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.

Stop riding what you don’t like. Too often I watch riders frustrated with their horse, negotiating with their horse, begging their horse. They keep riding forward hoping for change in the next stride. It ’s a trap we can all easily fall into. We need to stop.

One of the hardest part of the horse business for me is taking educated risks. I don’t like risks. Which mares to breed? Which foals to sell? Which foals to hold back? This requires me looking into my crystal ball to try and predict the future. If I had not bred one of my favorite mares 20 years ago to our stallion that we just purchased, I would not have Aspen. If I hadn’t frozen semen 20yrs ago, I wouldn’t still be making money on Cooke County ETC or getting foals. If I w

Everyone wants the horse that can do anything:

I had a really tough ride on a young horse yesterday. Nothing went correctly. She was emotional. My timing seemed off. I probably didn’t...

The best way to have a good lesson:

Releasing a rein aid is not the same as giving to your horse. I had this epiphany several months ago and I have been trying to actively adjust my riding accordingly. Often times we think that because we quit pulling, fiddling or holding on to the rein that we are giving to the horse. Really what we are doing is just ceasing pulling, fiddling and holding. That is not equivalent to giving to the horse.

Training is not linear. When you are working with horses, you will have good days, bad days, and some days that are in between. Having a good day yesterday doesn’t guarantee a good day today. Same is true of bad days. We have to meet the horse where they are at. The key is to keep showing up. You can’t make progress working your horse once a week.

The power of waiting. Waiting can build confidence in a rider, strength in a horse, competence as a team. Waiting can also become a crutch. We can indefinitely wait trying to get things perfect (which doesn’t exist). We can cripple ourselves and our horses by waiting too long. We can easily stay in the safety of our comfort zone telling ourselves that always waiting is good. We can stifle progress. It’s a tight rope.

I was struggling with one of my personal horses. Nothing big but something that I knew needed to be corrected. I sought help which did not bring me any clarity to the solution for problem. I tried everything I could think of to address what I saw as the problem. I got frustrated, decided there was a physical cause and that I would just have to live with it.

Yes very late. There have been some unexpected challenges lately

Yes late because of life.

Yes I know I’m late this week. I was fully focused on family time.

In Texas we have had another violent seasonal change. With these big changes the risk for colic increases. Help your horse by adding some extra salt and magnesium to their feed. Wet everything down and then add some extra water.

Rehab is hard. It is time consuming. It is expensive. Most people quit too soon. When you start rehab it will take a minimum of two years before you know what you are going to end up with. Two years of consistency: 3-5 days a week. Showing up even when it feels like you aren’t moving forward. Showing up when you are tired and can’t see progress. Two years of expenses: veterinary, farrier, bodywork, training, medication, supplements, etc. Rehab is giving up goals to adjust to

Let’s talk about colic. Colic is used to describe abdominal pain in horses. The three types are impaction, gas and strangulation. A horse can have one type or all types at the same time.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.