Carman Horsemanship (2024)

06/11/2023

Another great horse coming out of one of the best programs I know of. Definitely worth taking a look at!

23/06/2023

Time to introduce another horse that has been brought into the fold!

Copper, who we assume is an Arabian x Quarter Horse, is a sweet little chestnut gelding. He came to me in need of a tune up. There are a few little issues that we’re working through. Mainly stopping promptly, backing up correctly, behaving at the mounting block, and moving nicely out on the trails.

I work with him once a week, and we’ve seen a lot of progress already!

He had a habit of rearing in the past when being asked to back up, but I’ve have yet to have that problem with him. Though I did see video of him popping up in the front, so I know it’s something he has the potentially to do.

I recently posted a video of one of our initial sessions on YouTube. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/tpu9qtXCgMA

18/05/2023

12 days into the 30 day program and Freya is coming along nicely. We’re doing less and less ground work each time. She knows a lot on the ground, so there isn’t much more for me to teach her in that regard.

The past two rides we’ve had were long road rides, and I’m super proud of her behavior. Freya doesn’t have an inclination to spook at vehicles approaching in front of her or behind her. She remains pretty relaxed, unless there is a trailer attached to the vehicle. Trailers rattle and shake, and often come as a surprise to horses in my experience. She didn’t freak out when the trailer passed us, but she did get rather tense. We come across a lot during our road rides: dogs, sheep, cattle, and other horses. Freya always wants to stop and look really hard at these strangers. She was a little tense passing a horse that was trotting up and down along its pasture fence-line, and she called out a few times, but there was very little drama.

One of the biggest issues we’re working on is consistent movement. After a while on the road, she has a tendency to want to stop and stand for seemingly no reason. We’re also working on staying on our side of the road. I stay close to the edge of the road just in case a driver approaches quickly and doesn’t see us. I’m trying to get her to move quickly from one area to another for safety reasons. For the most part, vehicles are polite and we have room to stay on the road. I try not to go onto someone's property unless I absolutely need to, which is generally if a driver isn’t paying attention.

Her biggest issue when we started riding was spookiness. Horses are prey animals, so they’re naturally inclined to spook and move away when something scares them. The goal of these 30 days is to expose her to as much as possible. She was a bit of a drama queen when we first started riding outside of the arena. Even in the arena she had a particular area that she felt the need to shy away from. When we first started riding outside, she wanted to spook at very simple things: the wind blowing through the trees, a loud noise in the distance, things that were brightly colored, etc. She had a habit of wanting to rush forward when she spooked, which isn’t a response I like. I’d prefer a horse to jerk to a stop when they spook. A stop is easier to sit, and I consider it an overall safe response. You can’t always prevent a horse from spooking, so I try to reward a safe response and discourage a response like running away.

Now that she’s been exposed to new things, she’s becoming more confident in herself. Our last big spook was at a group of deer that neither of us saw. They were bedded down in the woods and decided to get up and run off. This is one of those situations where I don’t blame her at all for spooking. It gave us a good chance to work on stopping instead of trying to spin and move away.

I’m really happy with how far she’s come, and I’m really excited to continue working with her.

15/05/2023

It has been a very busy spring for Carman Horsemanship. The weather is nice, and I now have a bit of a waitlist on the amount of horses I can reasonably place into training. Working as a 10-month full-time employee is a great way to keep funds rolling in. However, during those 10-months, I’m rather limited to the amount of horses I can train. Both Dun Mare and Moonshine have been put on the back burner. Luckily, they are reliable enough that I’m able to pull either of them from the field in a pinch. I don’t have to worry about either of them being goofy, even if Moonshine does have a few quirks.

One of the newer horses I’ve been working with is a little Andalusian mare named Isabella. She’s the younger half-sister to Evanora. Earlier this year she was pulled from her large pasture to begin training. As a weanling she was handled to some extent, but she has had little to no interaction with people from a yearling to where she is now.

So far, she’s had sixteen days of work with me and we have come quite a long way from where she began.

When she was first brought in, she had no desire whatsoever to pay attention or interact with people. Her first response to anything was to flee. Once she was haltered, we discovered she still remembered the basics of leading. Unfortunately, she didn’t know much past the basics. We got to work right away - working on approaching, touching, etc. Again, her first instinct was to flinch and move away. When flight wouldn’t work, she’d resort to rearing and trying to pull away. Isabella is an incredibly sensitive horse, and she’s very responsive to any cues you give her. She caught onto rolling her hinds and stepping her fronts quickly, though she was flighty about being approached.

With a lot of work and time, she’s come around to being with people. Now that she’s in consistent work, both with me and her owner, she’s starting to use her brain instead of just instinctively responding. She’s done really well with flagging, working with the tarp, and working with the rope. She’s picking up her hooves nicely and had her first visit with the farrier. More work needs to be done getting her used to holding her hooves up for extended periods, but we’re making progress.

At this point, we’re starting to work on the basics of riding. She’s getting better about saddling and mounting. We have had to work really hard on both. The moment my foot would press against her side, she’d take that as a cue to move during the mounting process. Getting her to stand still was a process. I have to really break things down for her in the beginning, but once she figures out what I’m asking for she tends to settle in. Isabella is still extremely twitchy and trembly when she’s exposed to something she’s not sure of. She doesn’t quite have the confidence that her half-sister does.

For only having sixteen days of work, she’s come an incredibly long way.

She is a very fun horse to work with. While we still have some issues to work out, I see a lot of potential in this little mare. She really wants to soften up and bend, though she does have a preferred side. There’s still plenty to do, but she’s moving along nicely considering where she started.

14/04/2023

Super excited to announce the newest horse being brought into the fold this year: Freya!

I will be working with Freya for 30 days - tuning her up and prepping her to be more of an all-around horse. She’s broke to ride and has done dressage, but has been mostly ridden in an arena. We will be focusing on addressing small issues and exposing her to a variety of different experiences. She’s notorious for spooking at very random things, or sometimes, seemingly, nothing at all in my experience. She’s also known to be a little lazy under saddle.

We’ve just completed our 7th day out of the 30 days, and we’ve gotten to the point where you can hop on and ride out into the field without spending time in the arena. She’s very watchy when the wind is blowing. Loud noises also worry her. One of her more interesting quirks is how worried she is about changing colors on the ground. Getting her to transition from grass to asphalt and back to grass is a tricky task. It takes a lot of patience and persistence to get her to realize that the different colored ground isn’t going to swallow her whole.

Though we do have plenty to work on, she’s shown immense improvement in just 7 days.

She’s more confident moving out in strange areas. When she’s asked to go somewhere new, she no longer hesitates as much as she used to. She’s also less spooky overall. Noises will still spook her, but she’s not trying to run forward anymore. She tends to just jolt to a halt and look at whatever made the noise. Her footing is getting better on hillsides - especially going downhill. Because she’s so tall, we’ve been working on mounting and dismounting from and onto strange objects. If you have to hop off on a trail, she is a horse that would be difficult to get on from the ground. We also had an interesting run-in with a not-so-friendly dog. Freya didn’t even bat an eye when it charged at us and barked. The dog was just bluffing and trying to frighten us away. I kept encouraging Freya to turn her head and look at the dog until it’s owner was able to contain it. I was super happy with how she responded.

Now that she’s getting more comfortable, she is slipping into the habit of wanting to go back to the barn or the arena. It’ll just be one of the next things we work on. I’m super excited to continue working with her!

25/03/2023

A throwback to a few weeks ago.

Jared and I took Moonshine and Waldo out to go for a short trail ride together. It isn’t very often that I get to ride with Jared. We both work full time and most days I’m going straight from my job to a client. I love being busy, but it’s also nice to slow down.

This was Waldo’s first ride of the year. It‘s absolutely incredible how far this gelding has come. He used to get really hot going up this hill. We used to run them frequently, so the main crew used to expect to run up. For regular riders, that’s not much of a problem, but for beginners who aren’t ready to go that fast, it can be a pain. After an incredible amount of work, Waldo will now walk up the hill without much of a fuss. I tried to instigate a little bit by trotting Moonshine up the hill, as he doesn’t have that eagerness to run. Though Waldo really wanted to follow, he came back down nicely to a walk with Jared in control. When we first started it would’ve been a battle to keep him at a walk. Now, he’s able to settle back down into a slow pace.

Moonshine was as wonderful as ever. He’s still a little twitchy when he’s being saddled. He likes to move his feet when he’s nervous, so it takes a minute or two to get his brain working. Other than that, he was great to ride. With Dun Mare getting older, it’s nice to have him around to take on the bulk of the work while she gets to carry around kids and beginners. He’s still available for sale, but I’m in no hurry to get rid of him. This year he’ll be getting more trailering exposure and more time out on public trails. I’m excited to see how he acts while we’re in unfamiliar areas.

03/03/2023

Spring is here!

Whether it’s still technically winter or not, the weather has been incredibly mild. Pennsylvania is being oddly reasonable with rainfall as well!

With the warm weather comes a swarm of horses! I wouldn’t want anything else, of course. After a long, slow winter it is great to see some familiar faces.

First pictured, standing broadside with an English saddle, is Evanora. She’s often referred to as Evie by her owner Carole Cox. Evanora is a bay Andalusian mare who I’ve had the pleasure to work with. We recently finished 30 days, and we’re continuing on with training. She’s been a blast to work with. Comparing where she is now to where she was on day one, she has come a long way. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m rather green when it comes to English riding. Green riders and green horses don’t mix well, but she has a wonderful mind, a willingness to work, and a forgiving nature. We’ve been forging forward together. She’s leaning how to collect, carry a bit, hop over jumps, and travel out. I, meanwhile, am learning how to get comfortable in an English set-up. She started not knowing how to lunge, not knowing how to lift her feet, and overall being very pushy. Every horse has their issues, but not every horse has a mind. And boy oh boy does Evie have a mind! Though we’ve gone through our fair share of meltdowns (mostly over hooves), she’s never once failed to overcome a challenge. I’m looking forward to furthering her training.

Next up, the very professional POV photo of Gigi. After a long rest, both healing from an issue and wintering, we’re starting to build her back up. We’re starting slow. Even though she remembers everything she’s been taught, she needs to be built up physically. I always enjoy riding this mare. I have a soft spot for angry mares.

The third horse, sweaty and grey, is Grady. Another familiar face who’s come such a long way since his first ride. He wintered well and remembered everything we had worked on the year prior. There’s always dust to be brushed off after a long period when a horse is out of work, but he didn’t try any funny business. I had set my bar at a reasonable level, and he rose far above my expectations. Grady and his owner are working wonderfully together! She’s worked hard to learn how to correct him, and they’re growing as a pair.

Last but not least is Cactus! A younger AQHA gelding who lives alongside Gigi and Grady. After a serious injury and a winter off, he is being brought back into work. All of our practice and patience last year has paid off! He retained a lot of his training and didn’t offer anything silly during his first ride. The foundation we worked on last year remained. He went above and beyond my expectations during the first few rides of the year. I’m very excited to watch as him and his owner continue to grow this year. She put a lot of work into his trot last year, and it has really paid off.

The last three images are of Grady and his owner, and Cactus and his owner. They’re back in the saddle and starting the year with solid rides! Goals have been set, and, with hard work, they will be achieved by the time winter rolls around again!

22/02/2023

Lots of pictures from today’s little adventure.

My dad and I went on a hunt for a lost calf this evening after work. Moonshine and Dun Mare were off on a job after a winter of rest and relaxation. Both horses did really well. Every time I need to take them out for emergency work, they remind me just how handy they are.

Dun Mare and my dad made a pretty good team. She has enough experience and confidence to tackle anything, so I’m comfortable putting anyone on her. However, she is a forward mare, and it took a bit of time to get her to slow down. Dad is getting better at correcting her misbehavior and rewarding her when she does the right thing. It was awesome to see the two working together after so much time off. Dun Mare hasn’t been worked much recently, and my dad hasn’t ridden in a hot minute.

Moonshine was just as good as the big mare. Though shorter with a smaller stride, he keeps up and leads without much issue. Past dogs, cars, and strangers, he barely bats an eye. We went down into a new area and got to do a bit of exploring. He’s very willing - even when I ask him to go over fallen branches, through tight spaces, or through small creeks. The footing was slick, but both horses were as sure footed as could be. Moonshine did have an issue at the very beginning of our ride. He was getting worried about Dun Mare leaving and he fell back into his old habit of getting tense, wanting to push through cues, and wanting to move his feet. We had a discussion about it and afterwards he was back to being a good kid.

All in all, a good adventure. Unfortunately, we didn’t find the calf. Hopefully, if there’s another sighting we can get out and lend a hand!

02/01/2023

What a fantastic way to end 2022!

After making the long drive from Pennsylvania to Montana, I was finally able to get together with Brittany and Katelyn for some good old horsin' around.

It was so much fun to have the original college trio back together again. Even if we were together for just a short period of time.

I had an absolute blast being there to watch and video some of the work that Katelyn and Brittany did with their colts. After talking to Katelyn about her newest additions, it was awesome to meet her entire crew in person. It was also really interesting watching how all four of the young horses acted while they were saddled and worked. Moonshine has been the only youngster that I've worked with since college, so it was nice to re-visit some old techniques.

At the end of my stay, we were able to go out and ride the broke horses. Brittany was on her gelding Boomer, her husband Jonathan was on their mare Angel, Katelyn was on Pibby, and I got a chance to ride Katelyn's horse, Pete! It was an absolute blast being back out in Montana. This was my first time out on Moore's with snow, and it was a gorgeous evening ride.

All these photos have been nabbed from Katelyn and Brittany! I did take pictures of my own, but my phone fell out of my pocket at some point during our ride. So, until further notice, my phone is lost to the land.

03/11/2022

Another day of bed rest and another catch-up post!

This one is a rather simple one. Without a trailer of my own, due to monetary restraints, finding times to practice loading and unloading are few and far between. A huge thanks to Linda, the owner of Cunningham Springs Farm, for letting me use her stock trailer.

Dun Mare is a pro. She’s been there, done that. The trailer doesn’t faze her whatsoever. She gets on nicely, stands tied, and doesn’t make much of a peep when hauling. She also backs out of the trailer politely and calmly. Occasionally, she’ll overthink stepping off the trailer, but her hesitation is momentary. All in all, she’s fantastic to trailer.

Now, Moonshine hasn’t had as much practice as I would like him to have at this point in his career. However, I’m happy that we were able to sneak in another session. He has been in slant loads before. They’re relatively quiet trailers that don’t shake or groan. Now, this blue stock trailer… it shakes, the door rattles, and it’s not nearly as steady as the slant trailers he’s been in. Moonshine has never had any particular issues with loading and unloading, but I was curious how he would do with all the clanging noises. Much to my delight, he was absolutely wonderful! He stepped right up in without hesitation and he stood tied for a little while. When I asked him to back up, he did so willingly. It took a moment or two for him to realize that I wasn’t asking him to back off a cliff, but once he realized it was just a step down, he was set! He still overthinks the step down, but relaxation will come with time and repetition. It’s very nice to know that even with just a few practice runs, Moonshine gets the gist of what we’re doing.

Moonshine - Grade 4 Year Old Cremello Quarter Horse Gelding
Map Tallywoods Hope (aka: Dun Mare) - 2003 Registered Dun Quarter Horse Mare

02/11/2022

Now that I’m on lifting restrictions due to surgery, I finally have time to catch up on posting! I may be unable to work hands on with client horses, but I can certainly show them off. I’m not well known for posting as often as I should, but hopefully these next few days I’ll be able to get all caught up!

First and foremost, I finished up 30 days with the handsome gentleman, R***r, prictured below. He got a summer tune-up. When we first started he was tense and fairly jumpy out on the trails. By the end of the 30 days, he was riding out nicely and going through all sorts of obstacles. We explored some of the nearby trails and occasionally took a dip in the lake to cool off.

R***r was such a fun horse to work with. It’s nice to end 30 days knowing that a great deal of progress was made. His owner was comfortable enough with him by the end to get on ba****ck.

All in all, a successful 30 days!

30/08/2022

I’m so pleased to say that Windy and Cherry have finished up their time with me!

These lovely ladies have come a long way in just 30 days. Their time with me ended a while ago - I just haven’t had the time to draw up a post about them.

At the beginning of their 30 days, both mares were halter broke and super friendly on the ground. Though it’s not much, it’s a great place to start. Neither had any bad habits other than the occasional temper tantrum when they were asked to do some real work. Windy had some trouble with fly spray and the hose in the beginning, and Cherry really struggled with the flag. However, both were quick to work through those issues.

By the end of their 30 days with me, they were each riding well together and by themselves. Windy is a slow poke, and she much prefers to laze around during a ride. She rides well in a bit and is a freight train when you convince her to lope. On the other hand, Cherry is ready to go and work when you hop on her. She’s very responsive in a hackamore or even just a plain rope halter.

It’s always very rewarding to see horses make progress. Their owner is now able to ride both of them around the property without issue. A newer rider has even started working with Windy.

As much as I’m going to miss working with these ladies and their wonderful owner, I’m proud to have been part of their training. Best of luck to these two and their owner!

21/07/2022

I’m super excited to introduce R***r.

R***r is a bay grade quarter horse gelding. He’s getting a 30 day trail riding tuneup. We’ve been doing a lot of road riding, and our fair share of riding on actual trails. He’s been a really fun horse.

R***r is a very forward horse. He steps out quite a bit at the walk, but he doesn’t try to push into the trot at all. He isn’t worried about traffic. The scariest thing to him so far was a pig in a field we walked past. He’s been good about bridges, crossing water, and stepping politely over logs.

Today we had a great evening ride. He was fantastic. At the very end of the ride, we had a loose dog charge us. R***r handled it smoothly.

12/07/2022

“Moonshine”
Grade American Quarter Horse
4 Year Old Cremello Gelding
About 14.1/14.2 - 950lbs
Serious inquiries are welcome to message for more information.
Asking high four figures.
Located in Claysville, Pennsylvania.

Moonshine has a nice foundation under saddle. He has a good start on a neck rein and a decent understanding of leg pressure and yielding. Moonshine is really fun out on the trails, and has no problem riding on the road. At this point, he has well over 200 rides on him, as he was being used as my main saddle horse for about a year. Moonshine also has experience ponying other horses. He would best suit an experienced rider or a confident intermediate rider who is working under a trainer’s supervision. Some beginner riders have worked with him under my supervision. Under saddle, Moonshine isn’t the type to be spooky, and he is willing and easygoing. When you point him in a direction, he will go just about anywhere. He can be fresh with time off, but he isn’t the kind to be mean. Moonshine has been exposed to the rope, a few cows, and the basic barrel pattern. He has also been exposed to ground poles. He is currently being ridden in a hackamore, but he has also been ridden a snaffle.

Moonshine is relatively easy to trim and trailer, though he hasn’t had much experience trailering and he'll need time to adjust to the farrier. He’s up to date on vaccinations, worming, and trimming. Vet checks are welcome at buyer’s expense. Buyer responsible for shipping, and Coggins and Health paperwork if outside of the state of Pennsylvania.

Serious inquiries are welcome to message me on Facebook on my personal page Jennifer Carman, on my horse page at Carman Horsemanship, or by cell (724-747-0062) for questions about this horse or others for sale. Thank you for your time.

Moonshine’s YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZLsLx0LzKDnd80F0Xw-rXavcddLEy9J

30/05/2022

Currently on vacation at the beach, so all of the horses I’ve been riding get to have a vacation as well!

It has been a while since I’ve given an update on Moonshine. All in all, he’s doing very well. He has a little over 200 rides on him now, and he’s becoming quite the handy little horse. I finally convinced the old man to get on him and take him for a test drive. At this point, my main goal is to get different people to ride him. He’s still a bit twitchy and nervous about certain things. He’s skeptical of new people, but once he’s warmed up to you he’s just a big puppy dog.

He’s been good to hop on ba****ck, and he’ll go anywhere you point him. Sometimes it takes a little bit of convincing, but he’s always right there with you.

I’m very pleased with how soft and willing he is. We did a little bit of bridleless work and he certainly exceeded my expectations. At this point, he works well off of leg and neck rein. There are still a lot of little thing to work on. He has plenty of room for improvement, as do all horses. With any luck, we’ll be able to hop in the trailer this year and go ride in some new areas. Moonshine is definitely a horse that I don’t mind keeping around.

I also managed to remember to bring my GoPro out with me, so I threw together a little video of our first solo ride of the year.
https://youtu.be/pj4Ztczo5g0

26/05/2022

It has been busy, busy, busy!

Lots of horses to ride and lots of work to do!

Be prepared for a bunch of pictures of ears.

Windy and Cherry are, as of right now, my biggest project. Moonshine is doing well, so the bulk of my time has been spent with these two lovely ladies. I’m absolutely thrilled with how they’re coming along.

As of now, Windy has eleven rides. She has ponied Cherry once. Overall, she’s been worked with for seventeen days out of the total thirty. She’s currently being ridden in a snaffle. She’s a very willing mare. Windy is a horse who is more than happy to take her time moseying around the fields. She’s happy to work and doesn’t get too anxious about leaving her buddy. With her weight, she is often out of breath going up steep hills, so I’ve been primarily working on conditioning her and honing her bend. Sometimes, Windy can be a tad spooky. Nonetheless, she’s been a fantastic horse to work with.

Cherry, on the other hand, has a total of eight rides. She has ponied Windy once. Overall, she’s been worked with seventeen days out of the total thirty. Cherry is currently being ridden in a rope halter, which will eventually be transitioned into a hackamore. She’s incredibly soft and responsive to cues. Cherry’s biggest issue is her anxiousness. She has a hard time coming back down and thinking in order to find the right answer. Her first answer to anything is to move her feet. We had to spend more time on the ground so she could understand some of the fundamentals. As of right now, I’m primarily working on slowing Cherry down during rides. She doesn’t want to run off, but she does feel the need to transition up into the trot or a tiny prance whenever she feels like it. Cherry is pretty concerned about leaving Windy, but she’s growing more and more confident on her own.

These two horses have made so much progress. I’m so excited to continue working with them.

Note: One of the biggest things I tell clients is that 30 days doesn’t equal 30 rides. If a horse shows an unwanted behavior on the ground, it gets corrected on the ground well before a saddle is put on. Ground work is where you build the foundation of a great horse. This is a prime example of how you have to work with the horse in front of you. Windy caught on to concepts quickly, and therefore has more ride time as a result. Cherry took longer to grasp the fundamentals, so she has been ridden less than Windy. Both horses have been worked with on the same days at around the same time. It’s just a fun example of how different horses can be.

07/05/2022

Super excited to introduce the two new horses that I’ll be putting 30 days on this year: Windy and Cherry!

Both of these gals are registered Appaloosas. Windy is the white horse, and Cherry is the colored up horse. They’re both out of shape, and though they’ve been briefly worked with, they’re in serious need of a refresher.

So far both girls have had 7 out of 30 days put on them. One of the most important parts of training horses is ground work. If they’re soft, willing, and confident when you’re on the ground, those traits will carry over into the saddle. A great foundation, even if it takes a little while on the ground, will lead to a great horse. Sometimes the work is slow, but it’s certainly worth it in the end. 30 days of training doesn’t equal 30 days of riding when you first start a horse. Every horse is different, and every horse learns at a different pace.

Windy already has two rides put on her. She’s great on the ground, albeit a bit inclined to want to do her own thing. She learns quickly and retains knowledge well.

Cherry has needed all 7 days dedicated to ground work. She’s a little more anxious than Windy is, and it takes her a while to realize that she can give a different response. She likes to keep her feet moving, and she’s not too concerned about personal space. Though she’s getting better, the flag is the bane of her existence, and I’d like to get her to a place where she’s comfortable on the ground before putting a ride on her.

All in all, these two have been a blast to work with.

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00
Saturday	09:00 - 17:00
Sunday	09:00 - 17:00

Carman Horsemanship