Next Level Equestrian

02/14/2026

I was watching a young lady put a first saddling on a gentle three year old gelding the other day, observing her as she pushed past his signs of discomfort without so much as an easy boy, and I found myself unable to keep my thoughts private. I piped up and said, "This is why I could never do a c**t starting clinic...because I can read horses like a book and a lot of people don't even recognize when they're talking."

That youngster was asking her to slow down. To not leave his learning curve behind, or create a situation of fear and rebellion where there should only be try, but he was doing it in the small 'voices' gentle c**ts use. Tail flicking almost imperceptible warnings as she worked down his right side, shoulder blocking, stepping across her circle creating pressure against her when she asked him to move, instead of the softening to respect her bubble. None of it was biting, striking, bucking...but ALL OF IT can lead there.

A great trainer told me once;

"If you are not training you are untraining."

Think about that folks. If you take those words literally, which you should, what a burden of responsibility that lays upon your shoulders as the human in partnership with a horse.

If you aren't training, you are untraining.

I have seen a lot of horses come untrained over the years and then carry the blame for it, when it's likely that at some point they spoke their warnings, it's just nobody paused long enough to listen.

Have a good day folks. 😊

01/21/2026

“Trying to solve the problem at the level of the problem is the problem.” Einstein

You’ll notice something missing from my videos. You won’t see dramatic bucking, rearing, or bolting clips — and that’s intentional.

I get asked all the time: “Do you have a video on bucking?” “What about rearing?” “Is there something for a horse that panics when loading?”

The answer is almost always no.

Not because those issues don’t exist — but because they’re symptoms, not root problems. By the time a horse is bucking, rearing, or blowing up, the real issue started much earlier.

Take trailer loading. When you look deeper, it’s often not a loading problem at all — it’s could be discomfort with confinement. If a horse struggles in a stall or small space, it makes perfect sense they’d struggle in a trailer. I recently had some contact me about her trailer loading problem, and upon further questioning I found that the horse is anxiuos in a 12' x 12' stall.

Trying to “fix” the loading without addressing confinement is ignoring the information the horse is giving you — and it usually damages trust in the process.

That’s why my videos don’t show the explosion. They show the work before the explosion ever needs to happen.

I once documented the full process with a chronically rearing eventing mare. She never reared on camera — because we didn’t start where the behavior was big. We started where it first showed up.

If you start where the problem begins, you don’t have to fight the symptom.

Solve the cause, and the behavior resolves itself.

It may not be flashy or dramatic enough to rack up a million views — but it’s a solid, repeatable process that’s been successful with every horse I’ve worked with. Picture is of Chance, I have all the footage of him from the time he was born to now, quietly riding alone on a trail ride with no anxiety - just a grounded confidence.



Kimes Ranch Jeans
Weaver Equine
Crypto Aero - More Than Feed
100X Equine

01/01/2026

09/20/2025

We are excited to announce our first ever saddle club opportunity!
Ages 7-10(open for exceptions depending on the child)
This will be an introduction to everything horses from the ground up.
Held at our barn in Happy Valley, Saturdays for an 8 week course.
Please click the link for more the information and to sign up.

Next Level Equestrian is proud to be offering our first Saddle Club series - eight weeks of horsemanship, riding, and community-building around all things horses! Open for ages 7-10, this immersive program is a great introduction to riding for your budding equestrian, focused on not just building sk...

09/12/2025

08/08/2025

Live Q&A with this wonderful lady tonight at 6:30!
RHR Versatility
Lily Santulli

Join the Legacy of the Horse live chat with Championship Trainer Lily Santulli. Learn her versatile, anxiety-free approach to training. Replay in our learning app.

05/21/2025

05/21/2025

Gold!

05/17/2025

Tack sale today!! Benefits Braided Mane equine rescue.
A few of the rescue horses are here to meet too!

05/10/2025

Tolerance for tedium

Staying power, or tolerance for tedious -

I’ve taught the initial introduction lessons to about a million people: teaching people to straighten out their horse, to understand rythm, to feel the difference from their tight, wiggly nervous horse to a calmer, happier horse that breathes deeply.

This part is exciting: the changes happen quickly usually, and people want more.

But then it becomes tedious. It turns away from magic and changes into work. This is where the focus is on how the rider uses their leg, handles their rein. This is where you repeat over and over a new habit until it gets ingrained- the focus is not on progressing the horse but creating better habits- this is where it gets down to the nitty gritty of their expectation of the horse, their patience for re developing a poorly laid foundation in the horse and their own riding. This is where people drop off.

I’ve had very few get past this point - when things get tedious, people turn to self doubt, get emotional, think they can’t ride or don’t know what they’re doing and so on. This is when people are likely to look elsewhere for quicker or easier solutions, though I’m sure they’re not consciously doing this.

Many will be called, few will answer, as the saying goes. I don’t believe it’s because these people are incapable or not gifted. I think mainly it’s because we no longer have tolerance for tedium.

I think about the way I grew up riding and understand - in no time I was cantering, and jumping, long before I had the seat or hands for it. Many are taught this way too- a result oriented way of learning, instead of a layering in of a foundation: you can’t jump until you can control your leg and hand, and if it gets messier, you go back to the basics. But people see this as a punishment, not a support, and take it personally.

We don’t have the tolerance for tedium anymore , and so I wonder if not now, when will we ? And if we don’t, what will we be capable of developing with our horses?

Photo by Laurie Lampe

03/31/2025

So much this!

The decline of independent, knowledgeable horsemen in favor of riders who rely entirely on full-service programs is a troubling trend for our industry. Too often, riders simply show up, ride, and leave, trusting others to manage every aspect of their horse’s care. They follow their trainer’s directives without question, missing the opportunity to develop essential horsemanship skills and personal responsibility.

Attending a show without a trainer has become taboo. The idea of independently navigating a warm-up ring, walking a course, or making strategic decisions is foreign to many riders today. Beyond competition, this reliance extends to daily care. While trainers are invaluable resources, true horsemanship demands personal engagement.

Horses thrive on consistency, personalized attention, and knowledgeable management. A rider who understands their horse’s unique needs, how they respond to different training methods, express soreness, or vary in energy levels, can advocate for them in ways that a trainer managing dozens of horses cannot. When owners blindly follow a program without understanding its rationale, it is the horse who suffers.

On that note, there is absolutely no reason for a junior rider to have full-service grooming. Learning to care for a horse is an essential part of becoming a well-rounded equestrian. Grooming, tacking up, aftercare, and basic stable management are not chores: they are an opportunity and a privilege to recognize subtle changes in their horse’s well-being and take responsibility for their animal. If a junior rider has the ability to ride, they have the ability to contribute to their horse’s daily routine. Relying on full-service programs from an early age only fosters detachment and entitlement, rather than the respect and responsibility that true horsemanship demands.

Trainers should serve as mentors, not crutches. Every horse owner has a duty to take an active role in their horse’s well-being. If this trend continues, our industry will lose independent, well-rounded horsemen. We will see a generation of riders who can function only within structured programs, lacking the critical thinking skills necessary for effective horse care. Worse, we are producing professionals who can ride and teach but who lack the basic foundational knowledge to properly develop and maintain equine athletes.

Amateurs, in particular, have a crucial role in reversing this trend. Regardless of skill level, every rider has both the ability and the responsibility to take ownership of their horse’s well-being. This starts with asking questions: why is your horse in a particular training aid? Why is a specific bit, feed, or therapy being used? The more you learn, the better you can advocate for your horse. If your trainer resents your questions or discourages your involvement, vote with your feet and find someone else: because if they won’t listen to you, they certainly aren’t listening to your horse.

Restoring true horsemanship requires a shift in mindset. Riders must take an active role in their horse’s care, trainers should foster independence rather than dependency, and owners must recognize that ultimate responsibility lies with them. If we fail to course-correct, we risk losing not only invaluable knowledge but also the very essence of horsemanship: a loss our horses cannot afford.