Van Tallum Boerderij

21/08/2025

❤️ Little girls and horses…
It’s never just a childhood phase.
It’s the start of a foundation for life.

Horses don’t just teach riding.
They teach patience when nothing clicks.
Responsibility when stalls must be cleaned before play.
Grit when a stubborn pony refuses to cooperate.

They show that trust isn’t given...it’s earned.
Through consistency.
Through respect.
Through time.

Every little girl who swings a leg over a horse learns:
Falling doesn’t mean failing.
It means getting up, dusting off, and trying again.

Discipline isn’t punishment...it’s commitment.
Kindness isn’t weakness...it’s strength.
Confidence isn’t being loud....it’s showing up, even when you’re scared.

Horses shape little girls into women who don’t quit when life gets hard.
Women who know sweat and sacrifice come before reward.
Women who carry themselves with grace,
but aren’t afraid to dig in and fight when it matters.

It’s the 6 a.m. feedings.
The cold winter rides.
The tears after tough lessons,
and the laughter after small victories.

It’s brushing a horse in the quiet of the barn,
realizing responsibility never takes a day off.

So yes…
little girls may grow out of braids and pony bows.
But they never outgrow the lessons their horses taught them.

And maybe that’s the greatest gift of all.
❤️ Michelle Knutson | Born In The Barn

10/08/2025

Just ride. Ken McNabb Horsemanship

09/08/2025

Hahaha so TRUE 🤣

22/07/2025

Everybody wants a good horse.
But not everybody wants to become the kind of person that makes a horse good.

In today’s world, people expect fast results.

Instant gratification.
Swipe, click, scroll, done.

People expect success to be delivered like an Amazon Prime Order:
fast, easy, and with a smile.

They want to turn their feral horse into a “finished horse” without ever putting in the hours it takes to truly understand one in the first place.

Here’s the thing…
Mastery isn’t downloadable.
A reciprocal relationship can’t be rushed. It is build over time and it comes with highs and lows.

What took others years of learning, failing, watching, refining, people now want handed to them in a weekend clinic, a 10-minute video, a one time exercise, a one-sentence answer or because they bought a course.

The shortcuts people chase are often detours that lead them right back to where they started, just more frustrated this time.

They want the feel, but not the feedback.
They want the bond, but not the humility.
They want the horse to change, but they don’t want to change themselves.

No one can hand you the timing, the feel, the quiet, calm and consistent leadership it takes.

It can’t be downloaded or bought.

You earn that, you develop it, with every consistent rep and step. With patience. With clarity. Through being a lifetime student of the horse.

By showing up on the days it’s hard, boring, frustrating or humbling.

Put in the work.
Put in the hours.
Because Your horse
deserves that version of You.

21/07/2025

For the little girl who imagined it, and the woman who will look back someday….

12/06/2025

02/06/2025

❤️ There’s a connection that can’t be explained by reins or commands.
A rhythm you don’t hear in hooves — but in your heart.
When you and your horse are not just rider and animal…
You are one.

When he stops because he senses your hesitation.
When he flies forward because he feels your trust.
When every breath, every movement becomes a shared language —
without a single word, without a single signal.

It’s more than trust.
It’s more than friendship.
It’s when two hearts beat in one rhythm,
and you realize: you’re no longer alone.
You have a soul beside you… in the form of a horse. .

Author of the original idea for this painting is Svatava Hueberová aka BalaenaArt

30/05/2025

YOU GOTTA SUCK TO BE GREAT

Thinking you are going to be great at something without being terrible at it at first is one of the most arrogant thoughts you could ever have.

Every single person you see who has become great at what they do has put in thousands if not tens of thousands of hours into building that skill.

What makes you think this will be any different for you?

IT WON'T BE!

You have to humble yourself.

Losing is where the learning is...

Failing is where the learning is...

Using these lessons moving forward through consistent and countless repetitions is where the growth comes from.

You cannot expect to be great at anything without sucking at it at first and going through the years of failures, mistakes, and losing ALOT!

Believing you can skip all the hard, the f**k-ups, and all the challenges along the way is believing a lie.

You gotta be relentless...

You gotta be patient...

You gotta be resilient...

You gotta be committed!

You can't quit everytime it gets hard.

You gotta being willing to suck for years.

To be extremely great at something you gotta put in the time it takes.

YOU GOTTA BE WILLING TO NEVER QUIT!

Page 149 of 365

📸: Jared H Searcy

20/05/2025

💕

16/04/2025

❤️ If You Give a Kid a Horse....

If you give a kid a horse,
they’ll ask for a saddle.
Once they have a saddle,
they’ll need a good pair of boots.

When they get those boots,
they’ll want to climb in the saddle.
Once they’re in the stirrups,
they’ll ask you how to hold the reins.

When they learn to hold the reins,
they’ll beg to trot.
Once they learn to trot,
they’ll dream of galloping across open fields.

Galloping will make them feel free,
and feeling free will make them brave.
Once they’re brave,
they’ll fall off...but don't worry, they’ll get back on.

And when they get back on,
they’ll ride with grit in their teeth and stars in their eyes.
They’ll muck stalls without complaint,
and wake up before the sun just to feed.

They’ll brush that horse’s coat,
And let the rhythm calm their soul.
They’ll learn patience, responsibility,
and how to speak without words.

They’ll whisper to that horse all their hopes,
and that horse will listen like no one else can.
They’ll build friendships in dusty arenas,
and learn trust on winding trails.
They’ll know the thrill of a blue ribbon,
and the heartbreak of a goodbye.

If you give a kid a horse,
you’ll give them more than just a ride...
you’ll give them confidence,
courage,
and a quiet kind of strength
that’ll stay with them for life.

Because if you give a kid a horse...
you’ll change them forever.

❤️ ©Michelle Knutson | Born In The Barn

13/03/2025

Quote of the Day

Falling off a horse isn’t the hardest part of riding.

It’s the moment after, the fear, the self-doubt, the hesitation before you get back on. It’s the quiet battle inside your mind that whispers, ‘What if it happens again?’ But you swing your leg over anyway, take a deep breath, and trust that your love for this sport is stronger than your fear.

That’s what makes equestrians different. We don’t back down, we get back up.

Daisy - Connemara Pony 2015