Believe The Journey Horse Services LLC

26/03/2025

Welcome back to the barn Ed Miracle! The war horse that ran 51 races and has had a life of 22 years of English riding and trail riding! What a story he has to share!

13/03/2025

Due to the chance of tornados and thunderstorms this weekend the barn will be closed and no rides will be going out atleast for Saturday at this time.

10/03/2025

I have a cancellation for this Saturday at 10am for 2 riders if anyone is interested please pm or text me at 8502939261.

23/02/2025

Another beautiful ride for Saturday! With just enough chill in the air to embrace the warm presence of the sun as she danced through the trees! I have began to offer Private group rides that have seemed to be a hit for the guys wanting to take their beautiful brides on a special getaway! Rides to the sandbar are also being offered starting this year as long as the weather permits!
Please message me to get on the books asap! Spots are filling quick and we are now booking up to April as far as weekend time slots go!

20/02/2025

Sweet farewell to one of our dear students! Today was her last day as her family goes onto their next big adventure all the way to Maine! You will be missed by many but just remember their is always happy trails everywhere you go! You are one tough cowgirl 🤠

20/02/2025

What a beautiful day for a trail ride yesterday! Spring is just around the corner and the horses are blowing their coats! My time slots are feeling up quick already for March! Please be sure to message me if you would like to ride as it’s one of my favorite times of the year!!

07/02/2025

What a day at the barn! Learning from the ground up today. Working hard or hardly working! Thank you Waylon for being such a wonderful teacher and providing that time with the littlest and the oldest and educating the importance of hoof care and teaching those young boys how to practice there roping skills!

06/02/2025

Thought for the day.
The power of observation is high on the list of attributes that make a horseman. It’s no good trying to learn from your horses if you miss much of what they are teaching you. Its the little things that tell you the most.

01/02/2025

20/01/2025

Many riders struggle under saddle with physical and emotional relaxation in the horse because they jump too quickly "up the scale" into contact/connection before the horse has learned to manage his own emotions. Until a horse can prove that he is relaxed in his mind and body, he is not ready for contact, in the way that we typically talk about it and see it used. This is why rhythm and relaxation are at "the base of the pyramid," and why we need to always return to this many times throughout each ride with our horse.

Too many riders are working hard to shape the horse into frames, cadences, and movements before the mind and body is open enough to accept being educated and molded. This only proves to create more frustration and tension in the horse (not to mention the rider!) as we attempt to progress further. It does not need to be this way. We need to recognize the horse's emotional state.

Everything must start with mental acceptance and relaxation for the horse in order for education to be possible. We need to return to this, also, when troubles start to shape up. Rather than trying to out-muscle the horse's emotions, we need to help him find relaxation again by stepping back and allowing him to manage his own emotions once more. From here, training can start again.

Tempo is an emotional condition of the gait. This is why rhythm and relaxation must be tied together at the base of our training. The horse must be allowed to find his own cadence and relaxation at all gaits with minimal (if any) interference from the rider. Only once he has come to this relaxation as a personal responsibility can we expect him to accept more advanced and sophisticated understandings of the rider's expectations.

17/01/2025

Horses - a Mirror to the Soul, Emotions or Nervous System? Or all? 🌟

When I'm with horses, their reactions and behaviors often provide insight into my own internal state 🐴💭. They can sense subtleties in mood and energy that I might not be consciously aware of, offering a unique perspective on my inner self 💖. This mirroring effect leads to deeper self-awareness and understanding, which is both humbling and enlightening. It's a reminder of the interconnectedness of life and the power of silent, empathetic communication.

Communication occurs on several levels simultaneously: emotional, mental, nervous system, and spiritual. Everyone may pay attention to a different level with varying intensity. One person might say: horses regulate my nervous system 🧠🐎, another might say: only they feel what's in my soul 🕊️💬. Is one level better or worse than the other? No. They coexist - all together 🌍💫

17/01/2025

Horse are my joy life😍

16/01/2025

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!