Responsible Horsemanship

02/03/2026

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122257312196253023&id=61557590700764&mibextid=Nif5oz

Listen, we see hundreds of EHV-1 positive horses a year through auctions. EHV-1 its self is not scary, it’s an upper respiratory infection. Most stud farms have out breaks, that’s why they vaccinate mares for “Rhino” religiously. What makes EHV-1 scary, is it CAN mutate to EHM. Horses who contract EHM become neurological and some recover and some do not. (This is the same for EPM, some horses recover without side effects, some have life long side effects, and some don’t make it).

If you’re concerned about hauling places, it’s so important to have a healthy immune system to begin with.

EHM is scary. It’s not a joke. It’s not something to “ignore”.

But, you can do things to keep your horses safe.

1. Vaccinate during stress free times. Don’t wait until you’re hauling and your horse is stressed to vaccinate. Do it during the less stressful season for your horse.

2. If you’re going to a big 3+ day show, or going on a rodeo run, EquiStim is a great product. We give this to EVERY SINGLE HORSE WE BUY, as soon as they step off the truck, this is a great immune stimulator, it also is the only thing we give to horses with strangles.

3. Zesterra is a great product to give daily. It helps keep a horse drinking, it helps their stomach, and it helps keep their immune system supported.

4. We feed supplements with Lysine and Zinc, to the horses we haul. We’ve been told by more than one vet that lysine and zinc are two key products to building their immune system.

I buy over 1,500 horses a year to sell to the public and I have since 2012. I’ve been in the top 5 largest equine bonded brokerages in the US, per P&S / USDA since 2015. So, I unfortunately “know ball” when it comes to sickness.

I’ve managed to never have a EHV-1 outbreak and I’ve managed to never have a strangled outbreak despite buying horses with both, at different times. Quarantine, proper hygiene and precautions are important - but having your horses vaccinated, and their immune systems built up are the most import essential keys to preventing your horse(s) from getting sick.

What we don’t hear enough people say openly is that strangles, EHV-1, and other viruses are present at ALL major horse events. Horses are silent carriers, so you can’t blame anyone person because it maybe you hauling a carrier around without knowing and that’s just part of livestock.

I want to be realistic with the public and horse people. I am tired of the crazies online blaming and shaming, where people are afraid to openly talk about tough subjects like sickness for fear of being attacked.

We need to be smart, and being smart comes with education, and how can you be educated if people who have dealt with something (a lot), are silenced and shamed into believing their going to be blamed if they speak up.

I get shamed every time I turn around, because I openly discuss strangles. But, the fact is I have managed to buy hundreds of horses with strangles and never have I ever lost one (praise the Lord), and I quarantine heavily - my staff is educated - and I have managed to prevent my daughters horses who live here from ever being infected so clearly I do know something.

I want people to take EHV-1 serious, take Strangles serious, but don’t be afraid. I see a lot of FEAR online and I think it’s because Facebook gives people who have maybe 1-2 horses a platform to be a professional and they’re scared; they don’t have the knowledge or tools to handle strangles, they don’t know how to prevent or treat EHV-1. So, they are scared. It’s okay to be scared but it’s also to be educated and know that generally EHV-1 comes, and goes quickly. EHM is scary, and it can go bad quickly. But, it’s potenial to be out there - is at every event.

EHV-1 is present everywhere you go. And horses who have recently been vaccinated and horses with the slightest compromised immune system due to stress or gastric tract issues - are more likely to mutate to EHM.

So, in short vaccinate during stress free seasons. Keep their guts in good shape - ulcer care is important. And do everything you can to build their immune systems especially around stressful times.

** Below is a gelding who is fully quarantined and ready to find a home, but he battled a horrible upper respiratory infection and had to be isolated. Now look how good he looks and he has gained a ton of muscle.

01/24/2026

Good morning. Here's your great read for the day!

https://www.facebook.com/100050177093034/posts/1429748568707699/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Fear of Failure.
I’ve got three rules that sit at the very top of my training program, and they don’t change no matter what horse is in my barn or what level of training we’re working on.

Rule 1: I don’t get hurt.
Rule 2: The horse doesn’t get hurt.
Rule 3: One of us must learn something.

Most folks nod their head at the first two because they sound obvious. And they are. But that third rule is the one that separates a productive day from a wasted one, and it’s also the one that forces us to tell the truth about what really happened in the ride.

Because here’s the easy part: it feels good when we clearly see the horse learn something. The horse softens. The horse tries. The horse gets it. The horse repeats it. That’s the part that feeds our ego in a healthy way. We get to say, “Look what I taught him,” and sometimes we even get to feel like we’re a little smarter than we were this morning.

But the harder part—the part that serves you for life—is when the horse didn’t learn what you wanted, and you realize you learned something instead.

And most of the time, what we learn sounds a lot like this:

“Don’t do that again that way.”

That kind of learning feels like a bite out of a humble pie, and it can sting your pride because it’s not the kind of lesson you can post a victory lap about. It’s not pretty. It doesn’t come with a ribbon. It doesn’t come with applause. It comes with an uncomfortable moment where you recognize that you made a decision that didn’t work, or you asked a question at the wrong time, or you pushed too hard, or you didn’t prepare the foundation enough, or you let your emotions get ahead of your timing.

And at first, that can feel like failure.

But I’m going to say something that a lot of people don’t want to hear: that kind of “failure” is one of the best things that can happen to you.

Because real failure in horse training isn’t “that didn’t go like I planned.”
Real failure is refusing to learn.
Real failure is blaming the horse for everything.
Real failure is being so scared of looking wrong that you never grow right.

I’ve learned over the years that most of what holds people back—whether it’s in a show pen, in training, or in life—is not the lack of knowledge. It’s not the lack of talent. It’s not even the lack of opportunity.

It’s the fear of failure.

That fear will put a cap on you. It’ll keep you small. It’ll keep you doing the same safe stuff over and over again because the safe stuff protects your ego. The safe stuff keeps you from getting embarrassed. The safe stuff keeps you from having to admit you don’t know everything. The safe stuff keeps you comfortable.

But comfort is expensive. It costs you growth.

And here’s the part I wish everybody would really let sink in:

The fear of something is almost always worse than the actual thing.

People build failure up in their head like it’s going to be this catastrophic event—like it’s going to expose them, ruin them, prove they don’t belong, prove they aren’t good enough, prove they don’t deserve to be doing what they’re doing.

But most of the time, when you finally take a deep breath and do the thing you’re afraid of… you don’t fail at all.

You might struggle.
You might wobble.
You might not get the result you wanted on the first try.

But that isn’t failure. That’s feedback. That’s data. That’s information you didn’t have before.

And even if it really does go sideways, even if it truly does not work out like you pictured it in your head, you still didn’t lose—because if you follow Rule 3, you learned something.

And if you learned something, you’re not behind. You’re not broken. You’re not exposed. You’re not defeated.

You’re becoming.

I want people to understand this: the goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to be honest enough to learn and brave enough to try again. The goal is to be the kind of horseman who can look at a rough moment and say, “Alright. That’s not how I’m going to do that next time.”

Because that sentence is powerful. That sentence is growth.

And here’s what happens when you truly embrace that mindset: doors open.

When you stop treating “failure” like a life sentence and start treating it like a teacher, you start doing things you used to talk yourself out of. You start trying exercises you were afraid to try. You start working through holes in your program instead of hiding them. You stop needing to look perfect, and you start needing to get better.

And when you do that, you grow into things you never dreamed were possible.

I’ve lived that.

I’ll give you a real example that has nothing to do with a lead change or a stop or a cow work maneuver, but has everything to do with the same mindset.

When I was considering doing my live training videos on YouTube, that fear of failure absolutely tried to grab ahold of me.

I got asked a question that sounded simple but carried a lot of weight:

“What if what you’re doing doesn’t go good?”

Now think about that for a second. Because that question is the voice inside a lot of people’s head every day. That question is why people don’t enter the show pen. That question is why people don’t take lessons. That question is why people don’t start colts. That question is why people don’t haul out alone. That question is why people don’t try the new job, don’t start the business, don’t apply, don’t audition, don’t post the video, don’t step up, don’t take the risk.

“What if it doesn’t go good?”

And I had to lean back on Rule 3 and remind myself what kind of horseman I am and what kind of teacher I want to be.

If it doesn’t go good… then we talk about what went wrong.
We break it down.
We learn from it.
We learn together.

Because that’s real horsemanship. That’s real training. That’s real leadership.

I’m not here to pretend everything is always smooth and picture perfect. Horses aren’t robots, and neither are we. I’m here to show what it looks like to stay safe, keep the horse safe, and keep learning no matter what the ride hands you.

That’s why the fear of failure doesn’t get to run the show.

I’m not saying I don’t feel it. I’m saying I don’t obey it.

And if you’re reading this and you’ve been held back by that same fear—whether it’s fear of failing in the arena, fear of failing in training, fear of failing in front of people, fear of failing in life—I want you to hear me clearly:

The fear is lying to you.

It’s telling you that failure is the end.
But failure, handled right, is often the beginning.

Because one “failure” followed by honesty and effort will teach you more than a hundred safe, careful, boring rides where you never challenge anything.

So here’s what I want to leave you with today:

If you follow the rules—if you keep yourself safe, keep the horse safe, and commit to learning—then you don’t have to fear failure the way you think you do.

You can respect it. You can take it seriously. You can make good decisions.

But you don’t have to be controlled by it.

Try the thing.
Take the step.
Do the work.
Be willing to learn.

And if it doesn’t go exactly how you wanted the first time, don’t call that failure.

Call it training.

Because training—real training—is built on thousands of small moments where you learn, adjust, and try again.

And that next try… a whole lot of times… is the success you were looking for all along.

10/10/2025

Dear drivers (especially those not familiar with horses): Please don’t cut in front of a horse trailer just because there’s a big gap. We leave that space on purpose, it’s not that we’re driving slow, it’s because we need a long distance to stop safely.

Horses in the trailer need us to take curves slowly and brake gently so they can stay balanced. Sudden stops or sharp turns can injure them, or even flip the trailer, causing a serious accident.

In the photo, the mare has very little space to move, and her foal is right under her. She’s doing her best to stay still and protect her baby. I can only help her if I drive carefully. Please be patient and give us space. Most people don’t mean harm, they just don’t know.
Shared from a friend
Prayers and Shares

https://louisianacn.com

08/25/2025

Really nice explanation of how a horse mirrors the rider. Interesting it doesnt even look like the same horse when she's unbalanced.

08/25/2025

Great day at the barn with Dr. Emily McKillican, DC from Folsom Chiropractic. She works head to toe and worked well with all the horses. Great reviews the next day from everyone. Thank you Dr. Emily.

08/12/2025

This is really well presented.

Stop Disengaging Your Horse’s Hind End on the Lunge Line

I’m going to step on a few toes here, but I’d rather bruise egos than backs — horse’s backs, that is. One of the most common things I see being taught at clinics, in videos, and even in some lesson barns is “disengaging the hind end” on the lunge line as a primary tool for control. The handler steps toward the horse’s hip, the horse swings their hindquarters away, and people smile because, “Look! They’re yielding their hindquarters!”

It might look neat, but here’s the hard truth: repeatedly disengaging a horse’s hind end on the lunge line is one of the fastest ways to destroy the very balance and movement you’re going to need for everything you’ll ever ask a horse to do under saddle.

What Happens Biomechanically

When you drive that hind end out and away, the horse has to:

Shorten and stiffen their topline — the back inverts, the head pops up, and the neck often stiffens.

Lose engagement — they stop stepping up under themselves with their hind legs, which is the motor that powers everything from a collected jog to a downward transition.

Fall onto the forehand — without that hind end carrying weight, all the motion and balance shifts to the front, making the shoulders and front legs work harder and creating sloppy, heavy movement.

The horse might “turn and face you,” but now you’ve trained them to lead with the front end and trail their engine behind them. That is the opposite of how a balanced horse should move.

Why Balance Matters

Every discipline — from reining to ranch work, from dressage to trail riding — depends on a horse being able to carry weight in the hindquarters, lift the back, and move with forward drive.

A balanced horse:

Steps under with the hind legs to support the weight of the body.

Uses the hindquarters as the main source of propulsion.

Lifts the base of the neck and the back, creating a soft, round outline.

Stays light in the front end, making direction changes smoother and safer.

When you take that away by constantly disengaging, you’re building a habit that will show up later when you try to stop, turn, or collect. The horse will drop the back, hollow out, and lean on the front legs — exactly when you need them to sit down and use their hind end.

The Problem with “Safety First” Misuse

A lot of clinicians teach disengaging as a safety mechanism — “If you control the hips, you control the horse.” There’s truth in that, and it can be a useful emergency tool in certain situations, especially on a green or reactive horse. But just because it’s good in an emergency doesn’t mean it should be your main training approach.

Think of it like pulling the parking brake in your car. It’s great if your main brakes fail, but you wouldn’t drive around all day with the parking brake half on — unless you wanted to ruin your car’s performance.

A Better Approach

Instead of driving the hindquarters away, we should be teaching the horse to:

Track forward with impulsion — every step should have purpose and energy, with the hind legs stepping under.

Bend through the body — a slight inside bend in the neck and body encourages softness and correct balance.

Engage the topline — a relaxed neck and lifted back are signs the horse is moving correctly and in self-carriage.

Shift weight back — whether in a circle, straight line, or stop, the horse should be able to carry more weight behind without you having to force it.

This way, when you transition from groundwork to riding, the horse already understands how to use their body in a way that will make everything easier — from stopping softly to spinning cleanly to navigating a rocky trail.

How to Lunge Without Wrecking Balance

If you want to lunge in a way that builds, not breaks, your horse’s movement:

Keep the horse moving forward first. If you need to redirect, do it with a change of bend, not by throwing the hind end out.

Ask for engagement — think “hind legs under, front legs light.”

Use transitions on the circle — walk/trot, trot/lope, and downward transitions — to teach the horse to rebalance and carry themselves.

Reward moments when they lower the neck, lift the back, and move fluidly.

Final Thought

Every single ride you’ll ever take depends on the strength and balance of your horse’s hindquarters. If you make a habit of disengaging them, you’re literally training your horse out of the balance you’ll later wish they had.

Yes, disengaging has its place as a safety or control maneuver in specific situations. But as a go-to groundwork exercise? It’s counterproductive. Instead, teach your horse to carry themselves correctly from the ground up — you’ll be building the foundation for everything you’ll ever want to do together.

Remember: a horse moves best when the engine is pushing from behind, not when you’ve shut the engine off and let the steering wheel do all the work.

07/28/2025

07/28/2025

07/24/2025

Good fair information

Stop Fixing Problems You Created

There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it plain:

A lot of the problems people bring to me — barn sour horses, buddy sour horses, horses that won’t load, won’t stand at the mounting block, don’t stop, don’t steer, don’t pick up the right lead — didn’t come out of nowhere. They weren’t born that way. And most of the time, they weren’t trained that way either.

They were made that way. And most often? They were made that way by the very people trying to fix them.

Now before you get your feathers ruffled, hear me out. I’m not here to shame anyone. Horses are honest creatures. They respond to the environment they’re in and the leadership they get. If you’ve got a problem horse, that horse isn’t out to make your life miserable. That horse is just reacting to what it’s been taught — directly or indirectly — by you.

So before you go looking for a fix, stop and ask yourself one simple question:

“Did I create this?”

Horses Learn Patterns — Whether You Meant to Teach Them or Not
Horses are masters of pattern recognition. They don’t just learn what we intentionally teach — they learn what we repeatedly allow.

Let me give you a simple example. You ride your horse for 45 minutes, and every single time you dismount right at the gate. After about a week of that, your horse starts pulling toward the gate at the 40-minute mark. Two weeks in, you’re fighting to stay in the arena at all. You say, “He’s barn sour.” No — he’s gate-conditioned. You taught him that the gate is where the ride ends, and he learned it better than you realized.

Same thing with mounting blocks. You let your horse walk off the second your foot hits the stirrup? Don’t be surprised when he refuses to stand still. He’s not being disrespectful — he’s doing exactly what he thinks he’s supposed to do. You taught him that.

Buddy sour? Happens when every ride, every turnout, every trailer ride, every everything happens in pairs. You never ask that horse to be alone, never train it to focus on you instead of the herd, and then act shocked when it melts down the minute its pasture mate walks away.

These are learned behaviors. And if you taught it — even accidentally — then you’re the one who needs to un-teach it.

Avoidance Creates Anxiety
I see it all the time: the rider knows their horse doesn’t like something — maybe it’s going in the trailer, riding out alone, crossing water, walking past a flapping tarp. So what do they do? They just avoid it. Again and again.

And you know what happens? The horse gets more anxious. The issue doesn’t go away. It gets bigger. Because now that thing is associated with stress, and the horse has never been taught how to work through it. The human’s avoidance has created a mental block.

And then one day they try to address it — maybe they need to trailer somewhere, or they’re in a clinic and someone pulls out a tarp — and the horse explodes. And they say, “I don’t know why he’s acting like this!”

I do. You’ve been letting it fester. You taught your horse that he never has to face the thing that scares him. Until now. And now it’s a fight.

Inconsistency is the Fastest Way to Ruin a Good Horse
You can’t train a horse one way on Monday and another way on Wednesday and expect them to understand anything. And yet that’s what a lot of folks do.

Monday: you make him back out of your space.
Tuesday: you let him walk all over you because you’re in a rush.
Wednesday: you smack him with the lead rope for doing the same thing he got away with yesterday.
Thursday: you feel bad and let him be pushy again.

That horse has no idea what the rules are. And when there are no clear rules, a horse will either take charge or check out completely. Either way, it’s not going to end in a safe, willing, responsive partner.

Stop Saying “He Just Started Doing That”
I hear that phrase constantly: “He just started doing that.”

No, he didn’t. You just started noticing it once it became a problem you couldn’t ignore.

Most bad habits start small. A little shoulder lean. A step into your space. A half-second delay in picking up a cue. But when you ignore those things, they grow. Horses don’t suddenly wake up one day and decide to bolt, buck, rear, or refuse. They show you the warning signs first. It’s up to you to listen and respond before it becomes a crisis.

So the next time you say, “He just started doing that,” stop and think: Did I actually miss the signs? Did I allow this to build?

Horses Are Honest — But So Are Results
Your horse is just doing what it was taught. Maybe not on purpose. Maybe not maliciously. But consistently.

The results you’re getting today are a direct reflection of the leadership you’ve given up until now.

And the good news is — that works in reverse too.

If your horse is a problem today, and you take responsibility, and you start showing up consistently, with clear expectations, fair corrections, and better timing — the horse will respond. Horses aren’t holding grudges. They’re not being stubborn just to spite you. They’re not political. They’re not bitter. They’re honest.

They will follow a better leader the moment one shows up.

Final Thought
If you’re spending your time trying to fix a problem, the first place you need to look is the mirror.

Because if you’re the one who taught it — even by accident — then you’re also the one who can fix it. But only if you take responsibility.

Stop blaming the horse. Stop acting surprised. Start being the kind of leader your horse actually needs — not the one that avoids, excuses, and compensates.

The horse isn’t broken. The horse isn’t rebellious. The horse isn’t hard to train.

You’re just trying to fix something you created without first owning the fact that you created it.

And until you do that, nothing is going to change.