My last post was about doing the most with the ponies that you have, no matter where they end up in the long run. In that last post, I explained how I was late to the game but in the end, I felt like I had done right by a pony that ended up in
Sometimes, things just don’t work out Every once in a while, a horse comes into a training program that doesn’t end up working out for whatever people needed it to. Not because of anything the horse actually did, sometimes that horse just doesn’t grow enough, sometimes the family decides not to be as involved as
Nervous in front of your judge? I’d like to think most adults understand that the judges who judge our horse shows are actually just people like the competitors. In fact, many judges have spent more time learning how to judge, putting hours of studying and apprenticing in and going to clinics to keep up on
As humans, we have a tendency to become creatures of habit. Often times, we become slaves to our routines without even knowing it. Now, in the horse world, routine certainly isn’t a bad thing. If the routine is involved with the daily feeding/care ect of our horses, routine can be important for your horse’s health
"You can't teach feel, you have to experience it” -Bill Dorrance So much of exceptional horsemanship is feel. We can be told the right thing to do but without feel behind it, we won’t be effective horseman. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t grasped the idea of feel for themselves… there’s no
This month has given Rebekah and I a good amount of time working together on some training horses. Rebekah has been learning how to start horses and how to look for success and progress in her young horses in order to quickly move further in their training on her own, rather than wait for me
Sometimes you just have to take a step back and look at life through the bigger picture. As team SWPH was getting ready for the 2018 POA National Congress, things got a little chaotic around the barn. It seemed like we were (ok let’s be honest, usually always ARE) always one step behind. As if
Do you know what to do in the event of an equine emergency? Calling your veterinarian should always be your top consideration for major injuries, but depending on the injury/illness, your vet may need you to take measures yourself while waiting for them to arrive (such a pressure wrapping a wound). Not to mention, if
The Arizona summer heat is upon as once again. As we get into full swing of the rising temperatures, it’s important to keep the health of both our horses and ourselves in mind! Now a little heat never stopped a true cowgirl or cowboy, but we need to keep ourselves strong and we owe it
Welcome back for part 2 of our discussion on horse gaits! In case you missed the first post, check it out here, so you’re caught up on the terminology I’ll be using in this post. In the previous post we got a basic understanding of what a gait is and why it’s beneficial to know
