Sandy Pines Ranch

Sandy Pines Ranch Equine Specializations:performance horse training, prep & competing, private & group lessons, clinics

Rider fitness 🍃When we think of horse husbandry rarely do we talk about biomechanics. Yet, we often have horses because ...
07/31/2025

Rider fitness 🍃

When we think of horse husbandry rarely do we talk about biomechanics. Yet, we often have horses because we want to ride them, and rarely do we seem to consider the elements in that action.

We sure expect our horses to do alot for us...however what is on us as their leader? Horses aren't a quad. Good horsemanship is hard. They are an organic creature made up of tissues just like us. Think of when you move the wrong way or how hard it is to do a sport when you aren't in shape enough for it. Are you wanting to move to that next level in your performance? Well, it's no free ride. You aren't going to be able to help your horse get there if you aren't putting that work in on your own body too. If I'm not riding alot myself, you can bet I'll be hitting the gym heavy, and targeting whatever I need to make sure I can match the level of my horses.

It is unfair to expect your horse to perform better than you can, or to put up with a form of riding that makes them sore. If you want them to show up and deliver, then so do you. This might sound harsh, but it is part of riding horses. This is one sport where you will very quickly be humbled by your partner when you fall short of them, but yet also be reminded that you can when you put the work in.

Like I've said before, the partnership between you and your horse is what you win on; whether that win is a great ride down the trail, a high score or a fast time in the arena, it is the partnership that gets you to those top levels. It's not a partnership nor a team when only one person gets the say. We need to always keep learning.

Happy Riding!
📸 Reined Equine Marketing

The price of a good horse. 🍃💰What is it worth to you?A horse that shows up and delivers under all conditions...is that f...
07/20/2025

The price of a good horse. 🍃💰

What is it worth to you?

A horse that shows up and delivers under all conditions...is that for cheap or free?

One that never faulters under stress, and when the pressure is on they grit down and show up harder; whose bones and legs stand up and last without compromising it's ability or trainability.

The ones whose training and whose movement makes you better; who takes care of you. When you don't have it in you that day, they stand forward and say, "Too bad, we're going in, I got this."

What is that kind of horse worth to you? Someone bred that horse and meticulously researched its genetics to make sure it would come out with these characteristics; a skill where Type A thinking pays off. Then someone cared for it and interacted with it to raise it well, and then someone trained it.

They are designed by someone's hard work and skill in engineering, raising, and also in training.

It's just something to think about, is what is a good horse worth to you? One thing is forsure is they and their work, it isn't free.

Happy Training!

📸 Wick Photography

Horses don't lie. 🍃..I wanted to hang a sign up on my arena pillars that states this, but then I thought it to be perhap...
07/16/2025

Horses don't lie. 🍃..I wanted to hang a sign up on my arena pillars that states this, but then I thought it to be perhaps a little abrupt.

Let me tell you, I have been doing this alot of years. The funny thing is while a horse has an instinct to hide things such as pain for survival, they really don't lie and they especially don't lie to a trainer.

When they know there is someone who can read them, they tell you alot, and there is alot I find out when a horse arrives. However, this is not a bad thing. They want you to know things because they want to make you happy. This is how we make change and this is how we know where to go forward. This is how they reach their potentials.

If you want to know the sources of truth, where your holes are, and where you have persevered, the horse will never lie. It's an inevitable truth and humility to face when riding and owning horses.

Happy Riding!
📸 Flying MT

Page content ideas please! 💥I've been slow to post here lately. Apologies. I need some ideas...what does everyone want t...
06/26/2025

Page content ideas please! 💥

I've been slow to post here lately. Apologies. I need some ideas...what does everyone want to see or read about? Let me know what you are needing to know...don't be shy at all because I promise you that someone else has the exact same question or thing they want to know too. That's what this page is for is cultivating a learning environment.

Also note, on personal profiles the Digital Creator option exists now...this lets you have the option to create subscriber content. You can pay a pretty small subscription fee and see content such as training, behind the scenes, etc. that is only available when you subscribe. I love teaching, and I've been considering going this direction vs. the page. My profile has considerably more followers and more growth than the page. What are your thoughts on this? Be honest.

Pic for attention. This is at Writing on Stone dual approved CCA and CRA rodeo in 2022...where I barely tipped second barrel to win it on Royal to miss out on winning the covetted spurs. I haven't let that go yet. The bay horse in this photo is in her new home now where she recently went to her first National High School Rodeo Finals in the USA with her new owner. I loved that horse, but love seeing her go on to do so well and make someone's dreams come true too.

💥Please let me know what you would like me to post more of on the page here!! 💥

06/14/2025

Jethro updates! ❤️☠️🖤

If you couldn't join us for the action and feel the rodeo vibes, I thought I would put together a clip to get your adrenaline pumping and to experience some of things we expose horses to on the road! ✌️

Jethro is a consistent little horse. He placed at another one of the biggest rodeos on the CCA circuit, Kindersley CCA. That made me very proud of him.

Rodeo is full of ups and downs, and we had a fall at one of our pro rodeo stops. He impressed still when he got up and just kept going like nothing happened. That's what we train them to do! The bigger the challenge, he just digs in and tries harder!

If you need a horse seasoned to events and things in some experienced hands, give me a shout! ❤️

Hope you enjoy this video, and catch you at the next one!

Music Credit: Auto generated music from my video editor.
📸 Crowbait Creative

06/05/2025

This guy here, he's no stranger to winning. He's been to KCRA finals, High School rodeos, and big added money jackpots. He came in late winter to be fitted up for the spring after alot of time off and a history of hock fusion surgery. This meant his fitness plan needed to be very knowledgeable to help him learn to use his lumbar, sacroilaic, and posterior regions again without getting tight and dumping/traveling too heavily on the forearm. If you don't do things right, you can risk reinjuring, or often times, injuring new areas from their compensation patterns.

He was here for 2 months and his owner has done a great job of continuing his riding plan.

I do alot of different types of work, and rehabilitative type work for performance horses is one thing I do tend to find myself in alot. It is very interesting to me, and you need to be aware to very fine movements. Thanks for trusting me to help fit your horse back up! 🏆

"Though he be but little, he is fierce."Jethro updates. The little engine that could and I bought our CPRA permit this y...
05/28/2025

"Though he be but little, he is fierce."

Jethro updates. The little engine that could and I bought our CPRA permit this year. We are just dipping our toes in and getting a feel, not going crazy...it's alot of far away driving. This was from our first pro rodeo, at Drayton Valley. We were only .2 from the placing times! I made some jockey errors and we landed a 13.7 in this arena, so we held our own!

We will try our hand at a couple more pro rodeos through the year and work at getting that permit filled so we can get a full card with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. These have been goals I have had since grade 12. ❤️

God gave me an amazing little horse; one I raised, and patterned, and seasoned myself.
Jethro has a paternal sister here on the ranch who is our broodmare.

📸 Carly Borris

How do I know how much time each horse needs?The answer lies in experience. I've been doing this since I was 12. The fir...
05/25/2025

How do I know how much time each horse needs?

The answer lies in experience. I've been doing this since I was 12. The first week a horse gets here is the planning phase for me. I assess them and where they are at, begin to condition their body, see how they respond and react, how they retain information, how they move and how they are built, and what the owners goals are. Then from there I make the plan. I will always advocate for the horse and what is best for the horse: Some horses come on very quickly, and some just plain ole need more time to step into their greatness. Some, we just aren't going to get along with, and some haven't been physically sound. I'm pretty honest and I will tell you what I think in the week. There hasn't been very many horses since I was 12 that I don't get along with, but there has been some. I will know if your horse is not sound. I prefer not to be one of those trainers who rides a horse they don't jive with or who aren't sound enough just to fill their pocket as this does the horse no good. Fortunately, this isn't the norm.

I do alot of different types of work for people, however in general, if you are confused on how long you should budget to send your horse out for, in general I would always budget for at least 3 months. Goals could be accomplished quicker and then you save a bit of funds, but incase they aren't you are prepared to give your horse the best start and foundation it can have; whether that is an under saddle start, a rehabilitative work back into it, or a start to a discipline specific sport. Starts for discipline specialties such as for barrel racing for example often need much, much more than a month, so it is best to make sure you are prepared to budget this. I know alot of trainers who will keep horses for longer for this. I have never seen a horse do well when it is rushed beyond it's personal timeline. Ever. I have instead seen it backfire alot.

Horses of all kinds these days are bred to be more athletic, faster, and the best they can be at what they were bred for. I find this often lends to needing more time to fully enhance the beauty of their movement and ability. Even the trainers with the best of seats, timing, and feel still need the time to enhance, physically condition, and bring these features fully forward. If not, you could risk permanent injury to your horse from not being able to educate the body well enough, let alone prepare them mentally for their future in which they will need to be confident to fully embrace their abilities. Not to mention, a big thing is that a prospect tends to cost a little more now these days than what they used to; every discipline is at the top of its game now. Don't waste it on a start that doesn't stay the course of their needs and what you want for their future.

The age old saying still rings true: "A good foundation is expensive, but a cheap one is going to cost you even more." It is timeless.

I challenge you this season to set your horses up for success.
Happy Riding! 🍃

05/14/2025

How do you know someone is busy? They aren't on Facebook 😆.

Thank-you everyone for the support this year. Between building up our own herd of prospects, filling rodeo goals and proving myself worthy, leveling myself up as a barrel horse trainer on my rodeo horses (trained by yours truly), moving into the breeding end, working an office job, and also having a full outside list of horses in balance it's been very busy. I don't have someone comming out to make my videos for me, or feed and do all the things for me so it is a one person show. Very greatful for it all though! It's everything I dreamed of.

In my rodeo travels I've had a chance to catch up on some video edits and make some page content. Here is a short video to share of a Hot Story 3 year old that came in this winter to get going! She is destined for the english discipline pen, so I really wanted to teach her reach in her stride. She's gone home and is doing awesome for her owner.

I do like to share the longer videos if I can-that way you know I'm not just showing the highlights only. However, analytics show in general people only watch about 2 seconds of a clip 😆. So I'm trying to make shorter videos for viewing ease. Let me know what you think; if you prefer the short clips or the longer videos!

Thank-you everyone for the support! The possibility of ever being a full-time trainer out here was looking bleak, I didn't think there was enough horses here for that. Now it is becoming more and more a possibility each year, and I have a great group of clients. ❤️ Training is not easy, and not something just anyone can do. It is a lifetime of dedication and skill development. I will never stop growing this skill.

5 seconds,Something I learned when very young, and I have used it my entire training career.When I was a kid, my coach w...
04/16/2025

5 seconds,

Something I learned when very young, and I have used it my entire training career.

When I was a kid, my coach would teach me to search for the correct feel of the request and pair the release and reward to it within 5 seconds. It was what helped me develop feel. Once you teach a horse something, you have 5 seconds to release and reward. If you are outside of that you are not teaching the horse to retain what you have just taught them, and your work will take you longer. Actually, the release and reward should be alot quicker, but if you are within 5 seconds with it all the horse will still connect the dots and develop the feel. If you are later than that, you will have to try again.

Then you have 5 seconds at the minimum to let the horse sit and be left to think about what they just learned after that. This helps with retention. You would be surprised how hard it is to sit for at least 5 seconds; pay attention next time and see how long after something is learned to you and your horse that you can sit.

Try these tips out and see how they help you and how they help sharpen your horse and your riding. It's something great to come into lessons for to get help spotting for your accuracy and muscle memory development.

📸 Wick Photography

Clever Smoke aka Sadie and I have been competing at the Prairieland Winter Series this winter. Our last run was this pas...
04/09/2025

Clever Smoke aka Sadie and I have been competing at the Prairieland Winter Series this winter. Our last run was this past weekend. Sadie stayed pretty consistent and won her first barrel racing series prize!

Thanks to Sandra Maffenbeier for this lovely leather engraved stool.

Winter jackpots here in Saskatchewan are essential to being able to build the up and comming athletes and keep them progressing for the upcoming season. We are very greatful to the crew who organized this series for us all to have a space to build horses in.

📸 Wick Photography

04/01/2025

Blazin Peppy San aka Jethro and I are knocking the rust off and getting ready for our season!! He took the 1D WIN again at the SBRA jackpot at Prairieland Park this past weekend with a 14.28!! It ain't no April fools, He's ready!!

📸 Credit to Wick Photography for this awesome video!!

Thanks to my team of supporters so far!!
Flying MT
Xtra Equine
ALFA TEC Products
Also special shout-out to my body workers, dentists, farriers, and performance vets whom I am not sponsored by but are essential to our success. I would be nowhere without them, and you know who you all are!

Let's Rock! 🤘😎

Address

Duck Lake, SK

Telephone

13064017808

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