Star has been practicing long lining in preparation for accepting a saddle and rider. As you can see she is becoming quite soft in her steering and is able to remain balanced through her turns. This beautiful young mare is with us for training from The Dorset Equine Rescue.
Standing while mounting is an extremely important skill for any horse to have. We always try to mount from a mounting block if possible, as it is so much better for the horse’s body. However, a horse should also be able to be mounted from the ground in the event that you need to dismount and no mounting block is available. Here Lewis demonstrates perfectly a horse that has been properly prepared for the mounting process. Lewis is with us for training from Gerda’s Equine Rescue.
As Remi’s personality begins to shine through, we are starting to see the lovable comedian that was hiding beneath his need to feel guarded. This handsome gelding will be looking for a special companion only home in his future and is with us for training from the MSSPA.
Happy Valentine’s Day! We love our rescue equines and hope you can feel it with this fun Valentine’s Day photo shoot. We hope your day is also filled with love, and lots of horsey snuggles ❤️
Nothing like a group rolling session with friends and some play time to kick off the weekend!
Jewel has surprised us all with how quickly she is coming around. Her lack of confidence seems to only revolve around humans and not everything else, as illustrated by her very first time seeing all of our obstacles. She did each obstacle as if she’d seen it a hundred times before. This sweet girl is with us for training from Gerda’s Equine Rescue.
Of our two newest and littlest trainees, Sierra is definitely the most fearful. She is afraid to be caught, led, touched, etc. We have been working with her daily to build her trust so we can start to break down those layers of fear that she displays around humans. Part of our work involves wanders around the indoor arena without any agenda, just spending time with us and exploring. We were very proud of her for walking over the pole, it may seem like a very small step but it is huge for a horse as afraid as this little mare is. Sierra is with us for training from Gerda’s Equine Rescue.
As requested, here is a video of us doing the “One Pole Challenge” with a horse. This exercise is simply getting them to place their left and right feet on either side (and keep them there), but once your horse has mastered it you can certainly have them walk forward while straddling the pole for an added challenge!
When we’re teaching this to a horse, we typically start by just asking them to straddle the pole with their front feet before adding the hind feet to the equation. Getting all four can be surprisingly tricky— lots of releases of pressure when the horse takes a step in the right direction is key. Hope this helps those of you who wanted to try it at home!
This is just about the most normal and sassy donkey thing Penelope has ever done in front of us humans…Jack and JJ must have told her what an amazing place the arena is to roll! Penelope is with us for training from Gerda’s Equine Rescue.
The first major steps for every horse that comes through our doors is teaching them to allow us to care for them properly. Some of them come to us with these skills already, while others have had minimal handling and cannot be done by the farrier, vet, etc. without sedation. Jewel and Sierra have had very little handling, and are difficult to catch, lead, are fearful of touch, etc. We are working with them daily to develop these essential skills. Here Jewel is practicing having her feet handled and she is doing great! Jewel is with us for training from Gerda’s Equine Rescue.
Some horses can retain negative associations with certain locations. Horses that may have been handled roughly, had traumatic experiences, etc. can relate a location to those negative feelings. For Remi the barn and arena can bring up some of those memories. The round pen offers a place without that negative energy and allows more of Remi’s true personality to shine through. Remi is curious, playful, and sensitive to his handler’s body language. The round pen has also allowed us to see that Remi gets concerned and looks for his pasture mate quite often while working. By developing a stronger connection to people Remi will feel less stressed when his friends are not right with him, and this may help alleviate some of his worries. Remi is with us for training from the MSSPA.
Our 3rd frigid cold morning here in Maine and Clue and Yuma’s only complaint is, “where did all the grass go?!?!”
"Helping rescued horses find their human soul mates."
