Teaching Takeaways Sand Hill Farms Part 1

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.

Things are busy but I’m trying to get caught up on messages! There are no more lessons spots available in June. I have a cancellation...

We are working on simple changes through the slalom poles. After two passes I put my phone on the barrel to get some video. She’s super...

If your horse has time off and it feels like starting over with training when you start back to work, something is wrong. Good education doesn’t disappear with time off. Fitness does. While it may take time to build up your horse’s fitness, they should not feel like they “forgot” what they knew.

Teaching Takeaways Fine Print Farms April

The Franch Part two

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

If you are having a hard time string the trot, relax your ankles and lift your toes. Your ankles act as shock absorbers. When you are grabbing with your toes, your ankles are braced. Your seat will be braced. Your body will resist the movement instead of flowing with the movement.

Teaching Takeaways The Franch Part One

We are nearly 1/2 way through 2025. Crazy! June lessons are nearly full. I have travel in June so dates are limited. I am scheduling July...

Let me start off by saying that I do not sell horses for a living. When I price a horse, that is the price. I HATE negotiating. I do...

Password: May25

Trainer’sTip

Finally and within 24hrs of each other, foals have arrived! Over the next 2-4 weeks I will be evaluating personalities and making...

I have to reschedule the zoom again. I’m sorry. Please be patient. Foal last night. 3hrs of sleep. Horse with a puncture wound that needs...

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.

I’m having to doctor an eye on one of the broodmares. Sedation is not advised this close to foaling. She has to have multiple medications multiple times a day. Getting 4 medications in at each doctoring session was starting to become difficult. She was good for the first two but then fought me. I outsmarted her. I put the appropriate dosage for all 4 into and insulin syringe. This allows me to only have to put “1” application at each doctoring session instead of “4”. The syri

Zoom moved to Friday

Part of our survival instinct is to remember negative events and work to avoid them. This makes us really good at recognizing all the things our horses do wrong. We like to remember those things and carry that baggage with us to every ride. We inadvertently set our horses up to fail because we unpack that bag and review all the negative evidence right before we get in the saddle.