Ivy Starnes - Ivy's Glide Gait

23/06/2025

This! I don't believe in making a horse work just to tire them out. It doesn't even work for gaited horses. Many things that quarter horse trainers try with gaited horses just don't work.

USE IT, DON’T ABUSE IT:
POWER & EMPOWERMENT

Mules have made me a better horse trainer.

Thoroughbreds have made me a better quarter horse trainer.

There’s a saying, ‘You HAVE to train a mule the way you SHOULD train a horse.’

You can’t pressure a mule into things, they have to think their way through things.

In the same way, you can’t get away with the same tactics on a thoroughbred that you can on a stock-type quarter horse.

Mainly, trying to wear them down, run them out of air, slam them into one-rein stops or tight circles, or anything else where we hijack their power as punishment against them.

I just sent a couple thoroughbreds home last month, my first time spending a lot of quality time with off the track thoroughbreds, and those two horses were great preparation for this running-bred quarter horse.

Something that makes my program stand out from a lot of other trainers, is I don’t want a horse to be tired, physically or mentally, before we start a session.

It’s important to conserve a horse’s energy for the difficult work during sessions.

If I do a lot of groundwork or lunging, or a wild and crazy turnout right before a session, I’m not going to have enough horse left to have a productive session.

Something I love to see, is a horse let loose like this after I pull the saddle. To me, that shows not only how much containment and self-regulation they are capable of under saddle, but that I quit before they quit me, physically or mentally.

I want them to feel great after a session, loosened up, powerful, not defeated.

If we have a horse who’s bred for performance, we have a responsibility to work with their nature, not against it.

They’re going to be sensitive and easily overstimulated.

Channeling that into something that we can say YES to, instead of constantly saying NO to their power, is the way to their enormous hearts.

23/06/2025

How fun!!! Maybe I should try this with Firefly!

23/06/2025

22/06/2025

19/06/2025

Recently, I sat with a University professor managing a small research program involving equine behaviour, welfare and management and several of her masters and PhD candidates to discuss the state of the horse industry as a whole.

It was a rich, layered conversation, one that’s still sitting with me days later.

I’ve always believed that education is the key to change.

That if we could just share evidence-based information, raise awareness, and teach better practices, we could shift the paradigm.

That once people know better, they’ll do better.

But during this conversation, a difficult question circulated: Maybe education alone isn’t enough?

Because the reality is, people don’t always change just because they’ve been given better information. Sometimes, they knowingly ignore what they’ve learned.

Not because they don’t care. But because implementing knowledge is hard.

It requires looking in the mirror and admitting:

“Maybe I was wrong”
“Maybe I missed the signs”
“Maybe there’s a better way and I haven’t been doing it”

That’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable.

So instead of making changes, many people stay stuck in cognitive dissonance. Rather than changing behaviour, the mind often tries to resolve this discomfort by justifying or denying the evidence.

“He’s just being difficult”
“It worked for my last horse”
“This is how we’ve always done it”

And so, despite the abundance of credible information, the suffering continues.
Our industry has deep-rooted problems.

Affording the care horses truly need can be overwhelming. The cost of adequate nutrition, bodywork, appropriate tack, responsible training, and appropriate living environments is high. As we raise standards, we also risk making the sport less accessible, particularly for newcomers. So people compromise. They rationalize. They do what they can afford or what feels easiest or most familiar.

So if education isn't enough … What is?
This question keeps me up at night.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen incredible change through education. In our student community, in our graduates, in our clients and followers on social media, there are countless people who have welcomed the information and implemented it with courage.

They’ve done the hard work. They’ve looked in the mirror. They’ve stepped out of their comfort zones. And they’ve made things better for their horses.

But for those who resist, who know better but don’t do better, what will it take?
Maybe it’s not just education we need.

But where do we start?
Do we start by making space for discomfort and showing people they’re not alone in it?

By highlighting the why, not just the how, because transformation is always rooted in purpose, not pressure?

To those who’ve leaned in: we see you. We’re proud of you.
To those who are still resisting: we’re not giving up on you either.

For now, I don’t have the answers.

But I do know this: Change doesn’t start with perfection. It starts with awareness.
And the willingness to keep asking the hard questions.

18/06/2025

Crest Ridge Saddlery LLC makes some nice saddles. They often have saddle fitters that travel around the country.

18/06/2025

Gaited clinic in Alberta, Canada!
June 27-29
Comment if you want more info!