There is a saying when it comes to riding a spooking horse: only one of you gets to spook and it’s never you.

People have personality categories they fall into. I believe horses do as well.

Yes late because of life.

Late because I was dealing with a cow emergency

If you have to hold a horse in a movement or gait, it’s wrong. If is not your job to hold the horse together, you aren’t super glue. Self carriage is never created through containment….never (just in case you missed the first never).

Minor changes can equal pain for a horse. Too many times I hear owners say that the vet said the joint changes were only minor so the horse’s issue must be behavioral. Behavior issues stem from pain or confusion. Minor changes can be painful. We don’t get to decide that for the horse. 1 out of 5 lame is still lame. Why would you wait to treat until there are moderate or major changes and now the horse is 3 out of 5 lame? That makes no sense. Get on top of changes early. Treat

Instant gratification. That is dangerous when taking on the hobby of horses. We want things quick and easy. Rarely does that happen with horses and when it does, it is usually a short cut that is to the detriment of the horse.

4 hours on an empty stomach. Stomach acid sloshing around while being ridden or in a trailer. Stress of leaving home / friends. Stress of something new. These situations can all cause ulcers.

Yes, super late because of life.

Late because I was attending a PPE check for a client.

Show up for your horse. It’s not your horse’s job to show up for you. It’s not your horse’s job to make you feel better, safe, more secure, more confident. It is your job to do that for the horse. Your horse is not a volunteer for your hopes and dreams. You require your horse to show up as an assignment.  Therefore, you have to bring your best to the relationship and your best to the your session if you want your horse to perform their best.

Yes late but better late than never

You get what you pay for. I have been saying this a lot lately.

Too much. We are too quick, too busy, too intense. We easily overwhelm our horses by not being aware of what we are doing, how fast we are doing it and the intensity that we are using in our communication. When we are doing too much our horses will react one of two ways: they will ignore us or get anxious.

Veterinarians are an important part of the team for your horse. However, we need veterinarians that are wanting to be part of the team, can recognize their own shortcomings and refer out for what is beyond their scope of practice.

I taught a clinic in July and had a great conversation with a participant. In her field, they do not consider you proficient at a skill until you have worked on the skill for 1000 hours. If you divide 1000 by 52, that is 19.2 hours per week. If you divide 1000 by 365, that is 2.7 hours per day. If you ride as a full-time job (40hrs a week), it will take you 25 weeks to become proficient at a new skill. 1000 hours does not create mastery or proficiency.

In my travels I have interacted with many horses and owners. The past few weeks has pushed me to remind owners that each horse is an individual. I spoke with many owners who were following “programs” for their horses that were purchased from internationally known trainers. The big issue was that they were trying to apply set methods and programs to every horse with the same intensity. Some horses accepted it even if they were confused. Some horses were pushed way over thresho

Horses know how to be horses. The behavior they are displaying reflects how they feel in the moment based on their past experiences. They aren’t trying to be naughty, annoy you, embarrass you, trying to get out of work, etc. The horse is responding to how they feel in that moment. If you are deregulated and stressed, your horse will reflect that. Your horse may have been deregulated first but that doesn’t give you an excuse to follow them into deregulation. We must first lear

At least 1/2 of the training and rehab horses I get in are “free” or came from a rescue. People feel good about them because they got a “deal” or “saved” a horse. They get their new friend home and in short order someone gets hurt, the horse doesn’t act they way it did before they brought it home, the horse has behavioral issues, the horse has pain.

News of a large equine hospital closing broke this week. No warning. It’s a scary time to be a horse owner.