Whole Horse Equitation

Whole Horse Equitation Practical, holistic horsemanship

09/07/2026

A clip from my lecture yesterday. This clip covers Negative Punishment: The removal of an appetitive stimulus to discourage a behavior. This is the most immediately effective at stopping an undesired behavior, but how much learning and understanding is really going on with the subject? Sometimes that is important, and sometimes it isn't! Depends on the behavior, your goals, and the big picture of your relationship with your horse. 🙂

Excited to begin this lecture series! -Are you familiar with the quadrants of operant conditioning? -Do you understand t...
09/02/2026

Excited to begin this lecture series!

-Are you familiar with the quadrants of operant conditioning?

-Do you understand the difference between fear and panic?

-Is it best to let your horse look at the spooky thing, or expect them to work past it?

-Are snacks inside of the trailer, or work outside the trailer more motivating to get a horse to load?

Let's talk about it! 🤠

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09/01/2026

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Gem appreciation post!! Frequently, when we see photos of horses in negative positions or distressed states, the defense...
08/18/2026

Gem appreciation post!! Frequently, when we see photos of horses in negative positions or distressed states, the defense is given that it is just "a moment in time," and we didn't see the whole session. Well, the same can be said of the reverse!! These beautiful moments were captured by of what was not at all mine and Gemmy's best foot forward, but still a very fun outing. ❤️

I wasn't planning to ride at the Walk Trot Canter Association Working Equitation show, as I was already volunteering and volunteer coordinating. But, we had a couple of people have to drop out, and we needed to fill up the schedule. So last minute, as my first riding outing postpartum, I decided to go for it with Gem... and in her full Western getup no less! 🤣

Luckily, Gem is a total Rockstar and put up with my goofy request. She has come such a long way and nothing is as valuable as a horse you can truly trust, even when you're not at your best. The next weekend, Gem jumped in to fill a spot in a clinic for someone whose own horse was down with lameness. The clinician perfectly honed in on how to make it a beneficial session for a rider who barely knew her, and it was wonderful to see.

So grateful this mare came into my life! 🙏🙌

08/14/2026

Yeehaw!!! A fun time was had by all and I was honored to give this impromptu interview to Horse Capital Television !!

What a journey we have collectively had! I met one of these horses teaching a clinic in California and the other while t...
08/11/2026

What a journey we have collectively had! I met one of these horses teaching a clinic in California and the other while teaching in Kentucky. Shelbie and Renata both worked with the horse I'm on almost 15 years ago in Alaska. So thankful to have these serious ride or die gals on my team. ❤️🙌

Horses need touch 🙌Ideally, horses can spend most of their time out with other horses. Unfortunately, that isn't always ...
08/04/2026

Horses need touch 🙌
Ideally, horses can spend most of their time out with other horses. Unfortunately, that isn't always possible. Maybe they need to be stalled for health reasons, or maybe they need to be turned out individually due to various circumstances. Total isolation from contact with other horses should be only temporary, as in sales barns or quarantine, or an absolute last resort due to dire health scenarios. Never the normal - even for stallions.

Due to FL monsoon season, Chiron was dealing with some frog and deep center sulcus thrush. For this reason, we are keeping him nice and dry while treating his hooves with Masti-Clear and copper sulfate. I designed these stalls for my personal horses so that if one of them needed to be laid up, they can still have visitors and good touches. Rooster, the mini, can even slink in and out under the center divider to come share their snacks. 😆

Nothing helps a horse truly rest and stay calm, like feeling safe. For a socially dependent prey animal, that safety is the presence of friends and family. Every time Rooster, Duchess, or Gem come to nap next to, mutually scratch on, or even sass talk Chiron, it helps him feel a sense of normalcy and reminds him that he is not alone and isolated. ❤️

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