Firestone Equine

I am so excited to share my most recent project! This is the first in a series of educational journals designed for the evolving equestrian!

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Expand your equine knowledge day after day with this one of a kind journal.

Each entry introduces a new part of our equine friends on one page while allowing us to reflect and grow closer to our goals on the other.

Full anatomy charts located at the back.

Designed by an equine coach.

Custom artwork by a local artist.

8.5 x 7.5 inches

https://firestoneequine.com/products/equine-anatomy-journal

Not a Lemieux product in sight.

The early 2000s horse world was a very different planet. Ponies stood in yards on plain headcollars and knotted lead ropes, riders turned up in whatever jeans or tracksuit bottoms were clean, matching sets were unheard of unless you count mud stains. There were no “saddle pad drops,” no Instagram ready photoshoots, and zero pressure to coordinate your horse like a boutique catalogue. It was simpler, scruffier, and somehow far more fun.

Those days were filled with hacking for hours, jumping ditches, ba****ck races across fields, and coming home looking like a creature of mud and hair. Designer gear? Optional. Fun? Mandatory. And somehow, that’s exactly what mattered.

Looking back now, I think we’ve lost a bit of that. Somewhere between the saddle pad drops and the endless new “musthaves,” the horse world got a little distracted.

Don’t get me wrong, nice kit has its place, but the real magic is in those scruffy, unbranded, unforgettable days.

Sometimes, a picture like this reminds us, it was never about what we wore, or what the saddle pad looked like. It was about who stood beside us, muddy, scrappy, and utterly unbothered.

The farmer’s daughter aka myself and my cousin plus the queen of the farm, Storm, the Connie aged 4.

Today let’s talk about, what Layne refers to as, “sleepers”. This so much more common than most trainers are willing to talk about because of the backlash that comes with it. We used to get, generally, 1-2 sleepers in every set of 6-8 horses we took in for training.

These are the horses/c**ts that are raised and handled as pets. Owners talk about how NICE AND QUIET, CALM, KIND their horses are. “We’ve done all the ground work and quieting with them their whole lives.”

This is great. Quiet horses are nice. BUT let’s talk about what happens with these quiet horses “wake up” once they’re pushed out of their comfort zones that they’ve lived in their entire lives. The standard drill of the flag and buggy whip or lead rope thrown around the legs. Your horse stands quietly while doing the basic “groundwork”, no care in the world. He leads perfectly when you catch him. The list goes on.

Chances are, this horse hasn’t left their comfort zones and home their entire life, or for a good portion of their lives.

So… It’s time you send this horse to a trainer. They step into a new property, with new sounds, new smells, new animals, new routine. And NOW they’re being told what to do, when and how to do it.
In my opinion, a good trainer will get respect on the ground before all else. Yielding all four quarters, moving off pressure (not just following you because he’s caught- two very different things.), respecting personal space, etc, etc, etc. More often than not, this sequence of activity happens at a much quicker pace, with more authority and more expectation than most horses will ever receive at home.

Your horse gets offended that they are not “poo-poo’d” and respect is expected and demanded from them. You’re taking your c**t, a standard civilian, that has had minimum “training” and putting them into, what they probably assume to be, boot camp. They get confused by the change up, they get sore from the physical activity.

These horses WILL get offended 9/10 times by a newly set pace and standard. They start showing signs of a different personality than owners have ever seen. Seemingly to be more instinctual than the taught “quiet behavior”.

Trainers check in with owners and give them the update. “Hey he’s doing okay, showing a little aggression/ anxiety towards (X,y,z) but that’s typical and we’re not too worried about it.”
A lot of owners immediately get defensive and offended and go to blaming trainer for being abusive, pushing the horse too hard, etc, etc. Horses buck, horses bite, horses kick or strike, they run away. And it’s because the people that did the original ground work never pushed them past their point of comfort. They never taught them that above all else, respect and following lead EVEN WHEN they don’t trust the situation at hand is the most important part in a horses foundation.

Some owners have even pulled their horses from training and took them home and put them right back to the quiet, comfortable routine the horse is used to and “have no problem with the horse”. Furthering the distaste in the training program.
90% of these horses DO come out at the end of their 60- 90 -120 days extremely well mannered, well rounded, well exposed and experienced. You just need to be willing to put the time, money and confidence in them first.

If you’re not someone willing to SAFELY put horses in and properly GUIDE them through new, uncomfortable, scary situations while setting their foundation… you’re setting them up for a lifetime of potential blow ups each time they enter an uncomfortable situations.

The horses from our program are well known for their manners, their solid mindsets and trustworthy foundations.
It all starts by forming new habits and building trust that no matter the new, scary situation- you’re going to get through it safely, quietly and respectfully.

Catching some zzz's after lessons 🦄

𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝘿. 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙣𝙚 𝙇𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙 "𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚."

Lukas was a horse racing icon. His horses won 4 Kentucky Derby's, 20 breeders cups, and over $300 million in winnings.

Lukas' "secret?" The ability to read the horse.

He says "𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎, 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔, 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎: 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚘, 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚢. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚑, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗. 𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚓𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚢. 𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚏 𝚠𝚎'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜, 𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎? 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖."

In all facets of horsemanship, we would all be better off if we focused on taking the time to truly read our horse. To accentuate a horses God given talent is what it means to be a great horseman.

Here is to another great horseman in heaven, D. Wayne Lukas. Rest in Peace.

Firestone Equine Horsemanship and Obstacle Clinic.

July 5, 2024

Located at Horse in Hand Ranch.

This clinic is designed to help horse and rider develop a deeper communication on ground and in saddle.

Through constructive ground work exercises, ride time and challenging obstacles, my goal is to pin point how you and your horse can find better balance physically, mentally and emotionally.

This is the perfect clinic for young riders, young horses and anyone looking to find more confidence in their everyday experience with their horse.

Two time slots will be available 4 hours each. One open for adults and experienced youth. The other for 17 and under youth. (Participants must be over the age of 12)

Cost is $175.00 and a non refundable $50.00 deposit is required to hold a spot. The remaining due July 2nd.

Outdoor pens and indoor stalls will be available at an extra charge.

Auditing will be free. This will be an outdoor event so please bring your lawn chairs.

For registration inquiries please contact Sarah at [email protected].

Firestone Equine is excited to present its first horsemanship and obstacles clinic! Set for July 5th at Horse in Hand Ranch.

Stay tuned for details and registration!

Listen, adjust and move forward✌️

Fantasy Horsemanship: Where ‘Doing Nothing’ is Marketed as Mastery 💸

“A safe space for humans. A weird time for horses.”

Once upon a time in a paddock not-so-far away, a horse dragged its owner across the arena to a hay bag.
And lo, the guru said:
“Did you see that? He’s finally feeling safe enough… to express his autonomy.”

And the crowd nodded.
For they were moved.
And the horse, dear reader, was not. 🙄

Welcome to Fantasy Horsemanship — where dragging, balking, spooking, and shutting down are framed as spiritual breakthroughs.
Where confusion is revered, clarity is oppressive, and stillness is sold as “deep integration.”
Where your horse is not trained — but interpreted. 🎭

Let’s take a closer look…

1. The Guru Speaks (And You Stop Thinking)
In this world, the guru is your translator.
You don’t learn to read your horse — you learn to believe his reading of your horse.

A tail swish becomes trauma. A head toss? “Reclaiming boundaries.”
And a shut-down horse staring into space?
That’s “sacred integration through parasympathetic recalibration.” ✨

It’s not horsemanship.
It’s interpretive spirituality with a rope halter. 🧘‍♀️🐴

Sprinkle in some polyvagal jargon, somatic buzzwords, and vaguely-academic pseudoscience, and suddenly everything makes sense… except your horse.

2. Feeling > Function
“I feel more connected.”
“My horse gave me a soft eye.”
“We just stood together and cried.” 😭

Lovely.

But did your horse stop spooking at the mounting block?
Can he walk forward when asked?
Did you learn anything… practical?

Of course not.
Because in Fantasy Horsemanship, progress is an emotional experience, not a behavioural outcome.

If you cried, it counted.
Even if your horse is still stuck, shut down, or silently screaming for guidance. 🐎💤

3. No Tools, No Plan, No Problem
“I could use a tool… but that would betray the trust.”
Translation:
I don’t know what to do, and I’ve built a philosophy around that.

No leadership? Enlightened.
No aids? Ethical restraint.
No plan? A bold rejection of the patriarchy. ✊

Doing nothing is rebranded as depth.
The guru has no method, no map, and no measurable outcomes — and that’s exactly how he likes it.

Where there’s no criteria, there’s no failure.
Only more feelings. 😌

4. The Guru Believes His Own Bull$h!t
And here’s the real kicker:
The guru isn’t running a con — he’s running a one-man theatre production he believes in deeply. 🎤🎭

You’ll see a horse lurching, lame, shut down, clearly miserable —
and he’ll whisper, misty-eyed:

“Wow. That was amazing.” 😍
He’s not evaluating the horse.
He’s performing a show.

And he’s too high on his own narrative to notice the horse is tragically unsound and about to file for emotional leave. 📋

5. Your Horse Is Not Your Life Coach
“I’m forever changed.”
“He unlocked something in me.”
“We breathed together under the stars.” 🌌

Lovely.
But your horse still won’t load on the float.

He’s not your therapist.
He’s not your mirror.
He’s not your trauma doula.

He’s just a horse — trying to survive a training session that’s turned into a TED Talk narrated by someone who’s read one too many somatic healing blogs. 💻🐴

He doesn’t want to co-regulate.
He wants clarity.
And maybe a carrot that doesn’t come with a full emotional disclosure. 🥕

6. Bonus Truth: When Fantasy Replaces Vet Checks
Here’s what Fantasy Horsemanship won’t tell you:

The only time horses aren’t easy… is when they’re unsound. 🚫🏇

Pain changes behaviour.
Discomfort makes horses emotional, evasive, or disengaged.

But instead of checking for pain, lameness, or imbalance, the fantasy reframes it all as “emotional blocks.”

And for women — especially those not feeling strong in their own bodies — this becomes a trap.
When movement feels hard, stillness feels safe.
When strength feels distant, softness becomes the story. 🧘‍♀️🕯️

And suddenly, both human and horse are stuck.
One in pain.
One in fear.
Both being told they’re “healing” — when really, they’re just avoiding.

7. And Still, the Horse Pays the Price
Behind the hashtags and healing mantras is a horse who didn’t ask for this.

He doesn’t get trained.
He doesn’t get listened to.
He gets filmed mid-meltdown while someone whispers,

“This… is integration.” 🎥😬
He’s confused.
He’s burdened.
He’s trying.

But nobody notices.
Because everyone’s too busy being deep.

8. Epilogue: The W**d That’s Spreading
This isn’t just one guru.
Fantasy Horsemanship is everywhere. 🌱🔥

It spreads through spiritual marketing, emotional manipulation, and the promise of transformation without accountability.

It appeals to those who want connection but fear discomfort.
It flatters women conditioned to be agreeable, self-doubting, and endlessly apologetic —
those trying to people-please their horse into loving them,
dreaming of a ba****ck beach ride with wind-blown hair and 100% safety. 🐎🌊💨

But your horse isn’t looking for magic.
He’s looking for someone who knows what they’re doing.
Not someone side-tracked down a rabbit hole to nowhere.

Final Thought
Horses are beautifully simple.
They don’t need make-believe — they need meaning.
They don’t want therapy — they want to be understood as horses, not projected humans.
They don’t care about your journey — they care if you can help them feel safe. 🧠❤️🐴

They are easy to train.
Easy to make feel secure.
Unless they’re unsound — or the human is untethered.

So if the fantasy is fading… if your horse is still wary, still stuck, still waiting…

That’s not failure.
That’s reality knocking. 🚪

Answer it.

Find someone who teaches real horse training and treats you with respect.
Learn to understand horses — and build the skills to influence them.

Because when the fog lifts and the narrative dies…

It won’t be the guru standing with you.

It’ll be your horse.
Still confused.
Still waiting.
Still hoping you’ve finally shown up —
not with a story…
but with a plan. 🐴✔️

If you’ve climbed out of the fantasy rabbit hole — or realised your horse biting you wasn’t over zealous engagement but frustration — you’re not alone. Tell your story. Let’s talk about it.❤

If this said what you’ve been thinking — share it. If it said what you wish you wrote, still… share it. With credit. You’re welcome. 🐴😉

When all the puzzle pieces start to come together ❤️ Mac's latest adventures.