Freestyle SportHorse Stud

28/04/2026

YOU ARE BEING LIED TO ABOUT GRASS LENGTH !!!

Long grass is not lower in sugar and fructan for horses and ponies than short grass in terms of WHAT THEY EAT.

An attention grabbing headline?

Yes! I am getting really frustrated with this persistent nutribaloney that short grass is bad for horses, not suitable for laminitics, not suitable for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.

This is Simply Not True.

Worryingly, it's not just uneducated people I've heard saying this, or writing it.

Even if short, overgrazed grass IS higher in sugar and fructan and lower in fibre per kilo, it is the TOTAL AMOUNT that the horse eats and the RATE they eat it that matters, not what is in the forage per kilo.

Capitalised because this is the key and why so many horse owners and even vets get this wrong.

Well-or over-grazed, short grass will generally provide more suitable grazing for a good doer or EMS / laminitis prone horse or pony.

On this type of grazing they will get LESS nutrients (less sugar, less fructan, less calories) per hour of grazing compared to the longer, stemmier grass, simply because of how much they can eat.

I cannot tell you how many owners I've had come to me for advice, and reported in my Facebook comments that their horse or pony has piled on the pounds (gained body fat) and sadly in some cases succumbed to laminitis, when they have tried putting them on free choice longer grass.

Now, the horse on overgrazed, sprouting pasture will likely need more fibre e.g. from a strip of the longer stemmier grass and/or supplementary forage like soaked hay BUT! grazing very short grass is sometimes the only way to keep a good doer slim and healthy (if they don't wear a grazing muzzle).

The key is to monitor the individual horse or pony and adjust their grass access from their bodyweight and condition, and any signs of metabolic disturbances or laminitis.

Some take home tips:
> always monitor your individual horse or pony and adjust their grass access accordingly
> never assume that long meadow grass is safe for your horse or pony prone to weight gain and laminitis
> over-grazed pasture with supplementary forage (if out 24/7) is a method used successfully by thousands of owners of good doers and laminitis-prone horse and pony owners
> if you have no option but to graze bottle-height grass (about 3" or 10cm) for overweight horses or ponies, good doers or those prone to laminitis, I recommend using a grazing muzzle (and potentially strip grazing as well)
> always monitor your individual horse or pony and adjust their grass access accordingly (yes, I meant to repeat myself!) - you can monitor their weight and condition (body fat), any signs of laminitis, their gut comfort and their droppings

Feel free to share!
🐴🍏🌱

22/04/2026

Hold that wormer!!!
FECC is recommending putting down the wormer and waiting until late autumn/early winter. In the past we have recommended waiting for the "first frost" we do this because it's an easy visible reminder for horses owners in our part of Australia.
BUT..... we need to wait for consistent cooler nights of zero or below, I know in my region we have had some light frosts but overall nighttime temps are not low enough yet or consistent for worming to start so put down the wormer!!!
Why wait? Because we are trying to target as many parasites as possible for this worming treatment. The parasites listed below are the main targets, but we are also treating parasites not listed.
Bot Flys. We are trying to break the bot fly lifecycle which will lead to a reduction of the adult bot fly population. So, we wait until the entire bot fly population is inside your horse - no longer flying/laying eggs on coat, and they are in the correct place in the gut to be susceptible to the wormer.
Tapeworms should be treated for once a year and waiting till late autumn/ early winter is the lifecycle stage they will susceptible to the worming treatment.
Encysted Strongyles - if present will begin emerging slowly at this time of year and this is preferable. If you worm too early you may trigger a mass emergence which may lead to medical complications.
If you are in warmer areas, northern Australia, tropical areas that dont experience the cooler temps - feel free to message us for advice on what to do in this situation.

17/03/2026

Respect for space.
When I talk about respect for space, I’m not trying to win an argument about dominance or prove I’m the “boss.” I’m talking about something far more practical: a horse cannot be the one making the decisions. Not because the horse is “bad,” and not because the horse is plotting against you—but because a thousand-pound animal making independent decisions in a human world is how people get hurt.

I’ve spent my life around horses, and I’ll tell you the truth as plainly as I can: a horse making the decisions is dangerous for the rider. It’s dangerous in the obvious ways—spooking, bolting, running over you—but it’s also dangerous in the subtle ways people excuse for years until something finally happens. The little decisions become bigger decisions. The small boundary becomes no boundary. Then one day the horse makes a decision at the wrong time, and it turns into a wreck.

So when I ask for a horse to respect my space, what I’m really doing is asking for one essential thing: let me be the leader. Not the bully. Not the dictator. The leader.

Because leadership is how the relationship works. Leadership is what makes the partnership safe. And safety is what allows both the rider and the horse to get what they want out of the relationship.

The Horse Doesn’t Get to Decide Where My Body Goes

Here’s the simplest way I can put it: if a horse can move my feet, that horse is already in charge.

A lot of people don’t realize that’s what’s happening. They call it “he’s just being friendly” or “she’s just a little pushy.” But in the horse’s world, movement equals control. If the horse crowds you and you step away, the horse just learned something. If the horse drags you to the gate and you go with him, he learned something. If the horse leans into you at the mounting block and you adjust to make it work, he learned something.

None of this is evil. It’s just horses being horses.

But if the horse is allowed to make those decisions on the ground, it becomes very likely that the horse will try to make decisions under saddle too—especially when the horse gets worried, excited, tired, frustrated, or distracted. And that’s when it gets dangerous.

So I don’t treat “respect for space” as a manners issue. I treat it as a leadership issue.

A Horse Making Decisions Looks Like This

Most folks think a horse “making decisions” is a big dramatic thing like bolting or bucking.

But the truth is, it starts long before that. It looks like:

stepping into you when you stop

pushing the shoulder into you when you lead

swinging the hip into you when you’re trying to move around them

walking past you instead of with you

drifting into your bubble while you saddle

crowding you at the mounting block

turning their head and leaving you mentally, even if their feet are still standing there

Those are all decisions. They’re small, but they’re real.

And here’s why they matter: a horse that believes it can decide where to put its body will eventually decide where to put its body when it counts. That might be into you, over you, away from you, or through you.

I’m not willing to gamble on that.

Leadership Isn’t About Being Mean—It’s About Taking Responsibility

This is where people get confused, because they hear “leader” and they picture somebody roughing a horse up to prove a point.

That’s not leadership. That’s insecurity.

Leadership is simple: I take responsibility for the decisions so the horse doesn’t have to.

A horse is always looking for someone to answer a question: “Where should I be? What should I do? Is this safe? Are we okay?” If I don’t answer those questions, the horse will. Not because the horse is disrespectful, but because the horse is wired to survive.

And the horse’s survival decisions don’t always match what keeps the rider safe.

A horse’s decision might be: “I’m leaving.”
A horse’s decision might be: “I’m running through this pressure.”
A horse’s decision might be: “I’m going back to the barn.”
A horse’s decision might be: “I’m crowding into you because I feel better close.”

All of those decisions make sense to a horse. None of them are what I want happening with my feet on the ground or my seat in the saddle.

So my job isn’t to punish the horse for being a horse. My job is to show the horse a better system:

You don’t have to make the decisions. I will. And if you follow my leadership, you’ll end up safer and more comfortable than you would on your own.

That’s what a partnership actually is.

Partnership Means Both Sides Get What They Want

A lot of people say they want a partnership, but what they really mean is they want the horse to cooperate while the horse is still in charge.

That’s not partnership. That’s negotiation.

Real partnership looks like this:

The rider gets safety, control, and reliability.

The horse gets clarity, fairness, and relief from having to guess.

That’s the deal.

When I’m consistent about space, what I’m really building is a horse that trusts leadership. Because a horse that trusts leadership will stop feeling like it has to manage everything.

And that changes everything under saddle.

A horse that is allowed to manage you on the ground often becomes a horse that tries to manage the ride: it chooses the speed, the direction, the distance from the gate, the amount of effort, the level of focus. It decides how much it wants to give. It decides when it wants to quit. It decides when it wants to argue.

That’s not a partnership. That’s a horse running the relationship.

A horse can’t run the relationship safely. The horse doesn’t have the same goals as you do. The horse doesn’t have the same understanding of risk. The horse doesn’t think like a human. And the horse should not have to.

“Respect for Space” Is Just the First Leadership Test

I like to keep it simple. Respect for space is the first place I check whether the horse accepts leadership.

If the horse won’t respect space, it’s usually not a training problem yet. It’s a leadership problem.

Because space is the easiest thing in the world to understand: “Don’t walk into me. Don’t push through me. Yield when I ask.”

If a horse can’t do that calmly and consistently, then I already know what I’m going to get later when the questions get harder.

And I’m not saying that to be dramatic. I’m saying it because I’ve watched the pattern a thousand times.

The horse that crowds on the ground becomes the horse that leans on the bridle.

The horse that drags you to the gate becomes the horse that sucks back to the barn.

The horse that won’t yield the shoulder becomes the horse that falls in on circles and ignores leg.

The horse that walks through you becomes the horse that walks through pressure.

It’s the same mindset—just different settings.

What It Looks Like When the Rider Is the Leader

When the rider is truly the leader, you can see it without anybody having to announce it.

It looks like:

The horse stays out of your space unless invited closer.

The horse matches your pace when you lead.

The horse yields the shoulder and hip when asked.

The horse stops when you stop and doesn’t step into you.

The horse waits at the mounting block instead of crawling into your lap.

The horse stays mentally with you, not scanning for its own plan.

And the horse doesn’t do those things because it’s afraid. It does them because it understands the system.

The horse understands: “If I follow this person, my life makes sense.”

That’s what leadership creates—a world that makes sense.

The Rider Being the Leader Doesn’t Mean the Horse Has No Opinion

This matters, because someone always hears “leader” and thinks it means the horse gets treated like a robot.

No.

A horse can have feelings. A horse can be unsure. A horse can be fresh. A horse can be opinionated.

But the horse doesn’t get to turn those feelings into decisions that put the rider at risk.

That’s the line.

I want the horse to be able to express itself within the relationship—without taking control of the relationship.

That’s why I correct space issues. Not because I hate the horse being close. But because I refuse to let closeness become control.

The Big Takeaway

If your horse is crowding you, pushing into you, leaning on you, or moving your feet around, I don’t want you to label your horse as “disrespectful” and get angry.

I want you to label it accurately:

Your horse is making decisions that you should be making.

And any time the horse is making those decisions, your risk goes up—on the ground and in the saddle.

So the goal isn’t dominance. The goal is leadership.

Leadership gives the rider what they want: safety, control, and progress.

Leadership gives the horse what it wants: clarity, fairness, and the comfort of not having to guess.

That’s how you build a partnership that works for both sides—because the rider leads, and the horse follows with confidence.

10/03/2026

05/03/2026

It’s amazing what love and understanding can bring together, such a shame things don’t last forever ❤️💔

To, Endo the Blind if you see this, after seeing your update, here is my tribute to this amazing horse. ❤️

Endo was more than just a horse. He was a reminder to the world that limitations are often only what we believe them to be.
Completely blind, Endo truly never saw the world the way other horses did. But what he lacked in sight, he made up for in heart, trust, and an unbreakable bond with his person, Morgan. Their connection was something special—something that people across the horse world stopped to admire. It wasn’t just about riding, or training, or the things Endo accomplished. It was about the quiet understanding between them. The kind of partnership that doesn’t need words… or even sight. Endo listened with his heart. He trusted with everything he had. And because of that trust, he did things many thought were impossible for a blind horse. Together, he and Morgan showed the world that blindness does not mean weakness. It does not mean the end of dreams. If anything, Endo proved that when trust and love lead the way, anything is possible. He inspired people far beyond the arena or the barn. He reminded us to believe in our horses, to look past the obstacles, and to see the strength that lives inside them. Endo didn’t need eyes to show the world how powerful courage can be.
And while his hooves may no longer touch this earth, the legacy he leaves behind will continue to guide hearts everywhere.
Run free, sweet Endo. You showed the world that true vision comes from the soul.

Personally, you taught me that the bond between a horse and their person goes far beyond what many people think. Thank you for that! ❤️

2000 - 2026

10/02/2026

17/12/2025

06/12/2025

Why I Don't Sell Horses

After yesterday's post about why I dont train for the public anymore, which is apparently a hot topic with over 100k views and counting, lets dig into another one.

A really nice lady recently asked me why I dont sell many horses, especially in the current horse market. My answer was, because the upside is not worth the down side to me.

There are two very big reasons for me and they aren't related. Here is the long and the short of the first reason. Most people refuse to hold themselves accountable. We all know of sellers that do not accurately represent horses for sale and then don't stand behind what they say.
Yes, horses have been drugged etc. But at the same time, do buyers accurately and honesty represent themselves?

I am so sick of hearing people blame a seller saying that, after a couple of months, the horse "has changed." Why did it change? Is there a chance that your horsemanship allowed it? Is there a chance that your leadership, or lack of, is causing the change?

And because the easier answer is to accuse the worst and pass blame on someone else than it is to take accountability. That is what most will do, and then to make matters worse, then go buy another horse and repeat the scenario. Now, if anyone is offended, on either side of what I have said, there are exceptions to most every rule, but at the same time lets go through life with some humility. After all, this should be about the horse.

Now, the second reason is much simpler, in short, I get attached. And then at the same time I can't bear the thought of having a horse go through what I just described.

I am not saying that others should do what I do. The industry must have people both selling and buying for it all to work. So lets honestly represent what we are, what we are selling, and take some accountability. And stop with the greed and put the horse first. Yes, I am aware that will never happen.

Pc Tracey Buyce Photography

06/12/2025

Why I No Longer Take Horses For Training?

When my career began twenty years ago, everything was different. I enjoyed riding horses and soon found a way I could get paid to do it. Fast forward a bit and I was working a steady job to pay the bills as I was building my business, and in the meantime was learning a lot, about horses certainly, but as much about people.

Horses are the easy part, people are not. Quite frankly, people are hard to please and at the same time are often unreasonable. I have met some great people because of horses, many were clients, but people are still the hardest part.

Here is a situation that played out enough that I have it memorized by word.

Client-I have a horse I need started.

Me-how old is it?

C-5 or 6, I really wanted it to mature before it was started and now I dont have the time.

Me-what will be changing in your schedule so that you can keep riding the horse when it comes home?

C-oh I will find the time. I just can't afford to get hurt right now.

Me-I can't either

Me- here is what I charge...per month, and I require 90 days

C-oh I can't afford that! What can I get for 30 days?

Me-........

C-and I want to be there everyday so that I can watch you and learn what you do. Can you work it everyday on my schedule?

If life was only this simple. The truth is that training horses is a very tough business. I have recently had numerous aspiring trainers reach out to me, which is great. But everyone needs to realize that that the industry needs to fix some things. If we dont do some things soon, I fear no one will be training horses in a decade, especially starting colts. And that is where I want to focus on.

We have too many people that have trained one or two and think they know everything and want to throw stones at everyone else that might do things differently. Then, what realistically needs to be charged to make the finances work is much more than most will pay. So why would a young person want to start something that takes considerable time to learn, doesn't pay much, and has a high risk of a short career?

So here is what I believe can be done. Take it or leave it.

Be reasonable, despite what you may think, ALL young, uneducated horses can have their moments. I know in the YouTube, TikTok age that doesnt happen, but in the real world it does.

Don't be cheap. It isn't the trainers responsibility to make horses affordable for you.

Understand that the process of training a horse is a VERY time consuming, thought out process filled with immense intentionality in everything and that doesn't end when you pick them up from the trainers.

And finally and most importantly, understand that horses are not programmable. Just because a trainer spends tons of time teaching a horse to do all the things, but you do everything differently they they did. You will get a different result. That wasnt and isn't the trainers fault. Ask the same way they did or expect something different.

I have just scratched the surface of the topic. Much more could, and maybe should be talked about. And to be fair the horror stories can be told from both the client and trainers perspective by many of you. So lets see if we can communicate better with each other and do our best to look at life from potentially others perspectives, not just our own, just like when we are working with our horses.

Pc Tracey Buyce Photography

18/11/2025

Amazing