Construction

Last week has been super busy working on better pens for horses. Placing horses that don't know each other in adjacent pens has it's disadvantages. Injuries happen needlessly and horses can get pushy into panels and fences. So the decided solution is a board fence front with a top hot wire and Electrobraid separating runs into sections between the horses. The safest fence is the fence a horse won't touch. Even the most disrespectful, boss horse learns quickly there is a right and wrong, yes and no.
Coming soon.

5/26/12

I have been very blessed with a great group of horses in training this month. They have certainly kept me busy and challenged. It's always incredible to me how different and unique each horse is in personality, learning style, color, shape and yes, in problems too. Still, I like to find the common ground between dominant horses, leaders, dull, sassy, smart, or pushy horses. They're all different and yet they're all the same. At the end of the day, a horse is still 900 lbs heavier, stronger and bigger than me and yet with guidance, are willing to put their wellbeing in my care. 'Meek' takes on a new meaning when you watch the powerful ripple of muscle glide smoothly around on a lunge line or feel the pounding thrill of him calmly loping beneath you.
Consistent training saves you big time in the long run and rewards you all along the way.

Champ

Champ gets his first time with a dummy rider with milk jugs legs.

This is a 6 year old just gelded quarter horse who is in for training. He's fairly quiet and sensitive but has a fear and shyness about new things. His first reaction when something isn't quite right or startled him is to buck. He has a powerful, full arching buck that would be difficult to ride out in any situation. Objective here is to desensitize him to break him out really well before setting foot in saddle. So far I'm looking at a real challenge but only time will tell.

Day: eight

First ride on Rio. He did really well considering he's a 6 year old with little to no handling. I worked him on the lunge line and softened him to the bit before boarding. Teaching him to circle drive on the ground first made all the difference in the world. That way he already knew to move forward and around off of pressure from the stirrup it wasn't much of a transition for me in the saddle.
He did buck from a standstill twice after moving off at a walk. He needed to test my limit and see if that might get him out of working. Didn't work so well, I made him work at the trot.
He moves well at the trot and changed direction nicely. First order of business is to learn the one rein stop so we did lots of walk-trot-stop transitions. It was a great first ride I'm excited to continue on.

Card

Promised picture

Rio

Day one:
Rio has a sweet willingness. He is wary and reactive right off but he wants to please if your fair and consistent. He's pretty trusting for being skittish and a little shy, that just shows he wasn't ever hit in anger or mistreated.
Rio has an interesting background. He was born and raised with around 70 other horses but unfortunately his owner wasn't taking care of him and his pasture mates. He was being starved and neglected. He was recused and taken to a vet where he was then sold. I got him yesterday to train for resale and I like him already. He's responding like a clean slate. Since Rio is 6 years old it could be expected that he would have bad habits or be pushy and dominate, but he's not. I'm expecting great things from this little horse.

Cards

In an effort to advertise my horse training business I am getting business cards printed soon. A template was emailed to me this morning and it looks fantastic. I wanted a fresh look that was appealing and straight forward, professional and yet had personality. Something a customer would keep and try not to lose. I think we nailed it with the help of a graphic artist at Hanson Briggs Advertising. Will recommend them highly for printing jobs. I will get a picture up as soon as I get a final proof.

Welcome

Dakota horsemanship offers exceptional training at an affordable price. Taking young, inexperienced horses through thirty days of concentrated training to provide a solid foundation. Emphasis in training is placed on respect, control, and lightness. 

For the broke horse: Take your horse's performance to the next level with a specialized focus for specific skills. 
Barrel racing
Poles
Trail riding
Stop/back up
Trailer loading
Desensitizing

Choose a two week "tune up" package to get your horse focused and back in shape after the winter months.