If you and your horse had a wreck, your horse is hurt too. It is easy for us to find our bumps, bruises and sore spots. We treat and baby those aches and pains. How many of us think about those same bumps, bruises, and sore spots in our horses after a wreck? We need to and they need the same attention we give ourselves. Your horse will compensate and hide discomfort because they are a prey animal, it’s what they do. But eventually you will notice they are stiff, unwilling

Don’t train weakness. I don’t believe any of us intentionally do this but by not riding with intention we inadvertently do it. So what does unintentionally training weakness look like? Here are some phrases you may find yourself using when you unintentionally train weakness.

I just spent two fabulous days learning! I’m super exhausted so this will be short. But expect some detailed posts coming up as I recover from surgery.

Work that walk. The spine is very mobile in the walk. We can have a lot of influence in the spine good and bad. If we don’t pay attention to straightness, bend, activity in the walk, the rest of our gaits will suffer. The muscles need to be recruited at the walk to be used effectively in trot and canter.

There is no “winning” or “losing” in horse education. There is no “war” or “battle” to win. When we have this type of mindset while educating our horses, we are ultimately setting ourselves up for failure.

The expense of tack. It’s easy to buy cheap. But it isn’t always what is best for your horse. We are asking our horses to do a job they were not built for. It is, therefore, our job to keep them comfortable.

Have a horse with a bad experience? Hard to load? Have a horse you have to force in and slam the door?

Short term gratification can often have long term negative implications. Don’t ignore the problem just because the judge is watching.

A day late. This has been a challenging week. Let’s just talk about horses. We are at the time of year the mares are cycling like dragons. The first cycle of spring is a doozy. I have some sensitive mares in that have become permanently bonded to their neighbor as long as their neighbor doesn’t look at them wrong. Then it’s squealing, striking, kicking. The poor geldings are in love and traumatized all at the same time. There has been a lot of work on relaxation and patience

Keep consistent expectations from beginning.

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We all know trailering comes with risks. It is not natural for our horses to get in a moving cave. Sometimes they make poor decisions. Or sometimes there are accidents. Due to all the unknowns, I prefer trailering with leather halters. Why? Because leather breaks easier than rope or nylon. So if my horse is hung up and fighting, they have a chance to get loose.

It depends, maybe, sometimes, no. Today was a Texas weather day. This morning it was drizzling and humid. When my 12p lesson started it was 70 degrees, sunny, 20mph south wind. Within 20 minutes the wind switched. Clouds rolled in. The temperatures plummeted. By 2p we were in 3-4 layers with actual temperature 49, windchill of 41. By 5p we are supposed to have windchills in the 30’s. We had barrels rolling across the arena, obstacles falling over, leaves racing along the grou

What were your horses doing in the wind today? Mine we grazing and napping. Did I ride? You betcha. They were great rides. Why? Mostly because I expected them to be. My attitude was appropriate. I believe in working horsemanship. That means my horses and I must be adjustable. That includes adjusting to weather. I even taught lessons.

Don’t get yourself in a bind

Keep yourself on task to keep your horse on task. Be aware of your surroundings, don’t be distracted by them.

If you are a jaw clenched like me, this is a handy tip.

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Remember they didn’t volunteer for this. They are carrying us around for our gratification.

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