Horses tell it all

A while back another blogger- MiKael of Rising Rainbow- and I were talking about training and how people may talk the talk but can they really walk the walk? We all know the type, they use all the latest buzz words but have no idea what they mean or how to apply things.

Something she said stuck with me all this time. "Watch the way their horses work. That will tell you what you need to know." If their horses are moving properly, then obviously someone knows what their talking about and also how to apply it. If the horses aren't moving properly, then you might want to steer clear of them.

Taking this one step further- when the horses are moving properly it will show in their muscle tone. The horses will be fit and in shape with a well balanced look about them. As you develop your eye and learn what to look for- the little things start to stand out to you and scream either Here I am!!! or Nope!

We have had a few 'trainers' come thru the barn in the past few months. One girl was claiming to be retraining a barrel horse that had gate and alley issues. She would tell me at great length all of the things she was doing to fix his problems. What she didn't know was that I can see right thru all of it. One look at her horse gave it all away. When school started back up again last fall and she was consumed with classes, homework, band practice and all of that- I took on working her horse for a month since her family had been feeding my horses 2 nights a week for me. Nice people and I don't mind trading favors like that. Once her horse started moving like he should- his whole body started changing as well as his behavior when she rode him again.

One girl took on a young mare that she later ended up taking ownership of, but after several months the horse was still lacking muscle tone, her hip bones on top were still showing, her neck was undeveloped and she had hollow spots behind her shoulder blades. Life happens and she needed to sell the mare after breaking her foot in 4 places coming off another horse she was training. I stepped in to help get the mare turned around and sold.

What happened was funny and shows how quickly we can make a difference. I changed up the mares feed, started working her in long lines and in less than a month all of a sudden everyone was taking notice of this horse. This girl has mostly used liberty techniques when training, but seeing the physical transformation and dramatic changes in a short time, she's interested in long line work and dressage now. The mare- she got a number of hits on the ad I posted for her including new pics and Sold the horse before the months end.

Another trainer moved into the barn this month. A young girl that is into hunter jumpers and eventing as it turns out. One look at her horses told me all I need to know. All of them need work and help. She asked if I might be interested in lessons? I'm pretty sure she meant me taking lessons from her, but yeah that would be a hard pass. Instead I politely let her know that I don't intend to give up my ammy status any time soon. Lol