A Driving Force Horsemanship

06/22/2024

06/21/2024

Not only is the horse’s mindset a priority in my program, so is their recovery & physical well being. Between targeted low impact exercises, knowledgeable professionals on our team, a Theraplate, & Bemer, horses get all kinds of support for their bodies in training! 🫶

06/19/2024

- Let’s talk about training techniques vs horse size!

🐴 Paladino is a 4 year old show jumping bred warmblood gelding in to be started under-saddle. It’s no secret, you can see it in the images, he’s a pretty big boy & I am a tiny woman. The images don’t lie.

🧠 While he is a big-bodied baby warmblood, the training is no different based on size ratios. Whether the horse in my program is a mini or a 17hh warmblood, the techniques & mindset are the same. They all need to learn to respect space, learn how to accept & respond to different pressures, develop a thoughtful & curious brain, & be actively involved in the partnership.

🛣️ No two horses will follow the exact same path from day 1 with me to whenever they head back home or to their new one, but the way I approach training allows a horse of any size to find success in my program. Good training techniques with attention to timing, feel, thought, & body language offer a communication style that isn’t about how big or strong the trainer is.

📏Taking guesses… How tall do you think Paladino is?

06/17/2024

It’s not just…

It’s not just the toe.

It’s not just the heel.

It’s not just the sole plane.

It’s not just HPA.

It’s not just the environment.

It’s not just the diet.

It’s not just the radiograph.

It’s not just the posture.

It’s not just static assessment.

It’s not just dynamic assessment.

It’s not just the conformation.

It’s not just the hoof.

It IS a hoof attached to a horse. That horse IS a living sentient being.

The hoof is a result of ALL the pieces working together. When making hoof care decisions we must take into consideration as many factors as possible. The whole horse, especially.

06/17/2024

👓 Have you read about Meghan on the Indigo Trails Farm website yet?

🫶 Meghan shares the arena daily with Caitlyn Bean. With different strengths but similar values, the two collaborate often to offer horses in either program the best possible experience in & out of the arena.

Learn more about Meghan & Caitlyn at the link below ⬇️

Experience unparalleled luxury and comfort at our state-of-the-art dressage farm and horse boarding facility. Nestled amidst picturesque landscapes, our meticulously designed amenities ensure the well-being of your equine companion while offering top-tier training programs tailored to your needs. Jo...

06/14/2024

Big boy steps for Paladino! Two rides into adulting! They grow up so fast! 🤩

06/11/2024

- Let’s talk about first rides! 1️⃣

This can be an emotional event in a horse’s life but their are some key concepts to keep in mind during that first ride.

⏩Forward is your friend - having someone you trust on the ground is a huge help during ride 1 so that as they are learning to respond to you on their back, someone on the ground can speak the human body language that they have spent the last several weeks learning.

🤩Your equitation doesn’t matter - but being an athletic defensive rider who knows how to stay out of the way does matter.

🧠Know the horse & the preparation work done to get to ride 1 - it sure helps to be the person who did the groundwork leading up to ride 1 & knowing how the horse responded to all of it. Piloting ride 1 you now have a good grasp of what reactions might come up during ride 1 & how to help the horse remain thoughtful throughout the ride.

😌Relaxation is the goal - moving forward without rowdy maneuvers or concern because that is what you want them to learn for the future rides as well. It is never a goal of mine to have to demonstrate how well I can (or can’t) ride a bucking horse.

Have you ever put a first ride on a horse? 1️⃣

06/09/2024

Meghan is a relationship-focused sporthorse development trainer passionate about guiding horses & their humans to a deeper connection & clearer understanding of each other to reach their goals. She blends her evolving knowledge surrounding the horse’s mental, emotional, & physical well-being to provide the best training environment possible.

✨SERVICES✨
🐴 Full-Time, On-Site Training (Stall or rough board available, full care program & exceptional team to support your horse including farrier, saddle fitter, nutritionist, & more)
🐴 Part-Time On- or Off-Site Training
🐴 Groundwork or Riding Lessons (On & Off-Site)
🐴 Clinics
🐴 Kids Day Camp
🐴 Educational Events

Reach out today to chat about what offerings might be right for you & your horse! Message the page or email Meghan at [email protected] 🫶

•••

Indigo Trails Farm
Free Ride Equestrian shop at shopfre.com/meghan10, use code meghan10 for 10% off!

06/07/2024

Story time! 📖

This mother-daughter duo take lessons from me with their horse, Charger.

They have been in tune with him since before my help as they recognized his personality changed somewhat after a move between barns. While always a very good boy & solid citizen, they noticed some underlying tension & lack of willingness in the work.

While we have been able to blend groundwork & ridden work, I give them kudos for being willing to go back to the ground when needed to help him find curiosity, thoughtfulness, & relaxation.

Now, each of them are finding more comfort in the partnership because they all understand each other better. Charger knows he can look to either of them for guidance & they feel more confident in how they communicate with him in & out of the saddle.

They have done 99% of the groundwork & 100% of the ridden work themselves & should be incredibly proud of how hard they work between each & every lesson.

I am so proud of them & I am incredibly excited to see all that they accomplish together! ✨

06/05/2024

I am still reflecting on the Memorial Day weekend horsemanship clinic that I led at my childhood barn. So much gratitude & hope for the trajectory of our horsemanship skills.

I learned so much from each & every horse/human pair throughout the weekend. I am grateful for so many dedicated horsewomen & horsemen open to learning from me on the ground & in the saddle. It was truly an honor to get to play a role in deepening the connection & understanding between horse & human. 🫶

Here’s what attendees had to say following the weekend:

✨”We are very much looking forward to the next clinic.”

✨”You explained everything so well. You gave a visual of what it should look like, which was helpful. All questions were answered,. Everyone got individual help when needed.”

✨”You explained everything in ways that people could understand. Each exercise was explained and the reasoning behind it. Sometimes this is skipped and people don’t always understand the reasoning behind it.”

✨”We need more young people sharing these skills.

✨”I can’t believe this is your first clinic.”

✨”I appreciate everything you did to help us and the reassurance helps me."

Interested in a clinic or lessons out of my normal service area? Message me to chat more about what you’re looking for.

06/04/2024

- let’s talk about mounting safety! 🐴

This is a step that comes up for all of us who ride & it can be an exercise in frustration for many.

📸 Pictured, is a horse that I had sat on multiple times but was now mounting for his very first ride.

He’s standing in a safe orientation to the block & I have his ear on me. How did I create this?

✨There were many exercises along the way that built up his trust in me that even if what I was doing seemed odd or a little scary, he learned to be thoughtful & curious about it.

✨There were exercises that taught him to accept me on both sides & above him.

✨There were exercises that him to bring himself towards me.

✨Then we learned to do all of that with correct orientation at the block, with a saddle, & the intention of climbing aboard.

🥰The end result is a safely lined up & relaxed horse even on his first ride day!

Does your horse stand quietly at the block?

05/29/2024

We still have some openings, come join us for some fun! ☀️

✨THIS SATURDAY✨

We still have a few open spots this Saturday for your kiddos! Please reach out if you are interested as we are closing entries Thursday night.

We are partnering with A Driving Force Horsemanship to introduce your kids to all things horses.

We will learn all about:
-interacting with horses safely
-behind the scenes of the farm
-learning to groom a horse
-a surprise craft project (of course horse related)

Available to kids between ages 7-14.

For more information or to sign up, please message 608-512-7468

05/28/2024

- slow down & get their bodies right in order to help them progress in their training

This young warmblood gelding came to me to me started with quite a bit of disconnect from mind to body.

Mentally he was progressing through training quite quickly but he wasn’t moving comfortably & was getting sore.

We backed off a little on the push to get a saddle on & spent time doing postural work, balance pads, theraplate, & got our team on the same page to support him overall.

After 2-3 weeks of real light work, he’s prepping for saddling again & his body is finding it easier to move through space. He can find both leads & actually canter in both leads now, he’s comfortable & symmetrical in the trot, & he carries himself in a more neutral frame as opposed to the upside-down frame he used to go in all the time.

We still have a long way to go. He’s a horse that will need time & continued dedication to working on his physical development. But we’re a lot better off now than we were a few weeks ago & I’m excited to continue to watch him develop.

Do you take photos to log your horse’s physical changes? 📸

05/23/2024

We would love to have your kiddo join us! Message the number at the bottom for more info or to get signed up! 🫶

Kids Camps are back at Indigo Trails Farm this summer!

We are partnering with A Driving Force Horsemanship to introduce your kids to all things horses.

We will learn all about:
-interacting with horses safely
-behind the scenes of the farm
-learning to groom a horse
-a surprise craft project (of course horse related)

Available to kids between ages 7-14. Closed toed shoes are required. Please pack a lunch and a water bottle for the day. Sunscreen & a helmet are bonus points! (If your kid does not have a helmet, message us we may be able to accommodate)

For more information or to sign up, please message 608-512-7468

05/21/2024

- posture is important under saddle too!

This horse first needed to learn to go forward with relaxation when I started teaching this owner & her daughter with the horse. He was stuck in his mind & body - lacking understanding of the aids & having some tension about forward movement.

After his mother-daughter team worked hard to rewire his gas pedal we made sure we also had a clear brake pedal.

Now that he understands those & how to steer, we’ve just started to introduce shape & posture to him.

The top is how he has gone for a while because he wasn’t ready for the conversation to get more complex.

The bottom is him starting to search for the right answer. When he does you can see he is engaging his core, back, & hind end & he’s reaching more with his limbs with a softer neck & lumbar spine area.

He’s not strong enough to find this frame perfectly yet nor to hold it for long but this is a great example of the rider & horse mid-conversation working to rewire movement patterns.

05/20/2024

So excited for your kids to join us for some fun on the farm!

Kids Camps are back at Indigo Trails Farm this summer!

We are partnering with A Driving Force Horsemanship to introduce your kids to all things horses.

We will learn all about:
-interacting with horses safely
-behind the scenes of the farm
-learning to groom a horse
-a surprise craft project (of course horse related)

Available to kids between ages 7-14. Closed toed shoes are required. Please pack a lunch and a water bottle for the day. Sunscreen & a helmet are bonus points! (If your kid does not have a helmet, message us we may be able to accommodate)

For more information or to sign up, please message 608-512-7468

05/19/2024

✨OPENINGS FOR FULL-TIME TRAINING CLIENTS✨
•starting
•restarting
•groundwork
•liberty work
•ridden tune-up work
•relationship-focused
•sport horse disciplines
•troubleshooting
•understand your horse better & improve your language with them

✨AMENITIES✨
•full-care boarding facility
•theraplate, bemer, balance pads, & more available to support your horse’s body in training
•exceptional professional team beyond trainer includes farrier, vet, bodywork, saddle fitter, nutrionist, & daily chore care
•outdoor or stall board available
•high quality hay & pasture
•passionate trainer continually investing in her own education
•routine updates

Message me to find out about availability & if we’d be a fit for you!

05/16/2024

✨ Today is a very special day ✨

I haven’t touched on it much but my business is named after my very first horse & it is his birthday today!! 🎉

He put up with me when I didn’t know anything that I know now & he was my partner, best friend, & teammate in high school & college.

I am so grateful he gets to enjoy a very deserved retirement with all of his best buddies!

Help me wish Dewey the most wonderful day! 🫶

05/15/2024

- this one is short & sweet but so important to my program.

Hug the horse. Laugh with the horse. Sit with, snuggle with, talk with the horse. Love the horse. Bond with the horse.

I take my training program seriously… ask anyone who knows me. But I also give the horses the opportunity to spend time with me in less structured settings no matter how long they’re with me & in my training program.

It deepens the relationship that crosses the species barrier & is another opportunity to get to know each other without an agenda.

When’s the last time you spent unstructured time together with your horse? 🫶

05/13/2024

✨ Now accepting new lesson clients ✨

📍 I can come to you or you can come to me!

🫶 deepen connection between you & your horse in & out of the saddle
🫶 learn to communicate effectively & fairly in & out of the saddle
🫶 guide your horse to search for a functionally correct posture on the ground or from their back
🫶 nurture your relationship while chasing your goals
🫶 develop self-confidence within yourself & your horse
🫶 improve your understanding of your horse’s language

Let’s work together! Message me to discuss availability or learn more at https://www.indigotrailsllc.com/about (scroll down)

05/08/2024

- take the time it takes in training!

Go at the pace that’s right for each individual horse, build a trusting, connected relationship, & develop a thoughtful, curious horse.

Pictured is a horse wearing a saddle for the very first time in his life. He’d have every reason to panic based on natural instincts to a saddle strapped around his belly like this with stirrups banging on his ribs if he’d had no preparation.

But instead, here he is walking incredibly relaxed about it because of 2 things:
1. He was prepared
2. I built a relationship of trust with him over time

This is just one example where taking the time it took paid off!

Imagine all the ways your work - in or out of the saddle - pays off with this approach! 🤩

05/04/2024

🤩 Exciting opportunity for your horse 🤩

I have an opening for a horse to join my program in full training!

✨stall board or rough board available
✨full care program
✨exceptional team of veterinarians, farrier, saddle fitter, & bodyworkers
✨passionate trainer continuing to invest in her own education
✨focus on groundwork, liberty, sport horse ridden work with attention to postural, emotional, & mental components

Reach out today to learn more! I look forward to connecting with you! 🫶

04/30/2024

- How do you prepare a youngster for the vet or farrier?

Often times I think we forget that not only do they need to learn to wear a saddle & accept a rider but that they also need to understand how to stand still, in a smaller area & have people - & not just one person, different people - move around them & ask to take a foot off the ground. This is a big deal to a horse that hasn’t been taught to find relaxation in multiple spaces & taking a foot off the ground makes it harder for them to flee if they feel they would need to.

I started preparing this horse for these types of appointments with a square made out of ground poles on the ground in the arena which I used during that training session as his “parking spot”. We groomed him & handled his feet, etc.

Next, we went to the outdoor wash rack which is less familiar than the arena but more open than the area pictured so that we could work through any concern or questions that came up. We continued with grooming, foot handling, & putting his leg in ours like the farrier would.

Finally, we made it to working in the space pictured. He learned to find comfort standing there on normal days while we groomed or just stood there etc so that when the vet or farrier comes it isn’t about the unfamiliarity with the space.

Today, he allowed a stranger he’s never met to handle his legs & feet calmly & thoughtfully.

Do you take the time to ensure your horse is prepared for the appointments that they’ll experience in their life?

04/16/2024

- Let’s talk about the balance of how your horse understands the tools that you use.

In the picture, I’m swinging the string portion of a stick & string over a horse’s back. I also swung it around his legs, hindquarters, & neck & rubbed him with the stick portion.

This is not to make him dull to it (or any other tool that I may use such as a flag) but to check in & make sure there is no fear of the tool. I want him to be sensitive to it, respectful to it but if he runs away or gets defensive when my intention is to scratch his withers or simply let the string land on his back, the balance is off.

When you look at this picture, you can see his neck is not up towards the sky, his feet are still & he’s got an ear on me. I like all of those signs.

You can also read my body language even from this angle - I’ve got a leg resting & my upper body is relaxed. I’ve set the intention in my mind that I’m just going to touch him all over with this tool & he’s demonstrating that he’s comfortable with that plan.

Have you checked in with your horse & the tools you use recently?

04/10/2024

Let’s talk about adjustability.

This has been a very common word that has come up in a variety of circumstances in my own lessons, with training horses, & with the lessons I’ve been giving lately.

I do think that a discussion around this word & horses could go on for a very long time but I’ll just touch on a few key points to get you thinking about your own horse.

🐴 Is your horse adjustable on the ground? Speed, steering, posture?
🐴Is your horse mentally & emotionally adjustable? To new spaces, friends, exercises or obstacles?
🐴Is your horse adjustable in the walk? Speed, steering, & shape?
🐴Is your horse adjustable in the trot? Canter?
🐴Is your horse adjustable in lateral maneuvers?

This is not a complete list nor a complete discussion but just a nugget to get your brain thinking about how to improve your horse’s adjustability.

Which area are you eager to work with your horse on first? 🤔

04/02/2024

- How do you welcome new horses to their new home? 🏡

I’ve seen it done a few different ways & for these two it was a bit different as they came from the same home & had grown up together.

They led to their new paddock together & then I showed them their hay, water, & fenceline individually before turning them loose.

I want to be sure they know where they can find their food & water & witness that they know how those feeders/waterers work as not all are the same. It’s important to me that they know what the fence looks like so that when they do get turned loose if they romp a bit, it’s not a total surprise that there is a limit to their space.

They got to meet their pasture mate over the fence for a couple days & when he got turned out with them, it became a herd of happy boys quite quickly.

This, of course, is not the only way to do it & if it was a single going out with a horse they didn’t know right away things would’ve looked just a little different.

How often do you have to accommodate new herd dynamics?