Author Archives: Jillian

With all the wild fires in Oregon right now many are reaching out to me for advice on how to better care for their horse during these times. Some of the questions are “do I use a nebulizer or not?”, “how long can I work my horse in the smoke?”, “do they need to beContinue reading “Keeping your horse comfortable in smokey conditions.”

Recently I’ve had a change of heart in a certain discipline. I loved reining but after researching the horses body and how it is perfect for being exactly how it was intended as a grazing animal. They are meant to graze all day and constantly moving never staying in one spot. They function like aContinue reading “English, western, reining, jumping, trail riding etc.”

Yesterday I was at the feed store picking up my grain and I over heard a lady asking for advice about grain and the sales associate recommended senior. I stopped to hear her reasoning why an 8 year old should be on senior she had good points it’s a good grain I’ve fed it forContinue reading “Why feed a different grain in the summer v.s the winter?”

As humans we think completely opposite of how the horse thinks. This is based on the difference between predator and prey problem solving. They are a “run now look later” mentality that’s been proven to keep them safe for thousands of years. without that “spooky” mentality their species wouldn’t exist today. As humans, we haveContinue reading “The horse’s point of view on desensitization”

Well in a perfect world we’d love all horses to be built perfectly correct and ride smooth also be top breeding quality but that’s not real life. I know you’re thinking right now “you’re so wrong my horse is perfect and does it all!”… well Karen I’m happy you’re so in love with your horseContinue reading “Performance, halter or breeding career?”

When riding just focus on relaxing and the clarity of your communication with your horse. Take the time to enjoy your horse, don’t get too carried away with goals and improvements. Have a shorter ride, scratch them more and give them cuddles after your ride and appreciate the time together. This will help you andContinue reading “Don’t be a clock watcher”

It’s summertime, we’ve got our horses wearing their fly masks and smelling constantly of fly spray with in turn, makes us smell like “pledge” to the non-horse person lol! You’re doing your best and that’s great but don’t forget that those masks can breed bacteria on the horses face. Wearing a fly mask everyday leadsContinue reading “Let there be air!”

This post is about taking a step back from your daily routine and stopping to smell the roses. We all strive for progress and success but this approach will open your eyes to a new angle of training. Being a passenger isn’t always a bad thing! Being a passenger at the right times is actuallyContinue reading “Don’t be so demanding and remember to be an understanding friend.”

A common question I get is “how do you teach your horses to drop their head on their own? How do you release pressure without having control over the horse?” The answer is simply this, I do have full control of the horse’s even though you see no ropes or contact they get their releaseContinue reading “The benefits of the “low n slow” naturally while lunging”