At Last Farm and Studios

01/27/2025

Though we wish our horse doctors could be there for our equine friends in any emergency, the reality is that our horses' primary veterinarian cannot be available 24/7 and still juggle the needs of their own personal lives, health and happiness.

The most significant pain point for many veterinarians is caring for their clients during regular business hours and then also being on call for emergencies after hours. For single-doctor or small practices, this traditionally has been the case most nights of the week.

However, private veterinary practices and veterinary schools have more recently focused on developing new models for emergency care which ease the strain on individual practitioners. This includes the growth of emergency cooperatives where two or more practices in a geographic area work together to share after-hours care, as well as more emergency-only practices and the use of tele-triage services to address client concerns after normal business hours.

As equine veterinarians reevaluate what after-hours care looks like for their practices, the support of their clients is critical to creating a balance that works for both parties. If your horse doctor talks with you about changes in how after-hours care is delivered, we hope you’ll welcome the adjustments. This evolution of emergency care must take place in order for equine veterinarians to avoid burnout and continue to be at their best to treat all of your equine friends.

01/27/2025

01/26/2025

Looking forward to getting out to see the new clinic!

It was incredible to see so many friends and clients at the clinic today! Thank you for making it a truly special day!

01/21/2025

BACKING A HORSE AS A TRAINING TOOL

When I was a kid and working at a riding school owned by dressage trainers it was a golden rule not to rein back a horse until it was well established in all the forward paces and shoulder in. This was such an entrenched rule that it was never discussed or explained. To question it or to ask why would be like questioning the assertion that water is wet. Apparently, the reasons for not asking young horses to back up were so obvious that such a question would declare to the world you have the lowest I.Q. in history.

In my reading and travels, I come across people who still believe that backing a horse up before all the other fundamentals are part of a horse’s DNA borders on criminal. It’s a weird thing. If you ask people why they believe that you get answers like “It hinders the ability to go forward” or “It encourages a horse to lean on the bit” or “When a horse is young and goes back it drags its feet and hollows its back which creates bad habits when you want to a correct rein back later on”. In my opinion, those are all answers given by people who focus on the physical rather than the mental aspects of training.

How is backing a horse not part of the fundamental basics of any horse’s education? How is asking a horse to softly step back not as much a part of the basics as asking it to softly step forward?

I could go on and on about the physical benefits of teaching rein back to young horses and how it is part of the progression into softness in the more advanced work. But this essay is not meant to be about that. I want to talk about backing up as a training tool for a horse’s mental and emotional development.

The ability to back up a horse, whether on the ground or in the saddle, is one of the most powerful training tools available to people. Firstly, there is the practical side of teaching a horse to back up such as through a gate or out of a wash bay or horse trailer. Then secondly there are the psychological advantages, which is what I want to focus on today.

The real power of the backup in the early training of a horse is as a way to interrupt a thought or idea. It is not often that a horse chooses to back up of its own volition. When a horse thinks to move its feet it is almost always forward, even if it is to the side and forward. Rarely does a horse think to move backward, except perhaps when wanting to come out of a horse trailer or fleeing from something in front of it without being able to turn around (eg racing barrier or scary jump). So for most practical purposes backing up is not a horse’s natural first choice. This is just as true for a well-educated and experienced horse as it is for a green horse.

Knowing this fact, allows us to utilize rein back to interrupt a horse’s thoughts in an extraordinarily powerful way. It is common practice these days to laud the use of the one-rein stop or hindquarters disengagement to interrupt a horse’s unwanted ideas in an emergency. Fair enough. But rein back does something similar with having to wait for the emergency. It can be used in both a subtle and extreme way to interrupt anything, from small wayward thoughts a horse may have to life-threatening situations.

When a horse is mentally disconnecting because its thoughts are elsewhere, backing up is not even on their radar. By picking up those reins and asking for the feet to flow backward until there is a change of thought we can re-establish a mental connection.

When used correctly, the ability to back a horse up is a formidable tool in resetting a horse's thoughts and emotions. A horse that is distracted by other ideas (such as separation anxiety) often mentally disconnects from the rider and it becomes a battle to get the focus back. Backing up helps reset the mental disconnection because it acts to draw a horse’s attention back to the rider.

It allows us to re-establish lost focus in such a way that a horse’s thoughts become available once again so that we can re-direct them to follow our feel. It is part of implanting strong and more consistent communication into our relationship with a horse. It should be part of a horse’s basic education. I begin teaching a horse to back from the ground on the first day of training and proceed to teach it on the first ride of a horse I am starting. That’s how important I consider teaching a horse to back up to be.

Photo: Kim riding her newly started filly Sparkles. Kim takes enough rein contact to get Sparkles to think about shifting her weight back and prepare to take a step. Well on the way to be able to rein back softly.

01/21/2025

WHAT IS TRAINING?

It was not so long ago that most horse people approached training horses with little interest or appreciation of how horses felt about the work. It’s not that the training was necessarily cruel, but the priority was placed on teaching a horse their job first and foremost. If a horse had a negative opinion about their job it was deemed disrespectful and the training was not good enough.

I am very pleased to see that nowadays more people are teaching the importance of taking their horse’s opinion into account during the training process. People are becoming more aware of their horse’s behavioural cues and giving them the importance they deserve. The master/slave relationship is something many people are no longer seeking.

However, I am noticing a trend that bothers me a little. Several trainers and their followers are pushing the idea that when a horse says ‘No’ to an idea, “No” then means “No”.

I strongly disagree with this. When a horse says “No,” it shouldn’t mean the discussion is over, and we should wait until the horse is ready to discuss the subject again. It should mean, “Let’s talk about it and see if I can get my horse to change its mind.” It does not mean that we acquiesce and tell our horse, “Okay.” Then go in the house and make a cup of tea for a job well done because we did not impose any stress on our horse.

Let’s be clear about what training is.

Training is the art of turning a “No” into a “Yes”. The role of training is to change a horse’s idea from one we don’t want to an idea we do want. Training is not us going along with a horse’s idea if it is not the idea we want. Likewise, training is not making a horse do something that it doesn’t want to do.

So in essence, training is changing a horse’s idea so that the horse and the human share the same idea. We both think it is a good idea. I can’t emphasise enough that the job of training is to change a horse’s idea. Without a change of thought, nothing is learned by the horse.

If a horse says “No” and we go along with it we are not training. We are not teaching the horse that we can direct their thought. We are not teaching the horse that our ideas are worthy of consideration. We are not teaching the horse anything more than we are a follower. But if we teach the horse that changing its “No” to a “Yes” is a good idea, we are then training and proving we are worthy of our horse’s trust and confidence.

I recently watched a video of somebody trying to bridle their horse. The horse displayed several evasion strategies and was clearly of the opinion it didn’t want to be bridled. A comment was made that the person was not listening to the horse and that they should have tried a bitless bridle. Firstly, it was not obvious that the horse’s concern was regarding the bit. The problem may have stemmed from other causes. But aside from that if I had been working the horse I might have tried a different strategy to make it easier for the horse to accept the bridle. Maybe a bitless bridle to begin with. Maybe teaching it to follow a feel better on the halter. Maybe something else. I would have worked towards changing the horse’s thoughts and ill feelings about being bridled. I would not simply accept that the horse did not want to be bridled and should respect that. As a trainer with the responsibility to help the horse, I would try to figure out the cause of the problem, figure out the solution to the problem, and change the horse’s opinion about being bridled.

What I wouldn’t do is leave the horse feeling troubled about bridling and respect its “No” as the final word.

It is my view that every time I come across a horse with a “No” response to a question I ask, I have a responsibility to transition it to a “Yes”. It may be something important, like accepting a rider on its back or turning left when we apply a feel to the left rein. Or maybe something trivial, such as loading into a trailer backward or riding while carrying an umbrella. Whenever my horse says “No” it is an opportunity to build our relationship by helping it learn that my ideas always work out for the best. We should view every "No" response our horse gives us as an opportunity strengthen our partnership

We must listen when our horse says “No”. But it is equally important that we work at turning the “No” into a “Yes” by changing their idea for the better. To do any less is not training.

Photo: This horse definitely has a “No” response to following my feel while I carry the umbrella

01/21/2025

Good short read!

WHEN IS A HORSE NO LONGER A GREEN HORSE?

During a lesson at a clinic, I was once asked, “When is a horse no longer a green horse?”

It’s a good question and worth thinking about. The reason it is a matter that deserves consideration is that we tend to think of horses in terms of green or educated, novice or advanced. We use these terms to describe the degree of education of a horse and whether we like it or not, it can influence how we approach a horse’s handling and training.

There was some discussion about when a horse is no longer a green horse among the clinic participants and fence sitters.

One person said that when a horse is broken in, it is no longer green. Another person thought that when the basics are established, a horse is no longer green. Somebody mentioned when a horse is ready for competition and yet another suggested after a certain number of rides.

It is clear that there is no obvious and definitive meaning to when is a horse no longer green. There are many views.

A while back an Aussie trainer in the US called Warwick Schiller asked me when did I think a horse could be described as being broken in. I joked that when the owner had run out of money a horse was broken in. However, in truth, my real definition is a little less clear. I told him, “A horse is broken in when I can put a schmuck on it and expect things will be ok.”

By that definition, there are an awful lot of horses being ridden for years that are not broken in. I use this definition because it relates to the mindset and comfort of a horse about being ridden. Being broken in is not about what a horse can do when ridden, but what a horse feels about being ridden. A horse that has no trouble inside it about being ridden will learn to tolerate a schmuck rider. But a horse with trouble inside has its survival instinct closer to the surface and is less likely to tolerate bad riding.

If I take that same attitude to the question of when is a horse no longer a green horse, it’s a little easier to define green-ness.

It’s not hard to argue that a horse is green (novice) at anything it does not know or do well. A horse may not be green in regard to some aspects of its work, but when learning new things, it must be the colour of a tree frog.

If we consider that in training we are always teaching a horse new things, we could reason that every horse is green at something. Therefore, there is no such thing as a horse that is not green.

I think this is a good definition to have because it reminds us to be absolutely clear in everything we do with a horse. It encourages patience when a horse makes a mistake. It encourages compassion and empathy when a horse experiences trouble.

However, the downside of this is if we think of a horse as always being green, we can fall into the trap of never trying to push the boundaries of comfort. In order for a horse to learn and become a better riding horse we need to push the comfort zone into the uncomfortable zone. The comfort zone is not an area where much learning takes place. But if we can avoid that trap, thinking of a horse as always being green is unlikely to ever be a mistake.

Of course, it can be argued that there are different shades of green. It probably comes down to a personal view of where each of us considers the line of demarcation exists between novice and educated.

For me, I think a horse can be performing at an advanced level, but still be considered green. For instance, a horse that can spin correctly according to the standards of reining competition or a polo horse that is playing at international level or a show jumper that is clearing 1.6m. These horses may be highly educated in their field, yet still not be solid in the basics of being a riding horse. I can recall seeing a Grand Prix dressage horse cantering out of control sideways through the gate of the arena when the judge approached with the blue ribbon in hand. To me, that horse was green because despite being highly trained to perform dressage movements, it was not well-trained to be a riding horse.

Now to turn our attention from the horse to the rider, when is a rider no longer a novice rider? Can we apply the same standard or definition to riders as we might to horses? Is there such a thing as an educated rider?

It seems to me that, like a horse, a rider is always a work in progress. Neither a horse nor a rider is ever finished learning. If this is true, then maybe there is no such thing as a rider that is not green. What do you think?

01/20/2025

01/19/2025

Congratulations to the Blasdell Family on the lease of Talisman to Lindsay Green of Sunnybrook Farm in Santa Barbara, CA.
We wish you all the best with this special horse!
Thank you to everyone involved in the successes of Teddy.

01/17/2025

Freedom Farm
in Carrollton, VA is seeking a couple full time team members. We are a hunter show barn with a full time stay at home position and an at home/travel position available. At home duties include but are not limited to: feed, turn in/out, stall cleaning, haying paddocks, horse grooming and daily care, supplement management, horse show prep/packing. At home/travel position would include the above duties at home and similar duties on the road - stalls, feed, supplements, packing/unpacking, grooming, grazing, etc. Possible (shared housing) live in position for the right candidate. Please reach out to Laura at 757-592-1584 and send resume to [email protected]

01/17/2025

We have updated store hours for the winter!
Please feel free to reach out if you are ever in a pinch or need to make an appointment for after hours.

01/17/2025

AMEN

The truth is: many of us are trying to practice above our level, and that is why things feel messy.
Many of us become frustrated or take offense to having the work lowered to a more basic level- we can feel like we are being judged, punished, or held back, but the truth is, working on those basic skills will help our work soar more quickly.
Most people I encounter (and myself included- and this is precisely what I work on with my teachers) need practice on handling their lead rope, reins and tools with better care, learning to sit with better balance and “follow through,” learning to feel the horse better, learning situational awareness, controlling their own thoughts and body around the horse and on -
While all of us want to be working on fun things or higher level things, our work is like a house of cards without control of our bodies, minds, breath - it all comes tumbling down at the first sign of trouble without these hard earned basic skills.
I don’t see these taught to the level they need to be to to the public save for a few rare teachers here and there, including my cherished mentors - and so I find when they are taught to the level needed to the public, people are often startled, offended, or confused. But I believe strongly that this is the change the horse world needs - it needs people to commit to it like their lives depend on it, and trainers to commit to teaching what the public needs above catering to what the public wants: that is what will really make both horses and people’s lives infinitely better.