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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…
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The Mark
Recently my mom, Jules, has begun a new form of liberty training with our horses, utilizing a raised square object that we call a mark. Out of our four horses, Pepper might be considered our most mischievous and stubborn horse. However, he is the only one of our horses who willingly, and readily walks right up onto the mark, whenever we ask, without a second thought. Any chance to step up onto his precious mark is happily taken by Pepper, in fact, my mom has actually begun rewarding him with the mark! The mark is Pepper’s happy place. It is the only place where we can get him to stand…
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Why We Keep it Natural
Ever heard of the term Natural Horsemanship? Well that is what we are all about here at Hearts in Hand Horsemanship. We believe that horses are sentient beings, capable of relationship, with personalities, needs, hopes and desires. We do not consider horses to be machines, intended only for our recreation. In fact, horses can actually teach us a lot about ourselves, others and our relationship to God. Natural horsemanship is a way of training your horse by communicating with them in their own language. All horses are prey animals who crave safety, companionship, and a herd with an established pecking order. In order to gain respect from your horse, you…
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Horses From Heaven
Here at Hearts in Hand Horsemanship, we offer one-on-one sessions with our horses and individuals in need, or who simply want to learn about Natural Horsemanship. The smell of horse breath, a simple nuzzle and the feel of a strong, gentle animal under your seat can go a long way when dealing with anxiety, trauma, sadness and confusion. Sometimes we just need to fellowship with a horse in order to open up to the healing God wants for us. Many horses have experienced the same hardships that we sometimes face. In fact, horses are one of the most afflicted animals on the planet. Our horses have all had their fair…