BlazeBerry Horse Training

15/04/2025

15/04/2025

How do i feel about not competing in a mustang challenge this year?

Honestly? I miss the fun uncertainty of picking up a clean slate, ready to adapt and give a new horse a good foundation.

But with everything thats happened or happening in my life, this year has let me take a breath and just love 2 mustangs, and its also letting me focus on myself, to improve and fine tune my methods and skills!

I never thought i would own another mustang that WASNT an Antelope Hills, due to how much i love that HMA all because of Blaze, but Rosie has captured my heart in a whole new way.

I was supposed to put 100 days of tip training on Rosie Posie, but she had other plans. She was a horse that would improve at her own pace, and if she didnt feel like learning she wasnt going to do it 🤦‍♀️

Those 100 days turned into past a year.

And its been a great year.

Taking care of 3 horses has proven to be extremely different than just 2, and not to mention Rosie has started her terrible 2's phase and now we have to fix our open stalls, but still. I cant imagine her leaving, at least not yet.

Im forever grateful to my 2 challenge mustangs, as they taught me alot! But i think i may just keep that number at 2 for a long time. Rosie and Blaze both feel like the equines you just cant let go.

I can still take clients, but im planning on a "horse slow" year this year. Something i havent had since i was 11.💖

12/02/2025

Why do i stand with my horse?

Now thats a question you wouldnt expect to be reading, or even hear for that matter. But i want to show you why it should be asked more often.

"Why do you stand by your horse?" Could mean lots of things.

Standing by its shoulder while you wait?

Standing by it while it eats?

Standing by it while it does nothing?

Or it could mean

"Why do you defend your horse?"

And that can mean physically, or even mentally, in lots of different situations.

This question is meant to get you thinking about what you truly prioritize when around your equine. Is it riding? Is it groundwork? Is it friendship? Or is it a work relationship?

None of these things are inherently bad, as long as you think about your horse.

Now i mean, why do you literally stand by your horse? Is it to give them a command? Is it to help them?

Most of the time when im standing by my horse, its to be their protector and guide. Not their boss or micro manager.

This is a good example of that.

The picture below is my almost 2 year old filly. I was standing by her as her special food was about to be stolen by my 2 older horses.

Since there was no place to lock her up, i stood there to make sure my filly got her food. Even just standing there made my other horses stop their shenanigans. They could tell by my body language that they needed to calm down or leave.

Standing up for your horse doesnt always have to mean you fighting with a person, or pulling your horse out of a situation.

It can also mean just helping them get their full portion of their food, or letting them have pasture time with their best friend instead of the whole herd.

We will never be a horse, but we can use our knowledge of the species to help them.

So why dont we??

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from my farm to yours!!

17/12/2024

While looking at my tack room i had some thoughts.

I have a handful of saddles. A handful of pads.

The handful are great. They are good quality, and i dont worry too much about them.

Now, i have a handful of bridles. 4. A bitted and bitless one for each older horse.

They are all amazing, but again i dont worry too much about them. (3 out of 4 bridles are from Royal Legacy go check them out!)

But i have MANY halters in my tack room. Some just kept for memories and others i use all the time.

I worry more about my halters than my tack.

I have 3 different halters each for the 2 older horses.

One Nylon.

One Rope.

And one Leather.

Each have their jobs, leather for comfort, nylon for tying, and rope for vet and farrier visits.

But then i realize Rosie only has 2 nylon ones. One for training, a pink one that is slightly big, and one for outtings and looking good, a teal one with designs on it.

Maybe one day Rosie will graduate to having a leather halter, but i realized the way i trained her is so different than my 2 other horses.

Why? Well my 2 other horses have trauma. So i have to adjust to make sure we ALL feel safe.

I taught Rosie from the beginning that humans will never hurt her and her opinions will be listened to.

Rosie wasnt trained with force. She was trained with love and respect for the equine she is. And i dont expect it back for any of my horses, which is why they are so willing to love.

Understanding will always over power force and fear.

We need more trainers like this.

27/10/2024

Lets talk about the Wild Horse and B***o Program BLM and foals for a second...

Lots of uproar has been cast around due to foals being rounded up besides their mothers.

They (activists) try to pull out examples of foals being rounded up at a young age. But yet, they only seem to care about the colorful foals. Not the plain sorrels, nor tiny bays.

Only the pretty pintos and roan babies, with flashy chrome and distinguishing markings.

Thats how you know 90% of activists dont know crap about what they are "fighting" for.

The real activists are people who have been out with the horses (more than once or twice), and they are the ones actively communicating to the BLM what they can do to help.

They arent sitting on their phones, sending emails, or fighting with people on the internet.

The true activists actually love the horses and want whats best for them because they KNOW the horses.

This post was inspired by everyone throwing a fit about a flashy filly named a Thora being rounded up, even though my filly Rosie was young enough for people to throw a fit for as well.

But because a Rosie is a plain old sorrel, and not special at all, (because who cares about the most common color of mustangs, am i right? 🤦) her story didnt get far at all before her roundup. In fact, i bet that 99% of "activists" didnt even know about the Black Mountain roundup in Idaho in 2023....

I hate liars, and i hate people who act like they know everything about a situation. And many MANY "wild horse activists" fall under both those categories...

Ive met the difference. Ive talked with TRUE activists, and they are very different compared to 99% of the people in the comments in the BLM posts....

Dont get me wrong, i strongly support the BLM and feral horse roundups.

But i feel the need to point out the difference between real activists, and the fake ones that only read the "donate here" button and say they know everything...

Heres a picture of my sweet filly Rosie 💕

12/08/2024

While its pouring, im watching Blaze try to herd Rosie into the stalls with him, to get out of the rain.

He eventually gave up and left her for a stall, but watching how a protector interacts with a foal is so interesting.

He was very patient with her, but that doesnt mean he didnt put his foot down to move her.

On top of all of that, i realized how much people neglect to teach about equine body language. Theres no way to "act like a horse" to horses. We dont have the tail, ears, hooves, and expressions to communicate properly to them.

Being able to see and pin point every little motion of communication was very eye opening. And i realized "natural horsemanship" never taught me any of it.

Rosie wanted to play in the rain. Blaze wanted her to stay safe. They communicated, argued, then decided on a course of action.

Better than most humans lol

10/08/2024

First Off Property trip for Rosie! Instead of working her, or having her practice following, i just let her loose in the giant arena while i gave my mom a riding lesson.

Why would i do that?

Its simple.

I have no fear of inability to catch her.

She trusts me but she needs to figure out things on her own as well.

I didnt want to over-stimulate her, and make this a bad trip in her mind.

Horses live in the present. We need to teach them that way as well. Rosie had a blast running around, and even made a new friend.

All because i LET her live and learn in the present.

When she would get scared or excited she would run to me to get comfort. And thats ok.

We need to let inexperienced horses, learn as horses. Not just go through the motions of desensitizing.

Rosie is a confident and happy yearling, all because ive let her be a horse, and not some project to fix up.

29/07/2024

A much needed update on Rosie!

The little cutie never went to the Branded Bonanza. Nor did I. The weekend before i decided i need to keep her for at least a little longer, so here we are.

She also started growing, and looking like a little skinny monster, so we introduced grain and a new pasture, and she has gained all that weight back and more.

Shes currently a happy, healthy, and goofy little baby. Blaze has taken a liking to her, while Marque dislikes her. Blaze will share his piles of hay with Rosie during feed time, even when Marque tries to drive her away from hers.

Its been a big adjustment for me as well. Rosie now lives in our entire pasture with the 2 other horses, and its definitely a whole new struggle to see hay, grain, and treats now "vanish" at a faster rate. Not to mention the money in my bank accounts.

But, with this stress also comes comfort. Rosie loves it here, she views us as her people, unlike any of my other project or challenge horses.

Tomorrow is her first farrier appointment (ever!) And im just praying that all our TIP training holds.

This has been a surprising but welcome change. Im not against selling her to the PERFECT home, but until then she has an unchanging place here.

I love seeing her and Blaze share "mustang moments". I hope she stays with me for a lot longer than im hoping.

Welcome home officially Rosie Posie! You can relax here until our next adventure!

27/06/2024

Heres my take on the debate of "weight vs balance" in the horse world for riding:

Being too large alone puts too much strain on the horses back, and hurts the lower joints on the horses legs. The stifles, hocks, and knees.

Being unbalanced no matter the weight will hurt the upper joints in the horses legs and body. The shoulders, hips, neck and head.

We need to stop defending something when its equally as damaging to the horse, just in other ways.

Its like saying racehorses break down, but show jumpers dont. Both break down to do the work, different effects, same issues.

This is something I come across in the horse world too much. Defending one thing by saying it's different/worse than something else.

I feel weight AND balance issues need to be addressed. Not just have one swept under the rug cause its had less research done on it.

Just a quick thought I had.

Now im not saying DONT RIDE UNLESS YOUR X WEIGHT. I'm saying Please be aware of your horse. If your horse is too small it will tell you. But YOU need to look for and read the signs. Ive seen plenty of horses carry a rider comfortably that at first glance you wouldnt believe, but thats because some horses are built to carry more weight than others.

So please, PLEASE just be aware instead of ignorant!

Picture of my herd for a nice breath of fresh air.

20/06/2024

Rosie (Ariel's Rose) is being taught by my 2 grown horses how to have fun when turned out in a bigger pasture than theirs!!

The paint mare was finished by me, the flaxen chestnut gelding was completely trained by me, and now Rosie, the darker chestnut, is trained by me as well!

These 3 are like the big trio, no matter what they are ready to back up one another!