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Fear of Falling
This was one of the last times that I rode my horse, Zoey without a helmet. It was one of many blissfully free rides. I would pop over to the field with nothing but a rope, hop aboard Zoey and take off. Free as the wind. To be completely honest, I treasure these rides in my memory and understand why people don’t always ride with helmets. Heck, I don’t even like to ride with shoes most of the time. As wonderfully primal as it felt to meet my horse in her natural habitat and ride her with nothing but total faith, something was bound to go wrong at some point.…
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Humbled
Since my mom first put me on her comfortable horsey back, my horse Zoey and i have had many ups and downs. All those years ago i was a disillusioned young adult, tainted by the world and the poor choices i had made. My mom put me on her back that fall day, after news of a dear friend’s death by drug overdose. She put me on Zoey’s back because she knew that this small act would be balm for my hurting heart. I didn’t yet know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, but i did shortly after. Since this first moment with my now beloved chestnut mare, i have…
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She Left Her Crutches at the Mounting Block
A little girl named Zya was the main reason that we launched our younger kids’ group here at Hearts in Hand Horsemanship. Why? Because she is one of the most horse crazy girls that we have ever met, (besides my mom of course). It was important for my mom and i to honor and foster that fierce horse love. Our hope is that every young horseman will ultimately become the saving grace for abandoned and abused equines. Most of the time, Zya relies on the help of her crutches to get around, though in my opinion, they certainly don’t slow her down! The minute Zya shows up to our farm,…
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Training the Trainer
This is one of our volunteers, Alyssa, with our mustang, Pepper. You could say that both Pepper and Alyssa are green. Green is a term that is used in the horse world to describe horses that are barely trained, or not trained at all. One thing that my mom and i have been working on is training Alyssa to train Pepper. As you can imagine, this is a tall order. For us, it is very important for our volunteers to understand the heart of our style of horsemanship which is relationship. As long as the concept of relationship is kept at the forefront of our volunteers’ minds, all other aspects…
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The Journey
When we start our youngsters on horseback, we typically have a few supporters walking along side them and their horse. This way they feel safe and have someone, (typically mom) to catch them when they start to slip off. The most common thing i have to reiterate to our young riders is to look up! When riding a horse, it is very important to look in the direction that you wish to go. Horses are extremely sensitive and will typically follow the direction of their rider’s gaze. Some people who are highly in tune with their horse can simply think about the direction that they want to go and their…
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The Flow
Only an hour before this photo was taken, I had been feeling very anxious, so I sought after my horse, Zoey. This glorious day marked the moment that i truly understood what it meant to hop onto God’s “flow”. I have struggled with anxiety for most of my life, as many people do. Praise God for my support system and all of His provisions. One of those provisions is time with my horse, Zoey. Now I’d like to tell you that this picture is an accurate representation of my history of horsemanship and that i have always been able to just hop on my horse with nothing and fly freely…
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Big Bravery
This is Kaylee right before she mounts a horse for the very first time in her life. Kaylee is a 26 year old police officer who has seen her fair share of horror. Since we first met Kaylee she has shown us big bravery with our horses. Many people are understandably nervous the first time they get up close and personal with a horse. This is due to the fact that horses are much bigger than us and could spook at any moment, (which basically means have a horse conniption). In order to keep a horse from spooking you yourself need to remain calm. Horses are very sensitive creatures and…
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A Little Desensitization
Once in a while we like to work on a little desensitization with our horses. In essence, this basically means that we scare them a little with harmless objects until they aren’t scared any more. Most horses will freak out over a plastic bag flying in the wind, especially if they have never been desensitized before. A horse that is in fear for his life, even if the object of their fear is something meant for carrying groceries, can be extremely dangerous. Horses are prey animals and are always on the look out for threats to their safety’; once they feel unsafe, the thinking part of their brain shuts off…
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A Love Worth Having
There is no question about it, our horses love us! When my mom or i walk up the hill to our arena, our horses usually follow right behind us, so that we will work with them. Sometimes they are waiting for us in the arena before we even go up! Why do they love us? There are a few reasons. For one, horses desire relationship. They are herd animals who desire the safety and companionship of other horses and sometimes, to our delight, humans! The main reason our horses love us is because we also desire relationship with them. I’ll tell you one thing though, spoil your horse with only…
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Starting Spirit
If any of you are familiar with our horse, Spirit, you will know that he is our newest and “greenest” horse. A green horse is one who isn’t yet ready to ride. Before he came to us, Spirit was a race horse who pulled a cart all of his life. He wasn’t anyone’s special boy and very likely hated his job. When we first took him home he was skinny, skittish, and completely unacquainted with mud! It took him a few years to muscle up and become a real country boy before we felt comfortable doing doing any work with him. The oldest and most often used term for readying…