Bit-O-Wy Horses - Curlies, Morgans, Mustangs

15/08/2024

As i finally watch the vid it is my opinion that while he talks a good tale in practice he is not as clear/good.
I would be interested in what others see in the human from the horses perspective

15/08/2024

21/06/2024

Listen up people!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/W2VxMXspoCbsxgSG/?mibextid=oKfgLb

08/01/2024

“No-one can teach riding so well as a horse!” C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) 😂😂😂
Photograph by The Quorn Hunt

18/12/2023

📸 Watch this video on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/tb4ZwiZGDwxi7cLo/?mibextid=Zg00Y8

02/11/2023

And those people who comment, "you never ride, why do you have a horse?" are not true horse people!

25/10/2023

This resonates with me. Any of our horses could be up and trail riding in a matter of days for Don. For me months, for a buyer who knows. It depends JUST LIKE THIS PICTURE

25/10/2023

Time. Give him time. We’ve got nothing but time!

These are all things we like to tell ourselves, particularly when we run up against some sort of barrier that is keeping us from our dreams. I, too, have said these same words, particularly when I am trying to find solace in my slow-cooker approach to training… all the while, my newsfeed is chock-full of horses and riders who are truly achieving!

Whenever I begin to use these words as some sort of mantra, I am usually facing one of two issues. That one particular horse is beginning to cost me a lot of money—I’m in business, remember, where time spent must be in relation to the possibility of money made—or that I have run into a roadblock that keeps me and my horse from progressing further.

In the first instance, it may be a horse whose mental capacity does not allow for the level of ridden work that I am hoping for. Right or wrong thinking, it does take a particular sort of horse who is happy to carry us, all the while being able to learn more. It may be a horse whose physical body consistently gets in the way of his further training. It is very often a horse who cannot—and will likely never be able to—do what I've dreamed of him.

In the second, I have an unfortunate habit of saying that time is on my side, that there is no need to push through difficulties or shoot for goals, and that to do so inevitably comes at the cost of the horse. It keeps me comfortable. I can begin to believe that anything that comes quickly, or easily, is wrong! I can wholly convince myself that to do good work is only synonymous with much repetition, with the passing of time.

You can see that these phrases, while seated in goodness—while absolutely well-meant—can also be a cover up, of sorts. An excuse to avoid the hard stuff, or to ignore the writing that’s on the wall.

If nothing else, I watch myself when I begin thinking that more time is always the cure.

“We’ve got nothing but time!” is but one of the little lies we can tell ourselves. No. Not always is
‘more time’ our best friend. Life has taught me, with unfeeling constancy, that life is short. Pain does not always lessen and eventually, disappear. We do not become more courageous, more flexible, more able, the older we get. That our horses, particularly our very best horses, will never live long enough!

While rushing and force is not the answer—I am no proponent of that!—I can only caution that time flies. We need to seek balance in all our pausing and playing. Waiting is not always our ally, when it comes to furthering this horsemanship that we love.

Shown here, Credo: a horse who has needed more time, much more time, than I'd imagined, when we first met. Knowing how to progress with him has been an exercise in recognizing when it was time to wait and give him the space to heal... and when to push on, to revisit the hard stuff.

25/10/2023

Skills every horse owner should know:

I’m a big fan of promoting independence in my students. My hope is that you don’t NEED your trainer or other professionals, but that you can access them for growth and learning when you need it. This is not to say they should be eliminated- I have a team of professionals I benefit from in my barn, but I hope that if one can’t come, or in the case of emergency, I’m not up p**p creek, as the saying goes.

Feel free to add to this list in the comments!

So here’s a few things I think every horse owner should know how to do:

-Basic trim.
If your farrier can’t come or is delayed, every horse owner should have a basic handle of a rasp to maintain a hoof to keep their horse in good shape, or “good-ish” shape until their farrier comes.

-pull a shoe
Even if you don’t believe in shoeing, you never know when one needs to be pulled. You might be the person who can help out with that

-hook up, drive and back up a trailer
Don’t rely on others to haul- you never know what situations might come up. Fire, flood, middle of the night colic- if you’re gonna drive it you need to be able to back it up, too. Don’t wait for an emergency to practice this.
And obviously, the ability to LOAD the horse!

-basic saddle fit assessment
This is not to replace a qualified saddle fitter, but you should have an idea if your saddle is even in the ballpark of fit. You should have some grasp of what to look for to keep your horse comfortable

-some grasp of nutrition
Again, not to replace a qualified nutritionist, but don’t just read the tractor supply grain bag and follow the chart- know what your horses are eating and what they actually need given their lifestyle

-know how to assess and treat wounds
Obviously I’m not saying your vet shouldn’t come out, but if you can safely and adequately treat and dress small wounds, you can reduce a lot of your own anxiety and take better care of your horse

-know how to check vitals:
Temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, digital pulse, etc. Be your vet’s friend and know what the baseline for these things are

-a cursory understanding of anatomy and fitness;
Essentially knowing what’s under the hood so you can have realistic expectations, know how to leg up safely, prevent injury, and the ability to keep your horse sound.

What else do you guys think should be on every horse owners toolkit?

19/09/2023

Life Lessons of a Horse Person:

1. People who don't take care of their own horses will be the first ones to tell you how to care for yours.

2. You should never buy a cheap girth!

3. A handsome horse who's badly behaved will become a lot less attractive in about 15 min.

4. People who think they have nothing more to learn about riding, hit the ground the hardest.

5. Children and ponies are natural allies and often have identical dispositions.

6. The richest horse people often look the poorest.

7. The closeness of a horse is one of the sweetest smells in the world.

8. A solitary ride through the bush is more beneficial than six months with the best psychiatrist.

9. The worse a person rides, the more likely they are going to blame it on the horse. !!

10. The best thing about going to the barn first thing in the morning is that horses don't care how you look.

11. If a dealer insists a horse is worth twice what he's asking, he's usually worth half that much.

12. The best way to appreciate how another person rides is to get on
their horse.

13. I can recognize another horse person no matter what town, city, state, county or country I visit.

14. You can never have too many hoof picks.

15. It is not wise to argue with something that outweighs you buy 1,000 pounds

16. I'd rather have a horse with a perfect mind than a perfect head.

17. Eight hours is too long to be in the saddle!

18. If you think you have left the water on in the barn - you have, if
you think you have closed the pasture gate - you haven't.

19. When someone asks you if you like their horse, always say yes

20. The happiest people I know own horses, dogs, cats and at least one
deranged goat or donkey.

21. If you're looking for the perfect horse you will never own one.

22. Owning a horse can either make a marriage or break it.

23. I can't stand to have an empty stable.

24. You shouldn't talk about your first place ribbon to someone that
came in second.

25. If someone says that a horse has a little buck, it has a BIG buck.

26. If we need rain, schedule a show, if you want it to quit raining
put down fertilizer or grass seed.

27. I've never warmed up to someone that didn't want to walk down to
the stables.

28. A clean stable and a sparkling horse are among life's great pleasures.

29. Even giving away horses can be too expensive, and free horses are never truly free.

30. No matter how badly behaved you are, your horse always gives you a
second chance.

31. A more expensive horse doesn't make a better one.

32. Losing a horse can break your heart, but it will have been worth it.

Author unknown
PC: Jo H

27/08/2023

When Father Time caught my mare
the leaves were turning brown.
She was suffering and couldn't eat,
it was time to put her down.

It's hard to do what you need to
when your eyes are soakin' wet.
I thought about my childhood
and waited for the vet.

I held her halter, talked to her
and looked her in the eye.
She had no way of knowin'
what was makin' her friend cry.

I guess I wasn't ready.
When she fell it made me weep.
I rubbed her nose and sang to her.
She slowly went to sleep.

A breeze blew down from somewhere
and brushed away my tears,
like a kiss From Heaven
for all the happy years.

In my mind she's in a meadow,
the grass is long and green.
She teaches every kid to ride
and becomes their favorite dream.

06/07/2023

Gotta good one for you. I bet you know a veterinarian like this, a kid like this, a dad like this, and a horse like this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Old Horses and Little kids
It is about 25 yards of parking lot between the two parts to our vet clinic and I was carrying my next record from the backdoor of my office toward the horse clinic. I had a smile on my face because I knew this lame old gelding was gonna be a fun work up.
It belonged to some folks with the last name Angel….. and let me tell you, the four year old boy that called Rex the gelding his best friend…well he was an angel. The parking lot was full of trailers lined up in rows. From in between two trucks I spotted little 4 come walking with his chest puffed out and his cowboy hat pulled down, old Rex a few steps behind on the end of a red lead rope.
I just stopped for a minute and watched 4 lead old Rex across the lot, around a couple of trucks, and finally in to the clinic. His dad was few steps behind keeping an eye on things and talking of the phone.
Eventually, I finished my treck across the lot and found 4 standing in the clinic holding Rex and checking out all the other horses that were being worked on by other vets. He would look at a race horse and then look at old Rex…. And I could tell he was thinking, “my horse is way better than yours.”
I approached and stuck out my hand to 4. We shook for a second and I asked him, besides being 28 years old, what was wrong with Rex today.
He looked over at his dad who was still on the phone and then said, “Daddy says he aint stopping right no more and that you could fix him”.
I spent a minute sizing up little 4. His cowboy hat was pulled down so far and tight that to top of both ears were at a right angle, he was wearing a pair of boots that couldn’t have been more that three inches long total and a pair of spurs that looked like they were 30 years old. He had on some jeans and a snap shirt. He was standing with one arm around Rex’s front right leg and his head was just a touch taller than the commissure of the legs as they come together to form the chest.
You could tell 4 was a little scared of the whole situation. His dad was over setting on the church pew on the phone and 4 had sunk into the chest of good ole Rex to find some safety and comfort. For his part, Rex looked prepared. He stood calmly there looking around at all the activity and making sure his little boy was gonna be ok.
“How old are you?”, I asked in the best little boy tone I could muster.
“I’ll be five years old next month!” he said as he puffed his chest out a little more and then started petting Rex’s leg.
“Is this your horse?” I asked.
“Yes he is, and he is the best horse at the ranch. My daddy used to ride him when he was a little kid like me. We rounded up a whole pasture on him yesterday, he is the best. I think he can out run any horse in this barn. I have looked them over and Rex would be the fastest. He ran fast with me yesterday and boy howdy, I thought I was gonna fall off …. He was almost flying. But daddy told me that he was just trotting. I cant image how fast he must go when he runs. “
“What are you gonna be when you grow up?” I continue the conversation.
He looked at me and then over at his dad and then up at Rex..”Well I am gonna be a cowboy, of course!”
“You sure you don’t want to be a horse doctor? I think you would be a great horse doctor. Then you could take care of other good horses like Rex. You could come here and I would teach you how to do it. We would have a lot of fun making horses happy.”
He raised one eyebrow a bit. I could see the wheels turning in his little mind and he held on a little tighter to the horse’s leg and looked up at him again.
A minute or so passed and he said, “Nope, I am gonna be a cowboy. But thank you for asking.”
His dad got off the phone and 4 followed behind us, leading ole’ Rex as we headed down to watch the old saint trot on the lameness pad. I explained to 4 how to tell which leg a horse was lame in by watching him trot. He paid close attention and acted like he knew exactly what I was talking about.
We finished the exam and treated Rex with just the right medicine to make him feel better. I told 4 to hold on tight and screw down the next time he rode Rex, because he was gonna feel much better. This brought a concerned look to 4’s face and he looked over at his dad for some advice. I could tell there was gonna be some conversation on the drive home about how fast Rex already was, it was really gonna be scary now that he was gonna feel better.
The little boy lead the old gelding back across the parking lot and loaded him into the stock trailer like they had done it a thousand times together. Dad closed the back and fastened it, and the two of them headed to the front to pay.
I stood back and watched it all happen and smiled to myself. What a wonderful job I have. What a wonderful part of America I get to see every day. What amazing people live here and raise their families to be salt of the earth, hard working citizens. And most of all….there are very few things I have ever seen that touches me more than the relationship between a little kid and a kind old horse.

18/04/2023

Excellent article.
Well stated Ken

In an effort to be kind to the horse, many people forfeit the one thing the horse needs most: LEADERSHIP. It is your leadership that keeps him safe, provides for his needs, and sets healthy boundaries.

We all like to make decisions for the horse that improve his wellbeing - we steer him away from the barbed wire on the trail, provide farrier and medical care that he may not want, and set fences up around his pasture so he doesn’t wander into traffic. Then when it comes to boundaries that affect personal safety, I have seen some folks neglect that very same leadership role, thinking they are being “bossy” or “mean” to the horse.

The truth is, in order to continue to provide for your horse’s needs and make the decisions that are best for his wellbeing, you have to establish leadership. In his mind, in your herd of two, either YOU are the leader, or HE is. Those are the only two options.

The fear many people face is that they will lose connection with the horse if they establish leadership. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you communicate with the horse in a way he understands, and you do it consistently and fairly, you don’t sacrifice relationship - you STRENGTHEN it.
…………………………………..

Stay tuned for my newest video release: “Teaching Your Horse Ground Manners.”

12/04/2023

This is why training only gets you so far - it is really about relationship

14/03/2023

This is wrong.
There is no such thing as naughty, angry, worried - these are human emotions. Confused is a borderline one for me as an inconsistent human may cause confusion but it is still a bit too human.
Anthropomorphic terms and thinking do nothing for the betterment of the horse.
Misunderstood is a good one as humans are ALWAYS the issue. Be it the one in the mirror or one from the past a human created whatever the horse has become good or bad

03/03/2023

I have been ruined.
I see this and rather than simply laugh i think "holy hell! When that horse launces into that trailer that squating human is toast!"

20/09/2022

TRUTH!!! Mother nature is much cleaner...lol

FACTS 🤣🤣🤣

17/09/2022

So, our latest addition. Added either yesterday or today. Looks black and white and stud c**t but need to get closer to verify and to see about curls.

14/08/2022

My husband married one!

Before you choose the horse girl, just remember, her horses come first. She will be very unlikely to give up a really good day of riding, to go drive around aimlessly. She will sometimes be late, and have hay stuck in her hair on special date nights. She might cancel last minute cause her horse has a scratch and she wants to tend to him. She probably wont want to party a ton because the next morning shes gotta get up early to load horses for a show. She will use your hoodies to go feed in, use your truck to haul hay in (if she doesn't already have her own) she will drag you out to video and take photos of her riding any chance she can get! Have I mentioned horses are expensive, and they continue to cost even when they are not in use, unlike your bike, sleds or vehicles that can be parked and not eat! She probably wont wanna go away for to many nights at a time, cause she doesn't like that she'll have to hire someone to feed and water her horses!

But, horse girls are a lot more than just a pain in the butt, they will teach you what patience is, what strength is, & what determination is. You will watch them be told they can not do something , and watch them work everyday to do it. You will be amazed and what she can do with some bailing twine and duct tape, You will be fascinated at how agile and strong she can be at the same time. You will smile when she swings a leg over , because she is where she needs to be. You will cheer her on, and be proud to announce that, that is your girl up there. You will watch her get dumped and get back on and continue her ride.

You will learn to love it, or you wont. Horse girls aren't for everyone, they arent always easy, but they are hard to forget! 🐴🐴

-unknown

01/08/2022

What impressed me most at CFd finals rodeo?
Not the bull riding nor the bucking horses nor the wild horse racing and not even who won what.
What impressed me was the barrel race winner being able to ride her horse out for the awards presentation and then around the arena for the victory lap.
Most barrel racers won't or can't ride their barrel horse other than during competition. This young lady clearly has a relationship with her horse allowing her to utilize her horse as a horse not just a triangle racer.

31/07/2022

Couldnt have said it better with one exception....look in the mirror as you are the "root"

The majority of horse “problems” (such as bucking, rearing, biting and pawing) aren’t really problems at all; they are really just symptoms of a cause. Ninety-five percent of all the problems you will ever have to deal with as a horse owner will fix themselves if you do the groundwork and earn your horse’s respect.

Most people think that their horse’s problem is the real issue, but it’s not. It’s nothing more than a symptom of a cause. People get so focused on the horse’s bad behavior that they can’t see what is actually causing it. It’s like a w**d growing in the ground. You can chop it off with a w**d whacker, but two weeks later it will grow right back because the root system is still intact. If you really want to kill the w**d, you need to pour w**d killer on it to kill the root system. When you kill the roots, the w**d will die. It’s the same thing when training horses. - Clinton

Have a horsemanship question or looking for more training tips? Check out the No Worries Club ➡ www.noworriesclub.com

12/05/2022

This post is 4 years old, but I’m posting it again because the subject came up in a recent discussion.
___________________________

I read somewhere that if a horse bucks when it is saddled for the first time it’s due to poor preparation. This got me thinking.

As a kid, I was lucky because I was very active and pretty good at most sports I tried. I have always had above average hand-eye coordination. I was quick on my feet and had really good reflexes. I was good a soccer player, runner, body surfer, and rider and I could box a bit. But I had a friend whose parents had emigrated from Iran when the Shah came to power. Bobby’s dad had a dream that Bobby would one day play soccer for Australia. If hopes had the power to make things come true Bobby would have captained Australia at the World Cup – and won! But Bobby was tragically uncoordinated. When he threw a ball it was anyone’s guess which direction it might go – even sometimes behind him. Bobby could do a lot of things really well, but he was never born to play soccer at an elite level. Bobby’s father was heartbroken.

I lost contact with Bobby after high school, but I sometimes think of him. I was thinking of him a few days ago when I wrote the post about horses that buck when they are saddle virgins. Thinking about Bobby has me asking the question, are all things meant to be possible?

If we accept that every living thing has limitations, then it is not hard to accept that Bobby would never play professional soccer or that I will never discover the mathematical solution to the unifying theory, or that my horse will never score 10s in a dressage test. No matter what our dreams maybe not everything is possible. Contentment is only thinkable when we keep our ambitions or dreams within our limitations.

Now I come to the question that I’ve been pondering for a very long time.

Is every horse meant to be a riding horse (or carriage horse or companion horse of any kind)?

We train and ride horses because historically they presented a very useful form of transport and work vehicle and war machine. Civilization owes a huge debt to the horse. But this was only possible because of their trainability. We chose horses over almost every other species because they had the most appropriate features of any. But does that mean that every horse fits into that mold?

I come across videos, articles, books, and blogs that preach over and over that how a horse responds to training is the human’s total responsibility. I very much agree with this notion. I think our own limitations as trainers projects onto the horses and the outcome is all on us. So given that we all have significant limitations in our understanding of horses and our ability to communicate with them on their level, are there some horses we are never meant to ride?

In the course of the thousands of horses I have crossed paths with in my life I have certainly come across horses that were more difficult than others to work with. Among those I can recall, two horses (bred from the same sire) that I did start, but which I felt should never have been under saddle. They were both unpredictable and went through a few years of hell being passed from trainer to trainer looking for a solution. Eventually, the owner gave up and had them euthanized. With all the soul-searching that I did, the only explanation I concluded was that the horses were never meant to be riding horses. I can never be sure, but it seems to be the closest fit to explain their response to human interaction.

I realize it goes against the grain a little to think not every horse is destined to be a suitable riding mount. It seems unfathomable to think that a horse is not rideable. We grow up believing that surely if a horse had the correct handling they would all make good riding horses. But when you consider how foreign it is to the nature of a horse to do the things we want to do with them and the practices we use to house, tame, and educate them, it does not seem so far-fetched to me that there are some horses that are not born with the “right stuff” to fit into the mould we insist they do. The idea of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole comes to mind.

Photo: Not every horse is meant to be a riding horse. Some are meant to be beach bums.