Teresa the Horse Trainer

14/08/2024

Currently accepting new clients who want to ride a real American Mustang and have a photo session.

Also accepting clients with busted horses who need fixing.

Message for additional information.

08/06/2024

Seeing someone else's perspective of the huge ask I made of my horse today was incredible. She's never been in such an open trailer or last position because she's built like a tank and outweighs most others to take first slot in the trailer for balance if you trailer right. She felt all the bouncy bouncy and SAW all of it, but she really loves to play at the beach. I was so happy to take her there to just play

08/06/2024

Super fun beach day ❤️

29/04/2024

Yes

Click here to see available dates & times.

22/02/2024

I firmly believe that I have an unbreakable bond with my horse, Sally Dann Forth, because of Missy Wryn and her foundational training methods that I used. Last week, I had a very experienced equestrian from the Netherlands ride my horse. She kept commenting that she was having trouble because the horse kept wanting to come to me if she could see me and I was close. I literally had to "hide" behind trees to get some great photo/video moments of her riding Miss Sally, BITLESS, achieving truly gorgeous canters with control.

Sally will allow a rider to control her and perform what's asked, but she always wants to come back to me. That means she trusts me. She trusts me. She respects me.

If you want that with your horse, you need to get in on this.

Discover the Horse you've Always DREAMED of!

What if I showed you how you can:

- Unlock communication between you and your horse creating a SAFER Horse & Ride!

- Train your horse without using fear, food, force or trauma!

- Have your horse recognize YOU as their TRUSTED Herd Leader for a SAFER Horse!

- Create an UNBREAKABLE Bond with your horse

Click link below in comments to LEARN MORE

22/02/2024

Trail training moments with a green 6 yo Peruvian Paso Fino. He was a champ!

22/02/2024

Had a lovely trail ride Monday at Old Welcome with my guest from the Netherlands after a weekend of non-stop rain. WOW, was there some water in the crossings like I've never seen and was I ever careful to look for gators in the surroundings before going through in belly deep water!

Very proud of the little Ginger Peruvian Paso that I've been training. I even finally got him safely and calmly through a particular crossing that has previously given him full meltdowns where he nearly dismounted me and bolted once and dragged me though a second time when I tried to work him through in hand. I got him through that crossing not just once, 😉, but twice ❤ under saddle.
The little man earned lots of praise, love and cookies for his bravery on the scary crossing and I felt so proud of both of us for finally figuring it out!

When a horse doesn't want to go forwards without jumping the water, always have a "back up plan", literally. He now backs through water that worries him so we can both get through safely 😉 I say, what ever's clever.

View my horse ride: Old Welcome

13/02/2024

Yes THIS!

Watch Holistic Horse Training streaming videos FREE 🤠

What if I showed you how you can:

- Unlock communication between you and your horse creating a SAFER Horse & Ride!

- Train your horse without using fear, food, force or trauma!

- Have your horse recognize YOU as their TRUSTED Herd Leader for a SAFER Horse!

- Create an UNBREAKABLE Bond with your horse

Click link below in comments to LEARN MORE

07/02/2024

yes, this

Gaited horses require an unusual degree of freedom of movement from front-to-back. This presents a variety of challenges when fitting a gaited horse. Brenda ...

18/01/2024

FINALLY, a short break in the rainy gray weather. Just enough for a magical trail ride this morning with lots of added water at the crossings to work through. The "green" ginger dude I'm riding/training recently started attempting to jump water crossings, so we've been heavily working on that. He cannot be trusted not to jump if he's allowed to put his head down to check out the water. If he won't walk though head first as asked the first few times, then we'll turn around and go BUTT first until he's all the way in and I can turn him around 😉 as long as we get through safely without him jumping, I'm quite alright with that. And we'll also just stand there with no ask until he can wrap his green brain around trusting his rider to get us through the water safely with the rider still on board.
I say..........."What ever's clever!"

View my horse ride: Morning Trail Training Ride Old Welcome

13/01/2024

leaving this here right now

model by hariBi; rigged, & animated by Yuting HsuehWalk 00:00Pace 00:12Trot 00:20Canter 00:27Gallop 00:35Horse Gaits ...

09/01/2024

This incredible horse did not start bucking recently for "no reason". I have the honor of working with this horse to help sort out his recent bucking issues. For others out there, PAIN is the first cause of bucking and it's usually caused by the saddle or the rider's seat/actions.

Stunning coming 2 yr old stallion by the great Falcon's Blue Ribbon. In training with Jacob Parks. He is keg shod. Stay tuned for more to come of this talent...

09/01/2024

Fun pro tip. If your horse keeps trying to jump water crossings or be otherwise unpredictable, BACK THEM THROUGH IT. They can't jump backwards in my experience and going backwards takes their own forward movement worries/panic out of the scenario.

09/01/2024

Lovely trail ride at Old Welcome with clients.

View my horse ride: Old Welcome

07/01/2024

Even trainers fall off sometimes.

Learn how to fall off safely!

On Friday, there was a conscious point, where staying on and recovering wasn't possible no matter what I did. At the safest point, I had to let go and did a tuck an roll of sorts away from the horse.

Oddly it was very freeing at that moment of recognition to let go and trust my safety gear.

Spon| Shop my Point 2 Air vest here: https://pointtwoairvests.com/products/proair-pale-blueShop the Champion range here: https://championhub.com/Follow Fredd...

05/01/2024

I love this post! Especially the part about the kind of support team that helps a horse and rider be their best. The very biggest behavioral issues I run into are due to poor saddle fits or vet/chiro needs. Each person on the team for a horse sees something different. The owner/trainer see behavior/response, the saddle fitter sees a cause/effect, the vet and chiro see a multitude of health and/or structural reasons why. Make sure you build a good team. Make sure that your saddle, pad and tack are right for the horse first and you second. Have a relationship with your vet and always ask them first when problems arise.

BLOG: DO YOU HAVE A HANDY POCKET YOUR SADDLE FITS IN TO?

Right, do you have a minute? Are you with your horse? Great… Now, stand back and look at your horse… from the side, naked (the horse, not you) just look at them, in all their glory! I know, gorgeous aren’t they!

Right next thing, really look at them, take a picture if you like.. but inspect them, head to tail. There are lots of things to pick up i’m sure, BUT do you have a saddle shaped indentation in your horses back? or large hollows behind the shoulder and not a lot of top line? When you run your hand firmly along their back, does the muscle feel different where the saddle sits? If it does, take a breath and stop! You need to make a plan.

First of all, the muscles along the back, either side of the spine, are called the Longissimus muscle. They should be lovely and plump, firm but soft and feel even all the way along. This muscle and all the connecting muscles and support structures make it possible for a rider and their horse to go on adventures! I know, great aren’t they. They need this to hold you up and function. FACT.

BUT, if this muscle is compromised - and in this rant (sorry blog), it’s a saddle shaped indentation. You can subsequently end up with lameness, twanged tendons and the hideous, kissing spines (And don’t get me started on that name, they are bones that are rubbing together because they don’t have the strength to span apart - not some cute little snuggly issue!) to name a few. A horse with any impingement, compensates - an unbalanced body, is one that is now putting too much pressure elsewhere and this is when things get ugly.

Your horse, in no scenario, should have a saddle shaped indentation on it’s back, nor should it have hard lumps behind the back of the saddle where the end of the panel sits, or hollows behind the scapula as no, they aren’t ‘handy pockets’ so any saddle fits.

If you stand back and see that, then STOP! You need to take weight of the horses back and figure out what is causing this issue, and it may be more than one thing. Make a plan as this could take some unravelling. You may start with your vet, or your trusted equine therapist, your saddle fitter, or trainer. Probably all of them, get an Osteo/Physio/Fascia - all 3 bodyworkers may be required, over several months,. If anyone says, “think it’s just the way they are” SAY NO, AND GET A SECOND OPINION! Recovery may be quick, it may take months.. but if you love your pony like we do, then do the right thing, working from the ground to get your horses back in peak condition so he can easily take you on your adventures, without compromise - it’s what we should all be doing every single day. .

There are some real simple aspects to a happy healthy horse under saddle, and knowing what a healthy back looks like is one of them.

Look. Listen. Learn. Then Make a Plan.

09/10/2023

Had a great horse training morning and a great ride at Old Welcome with my client and her friend. I've been working with my client's two Peruvian Pasos, Torino and Tivo, since Feb because one started bucking for no reason and they have progressed amazingly even with the hot summer off for 3 months. Today, I also had a moment to work a new gray dapple QH addition to the herd who is presenting some lameness. I was hoping we could all see and confer on what/where he's hurting. It's definitely in his left shoulder. He was unhappy about being left behind while his other 3 herd mates went on the trail ride. But he needs to see the vet/chiro to figure out what's wrong so further damage isn't done and he isn't asked to work in pain. Working in pain is the root of more than a fair share of "behavior" issues.

View my horse ride: Old Welcome Oct 9 2023

03/10/2023

So very nice to get back to work training horses today after the hottest summer months off.

I was excited to go work with Torrino and Tivo today. Their owner acquired 2 new horses over the summer so we did some work with them as well. Such a fun day.

It was incredibly heartwarming to see Torino light up and lock eyes with me from his stall when I arrived. There was no doubt that he has missed me and he seemed so eager to get close and tell me sweet nothings. He remembered everything I taught him and offered me nose to girth straight away. It's one of his favorite places to be with me. He brings his nose in so soft and holds there with me until I come in soft and whispering his praises. He was attentive with ground work and told me that he wanted me to get on when I stepped on the mount block and he came right up under me to stand nicely. He stood softly as I swung my leg up and over his rear and his back a few times to be sure he was still alright with it. He was indeed still alright with it and I felt so proud that I was able to help a "bucking" horse decide that it's a great thing to have a rider like me who hears them when they speak.

At that point I traded him off to his owner to get him saddled up while I took his spitfire buddy Tivo to the round pen to see what he had to say since I last saw him a few months ago. He's still the spitfire and had quite a bit to say. He was so explosive on the lunge line that I cut him loose and let him "work it out" with some tear assing and head tossing as he went round the rails with gusto. He was so fired up I just started having him turn back and forth to see how many times he'd spin on his heels to bolt the other direction. It was about 15-20 times before he finally slowed down, turned into me with asking eyes and stopped to reassess the situation. He decided it would be more enjoyable to join up with me and also came right up under me as soon as I stepped on the mounting block.

With that huge win, I traded Tivo back to his owner and jumped on Torino. The owner had a friend come out to ride one of her new horses, Skye. He's a lovely 10 y/o white quarter horse. The other horse, Sherwin, is a large, sturdy build of mostly black with white patches 20 y/o that looks a lot like a large quarter horse. But poor Sherwin has been no doubt "busted" in his recent life. He spent a few years alone and completely neglected in a pasture, but he has beautiful clear eyes with a blue marble background that implored his new owner not to leave him. As much as he wanted to be "rescued" he still doesn't trust. He doesn't come in with curiosity and because he has clear blue eyes, I can see what I was never able to see with my own dark eyed mustang even if I instinctively knew she was shutting me out by not letting me see "into" her eyes. When they do not want to make eye contact or connect, they will not let you look "into" their eyes. While the owner was tacking up Sherwin, I jumped on Torino and went with the owner's friend on Skye out on to the Old Welcome Trail behind her house.

Torino and I were both confident to take the lead and show the new horse how to get on the trail from the back fence. Skye did quite a bit of snorting but he kept his head on straight and fell in line with enthusiasm to follow along for the ride. I watched Skye's reactions to his new surroundings and slowed or stopped things to let him acclimate when his head got too high, he was snorting too much or he took it upon himself to speed up when he didn't know where he was going. After a few stops and starts, Skye was doing great and we decided to show him the tractor.

The owner's friend is a great rider and did a great job of working Skye through his fears. I also used the horse I was on to show Skye that there is nothing to be afraid of as we played my favorite game with horses called "check it out". We took him right to the point of worry and running backwards a few times, but not far enough for him to check out and panic. New dude braved and conquered the tractor! Very proud of him and he seemed to be quite proud of himself, too.

After that, we went back to the barn to find the owner tacked up and mounted on Sherwin, waiting in the round pen. Sherwin looked much happier and more content to have a rider and be taking part in the fun things with praise and rewards that were happening around him. When I was working with Torino and Tivo in the round pen, Sherwin started calling from the barn. So, he was at the very least curious about wanting to be included in what ever fun stuff was happening with the new lady that everyone else wanted to be a part of.

I quickly untacked Torino, gave him a rinse down and put him in his stall before quickly tacking up Tivo. I felt like the pit crew at the Indy 500, in a hurry to change out horses. While I was busy with Torino and Tivo the owner and her friend started out the back gate onto the trail with the two new horses who haven't been shown the trail or been ridden in this way, yet. I was a bit cautious and worried to be the help for my client that I'm hired for, so it was imperative that my horse get going so we could join up. Tivo was so intently watching with envy as I quickly tacked him up. He stood beautifully as I quickly jumped on and we made for the trail. Tivo is young at under 4 years, but I love that about him. I may not always trust him from the ground, but he has proven himself trustworthy under saddle.

Tivo really wanted to go where the other new horses were going, even without Torino, and I used his intent desire to create a teaching moment for him. I let him pay attention to the other horses, eager to follow, but I did not let him pay attention to the point of ignoring his immediate surroundings. I've watched this horse spook himself and nearly dump his rider by walking into a palm frond across the trail that touched him when he was not paying attention because he was too worried about things further away. I needed to safely navigate a bunch of stuff touching that dude to get on the trail and I had no desire to get dumped in the process. I kept him slow, steady and focused on what we were walking through at first to get to the trail. Once on the trail, I kept him tight around turns he couldn't see past, but I let him pick up speed when he could see. Within a few moments we were within sight of the other two horses, much to the owners surprise that I bravely joined up with them on Tivo.

It was interesting to ride both Pasos and to assess both new horses in the trail environment. Skye is not confident enough to lead. He will if asked, but then everything he sees starts to scare him. But, if a calm, relaxed horse leads with grace and shows bravery, he follows even if he's worried. This is great for building his confidence and he would benefit greatly from visiting an obstacle course that's fun and not a competition.

Sherwin, the busted horse, has a whole lot of hope in his soul. I saw the light in his eyes and the spring in his step once we got going. Dude was almost bouncing his butt on the way back to the barn like he was prancing and seemed happy.

Today filled me with incredible joy!

10/06/2023

My favorite photos of June 5th. Sally loves to lead even when she's nervous. She also trusts me when I ask her not to follow through thinking for herself when she approached a deep ravine trying to sort out how to jump instead of cross calmly. She slowly and mindfully walked through calmly and then we tore beautifully together up that hill with her being the rock star. At the end of the ride, with trailers 100 yards away, a 6 foot gator was in the water crossing and would not move away. It felt like running into a Wilda Beast crossing. In that scenario I think I need to know how to jump on my horse. I might be open to learning that with Sally. In FL, it might help to know how to smoothly jump a gator in a creek crossing.

10/06/2023

08/05/2023

Never let this be your horse! "No" from your loving, responsive, giving horse is rarely a behavior issue. ALWAYS RULE OUT PAIN FIRST, have a great relationship with your vet and have a chiropractor for your hooved loved one. We ask a lot of them and they give so much in return. They are not merely disposable when they have a bad day or few days in my book.

08/05/2023

This read is deep and slightly disturbing, but I highly suggest it to my horsey friends.

Only 14 study horses is not quite enough (valuable stats models need a pool of 20+ participants to be considered reasonably accurate 90+% of the time) but this is both compelling and scary disheartening all at the same time.

The sad part is that this was 14 horses who were put to death and studied because they were responding to pain caused by what we ask them to do. That just isn't right in my book.

This study is quite telling. NEVER, EVER assume that your amazing, unicorn of a wonderful horse, just started saying no/acting crazy for no reason. ALWAYS ASSUME there is a pain reason and find it!

Introduction: Dangerous behavior is considered an undesired trait, often attributed to poor training or bad-tempered horses. Unfortunately, horses with progressive signs of dangerous behavior are often euthanized due to concerns for rider safety and limitations in performance. However, this dangerou...

20/04/2023

Another great ride today with my client. Today she rode the bucking horse I've been working with and I rode the other horse. I currently trust the horse I fixed much more than the horse I rode today. But, I was relaxed and confident (because this is "just what we're doing") and how bout that, the horse was relaxed and confident, too. He was actually less jumpy/spooky with me today than he has been with his owner on our previous rides.

When you lead with relaxed confidence a horse can FEEL it. If you are unsure, tense and anxious they are too. It truly warmed my heart to see my client melt into their new custom fit saddle with her special little man and see him melt into such a happy ride. He was so gentle, relaxed and "with her" today. He had a beautiful headset & topline, relaxed gate, soft & happy eyes, perky ears and I'm quite certain I saw his heart smiling a few times along our ride. His buddy I rode was head tossing all over the place and constantly working the bit, biting on the bit and pulling through loose reins, trying to take his nose to the ground to walk like a bulldozer.......... but I haven't been hired to fix that issue, yet 😉 I asked how client felt about giving "bitless" a try to see how he responds. She was quite open to it, so I really want to give that a go. The way he immediately starts biting the bit as soon as the bridle goes on worries me that he's going to damage his teeth because it sounds really LOUD. Apparently he bites it and works it to get his tongue over top of the bit and that's no good. Bits don't do the right job with tongues over top. My assessment is that the bit isn't working like it should, so let's try bitless. I think dude #2 will appreciate no bit and stay more focused on a ride if he's not fixated on "working it" and chewing it.

Personally, I'm against bits entirely. I do not believe we need to shove metal in a horse's mouth to have control or collection.

Maybe, just maybe, I can create some change to no bits............. one horse at a time ;-)

https://www.relive.cc/view/vPv4AE99eRO

18/04/2023

Making great progress with client horses back out on the trails.

View my horse ride: Old Welcome trail ride