JPS Horsemanship

08/03/2025

Had an absolutely amazing ride with Delilah yesterday

She is coming along nicely under saddle

One of the things I adore about this mare is she never skips a beat. It doesn't matter how long of a break we take, I can always count on her to pick up right where we left off.

This little mare is something special

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06/03/2025

15/02/2025

Don't forget, I make halters too!

22/01/2025

I highly recommend this!

A Premiere Study Group for a Feel Based Approach to Horsemanship.

22/01/2025

I did a string test on this little guy yesterday to get an idea on how tall he'll be when he matures, if I did it correctly, he should be around 14.2-14.3 hands.

So, to put it simply, he'll be pony sized 😅

Duke the pony ❤️

20/01/2025

Taking advantage of the nice weather and took the boys out to my (honorary) grandmother's place to do a little bit of riding the other day.

Duck use to live out in this field and this was the ranch he grew up on. It was also the place I had my first apprenticeship staring c**ts with Dave (one of those c**ts being Duck). The ranch isn't what it use to be, but it felt good riding out there again and bringing along my newest c**t

I turned the boys loose in the field for a bit before riding, Duck made himself right at home while Duke just followed me around, he's very much a "mama's boy" and didn't appreciate it when my mom, or Therry tried to touch or handle him. He gives the meanest glares lol

I then grabbed Duck and saddled him up and left Duke loose to zoom around as I rode, only problem is I don't think Duke understood the concept of what riding is, as I seemed to "disappear" when I got in the saddle. He was zooming all over and crying for me and anytime I'd try to show him where I was by talking to him, he'd stare at Duck with very concerned and confused face. It wasn't until I rode up next to him and started scratching and talking to him he seemed to realize I was on top of Duck😅

Overall though it was a nice little adventure with the boys ❤️

05/01/2025

05/01/2025

A year ago today was when I first haltered Deliah, today were riding and doing new things

This little mare impresses me every step of the way ❤️

02/01/2025

What differences do you see in these two photos?

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This popped up in my memories today, and I felt like sharing and talking about what I see in these two images, the first one being shortly after I brought Duck home vs a few years later.

First of all, there is a noticeable change in posture and muscling.

In the first photo the first thing I see is his ewe neck, then I also see lack of correct muscling, him being downhill, holding his head slightly to one side, and just overall looking unbalanced (and believe me he felt incredibly unbalanced).

In the second photo, however, he's got a nicely muscled neck, more correct muscling, he's carrying himself more upright, walking more straight, and looking (and feeling) much more balanced.

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I absolutely love comparison photos such as these, they really allow me to see my progress throughout the years. Duck was my gateway into better horsemanship and his progress is proof to me that I'm moving in the right direction

This was not done by asking for a certain headset or false collection, it wasnt done by using any kind of gimmicks, and it wasnt done by really nitpicking any of his movements

This was done by allowing him to find his own balance and head placement, by doing lots and lots of lateral work, and asking him to move forwards and to finish out his movements rather than stopping and disengaging, etc.

21/12/2024

This c**t is something else 😅

We had to stop by Tractor Supply Co. to pick up a few things yesterday, which means Duke got to go in with us!

He walked in like it was just another day for him, he wasn't bothered by anything and cruised around with us, it was like I was walking around with a dog 🤣

The only thing he was slightly bothered by were the lines in the parking lot and he was very careful about stepping over each and every one of them 😅😅

21/12/2024

Duke went to the vet yesterday to get his first round of vaccines

It was certainly a less dramatic vet visit than the ones I attended with him within the first 24 hours of his life

He is such a cool little c**t, though

I was expecting some resistance getting into the trailer, the last time we went for a trailer ride we could just lift him in and out, but before I could even suggest for him to get in he leaped right in and went straight to his haybag to eat.

We stopped to check on him halfway there, and he nickered to me then went straight back to eating, not bothered at all.

Once we got to the vet he jumped right out of the trailer and was ready to check out the new place he was at, completely unbothered about the new place he was at. So, we walked around and did some exploring while we waited for the vet.

The vet came out and checked him out, then gave him his vaccine, besides for not liking being poked with a needle, he did great an we even got compliments from the vet about his good behavior. So overall the appointment went well and he is doing great. Duke also got to meet quite a few of the staff there, they came out to visit him (because who doesn't want to say hi to a cute baby horse, lol.)

After the appointment I loaded him up, and he went straight to eating like nothing happened.

I'm so proud of this little guy ❤️

20/12/2024

19/12/2024

Learning the art of doing "nothing"

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Duke is pretty good about coming off of pressure and ties pretty well because of it. He gets tied to the trailer as I groom and he stands nicely for me. However, sometimes, it's the distance that causes some stress for him. Like if I walk off too far he'll try to follow me and when he can't you can clearly see he gets a little worried and will even nicker for me. (Where I was standing in this picture is about his threshold for how far I can walk of before he starts to get upset)

I had to refill his haybags so I needed him to stand tied for a few minutes as I did so, and that means I needed to go out of sight and into our haybarn which he doesnt care for, but instead of just tying him and leaving him to stand and stress I did a few things.

One, I checked in on him often, showing him I'm still right there and I haven't left.
Two, I talked to him while I was out of sight.
Three, I would walk back over occasionally to give him some scratches
And four, I gave him a haybag to occupy his mind

This helps a lot

I want tying to be a good thing and as low stress as possible and I would like to build his confidence around it. He is still very much a baby and I don't expect much of anything from him, so I'm okay with taking the extra time to make sure things go smoothly

❤️

14/12/2024

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13/12/2024

Just wanted to share, Duke and his mama Delilah

05/12/2024

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