MO-mo learning to MOve his feet!🐎
MO’s MOtivational MOndays!
My buddy Mo-mo is always making me feel like I don’t challenge him enough.
So we enrolled in a “pop-up”gymnastic clinic with 3 day eventer Paul Ebersole of Champagne Wishes Farm.
Most everybody knows that we are a western pair, spending 99% of our time on the trails, 80% of the time at the walk. That said, I do feel it’s important to work on more challenging coordination and proprioception exercises…especially with a young and intelligent horse.
My goal was to simply be there as Mo’s biggest supporter for any challenge he faced.
I know that these gymnastics are tiny compared to his lumbering 16.3 hand lanky stature, but I was so incredibly pleased with Mo’s relaxation and demeanor more than anything.
There was even a MOment when the clinician said, “…your horse is brilliant!” Needless to say, I was stunned and couldn’t stop smiling for my trail horse extraordinaire…
Mo proved he could jump a small course by the end, an important milestone for us, but height wasn’t the goal.
The video clip was just a small highlight showing Mo’s relaxation, rhythm, balance, coordination and confidence. (PS, Paul through the 5th jump in the gymnastic up without our knowledge, so even though Mo clipped it, he still took it without hesitation!)
What more could this mama ask for?
❤️🐎❤️
Playtime in the snow!!!
Quarter horses and thoroughbreds…guess which ones are off the track thoroughbreds?
Hint…the nosey bay boy is DEFINITELY TOO VOLUPTUOUS to be an OTTB😉
What a moment to capture…
Pure horse herd happiness…
❤️
Desensitizing to the flag in some major wind gusts...what a superstar...
More fall beauty from the ranch!
Could Fall be any more beautiful?
Mo was on lay-up for a couple weeks due to an abscess. Here’s an amazing pic👆🏼and video👇🏼 of his antics.
His buddy Dallas was happy to engage in some playtime.
TNC Herd
Just moving right along... TNC herd!
#horses #naturalhorsemanship
Mo, the donkeys, and Jethro, the mule.
MO-Moment: Mo has a new baby-sitter, Jethro, the mule. Mo has grown incredibly protective over his donkeys, Fric and Frac...great example of herd dynamics ☺️
MS. JEAN & ROYAL DIAMANTE (DANTE) TOOK PART IN THE RETIRED RACEHORSE PROJECT THOROUGHBRED CHALLENGE PREVIEW AT SALAMANDER RESORT IN MIDDLEBURG ON SEPT 22 WITH OTHER TRAINERS & HORSES PREPARING FOR THE OCTOBER THOROUGHBRED MAKEOVER COMPETITION IN KENTUCKY. Ms. Jean reports: We arrived feeling, quite honestly, "like a fish out of water." I pulled my little 2 horse stock trailer up next to these ginormous rigs that literally cast some nice shade over my little rig. Dante got out and was feeling quite fractious, being in a new place so nicely groomed. I too was feeling a bit overwhelmed, yet excited! We watched as they set up streamers, a tarp with cones and a little scarecrow in the center, multiple small crossrails and a gate. A perfect set up for the competitive trail riders, which Dante and I are not. We went in to school over and around the new, potentially scary objects. The goal was for him to feel comfortable to work "around" them as we performed a small portion of our working ranch routine. I was tickled that when we first came in the arena, Dante was hesitant with everything but trusted "mom" enough to try conquering his fears. The best silent victory was when we first walked to the tarp, cones and scarecrow, which Dante clearly was not a fan of. By the time he was done, we were standing in the center of the tarp, and he began scratching his head on Mr. Scarecrow, knocking him down. Dante seemed perplexed but not the least bit scared Mr. Scarecrow was on the ground at his feet. I hopped off and put him back in his spot, chuckling at my silly OTTB. We were asked to perform first in the demo, and did some simple circles and back ups to show the audience how handy he had become. Truly this was not a great performance by our standards, as we had flies causing him to toss his head and we had very little time to showcase his true abilities. But it was a success nonetheless! Dante did receive quite a few compliments about his quiet demeanor, which made me chuckle ev
Dante discovers pigs... ruh roh!
Mulberry Farm owner Don York participates in the IBRA barrel racing competition on June 17. Mulberry Farm is a well-appointed equestrian competition venue in Nokesville, Virginia well suited for western equestrian disciplines such as barrel racing and cutting. Along with numerous events and competitions, Mulberry Farm has hosted a number of workshops and clinics for wounded warriors over the past several years. Visit their FB page at Mulberry Farm and see the official result of the barrel races at https://www.mulberryfarm.net/june-17-results/ .
Sometimes out on the trail horse and rider encounter something unexpected, like a stray tarp lying across the trail. The horse often suspects it must be a crafty carnivore waiting in ambush to chomp them up. Or at best something else scary that does not fit with natural surroundings and should be avoided at all costs. The rider may see however that there is no way around but over. Trust and confidence in the human partner is the major ingredient in overcoming these fears to surmount the obstacle. Building and maintaining this trust is a big part of the Natural Connection.
Dante leading a trail ride for the first time, on a mountain trail. He didn't even spook at the scary white rock...
