One of my favorite riders recently emailed me about his horse Gracie.
RE: Gracie needs reconditioning to return her to her former training status.
“After some time off and a year of leisure, Gracie is rushing and unfocused. Where do we start?”
Word of the Day: Barn Blindness
Barn Blind” is a term I grew up hearing often but had forgotten until recently. Basically, everyone thinks that their critter (dog, horse or whatever else you are breeding and raising) is better than anyone else’s but the real meaning of Barn Blindness’ is when a breeder cannot see the animals shortcomings and therefore, continues to produce sub-pair offspring. Continue reading
Suffering from a horse hangover
A horse hangover for sure…
Together with my gal pal and colleague Nancy Williams we taught to back2back 1 Day Cowboy Dressage Challenge Court Challenge.
“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”
Good Leadership is an essential key to success with your horse.
What makes a good leader? Here are some of the most important characteristics:
Self Awareness. You know your strengths and your weaknesses. You have an awareness and regulate your emotional state. You know when you are working in the flow and you when it feels forced.
Self Discipline. You are organized and you know how to control your energy. You keep calm when others would get angry and lash out. You can make decisions quickly when necessary, but you can take a slow approach to consider all the options and directions.
Vision. You are actively working towards a goal that is greater than yourself. It could be something small, like the success of mounting and sitting on your horse for a few minutes, or a larger vision like winning a world tile. Working towards a vision is far more inspiring than working towards a personal gain or ribbon.
“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”-unknown
“You need to believe that what you’re doing is right, and you need to stay focused. Without a clear course in mind, it’s very easy to be swayed by everyones opinions.”
Stay on course! If you are struggling with setting a course, let’s set an appointment to discuss your goals.
Quote and Photo from Stacy Westfall’s Blog
Thank you Stacy for sharing!!!!
~Angie
Test your skills in the Cowboy Dressage™ Challenge Court
The Cowboy Dressage™ Challenge Court is a fabulous horse training tool, I can go on for hours how awesome it is but learning is doing. Come on out and join us in Lakeport, California for our 1Day Introduction to Cowboy Dressage™. We will be focusing on the Challenge Court and it will be loads of fun. I can’t wait! I have to start packing 🙂 See you there.
Sign up TODAY at http://tinyurl.com/IAcceptedTheChallenge
Are you & your horse up to the CHALLENGE?
I work with some of the most amazing people! Here is what my dear friend Nancy and I have cooked up. We absolutely love the teaching riders how to improve their rides with their horses. Show or no-show, we believe that you should be able to guide your horse willingly, move each part independently, and be able to adjust your horses stride easily. The Challenge Court developed by Eitan and Cowboy Dressage™ is a wonderful platform to “test” or access you and your horses relationship.
Are you & your horse up to the Challenge?
Sunday, May 25th 9:30am – 4:30
Williams Equine Enterprises in Lakeport, California.
Come on out and join us for a fabulous day!
Test your skills of guiding your horse through the fun and unique Cowboy Dressage™ Challenge Court.
You will learn valuable tips and training techniques on how to best use the Challenge Court to improve your riding skills and transform your horse into a more willingly guided partner. ONLY $125 to ride with two horsewomen Angie Hughes & Nancy Williams providing personalized training and instruction for all.
Sign up at http://tinyurl.com/IAcceptTheChallenge
We can’t wait to see you there!
Join us May 25th in Lakeport, California for a Challenge Court focused 1Day clinic.
DYI Bosal Shaping – Another use for a kettlebell
It’s an inside day here in Texas with 70 mile an hour winds forecasted for today. I decided to shape a bosal I’ve had for awhile now but never used.
Bosal before shaping
Do you see how narrow the bosal tapers down to the knot at the bottom? This is not ideal. We want the bosal to fit without pinching or gapping around the horses head and nose. With some mindful shaping we can make this bosal fit our horse.
- Using a 1/2″ nylon rope we tied the bridle notches together. This will help shape the nose of the bosal around the nose of the horse. It is important to keep the bosal centered and balanced when tying. We don’t want to shape our bosal lopsided as it would effect our communication with our horse.
- The sides of the bosal are too narrow and could pinch my horses face. To expand the sides of the bosal to fit I need to place something that opens up the sides. The purple object in the middle is my kettleball. I couldn’t find any blocks appropriate for shaping but fortunately the kettlebell is similar to the shape I’m aiming for.
- Lastly I took the extra unused part of the rope and tied it around the base to keep the bosal knot tight. I will keep the bosal tied up for the next 3-4 days and check my progress.
Tools used:
Bosal that needs shaping
1/2″ pliable rope (Unfortunately, my son had used up all the hay string or I would have used it)
Kettlebell or block
*A kettlebell is a portable exercise tool and comes in various weights
Angie Hughes 