Carpe Diem Farm

22/01/2025

So interesting! A subject that I've never been really aware of. Now I'm going to check all of my bridles. The more I learn, the less I realize I know!

👀 buckles matter!
Does your bridle have buckles which cover the TMJ? Are they stacked on top of each other?

It is extremely important that your bridle fits as well as your saddle!
Just look at all the nerves that exist in the horses head! All those pressure points!

It's important the buckles don't stack, don't cover the TMJ.

Does your horse rub its head during or after the bridle is on?
It's trying to tell you it has pins and needles and so the bridle is pressing on any of these nerves and is trying to rub feeling back into the area.

Discomfort around the head can lead to
- head staking
- head tossing
- tilting head
- avoiding flexing
- avoiding relaxing
- tension in jaw, neck, poll, shoulder
- poking nose
- high head carriage
- over bent head carriage
Avoiding work!

Get your bit and bridle checked! It's very important to your horses comfort and relaxation!
Let's stop anxiety and promote welfare!

16/01/2025

forwarded from another group.
I totally agree with what the writer observed. Having been a trail guide I'm always worried about the safety of everyone on my ride. Having gone on group rides, I'm always worried about situations I have no control over. Iknow my horses. Some are those bomb proof horses, and some are not. It all depends upon your comfort level and your personal riding skills. I put myself into situations I'm not 100% comfortable in, but I challenge myself to improve myself. The horse relies on us for direction, but if we don't remain the leader 100% of the time, we let the horse down, and chaos can happen. There are alot of really great horses out there, but even a bomb proof horse can have bad days thru poor leadership of their riders. This whole subject, also applies to our driving horses. Enjoy your time with your horses, as it ends all too soon.

Aging Horsewomen Intl. ™
Kelly Williams ·

·
Being Horse Fit-Admin Approved
The Dangerous Mindset That Puts Trail Riders at Risk
Let me tell you: in all my years working with older, first-time riders, the single most dangerous mindset I’ve come across is this one: “If I have a good, broke, bomb-proof horse, I’ll have endless trail-riding adventures with no problems.”
WRONG.
Let me clear this up right now—there is no such thing as a completely bomb-proof horse. They’re not robots. They’re living, breathing, thinking creatures with instincts, fears, and personalities. And relying on that “bomb-proof” label alone? That’s a recipe for disaster.
The Reality of Trail Riding
Trail riding can be a magical experience—exploring the great outdoors with friends, enjoying the scenery, and bonding with your horse. But here’s the catch: it’s also the most uncontrolled environment you can put yourself in.
On the trail, you’re at the mercy of:
Wild animals that can spook your horse.
Other riders and their horses (and their skills—or lack thereof).
Random, unpredictable emergencies.
And if you don’t know how to ride confidently, hold your reins correctly, dismount in an emergency, or understand your horse’s behavior, you’re walking into a situation you’re not prepared to handle.
A Lesson in What Not to Do
I’ll never forget the first clinic I rode in with my stubborn, alpha male horse. By the end of the weekend, we’d made a lot of progress, and the grand finale was a group trail ride. Sounds great, right?
Here’s the problem: while I had experience with trail riding and understood proper etiquette, most of the other riders didn’t.
The trail boss made one mistake after another. First, we rode through an open field filled with loose, turned-out horses—big mistake. They charged at us, and my alpha male horse? Oh, he was ready to throw down. Prancing, bucking, head tossing—you name it.
Then came the bottleneck. We had to squeeze through a narrow gate with barbed wire on one side and a steep drop-off on the other. The trail boss didn’t keep the line moving, and people weren’t paying attention. My horse and I were stuck at the back, unable to move forward while loose horses ran wild around us.
It was pure chaos. I managed to get through it, but only by the grace of God—and my horse’s instincts to protect himself and me.
Stack the Odds in Your Favor
That experience taught me a valuable lesson: you can’t rely on luck or someone else’s judgment to keep you safe. You have to stack the odds in your favor. That means learning:
The fundamentals of riding: Proper rein handling, balance, and control aren’t optional.
Trail etiquette: Understanding how to handle bottlenecks, gates, and group dynamics is crucial.
How to handle emergencies: Whether it’s a spook, a bolting horse, or a difficult trail situation, you need to be prepared to act quickly and calmly.
It’s Not Just About the Skills—It’s About Your Mindset
Even if you know the basics, there’s one more piece of the puzzle: your mindset. If you’re saddling up with fear or anxiety (like I was after that experience), your horse is going to feel it. And that fear can quickly spiral into a situation you can’t control.
This is where my course, Breaking the Fear Loop, comes in. It’s designed to help you take control of your mindset, build confidence, and ride with calm and clarity—even in unpredictable situations.
I teach you proven, research-backed techniques that help you retrain your brain to respond differently to fear. These are the same strategies I’ve used myself to stay calm and focused, no matter what’s happening around me.
Don’t Wait for a Wreck to Learn the Hard Way
I’ve seen wrecks happen to even the most experienced riders, but I can tell you this: the majority of accidents I’ve witnessed happen to riders who are underprepared.
So why not stack the deck in your favor? Learn about your horse. Build your skills as a rider. Understand trail dynamics and what to do in dangerous situations. And don’t forget to work on the mental game—because your horse will feel what you’re feeling.
Ready to break free from fear and ride with confidence? My course, Breaking the Fear Loop, is your step-by-step guide to shifting your mindset and becoming the rider your horse needs.
You and your horse deserve nothing less than confidence, trust, and joy on every ride. Let’s make that happen together. 🌟
Happy Trails! Kelly

26/11/2024

26/11/2024

Really take a look at the turnouts. You can learn alot.

06/11/2024

22/10/2024

Understanding our sport is key

Over the years, our relationship with horses has transformed from needing them as workhorses to appreciating them as competition partners.
Throughout this evolution, animal welfare has been regularly evaluated and consistently enhanced.
British Carriagedriving is dedicated to fostering ongoing improvements in welfare and promoting a positive image of our sport by educating drivers, officials, and the wider public.

30/09/2024

isn't DNA science fascinating?! Learning tons of new things yearly!!

Scientists now understand why some gray horses turn completely white as they age, while others remain an eye-catching “dappled” gray color — it's determined by whether a horse has two or three copies of a small DNA sequence within the gray coat gene.

Learn more: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/genes-behind-horse-graying/

19/08/2024

so, very true. Lesson horses are worth their weight in gold. Just try to buy or make one, and you'll gain a whole new perspective on the generosity of horses as a whole.

A small stab in the heart is what you feel when you put up the day's riding list and you see riders sinking heavily in their shoulders when reading which horse they are assigned for the lesson. A small stab in the heart for that horse that for an hour will carry around a rider who has already decided that he does not like his horse. A small stab in the heart for the horse that did not choose the rider himself but still does his best, lesson after lesson.

Riding is a privilege and something you have chosen to do. If you chose to ride at a riding school, your instructor assumes that you actually want to learn how to ride. The instructor's highest wish is that you get good at it.

Often there is a plan and a thought as to why you are assigned to that exact horse. Before you mount up next time, ask yourself "what can this horse teach me today?" All horses have something to give, a feeling or a new tool in the box.

The art is actually in being able to get a lazy horse to move forward, to get an uncertain horse to gain confidence, a naughty horse to focus or a tense horse to be released. It takes work. If you think a horse is boring, it's more likely that you don't ride the horse as well as you think! It's not easy to be confronted with your own shortcomings, but it is in that very situation that you get the chance to truly grow as a rider.

The excuse that "it's not my kind of horse" is actually a really bad excuse. A good rider can ride any kind of horse. A good rider has trained many hours on different types of horses to become a good rider. A good rider can find and manage the gold nuggets in every horse.

If we absolutely want to ride, it is our duty to strive to do it as best as possible, even if it's only for fun. We owe it to every horse that carries us upon it's back.

Copied and shared with love for all of our horses, ponies and riders 🐎❤🐎