Next Level Equestrian

08/30/2026

There's something so powerful about having a "hard conversation" with a horse. About bringing up something for them that challenges a belief they've held for their whole life, or something that scares them. Having a container in which hard conversations can happen freely, without the horse or human having to fear for their lives, is what sets this type of training apart from others.

Safety is not the same thing as avoiding discomfort, activation, or conflict forever. A relationship that can only function while everyone is calm is not actually prepared for real life, nor is it giving either party enough credit.

I do not believe in keeping horses under threshold always. I don't think this is beneficial for them, nor do I think it's responsible or sets them up for success. Because, as we all know, they are horses. They will spook at something, they will scare themselves when they believe a horse-eating troll is hiding behind that tree. And they will, undoubtedly, go over threshold.

And when they do, if you have not trained your own nervous system on how to handle yourself around a horse over threshold, you will also go over threshold.

And when you go over threshold, you will speak to your horse in a way that makes no sense to them. You will be in your sympathetic nervous system; you will be operating in fight or flight, and you will make big corrections and do big things with your body without control of your emotions.

And when you do this, your horse will have absolutely zero idea how to react. They might be terrified of you suddenly, because you got bigger than you've ever gotten with them and reacted from a place of fear or anger. They may resent you, because they assume that you are angry at them for something they did not believe they had control over. They may fight back, simply because they think you are attacking them.

There are countless combinations of what might occur, if suddenly on a Tuesday, you and your horse go over threshold together in a parking lot when neither of you have any practice in speaking to each other in a heightened state.

This is why it's crucial that we work with our horses in all kinds of situations, nervous system states, environments, etc. This is why it's imperative that, when they begin to go over threshold, we sit in that space with them and help them find their way through it, instead of immediately backing out and dropping them back down below threshold.

Your nervous system will not be able to learn how to stay regulated in the face of a panicking 1200-pound animal until you practice. And, as we all know, you have to put your own oxygen mask on before you help others. If you cannot regulate yourself, your horse will not be able to trust your guidance or your training, and you will both be stuck in a cycle of avoiding hard conversations and staying below threshold because it's too scary for both of you when s**t hits the fan.

So, how do you do it?

You create scenarios in which you know your horse will up-regulate, and you do so in a space where you can feel safe, supported, and held. I am not saying to terrorize your horse and send them into a full-fledged panic state. You need manageable activation. Choose a mid-level trigger. The horse still gets to communicate, and you still listen. The difference is that communication does not automatically mean you make the hard thing disappear. A set of eyes observing and helping to coach you through it is wildly helpful. You hold your ground, you set your boundaries, and you help teach your horse what it feels like when:

1. Your nervous system gets up-regulated, too.
2. Your intention changes from "please can you do this" to "I need this from you right now."
3. Your boundaries, voice, and body language gets louder, not from a place of anger/fear, but from a place of "What you are doing does not work for me, and I need you to hear me."

Spoiler alert: You will not be perfect at this when you first start. Take it from someone who has gone into full fight/flight mode in front of a horse and acted from a place of frustration, fear, etc. You will be triggered and likely will go over threshold yourself, which is why it's crucial to do this in a setting where you can bail yourself out if needed and tag in a friend while you breathe and re-regulate.

I remember as a child the feeling I would get in my body when my mom would use her "mom voice" and tell me to stop moving when we were out for a walk in the neighborhood. In that moment, I did not fear that my mother was going to kill me, but I sure as hell stopped in my tracks and looked at her for guidance because I knew something was not right.

THIS is what your horse can learn to do in moments of up-regulation, panic, fear, etc. They can learn that your intention getting bigger, your voice getting louder, and maybe even your physical cues getting stronger does not mean they need to fear for their lives, but instead means they need to stop and look at you for guidance.

They will never learn this if you don't practice it. They will never learn that you can indeed save them from themselves when they hit the panic button if you avoid the hard conversations. YOU will never learn that you can save them from themselves if you avoid it, either. They cannot learn how to communicate with you through activation if the two of you never practice communicating through activation.

The goal is not to teach the horse to tolerate being terrified. The goal is to teach both nervous systems that activation does not have to mean the loss of communication, relationship, or safety. Nor does it mean that there is something wrong or that they are being bad. It's simply a part of life.

Escalation is not the enemy. Being incapable of controlling your own emotions, regulating your own nervous system, and trusting yourself and your abilities is, though. And choosing to avoid the hard stuff and never teaching your horse how to handle a big change in intention, a louder aid or a reasonable demand is robbing you both of a relationship in which you can navigate the human world together.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. 🫶🏻

08/01/2026

08/01/2026

Much fun was had today 😂
Kalico Schimpf
Seana Lane

07/31/2026

Amen…. Fail and fail again, get up do it over, Learn the lesson, not to collect prestige, ribbons, money, buckles…Horses have so much more to give us.

07/10/2026

Keep going….great advice and great read!

I think one of the most frustrating parts of your horsemanship journey is that you don't always understand the lesson when you first hear it.

I recently read a post by Moore Horsemanship saying:

"If you ever think you know a lot about training horses, get a lesson with another professional. You may be surprised at the things you learn! And if you really want to feel like you know nothing, get a dressage lesson! I learned a lot! Some of it was over my head, but I'll just think on it for 3 years and one day it'll make sense!"

I laughed because I think just about anybody who's serious about becoming a better horseman has felt that way.

We've probably all been in a lesson or clinic where everyone around us seemed to be nodding along while we're standing there thinking, "I...think I know what they mean?"

Then you hear that exact same thing months or years later and suddenly it clicks.

While the information itself didn't change, you darn sure did.

You've ridden more horses, made more mistakes, had things go right, had things go wrong, and had more experiences to hang those ideas on.

I know that's been true for me. There are things I've heard for years that I thought I understood. Looking back, I understood the words...I just didn't understand the depth of what was actually being said. Now those same ideas make a whole lot more sense because I've got more horses and more experiences under my belt.

I think that's where a lot of discouragement comes from. We compare ourselves to someone who's ten, twenty, or thirty years further down the road and wonder why we aren't there yet.

We're comparing ourselves to the tip of the iceberg.

We see the "finished" horseman or horsewoman. We don't see the thousands of rides underneath that. We don't see the horses that humbled them, the mentors they learned from, the wrecks, the frustrations, the years of trial and error, or all the experiences that built the horseman we see today.

It's hard not to feel behind when we're comparing our whole journey to the tiny piece of someone else's that we actually get to see.

That's also why I think it's important to keep putting ourselves in places where we're not the most knowledgeable person in the room. Whether that's a cowhorse clinic, a dressage lesson, or just riding with someone who sees things a little differently than we do, there's value in hearing ideas that stretch us, even if we can't use all of them today.

I actually hope I hear things that are over my head. Because if everything makes perfect sense to me, I'm probably not stretching myself very much.

Those are usually the ideas that stick with me. Maybe I can't use them tomorrow, but six months from now, or two years from now, after a few more horses and a little more experience, they'll start to make a whole lot more sense.

So if you've ever left a lesson, clinic, or even a training video feeling like everyone else got more out of it than you did, don't let that convince you you're falling behind or incapable.

Keep at it anyway.

One day you'll hear that same lesson again, smile to yourself, and think, "Well...I'll be darned. That's what they were trying to tell me."

📸: Circle P Photography

06/05/2026

Full Care Program Board - $725

As a few long-term clients begin exciting new chapters with horses at home, we have a limited number of openings available in our program.

Over the years, I’ve found that the people who thrive most here are those who enjoy learning, asking questions, and continuing to grow alongside their horses. Whether you’re a newer horse owner or have decades of experience, we believe horsemanship is a lifelong journey.

Our goal is to provide a supportive environment where horses receive excellent care and owners have access to guidance, education, and a community of like-minded horse people.

We offer:
• Full-care boarding
• Large indoor arena
• Turnout opportunities
• Lesson and training options
• Professional oversight and horse management support

If you’re looking for more than just a place to keep your horse and value being part of a learning-focused community, I’d love to hear about you, your horse, and your goals.

Feel free to send me a message for more information.

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