Flying Dreams With Andrea

For sale: want more whoa than go? This is your guy. 16.3 hand 12 year old draft cross gelding. Has lots of driving experience is green broke (w/t) to ride and easy to work with. He has limited experience with trail riding though he seems to enjoy it.

Vaccinations are up to date and teeth floated this year.

He is an absolute sweetheart, is respectful, and tries so hard to make his owner happy. Reason for selling is that I have some life changes and feel he would be happier with someone that has time for him.

Located in Madoc, Ontario.

Merry Christmas to everyone! From Andrea, Divo, Chuck, Atlas, and Quinn.

Atlas was such a superstar for this driver today!! She had never driven before and Atlas took such good care of her. (That smile on the cart is real).

This was such an important time for her and Atlas. She learned how to work with a horse that may have had negative stress from his former job. The young lady learned to be patient and realize that even animals need emotional support, just like people.

If anyone would like to meet Atlas or the rest of the crew and share in the horse experience, send me a message.

The work we ask our horses to perform does not need to be fast work to cause them great stress and anxiety. Of the many things we do, the one that I suspect that has huge hidden potential for abuse is, of all things, dressage training.

Dressage training is essentially weight lifting training. We are asking horses to engage their hocks underneath their bodies, and to lift themselves into lightness in front.

You want to suffer? Yes, you, the rider? Go get on a stair climb machine, or do squat thrusts. Weight lifting is really hard work, and that is if you are fit.

If you are not fit, weight lifting is brutal.

If we feel our horses resist, it is so easy to think, "This horse is resisting me. He is being bad. I have justification to punish him."

Go watch dressage training "sessions" if you want to see some struggling horses and riders. Some are harmonious and graceful, but some resemble prize fights.

So be careful about "dressage". Dressage SOUNDS "pure", but it has the potential to be anything but. Give the horse the time he
needs to get strong enough to carry himself.

There is a saying that every trainer should paste on the wall---"Build a horse like an onion", one layer at a time, each successive layer based upon the establishment of the preceding layer.

Watch out for dressage, because it is based upon weight lifting, and weight lifting hurts. Be slow, slow, slow, give breaks, be humane, be patient. Then be patient some more.

(It took me too many years to "get" this.)

I will post pictures tomorrow. I am so proud of Atlas today. It was the first time that I have hitched him to the cart and he did amazing!! Thank you Shayna for your help today. You really are amazing :)

Good points to remember.

And someone with education and strategies, or someone that's willing to take the time and spend the money to learn them.

Atlas sporting his fall blanket. He matches Divo so he fits right in :)

Don't mind the blurry picture but this is Atlas and will be joining me on some adventures in the future and making new friends. I look forward to see how he develops :)

It's been too long but Chuck and I went for an amazing trail ride together. I would love to get him ready for endurance races. If I can't race him, maybe a riding student would be interested in doing to. Contact me if interested.

Had a great ride on Divo yesterday. He and I were a little rusty but then we got back into the groove. So happy.

Did some cart training with Chuck today. We have a step back a few weeks ago but we are slowly getting back on track again. When things don't work out or an "oops" happens, pick up the pieces and up it bsck toegther again one at a time.

I love my 14 year old Standardbred gelding so much!! Never raced or trained to harness.I know my "drag hitch" is very unique :) You can teach old dogs new tricks.

I forgot to post how awesome this little guy is. We did our first canter and the smoothest thing I have ever rode for a youngster. He is quickly growing on me.