HHF-Harkey Horsemanship

08/29/2026

Nearly an inch of rain in an unexpected toad strangler of a storm yesterday and the arena is ready to rock and roll this morning! It’s the little things🙌🏽

08/25/2026

08/23/2026

Backing the L🔙
This is an often overlooked exercise, for multiple reasons. One, backing up is often forgotten when working all the parts of a horse, especially calmly under saddle. And two, this requires independent control and free movement of both the shoulders and the hind end off of leg cues.
This was the first time putting all these pieces together for Savannah and Early, and they did great!
Giving a horse time to process, think, and respond correctly is a huge part of this exercise. We’re not shooting for speed; we’re going for precision.
Plus, I made this “L” probably twice as large as you’d find in a standard show ring, so this was twice as good in my book! (Zero judgment for me drawing lines in the sand vs dragging out ground poles😂)

Not to toot my own horn too much, but I do think I’ve got the market cornered on “non-traditional breeds excelling in ranch riding unexpectedly” 😉

08/23/2026

08/21/2026

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch hers 😂

Fun facts: mutual grooming fosters social relationships and trust, releases serotonin and dopamine, and can even lower a horse’s heart rate!

08/20/2026

So incredibly proud of this duo💕
These two entered my lesson program a couple months ago from a hunter/jumper background, and I’ve since turned both their worlds upside down changing literally everything. We’ve swapped tack, disciplines, riding styles, cues, everything.
And instead of anything fast or flashy, we’ve taken this big OTTB into the ranch world AND….he likes it!
Early has shown time and time again that he likes things that challenge his brain, he likes having meaning to his work, but he needs to be given the time to work through it at his own pace. And the ranch world, and his introduction to western riding in general, seems to be the perfect fit for him!
Previous lessons have been all about the body: moving off the forehand and hindquarters individually, freeing up his shoulders and hips, relaxing at all our gaits, and just generally enjoying moving correctly and comfortably.
Today was all about the fun! Early would really like to know why the sticks are now chasing him instead of him jumping over them😂

I’m honored to play a part in this new venture and learning for these two!

08/20/2026

Hot take:
that “kid safe” horse that “just needs some groceries” probably won’t be quite so kid safe when it gains that weight 👀

08/17/2026

Friends, it is “conformation”, not “confirmation”. We’re talking cow-hocked horses, not Catholicism🙃

08/14/2026

Everything comes with a price

A sensitive horse is going to be sensitive to both light aids AND your accidental aids and mistakes

A quiet school horse is going to give you room to fumble with your hands and legs, and they are also likely to ignore them when you mean to use them.

It isn’t fair to want the reward without the price. It isn’t fair to take from a horse without giving- and it all comes down to working on ourselves: our expectations, riding abilities, mindset, and awareness. You can’t have a perfectly performing horse without putting in your own work. A horse is not a computer or a robot- they rise to, or fall to, the level of the horseman.

Photo by Melinda Yelvington