirrel yesterday, and I have better vision than a horse and am not a prey animal.

No one can guarantee any activity in your life is safe—-not soccer, not baseball, not tennis, nothing. Those are the choices you make and the risks you voluntarily take on to participate in the activity you’ve chosen and to live your life. We all try to make the best choices we can of course, but any seller that promises any facet of your life is guaranteed safe is selling snake oil.

As for the horse’s quirks and special needs? I’ve owned hundreds of horses in my career and worked with many hundreds more. The five best horses of my career were as follows:

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Horse #5. Vices: Cannot pull mane or body clip without heavy sedation. Must be in front when hacking in group. Why it’s worth it: Horse of a lifetime for his rider.

Horse #4. Vices: Free because he failed his PPE so badly at 5yo. Needs $800 shoes from a top farrier every 6 weeks. Why it’s worth it: Competed at the upper levels of eventing very successfully and reliably for 11 years.

Horse #3. Vices: Poor mover in the trot, extremely hot, needs a very kind rider. Why it’s worth it: Evented through advanced level, national champion at intermediate.

Horse #2. Vices: May rear and buck. Kicks and bites on ground. Will not go in any wash stall. Why it’s worth it: Never once dropped his rider. Evented through advanced level.

Horse #1. Vices: Incredibly spooky, poor mover in trot, chip on X-rays. Why it’s worth it: Successful and prolific advanced horse, sold and exported to a European Olympic team.

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Our horse shopping advice to you? Be a good horseman.

If the horse makes you smile every day, who cares if it’s tough to pull its mane?

If the horse takes the best care of you, who cares if it flinches trotting past a trash can? Use your inside leg.

If the horse does the job you need it to do, who cares if it needs a good farrier? They should ALL have good farriers.

If the horse saves your behind every time you don’t see a distance, who cares if it cribs on a feed tub?

Good luck, happy shopping, and for the love of unicorns, stop seeking things that don’t exist or you’ll never find it.

—Megan Moore, Verona Equestrian
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(Welcome to share, please don’t copy paste.)

04/28/2024

Available for your consideration!

04/14/2024

Great showing today!

04/12/2024

Pre show massages!

04/12/2024

Time to enjoy this beautiful weather at this beautiful facility!

02/24/2024

3758 likes, 18 comments. “Even a pro horse rider fails but never give up on your goal”

02/24/2024

Good condition. Black Podium leather endurance saddle for sale. To narrow for my current horses.Purchased in 2020. Light wear only no rips or issues.

Stopped doing endurance during Covid so I’ve only taken it on a handful of trail rides.

Asking $1000 or best offer.
Houston Texas area.
Buyer pays shipping if shipping is desired.

01/05/2024

09/21/2023

My wonderful husband Zach helping to prep the arena for this sundays show!

08/18/2023

Join us for our Autumn Extravaganza Series!

07/21/2023

2858 likes, 23 comments. “this audio pretty much sums up everything we love about this sport! 🐴💪 🎥 Wellington International / Hannah Stephens”

06/18/2023

https://www.horseillustrated.com/horse-showing-horse-show-on-a-budget/amp

Horse shows are a fun way to get off the farm, hang out with friends and see how far your horse has progressed in his training, but you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your entire bank account to compete. Whether it’s keeping your horse at home to save money, bartering coaching costs or buying used ...