Reflection Equine - Empowerment Through Education

25/02/2023

Love this! Often my students say they "probably look ridiculous" when riding. As an observer with professional experience A) that is usually not true, and B) if it IS true, I encourage you to think about what provides more clarity and effectiveness to your horse. If it works and your horse understands, who cares what it looks like?! 🐎💕🌟

" Equitation is the art of looking good on a horse. It has little to do with being good on a horse". Kresney Ann
I give clinics on horse training and development all over the world. We work on many of the keys to the development of a well trained equine. Steering, speed control, stopping, spinning, lead changes transitions, gaits and movement as well as softness, positions, and gaining mental focus. I'm the clinician that watches the horse and helps you figure out how to build your dream. Or at least clean up your nightmare.
Not once in all my years of teaching have I ever given a riding lesson. That's someone else's job. It's always been my goal to make the horse look good, and sometimes in the process, it may not look pretty from an equation perspective. So what. Do I know how to look good on a horse? Of course, but I save that for when I'm showing. Up until then it's about riding in whatever way gets it done.
Sometimes my heels are up, sometimes I'm off to one side. I might be shoulders forward or back. Hands up, down, right or left. Standing up, sitting down, back arched or slouching. Basically I'll do whatever I have to in order to get the horse to free up, move the part I'm working on, and find the place or position I'm trying to get to .
I know that my position can affect so many things from their chin to their tail and from their back to their feet. That's called riding. To me training is about being good on a horse. Who cares what it looks like.
Occasionally however, I will get the student or attendee who is so hung up on equitation that it actually creates a problem for the horse. They think that if they have excellent posture and balance that the horse will suddenly be able to make magnificent changes. If only that were true my job would be so much easier. Wouldn't it be great if all we had to do was put our heels down and shoulders back, that suddenly our horse could do all the physical acrobatics that we hope for.
So my equitation advice at clinics is pretty basic. As long as you don't fall off, you're probably riding. So when does it become important to ride pretty? When your horse is fully trained and you're at the show. It causes the judge to watch the horse and not the ugly way you're riding. Up until then, and even in your warm ups and between shows, it's ok and even effective, to ride ugly. If your horse isn't riding pretty, it's not going to matter if you are.
My wife Kresney Ann said it perfectly in a lesson the other day when a student was having all kinds of issues with her horse and was mostly concerned if her heels were down. "Equitation is the art of looking good on a horse. It has very little to do with riding good on a horse ".

19/02/2023

"When you finish your ride and you get down from the saddle, it isn't the people who watched you ride, the officials at some event or exhibition who have any right to judge you. The real thing that matters, the true judge of your ability as a horseman is standing next to you. It is the horse who will tell you by his expression, his body, and the look in his eye if you helped him if you showed him how he can be better and if you have a partner in this dance.” —John Saint Ryan

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04/01/2023

Wholeheartedly agree 💕 your horse will tell you when they are ready for the next steps in your partnership journey!

Your horse is not miraculously one year older when January 1st hits.

As someone who has had a lot of Thoroughbreds, I find myself seeing this date used on a yearly basis to put horses into work or rush them to harder degrees of work under the assumption that they’re older.

My two TBs I have currently are born in April and May. They are several months out from their birthdays still. They are, however, fully mature so this would have less damage to them due to their age but if they were both younger, I would be looking at another 4&5 months of growth before they’d actually be their respective age.

The number of 2 year olds I see people getting on the second the clock strikes midnight (hyperbolic statement but you get my point) is disheartening to see.

I notice it a lot in the QH world as well. Horses are treated as a year older on this date and people clamber to put the first ride on their baby 2 year old, failing to remember that even if they did wait till their birthday, they’d be sitting on a horse who will not be fully matured in their spine for another 3+ years.

When you start riding the second you view it as some what justifiable based on a made up rule, it pretty much guarantees that rushing will be present in other ways.

Sometimes, we need to pause for a moment and seriously consider what rules serve us and which serve and protect the horses.

This is a great example of a rule and mindset that really only serves the human desire to rush.

I had to share some thoughts on this as it’s hard to watch it happen online every year.

Your horse is still a yearling on January 1st unless they literally evacuated the womb on January 1st.

16/11/2022

HOLIDAY PROMOTION!!

Give the gift of knowledge - purchase 3 private sessions before Dec 25 and get the 4th free!**

Reflection Equine will help you learn to:

- Read horse behaviour and recognize what to do in a variety of situations
- Communicate clearly and develop good leadership with horses
- Develop great ground work skills that easily translate to riding in a way that makes sense to your horse
- Improve your confidence in your horsemanship skills
- Feel empowered by developing a happy, healthy partnership with your horse

Mobile sessions available throughout the Lower Mainland - sessions start at $60

Contact me for more information!
www.reflectionequine.com

**Sessions will be available to book in 2023. Digital gift card will be issued with your paid balance. 3 sessions must be paid for together to be eligible for the free session. Offer available to new and existing clients**

10/11/2022

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"Never give up on your dreams because you have struggled with how things are done.

How about we transform the way things are done—how about we change that.

And that doesn't come by us backing away."

-Josh Nichol (Warwick Schiller Podcast Summit)

16/09/2022

I often get asked about what and how much to do with young horses. The "extreme middle-of-the-road" approach is what I recommend! Horses can be taught a lot at an early age, without overwhelming them; they do, however, need to learn boundaries! Teach them that humans are friendly, but also to be respected 🐎💕🌟

What Can I Do with My Yearling?

When determining how to engage with your yearling horse, the first thing to remember is that horses are prey animals and precocial species. This means that they are full-faculty learners at birth. As soon as a foal is about a month old, they start playing with the other foals. Guess what they do: they play prey animal pecking-order games! . .

With these young horses, you want to take the approach of being the “extreme middle-of-the-road”. On one extreme is to not touch your horse until they’re mature enough to ride (somewhere between two and four years old). This extreme is akin to having a teenager that basically raises himself when the parents finally decide to step in and start showing leadership. Imagine what a wreck that would be! And they call it tough love in those scenarios with humans. That would be a misguided scenario of “tough love”. The other extreme is to turn a young horse into a barnyard pet. The barnyard pet is when everything is just fun and friendly but completely lacks obedience.

Read more about what to do with your yearling from Pat Parelli himself, new on the Parelli Blog 👉https://bit.ly/3KzlW11

09/08/2022

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14/07/2022

How to do a change of direction without breaking your draw! I learned this neat little trick recently, and filmed it on request of a couple of my students. This is a fun "energy" exercise to see how well your horse can stay with you and tune into the subtlest cues. Bring your energy up and down and see if they speed up and slow down with you, and see how much slack you can leave in the line. The draw is their reward for matching their energy with yours, and the change of direction makes it that much more interesting!

05/06/2022

My brave girls have some construction going on in their backyard! The property they live on has an easement for a pipeline project that they have recently started. To get to the back field, they have to go through this narrow chute, over a "bridge" and up and down ramps. Quite the obstacle course that has the lovely side effect of building their confidence with new things!

11/05/2022

Reflection Equine will be CLOSED May 17-29th for a continuing education clinic with Buddy and Devanee Cardinal 💕🐎🥕

20/04/2022

Love this! ❤️

Worth the Read Wednesday

Whenever I ask people what their biggest fear is when working with their horse, they often say they are worried that they will somehow make their horse worse.

Knowing what you don’t want is the first step to learning how to get what you actually want from your horse.

Horses are very forgiving animals, and although it is true that they learn fast, this also means that they can be re-taught and corrected to get rid of the unwanted habits if you are good at communicating, being consistent, and learn to reward the “right” behavior.

When I was younger, I spent years of my life on the road helping people with “problem” horses; the horses that were on their “last chance”. I have seen my fair share (and probably yours too) of horses that have learned “bad” behavior. I used to ask people at my clinics to bring me the most untrainable horses, just so I could test myself and my methods. Now, sure, back then I was a young kid with something to prove and loved the challenge of it all, but all of those horses, that experience, showed me that there is no horse that is “too far gone”. They all can learn the “right” behavior. Obviously, if a horse has been doing something for a very long time, it may take a long time to fully correct it; as with any habit, to break it you must stay consistent, but eventually the good behavior will become the new habit.

Sometimes all that is required is a different perspective to help you bring out the horse's good side.

For the Top 3 things that will essentially guarantee you won't train your horse to have habits you don't want, download our Free ebook at https://www.horseteacheru.com/free-ebook-how-not-to-ruin-your-horse

17/04/2022

Some horsey humor for your Easter Sunday! Hope you have a great long weekend with your ponies 🐎🥕💕

Looks pretty accurate to me...

16/04/2022

15/04/2022

vibes!!!

Chrissy has been doing an amazing job with her rescue mare! Saphie had been through several homes before finding her forever person. Saphie has not been the easiest horse to crack; you can see here she lives up to her fitting nickname "Sassy Saphie" 😉 But, these two have been working so hard to find this kind of connection for two full years and I'm so proud of their progress!

This is such an amazing win for these two. I'm so happy for you 💕🐎🎉🥕

Happy Good Friday!

29/03/2022

Well said by Steve Rother Horsemanship 🎉🐎🥕

Tips Tuesday

Think of respect as the willingness to listen to your requests, whereas trust is your horse’s unwavering belief that you will always keep them safe. There needs to be a balance between these two elements. ~Steve Rother

www.HorseTeacher.com

26/03/2022

One of my clients had a very emotional moment this week when her horse followed her at liberty for the very first time since she got her 2 years ago. I truly believe horses are healing and understand us in our souls - if we allow them in! The partnerships I get to witness between people and their horses makes my heart sing 💕🐎

Building a relationship based on trust and connection takes time, patience, and perseverance, but this doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right steps to get you there, you can make all of your goals a reality.

We believe in simplicity to become a trustworthy leader and build an incredible bond with your horse. The Parelli Program has helped horse owners around the world create a powerful connection with their horses and live their dream horse lives.

Curious if the Parelli program is for you?

We have a 30-day free trial for the Savvy Club Membership! And, guess what? It’s completely commitment-free! Get started today! 😃 >>> https://bit.ly/33fX10Q

10/03/2022

Do you have a group of like-minded, heart-centered horse people at your barn, looking to develop more confidence and knowledge in their horsemanship?

Introducing our Horsemanship Development series - a 6 week program for up to 4 people - I come to your arena!

Series includes:
- 2x 30 min Zoom calls with your group for goal setting and student-instructor check-in
- 6x 45 min in-person sessions at your barn
- private Facebook group access to our online community (and access to me for questions!)

You will learn:
- how to read horse behavior and use horse psychology
- better communication techniques that improve confidence for both you and your horse
- better body control from the ground and the saddle
- how to get softness and better feel from your horse
- how to build a better partnership with your horse

Message for more info or to schedule your series!

08/03/2022

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams” – Henry David Thoreau

How would it feel to be truly CONNECTED with your horse on a mental, physical and emotional level?

How would your RELATIONSHIP with your horse change if you could rely on them to be calm, confident, and look to you for guidance?

How would your life with horses improve if you were able to do everything you’ve ever wanted to do with your horses, and do it with CONFIDENCE?

Reflection Equine offers private/group lessons or clinics that will help you:

- Read horse behaviour and recognize what to do in a variety of situations
- Communicate clearly and develop good leadership with horses
- Develop great ground work skills that easily translate to riding in a way that makes sense to your horse
- Improve your confidence in your horsemanship skills
- Feel empowered by developing a happy, healthy partnership with your horse

Contact us today to start your journey 🐎🥕⭐️

07/03/2022

Chrissy sharing her amazing win with her horse Saphie!!! Ba****ck ride down the d**e on a beautiful sunny day ☀️

We've been working together for a year to help get this rescue horse more calm and connected. Chrissy is doing amazing with this sassy girl, improving her horsemanship skills every day! Great work you two 👏 😍🐎

25/02/2022

I often find myself telling my students (and myself!) - learning is NEVER linear. As would say - Enjoy The Process! 💕🐎🥕

Part of managing stress as a learner is to celebrate and smile at your accomplishments, but equally important is understanding that the…

15/02/2022

01/02/2022

To my lovely clients! Due to the cost of living sailing at an all time high recently, a fee increase is unfortunately necessary. Know that I am making my best effort to keep things affordable for you so you can keep accessing the education you want and need to keep progressing with your horse!

All services will increase by $5 on March 1st, 2022.

Thank you for understanding and I look forward to seeing you again soon 💕

31/01/2022

Monday thoughts ❤❤🐎🥕

I've written about it more times than I can count.
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Just because we can throw a leg over them and set the terms for the ride doesn't make them gentle.
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And just because I can throw a leg over them doesn't mean they're educated.
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Educated horses go where I want, when I want, at the speed I want.
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They fill in for riders when they have poor timing and feel. But this, and I will repeat, this does NOT make them gentle.
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Gentle horses can be un-educated too - but they're more inclined to get along. I love training the gentle ones -- I don't have to worry about them trying to stomp or kick my head in, spook at the chicken, or run off down the road.
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But if we could stop using the words broke and gentle interchangeably, I'd be appreciative.

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04/01/2022

Yes! Putting it into words so well. I always emphasize to my students that allowing a horse to figure out its own movement will put you further ahead than trying to micromanage them to keep every body part in place. It makes an easier and more enjoyable ride when they become self collected 🐎❤

"On the bit"...

One of my least favorite phrases.

Whenever a student asks the question, "How do I get my horse on the bit?"...

I cringe.

Not because of the student asking, but because I know the terms chosen for this common phrase have been severely misinterpreted by many and have not served the horse well.

But, then I explain what you really want to know is how to support your horse in finding a healthier posture.

It has nothing to do with the bit.

Everything affects posture.

It's physical AND mental.

The alignment, balance, strength, relaxation, and energy of both horse and rider are key 🔑

31/12/2021

Racing into the new year like 🏁🏎🐎

Here's to a happy 2022!

#2022

24/12/2021

Merry Christmas to my wonderful natural horseman community members! Wishing you a lovely holiday season - time to spoil your four legged friends with all the peppermints they will eat! 🍬🐎🎄