StableManners, LLC

07/13/2025

Bend your knees!

07/12/2025

Is the horse really spooky, unfocused, and so on - or is the human lacking the ability to guide?

This is a hard pill to swallow but an important one. Stay with me before you get all upset, because it’s not personal and it’s not just you - it’s the human condition

We go to quick work labeling the horse: bird brained, spooky, unfocused, ADHD - whatever we call the horse.

But if horses were designed to be so unfocused, nature would have eliminated them.

They are not unfocused, they are not focused in our presence. Big difference.

We can teach focus by creating calming parameters - requiring self discipline, awareness , and - you guessed it- focus ourselves.

Or we can teach the horse to feel more anxious and feel the need to become hypervigilant or seek comfort everywhere but us by not guiding adequately.

Some horses are more sensitive than others and need you to be there EVERY second.
Others can get by on a lot less.

But no horse can be focused without a person being there mentally. They can go through the motions , making us feel like they’re with us - but that just speaks to how tuned out we really are when we’re satisfied with that.

In a lesson, I often work hard to keep the student focused - to keep the chatter from taking over. To keep the “but what about…” monster at bay. To keep the random distracted thoughts jumping far ahead of where we are from leaving this moment.

It takes a LOT of work to teach a person to stay tuned into the lesson step for step without their thoughts scattering around like bowling pins -

And I’m not judging. My teachers worked hard on me too. It’s not an easy task.

But I found horses I was describing as spooky suddenly become very calm when i focused - and so we have to accept the cold hard truth -

We don’t often know this horse at all. We’re seeing a projection and labeling it as who they are. And that’s very unfair to a horse.

07/11/2025

Exactly what we talked about today: aids are ‘helps’, flavor enhancers; they are not ‘makes’ or ‘forcers’.

07/09/2025

Recent research published in the journal Animal shows a clear link between horse welfare and rider safety.

Horses in facilities with better welfare—characterised by fewer health problems, higher haemoglobin levels, and more positive behaviour towards humans—were associated with the lowest number of rider falls during lessons.

In contrast, horses showing signs of poor welfare, such as chronic pain, apathy, aggression, or anaemia, were associated with more rider accidents.

The study also found that positive, attentive human-horse interactions during care and riding improved welfare, while rushed or minimal interaction worsened it.

Management practices like the frequency of turnout or the teaching strategies employed by riding instructors—were also found to be highly influential.

For example, the facility with the best welfare outcomes provided more frequent turnout and riding instruction that emphasised horse comfort rather than strict control. This approach not only improved horse welfare but also resulted in safer riding environments and a reduced risk of accidents.

This study, though modest in scale, clearly demonstrates that investing in horse welfare brings tangible benefits beyond simply having healthier, happier animals.

Facilities that make even small improvements in management—such as increasing turnout and providing more attentive care—see direct enhancements in horse welfare, which in turn results in fewer rider accidents during lessons and lowers the risk of costly legal claims for riding centres.

Ultimately, prioritising horse welfare is both an ethical responsibility and a sound, practical strategy for creating safer, more sustainable riding operations.

Full Study: L. Gueguen, R. Palme, P. Jego, S. Henry, M. Hausberger,
Differences between facilities in horse welfare profiles: slight differences in management/working conditions may be enough,
animal, Volume 19, Issue 6, 2025

07/08/2025

BUT CAN YOU RIDE THE HORSE?!

07/07/2025