Poor Tiger was ready to call HPS (Horse Protective Services) yesterday! 🫨🫨 Between the workout, desensitizing, and accidentally getting smacked in the face with the flag (oops), he was exhausted! So, so proud of this little OTTB though. He continues to impress me with each session. #horsesofinstagram #horsetraining #ottb #thoroughbred #tiger #tigerheat #restarting #westerntraining
Pony tail twins! Chance is such an amazing boy to work with 🤩🤩 This was our first ride back after some time off to heal from a quarter crack.
Thank you Karlie for the opportunity to work with your boy!
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#horsetraining #cowhorse #sorrelhorse #equinelife #horsesofinstagram #horseriding #aqha
Belle loves a good brain game 🤩🤩 yesterday she was able to navigate the barrel through the cone weave but was very shy once the camera came out. Incorporating brain games regularly into a horse’s training regiment will help them not get burnt out on arena work.
Thank you Grayce for trusting me with you and your girl’s training! I’m excited for all the brain games to come.
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#horsetraining #belle #princessbelle #dressagehorse #braingames #horsesofinstagram #horseriding
Just realized this shared to Instagram but not Facebook 🤦🏻♀️ 👇
All I can say is WOW 🤩🤩 Bert has exceeded all expectations these last few months. With the correct training and nutrition, this boy is thriving! Huge thank you to Lauren Traynor of @purinafeedgreatness for creating Bert’s feed plan which has immensely aided his progress. Bert currently enjoys Enrich+, Amplify, and SuperSport.
Thank you Alexa for trusting me with Bert’s training. He truly is a special boy!
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#purinafeedgreatness #appendixquarterhorse #trainingprogress #horsetraining #equestrainlife #horsereels
Friendly reminder that even the most bombproof horses can spook at the simplest things 🤦🏻♀️😂 I’ve never seen Pretzel’s eyes get so wide and have him snort at someone he sees. every. day. #horsesofinstagram #quarterhorse #aqha #cowhorse #horsetraining #ghostbusters
Some clips from my second ride on Belle 🤩🤩 I’m so excited to see how she progresses in her dressage training! Once she learns to decrease speed and increase impulsion, this mare will be unstoppable.
Belle is the perfect example of why it’s so important to listen to your horse. This ride is very different from her old ways of spooking, bucking, and pinning her ears. But thanks to Dr Gardner at Western Performance Equine, Belle is feeling SO much better!
And of course it’s never too early to start working on walk pirouettes 😉
Thank you Grayce for trusting me with Belle’s training! I’m so excited to see all that you two accomplish together!
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#princessbelle #appendix #mare #horsesofinstagram #horseoftheday #dressagehorse #pirouette #equiband #equibandsystem #horsetraining #firstdayofschool Ariat Kimes Ranch Jeans Equicore Concepts LLC
SO happy with Lulu yesterday. This is the end of our first ride back since her restart. She has had to overcome numerous physical and mental barriers to get here, and there’s still so much work to be done, but I love to see her progress!! 🤩 and OF COURSE she deserved some cheek scratches afterward! Aka her version of pure bliss!
Thank you Tina Von Frederick- Denis for continuing to trust me with her training! And for being so patient as I take my time with her 🥰
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#horsesofinstagram #painthorse #apha #marepower #horsetraining #horsegirlsummer #equinetherapy #positivereinforcement #lululemon
Sound on 🔈☔️
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Can’t believe this is what May in California looks like! I was so proud of all the horses yesterday behaving themselves during the hailstorm.
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Watch til the end for Bert’s surprise at seeing an overflowing gutter. 🫣
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#horsesofinstagram #hailstorm #crazyweather #californiarain #quarterhorse #horsetraining #sorrelhorse #cowhorse #horsegirlproblems
Want to know the BEST exercise for your horse? 👉Walking over poles. 👈 Yes, WALKING! When a horse walks, they use muscle, and there is minimal soft tissue involved (one of the many reasons your horse may be lame at the trot, but not the walk). While trotting a horse over poles is good for stretching and strengthening *already developed* muscles, it can actually add extra strain to ligaments if overdone. If your horse is rehabbing soft tissue, walking poles is the BEST way to keep them in shape without hurting their injury. While allowing your horse to simply walk poles is great, making them walk collected over poles is even better! Look at Foxy in this video - the first two walk overs are on a loose rein and the next two are while she’s framed up. Notice how much her hips swing on a loose rein, allowing her body to compensate to reach over the poles. However, when she’s collected, her muscles must work twice as hard to avoid hitting the poles. Her back, butt, and head stay level while her legs lift higher and stretch longer. Don’t believe me? After fifteen minutes of walking, the final clip is her FIRST trot over the poles 🤩 Trotting is SO much easier after all that walking!! Sometimes, half my ride is just spent on perfecting their walk over poles. And yes, they can get sweaty and tired from just that 🫢••• #polework #quarterhorse #horsetraining #horsetrainingtips #horsesofinstagram #tipoftheday #cowhorse
Had a good ride today on Foxy in such nice weather 🤩🤩 thank you Stacie for trusting me with your girl’s training!
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#horsesofinstagram #horseoftheday #cowhorse #marepower #polework #westernriding #quarterhorse #horsetraining
Boaz is ready to roll into the weekend and shake off the stress of the week! TGIF! 🎉
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#horsesofinstagram #arabian #arabianhorse #chestnuthorse #gelding #horselife #equestrian #rollingaround #tgif #weekendvibes #horseoftheday #turnout #roundpen #letloose #horseaddicted Back on Track USA Kensington Protective Products Lisa Brown
Oh, how I miss showing this horse!! Even though she always messed with me because she knew we were in the show pen 🤦🏻♀️
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#reiner #reining #reininghorse #palomino #shininmishollywood #shiningspark #hollywooddunnit #ranchreining #gng #goldngrand #horseshow
Trailer Training pt 2
Yesterday was a success! Magic jumped right in every time! However, he also began jumping right out 😂 How could you blame him! Have you ever ridden in the back of the trailer? I still wonder HOW these horses get in - it is NOT fun. Always approach your training with compassion and understanding, and you’ll achieve results that much quicker.
This video shows what many people have deemed my ✨magic belly pats✨ I found the easiest way to calm a horse down, is pat them strong and slow on their bellies like I do to Magic while he’s inside. Physical touch is important, but sometimes petting your horse too gingerly freaks them out even more. Having a way to break the tension and reassure your horse is key!
Finally, when I watched this video, I was pretty disappointed in myself. Yes, I was trying to stop Magic from flying out of the trailer, but tugging the lead rope towards myself only twisted his body and made him hit the wall, freaking him out even more. Be conscious of what your hands are doing - I should’ve either tried to tug more towards his chest, stepped in front of him and put my hand up (with no tugging at all), or just let him run out without forcing him into an awkward position. By the time I released tension, it was too late.
And of course, be patient! After about a half hour of running in and out, Magic finally calmed down and even started to fall asleep inside!
Thank you Paige for always trusting me with your boy!!
#horsesofinstagram #arabianhorse #magic #trailertraining #equestrian #trainertips
It may seem simple, but brain enrichment is SO important for domesticated animals! Especially those in rehab for months like Brandi.
If your animal were in the wild, they would be encountering new experiences almost every day as their environment varies. Even if it’s as simple as putting their treat in a tricky spot, it’s incredibly important to change up their routine. Believe it or not, Brandi couldn’t understand how to grab the grapes the first day this was introduced. Since I feed her out of my hand most of the time, getting a treat off the stall door was incomprehensible.
I first learned about the importance of enrichment when visiting Safari West. There were a group of caretakers blowing bubbles around the rhinos which, yes, looked just as ridiculous as it sounds. Although the rhinos weren’t moving and appeared to be ignoring the stimulus, they still witnessed something completely out of the ordinary. There are two sides to enrichment - giving your animal the choice of interaction and completing the activity. Take a carrot ball for example; first, your horse decides whether they want to attempt to retrieve the carrot. Second, they try to remove the carrot from the ball. Both parts are just as important.
Many people leave balls or stall toys in their stall which their horse never touches. That’s okay - the mere presence of the toys offers your horse a choice and still engages their brain. This week, try removing a toy or two for a few days then reintroduce it. Once again, even if your horse still doesn’t engage with the toy, that’s okay. The disappearance and reappearance still enriches their brain and keeps them wondering.
Thanks Brenda Plant Godfrey for always giving my girl grapes and helping me keep her brain going!! 🍇
🥨 Pretzel had a little too much fun at the pond today! He didn’t appreciate the idea of traveling through the water - he just wanted to play in it! 🐳 This is exactly why Taylor and I hand walked our horses to the pond rather than ride because you never know how they’ll respond. 🐠
How well do YOU listen to YOUR horse?
This morning (and most mornings if we’re being honest), Candela was a very sleepy girl and wanted to hit the snooze button on her morning workout. (Little did she know, it was a full body massage and turn out). Imagine someone ripping you out of bed in the morning to go to work - no coffee, no warning, no snooze button. That would be pretty brutal, so why do we do the same to our horses?
Whether it’s leaving the stall in the morning, grabbing a horse out of turn out, or starting a ride, I always make sure my horses signal that they’re ready to go. Treat your horses with the same consideration that you would want.
“What if my horse never comes to me at the gate when they’re done with turn out?”
or
“My horse would LOVE to live in his stall. If it were up to him, he’d never leave!”
If these are your initial thoughts, reflect on your horse’s routine to see why they’re hesitating.
Thank you Liza for trusting me with the care of your girl!!
This is why I believe in a multi-discipline approach for all my horses. 👇👇👇
So many English horses aren’t exposed to basic desensitizations such as cows, flags, rivers, etc. And when they do see these things for the first time, the situation is often mishandled. This is the closest Tida had ever been to cows, and I treated her like any other dead-broke quarter horse, not the PRE dressage princess that she is. I expect all my English horses to react respectfully to new stimuli.
On the flip side, every other Western horse I ride is SO heavy on their forehand. Many people think that a low, arched neck means collection and can’t feel if their horse is actually underneath itself. I expect all my Western horses to be able to rock back and sit on their haunches like a dressage horse.
And don’t even get me started on the mental and physical benefits of trail riding…
Thanks Fred Bertolus for trusting me to work with your girl!
