Pat Parelli says that when you take off the halter and lead, what remains is the truth. “Liberty” is the practice of engaging with horses without the aid of ropes or halters. If your horse decides they don’t want to be with you, well, you can’t make them do it. You have to learn to…
Tag: horse lessons
You're not too unfit, too old, or too 'newbie' for horsemanship
If you’ve always been interested in horses but hesitant about whether it’s “okay” to reach out … now’s the time. We can’t think of a better way to get fresh air, healthy movement, and a total mind-body-spirit uplift than playing with horses. Of course, as life-long horse lovers, we’re biased. But that doesn’t make us…
A program for horse lovers
One of the things people love about our program is that we celebrate all aspects of the horse, not just riding. Our students learn how to care for horses physically, mentally, and emotionally. They learn how to listen to horses, how to understand horses, and how to interact with horses in a way that promotes…
A matter of tack
You’ve probably noticed in our photos and videos that our students ride in various kinds of tack. On any given day you’ll see us using bareback pads, English saddles, dressage saddles, Western saddles, endurance saddles, hybrid saddles, and sometimes nothing at all — just the warm, soft back of the naked horse. We ride in…
What kind of riding do we do?
We often get this question when new students find us online or come to the ranch for a tour. Typically, they are asking if we do “Western” or “English.” Sometimes experienced horse people ask us if we teach a sport or discipline, such as reining or jumping or cowboy dressage. The answer is – we…
Youth learn trail skills with the buddy system [video]
You’ll often see our students riding with a buddy, especially on their first rides out of the arena. A little ground support goes a long way toward helping riders (and horses) build confidence. Plus, it’s just fun to take a herd hike around the ranch.
Building curiosity and confidence with Inflatable Flamingo
River, Rockstar, and Regina enjoyed some liberty time with Inflatable Flamingo. Rockstar had never seen it before, while River was an old pro — this was her third time giving it a ride. How do your horses do with unusual objects? Our program helps you learn how to develop your horses’ curiosity and to be…
Video: Youth horsemanship demo
Six of our youth students collaborated in a horsemanship demo at our Open House in September. Each student-and-equine pair showcased the power of communication and partnership as they played with obstacles and performed various patterns. You’ll see quite a range of activities in the video — circus pedestals, weave patterns, jumping over barrels (look at…
Thank you for making our Open House such a success!
We loved meeting new people and spending time with our students and their friends and families — and it was a blast to see our students showcase their horsemanship in front of a live, enthusiastic audience. Thank you Jessica Annalee Photography for the beautiful photos of the event and letting us make a slideshow out…
We are looking for lesson horses
A few of our wonderful equine teachers are retiring and we are looking for one or two special partners to bring on board. Our program emphasizes positive relationships and two-way communication between horse and rider, and we take the mental, emotional, and physical happiness of our teaching partners very seriously. We make sure that the…
Youth program Horsemanship Club
The Horsemanship Club meets once a month at the ranch to participate in special activities. In November, the group gave all of the lesson horses and ponies a good bath — the weather was warm and the horses were dirty, so it was a perfect opportunity to play with water. And suds. Lots and lots of…
Lucia helps Tessa maintain gait at the halt
At the end of Lucia’s lesson, Lucia noticed that Tessa the pony was trying to go to her food before Lucia released her to do so. Lucia practiced helping Tessa maintain her responsibility to stand still until Lucia said she could have her food. When Tessa stood still, Lucia gave her a loose rein and…
