09/24/2026
Something I focus on
- Manners and Respect -
Un-tacking makes me laugh at my barn, most of the time you’ll walk in the barn to find horses just randomly standing, sometimes with a halter on….. sometimes naked.🤣
Why do I see this?
Because I do it all the time and my students learn from me. I want my horses to have the manners of standing.
Now funny enough I don’t focus on ground tying….. however most of my horses will stand wherever I left them, or they follow me like a lost puppy, I don’t mind either of those choices.
This GORGEOUS boy is a client horse I’ve had for 2 ish weeks.
Gunner was a stud earlier this year and I’ve heard he was quite a naughty boy. When he came he had a typical young boy brain, test everything, touch everything, he barely put 2 thoughts on where I was at.
In 2 weeks he now stands confidently while I walk out of his view to put tack away. He’s rewarded with scratches and a animal cracker.🤣
Why do I say respect?
A horse has decisions to make, where they go, when they are caught, how they pay attention while being handled . Shockingly most horses I get in have no respect for the person handling them.
Reaching for grass, side passing towards you while standing, looking at something and pulling you towards it, forgetting they have a rider on their back.
And man those are huge red flags in my book.
How do I earn respect?
When a horse isn’t paying attention to me we move our feet til they can focus on me. Focus on me, That’s respectful.
Don’t you get annoyed when you’re talking to someone and you can tell their brain is elsewhere or they are staring at their phone.
It’s impossible to have a successful relationship with your horse if they don’t add you into their life equation.
You ain’t teaching your horse nothing if they never pay attention to you.
It’s not rocket science, it’s a relationship. With lots of ways to show reward.
I have “high standards”, but with my high standards comes the most peaceful relationship I could ask for.
Trust, respect, focus, willingness.
Un-tacking with no halter on seems like a thoughtless idea…. Til you look a bit deeper, the relationship we have with the horses is deep. They choose to stand with us, they choose to pay attention to us. They don’t get an input in a lot of things, but this is a great way to test your relationship.
You’ll find when you train correctly and intentionally, it’s a walk in the park. I have their entire focus on me.
Where I am, what I’m doing, I’m so much more fascinating than anything else they can find.
And then that leads to the most important part trust. They don’t need to leave and find something else to focus on, I’ll be back, I won’t leave them for long. Gunner waits patiently standing in the arena wherever I left him, he knows I’ll come back to him, to continue whatever we were doing. He’s still focused on me even tho I’m not right beside him.
Notice how intensely he watches me🥰
Side note :
Yes I am in love with the pretty blue roan🥰 hes probably my favorite client horse ever!
*I do not own the rights to this music*
