Bella Peregrina Ranch

26/08/2024

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26/08/2024

Upcoming Horse Transports

We have the following availability:

September:
Mon 9/2 - Fri 9/6
Mon 9/9 - Friday 9/13
Mon 9/16 - Wed 9/18
Thu 9/19 - Fri 9/20 availability limited to local short same day shuttles
Mon 9/23 - Fri 9/27

October:
Dates To Be Determined
Texas > Pennsylvania > Texas
through Arkansas, Tennessee and Virginia
can go through Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi

* We do not drive more than 8 - 10 hours per day (500 - 700 mi)
* Rest stops every 4 hours to check horses, refresh hay and water
* Nightly layovers
* Photo and/or video updates
* GPS tracking
* Bi-weekly or Monthly Payment Plans available
* Horse care, Communication, Punctuality, Customer Service
- Horses arrive happy, healthy, safe and sound.
- Trustworthy, reliable, dependable.
- We do what we say we will do, the way we say we will do it.
- We are where we say we will be, when we say we will be there.
Contact:
512-269-6309
[email protected]
facebook.com/bella.peregrina.ranch
www.bellaperegrinaranch.com

23/08/2024

16/08/2024

Paid job opportunities available
Thursday 8/29, 5 - 11 pm
Friday 8/30, 5 - 11 pm
Saturday 8/31, Noon to 11 pm
Sunday 9/1, Noon to 11 pm
Your choice of $12 an hour or horseback ride time (lesson, trail, pony ride event)
Hit Me Up!
512-269-6309
[email protected]
PM here or
Bella Peregrina Ranch

Ride Request Form
https://forms.gle/KKyMcxRHvs5ArzXHA

Share the Magic of Horses!
Pony Rides, Trail

11/08/2024

Remember that the meaning of "dressage" in French is nothing more than "Training"

"Your Best Self," an excerpt from Paul Belasik's latest book, Dressage for No Country:
What if dressage was instead about reaching a place where you are near the “best idea” of yourself? You might not be famous, but your horse likes and respects you, people like and respect you. You work hard, but you’re not nervous about the outcome. How you feel about your work won’t change much because of some judge’s opinion. You are less concerned with how you measure up to an external yardstick because you are seriously engaged in how you meet standards established by your own tests. When you are riding, training, or teaching, you are so focused, you are often unaware of time. Even when a session is difficult, you feel right with your horse. The stiffness in your back seems to have disappeared. If you get frustrated, you can quickly recover your attention. Your emotions can’t seem to get a foothold; the anxieties in your life seem suspended for a while. What you do together with your horse seems like cooperation; a mutually beneficial dance, and not like a continuing argument.
Have you ever seen pictures of people swimming in the ocean, their hands clasped around the dorsal fin of a dolphin as the dolphin carries them along? They feel excitement, fear, joy— their faces say it all. They can’t put into words the rapture they are relishing, a suspension of any editorializing or sarcasm. It is a powerful jolt of pure experience, in that moment of communion with nature itself. Even though the positive effect of that connection can’t be entirely explained, most people acknowledge it is important. We ride horses. Do we find ourselves forgetting how ridiculously amazing that is?

11/08/2024

“A general concept of horsemanship is, and I believe this real deeply, that it’s not necessarily what the horse can do for me, it’s what I can do for the horse,” Gene Armstrong.

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11/08/2024

Horse racing has a problem, but it doesn’t stop there. Learn why all equestrian sports may be at risk, and what you can do to help.

11/08/2024

Here is a topic I find extremely important: access to, and some know how around trailers

Now before we get started, I recognize not everyone can afford a trailer, has a setup where they can store a trailer, or even has a truck to haul said trailer. But bear with me here-
Everyone who has a horse needs to have access to a trailer. Yes, you do. You need to be able to hook it up, load your horse in it, and drive it.

I read comments on horse vet corner every day where a horse has had a medical emergency and the owner doesn’t have access to a trailer, and can’t get any vets out.

I am called frequently by folks having an emergency and request I come haul their horse when I am out of state or unavailable.

I read posts about evacuations from floods, fires, etc where folks can’t get a trailer to their horse.

Your horse’s life could very well depend on access to this trailer and your ability to drive it. You don’t want to be in the middle of an emergency realizing your husband always hooks up the trailer for you, or your friend does, or your trainer does - (these are all things my students have said to me as a reason why they didn’t need to learn how)

I know they are expensive.
There are many solutions to this problem: payment plans, leasing, bartering with a friend, going in on a trailer with a friend. Of all the things we equestrians spend money on- matchy matchy tack, dvds, supplements, lessons (not saying you shouldn’t take them, just saying your horses safety is kind of a priority)- a trailer is not a bad investment.

To me, having a horse and no trailer is like having a baby and no car seat

09/08/2024

Read it again

TRAIL RIDERS

I had a conversation with a fellow involved in the thoroughbred racing industry who asked me what sort of people and horses came to my clinics. When I told him, it was beyond him to understand why anyone would own a horse that was not racing or being trained for racing. In previous years I have met people who believed the same thing about horses who were not working as dressage horses, or cow horses, or polo horses, etc.

So I decided to re-post this essay that I wrote about 5 years ago. I hope you enjoy it. I believe it is still relevant.
________________________

I’ve got a bone to pick and it might surprise you to know it is with b-l-o-o-d-y trail riders. I have ridden many thousands of kilometres up and down the eastern half of Australia over many years – sometimes camping in the bush for many months at a time. Plus I get a lot of trail riders coming to my clinics. So I have enough experience and ammunition to make a legitimate complaint.

In fact, I have 2 complaints. The first is easy and I can deal with it in one short paragraph, but the second deserves a rant.

Okay. First up, about half of those that mainly do trail riding describe themselves as “pleasure riders”. Stop it. We are all pleasure riders! I hope we all ride for pleasure – even professional horse people. Being a good horse person is hard and dangerous work, so if you don’t love it, the other rewards (financial, accolades, ribbons) are certainly not enough for me to make it worthwhile. Gaining pleasure from what we do should supercede every other reason for riding horses. So trail riders should stop trying to appropriate the term “pleasure rider.” It’s a term that should apply to every rider of every persuasion.

Now the second and more important reason I am cranky at trail riders is their attitude.

Whenever I meet a new student at a clinic I ask them what do they do with their horse. I would say 4 out of 5 of the trail people say something like, “Oh not much. I just trail ride” or “I just like to potter around on the trail” or “We are not serious. We just like to ride out in the bush.”

They describe trail riding as if they have to apologize for it. It’s as if there is some sort of shame to being a trail rider and they are the second-class citizens of the horse world.

Well, I’m going to tell you those trail riders are not second-class horse people. They are the WARRIOR CLASS of the horse world.

I have come across plenty of people who have had long and highly successful competition careers that wish they had a horse they could safely ride on a trail. They practice their exercises in the safe confines of a riding facility where the most startling and unpredictable thing that can happen is that the horse gets its tiptoes wet in a puddle after a storm or it has to cope with a judge placing a rosette on its bridle. Heaven forbid those precious gold-plated ponies with their diamante browbands would have any sort of challenge that would cause their makeup to run.

Now of course I am having a bit of a laugh making fun of precious show horses, but my problem is not with show horses and their owners. My problem is with the apologetic attitude of trail riders.

I realize that some in the horse world look down on trail riding as not being “real” riding. But that is no excuse for the average trail rider to be hiding in the corner hoping nobody will make fun of their mixed breed pony with the unbraided mane and gone-wild ear fuzz.

To train a good trail horse is proof of a person’s skill as a horseman or woman.

Creek crossings, steep descents, swampy ground, branches whacking their face, the stench of decaying carcasses, inconsiderate car drivers, and bike riders are the things of nightmares for many horses trained in other disciplines. But for a good trail horse and their rider with a spine made of tungsten they are nothing more than another point of interest on their sightseeing tour.

To be able to calm a horse that is losing its manure on a trail is a badge of honour that is worth more than any blue ribbon. When on the other side of every new turn in the trail lies in waiting a horse-eating emu, it is the experienced trail rider that will see them to safety. When behind every bush hides the shadow of the grim reaper ready to unleash mayhem and death, it is the trail rider that will slay death. How many horses that only know the soft feel of a sand arena on their feet can hold their panic in check when the tentacles of an errant blackberry runner grabs their leg and attempts to drag them into the belly of hell?

I realize there are plenty of horses that are skilled in multi-disciplines and are proficient in arena work as well as trail riding. But so many horses live a life confined to just one particular chosen discipline. I believe all horses should be riding horses before they are ever trained for a specialty. That means they should be good trail horses. That means they should be good with traffic, opening gates, crossing bridges and water, mounting from either side. That means they should remain emotionless when their rider removes a jacket or another horse trots up beside them.

Nobody should ever apologize for being “just” a trail rider. Stand proud. Be the best you can be at what you do and you will never have to feel second-class to any other horse person. Remember you are the WARRIOR CLASS.

09/08/2024

“If only horses could speak English, we could get along better!”

I often think about that statement and don’t believe it’s true.

If horses could speak in words, they might still hide or not recognize pain, being the stoic creatures they are

If horses could talk, we would still be subject to the same biases we already have, and interpret their words in ways they didn’t mean

If horses could talk, there would be a fair amount of us interrupting them and telling them what they mean

If horses could talk, many of us still wouldn’t get the message

So the problem is not horses talking, but as with everything, us really listening

08/08/2024

Start with Why (horse's thoughts)
Then move on to How (horse's biomechanics)
Then the What (whatever action one is trying to train the horse to do) will take care of itself.

08/08/2024

Science Of Motion (repost)

Most horses as well as most riders have the necessary intuition. The problem is that intuition is marred by nuisances. There are three types of nuisances. One is the equestrian education which scleroses everyone thinking and feeling into generalities and formulas to which every horse are supposed to be submitted. A good example is the ludicrous theory, “correct aids equal correct movement.” This archaic thinking demeans the horse to the level of a robot or computer who reacts optimally to given cues. This is an absurdity which does not acknowledge the horse’s fundamental mental processing. A horse protects intuitively a morphological flaw, muscle imbalance or weaknesses. The horse’s initial reaction to any given aids is always directed by this survival reflex.
The second major nuisance is the concept of “submission,” which is in fact directed by fear of the horse. Due to its large size and muscular power, the horse is an impressive athlete. The true is that the horse is primarily a gentle giant but the aggressiveness of the riding and training techniques force the horse into mental and physical defenses. Submission is a major nuisance. Whatever the expression, “obedience”, “join up”, “surrender to the leader”, the meaning is always domination and control. Such rudimentary training psychology can only, at the best, coordinate natural reflexes. Performances are demanding much more than natural reflexes. Performances are demanding reflex combination precisely adapted to the nature of the effort and beyond the scope of natural behavior.
Hence, preparing efficiently the horse’s physique for the athletic demand of the performance involve participation of the horse’s mental processing. If the horse is punished for its errors, his brain will refuge itself within the limits of natural reflexes and will no longer explore beyond instinctive behavior. “No one learns to make right decisions without being free to make wrong ones.’ (Kenneth Sollitt) JLC

07/08/2024

“You want your body and his body to become one.
This is our goal.
It takes some physical pressure naturally, to start with, but you keep doing less and less physical and more and more mental. Pretty soon, it’s just a feel following a feel, whether it comes today, tomorrow or next year.
So one little thing falls into line, into place.
I wish it would all fall into place right now for you, but it doesn’t because it has to become a way of life.
It’s a way you think.
It’s a way you live.
You can’t make any of this happen, but you can let it happen by working at it.” - Ray Hunt.

Ray's quote was taken from Margot Kahn’s 'Horses That Buck: The story of champion bronc rider Bill Smith'

07/08/2024

It is our pleasure and we are always happy to help do this for you
Our oldest riders to date have been 98 year old grandma and grandpa.

07/08/2024

Funny because it's true

07/08/2024

Be present
Pay attention

07/08/2024

Dear Gentle Readers, a gentle reminder and public service announcement ~
If someone has been scammed, it is not another legitimate, reputable provider's responsibility to lower our prices. We see this almost every day. Someone gets scammed. Then, they ask for us to lower our prices, because they lost their money to the scammer. We have almost always already given quotes to the same folks. They chose the cheapest quote, with no phone call, no contract, no deposit, no reviews, no references. And then, they are surprised that they got scammed. We are very reasonably priced, we are legitimate, we are reputable, we have miles of reviews and references, and we are accident free for decades. Please, do the research, make phone calls (scammers will not answer the phone), make deposits using credit cards and methods that provide buyer protection (scammers will demand all the money up front via a method that has no reversal / no buyer protection). If no deposit is required, don't be surprised when they blow you off and don't show up, because someone else offered them more money. If the deal is too good to be true, then it probably is a scam. If it is not a scam, then one still runs the risk of their child or their horse being sick, hurt or dead.
We now return you to your regular Facebooking.
Love,
me

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03/08/2024

Riding schools for children -

I used to teach children riding lessons a lot. It was really fun and rewarding to instill in young people care and respect for the horse, and good riding skills. I found chikdren far more receptive and empathetic than many adults, because they hadn’t been taught to ignore horses expressions to get something done.

The pressure from parents to accelerate the kids skills to more fun stuff, or to prevent the child’s boredom, was a steady presence in teaching- along with maintaining the school horses soundness and mental well-being from being ridden by beginners. Keeping lessons good for both horse and rider was a job of creativity and constant adjustment. I believe it can be done, but the culture at large doesn’t typically make it profitable, as many parents struggle to want to pay for lessons on sound husbandry and good riding basics. The kids want to canter, by God!

I have some firm beliefs about good riding stables, and I realize the expense and strain and adjustment is an ever pressing reality, I stand by these beliefs:

-children should learn good riding fundamentals first, and not progress to trotting, cantering, jumping until they have a good understanding of a balanced seat and can demonstrate it

-children should learn care of and respect for the horse comes before their entertainment. Grooming, tacking, warming up and cooling down, quitting an activity or adjusting if the horse is stressed, learning groundwork, etc, should be a non negotiable

-children should learn to feel a balanced horse to the extent possible. A beginner horse should not simply be a lame horse that tolerates them, but one to teach th em how to ride- children should not be set up for a future of kicking and pulling to get a horse to do something, but learn to feel how to direct a horse with their body, and to feel movement that is balanced, setting them up for a lifetime of being able to balance future horses.

- children should learn to read accurately equine expression and well-being. Children should not be taught to describe horses as lazy, stubborn, etc- these are taught by adults and children learn to adapt these views. The adults are responsible for setting the culture and views of horses and their handling.

Many riders struggle with normalizing tight, crooked, and unhappy horses because this is what they learn to ride on. The instructor is responsible for setting the culture of what their program entails, and I believe this means setting firm boundaries on what the purchasing client can expect, instead of catering to unreasonable demands to keep business. That is a whole can of worms in itself, but one worth opening.

21/07/2024

"We must never forget, every time we sit on a horse, what an extraordinary privilege it is: to be able to unite one's body with that of another sentient being, one that is stronger, faster and more agile by far than we are, and at the same time, brave, generous, and uncommonly forgiving." William Steinkraus, Olympic Gold Medalist

20/07/2024

17/07/2024

barefoot and bitless!

The Houston Mounted Police Patrol Unit has been gaining global attention recently and is being acknowledged as a leader in the natural horse movement.

The Houston Mounted Police Patrol Unit has been gaining global attention recently for its leadership in the natural horse movement. After transitioning to barefoot years ago, the Unit has now also opted to go bitless.

The mounted unit herd was previously managed in a very traditional manner, however, the officers soon realized that they were frequently faced with hoof issues and other ailments that could be attributed to the use of metal shoes. Metal shoes on asphalt create concussive force that travels through the hoof and up the leg of the horse. In 1984, the Swiss Cavalry at the University of Zurich conducted a study on the effects of metal shoeing. The research revealed that the impact force on a shod hoof on hard ground is 10-33 times greater than that of an unshod hoof. The vibration caused by the shoe in the hoof is approximately 800 hz, a level that is high enough to cause damage to living tissue.

The metallic footwear was impeding the natural flexibility of the hoof under pressure, consequently reducing essential blood flow to the hoof and lower limb.

As a result of these challenges, the unit concluded that it was worth trying something different. In 2004, they decided to experiment by allowing one horse to go barefoot. The outcome was extremely positive, leading them to transition their entire herd (40 horses) to barefoot. They observed a significant improvement in the health of their horses, resulting in a 50% reduction in vet bills. Moreover, they noticed enhanced traction on slippery surfaces, contributing to a sense of safety for both the officers and horses during patrols. It is difficult to dispute the benefits of these changes! Furthermore, the force has recently made the decision to transition to Bitless equipment, which has been met with great success.