Hoof to Heart - H2H VETS INC

03/12/2025

We have a few lesson openings
Thurs 6pm
Sun 3:30p

01/12/2025

Embrace a journey of healing and connection through our veterans' program. Discover the transformative power of horses in a supportive community that understands your unique experiences.

https://hooftoheartvets.com

01/12/2025

💻cyber Monday deals!! 💻

Hoof to Heart Apparel Store clothing and apparel! T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, sweat pants, hats, mugs and more. Shop for your Hoof to Heart Apparel Store spirit wear here!

01/12/2025

This
Partnering with us will mean so much to the veteran and first responder communities and their families.

All of our program options are at no cost to the veteran/1st responder/families because we are giving back to those who serve & continue to serve.

Your support helps us build a community where active military, veterans, and first responders find calmness camaraderie, and connection through the horses.

Visit https://hooftoheartvets.com
To donate.

30/11/2025

⭐ Your Horse’s Memory: Not What You Think

Alright… if my last post got you thinking about how horses THINK, this one is about how they REMEMBER — and this part is HUGE.

Most of what we call misbehavior is actually memory.
Most of what we call emotion is actually memory.
Most of what we take personally has nothing to do with us at all....it's memory

Let me break it down…
Horses have several powerful memory pathways, and when you understand them, everything starts to click.

🧠 1. Associative Memory

The strongest system in the horse’s brain.
The “this goes with that” memory.

• This person = safety
• This place = scary
• This routine = work
• This sound = something’s coming

It’s not planning.
It’s pattern-linking.

🧠 2. Emotional Memory

This is the one that leaves the deepest marks.

The amygdala stamps memories with emotion.
Horses have a massive one.

So fear sticks.
Relief sticks.
Safety sticks.
Hurt sticks.
Comfort sticks.

A horse may stay wary in the same place they were once scared —
unless we help them build a new emotional memory.

🧠 3. Contextual Memory (Temple Grandin’s “detail thinking”)

This one is HUGE, and most people don’t talk about it.

Horses notice tiny details humans miss:

Shadows.
Jacket colors.
A cone moved a few feet.
Different footing.
The wind direction.
A smell that wasn’t there yesterday.
The energy in your body.

Animals think in pictures, and pictures change with details.

A horse doesn’t think:
“A tarp is a tarp.”

They think:
“This tarp… in THIS wind… on THIS ground… in THIS lighting… with THIS person…
is NOT the same one.”

Context matters.
Always.

🧠 4. Procedural Memory

The “how-to” memory stored deep in the cerebellum.

Once learned, it sticks:

• trailer loading
• obstacle navigation
• patterns
• cues
• body movements

This is why horses don’t forget how to do something you taught well....or not so well.

🧠 5. Spatial Memory

Horses carry a map in their brain.

They remember:
• where the gate is
• where they last felt afraid
• where they last felt safe
• where the food is
• where home is

Their internal GPS is incredible.

😬 “My Horse Is Getting Back At Me.” (Nope.)

If your last interaction involved:
• fear
• pain
• pressure
• confusion

their memory says:

“Last time this happened, I felt unsafe.”

That’s not revenge…
That’s survival.

🐴 A quick example from Slick

Slick has never been hit by me ...ever.
But if I touch his side too fast, he still flinches.

That reaction isn’t about me.
It’s about a memory his nervous system carries from long before I got him.

That’s memory in action.

💛 Why This Matters

When we understand associative, emotional, contextual, procedural, and spatial memory…
we stop taking things personally.

We stop writing human stories onto a horse brain.

And instead, we start asking:

“What does this horse remember?”
“What experience is driving this reaction?”
“What story lives in his nervous system?”

And then we can start building new memories that say…

“You are safe with me now.”

That’s where trust lives. 🧠🐴💛

26/11/2025

🙌🏼 We are thankful for all of the veterans & first responder for being part of our H2H community

✅ Check out some of the reviews from fellow veterans!

🐴 if you are looking to make your own connection with equine assisted services with fellow veterans / first responders. Come and join us for one of our many options available.

🧤Behind the stall door - grooming sessions

🐴 group workshops - groundwork sessions

🐎limited riding lessons (must have completed 4 grooming & ground work sessions to ride)

At Hoof to Heart - VETS, our mission is to provide safe and enjoyable unmounted experiences for of all levels. We strive to create a welcoming environment where participants can develop their skills, build confidence, and form lasting connections with horses. Created by veterans for veterans.

25/11/2025

Going to be offering lesson packages for $300
Black Friday - cyber Monday only!!

24/11/2025

🌟🌟Black Friday sale!!! 🌟🌟

Hoof to Heart Apparel Store clothing and apparel! T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, sweat pants, hats, mugs and more. Shop for your Hoof to Heart Apparel Store spirit wear here!