Take The Reins Horsemanship by Allisa Gross

11/27/2023

2024 horse calendars!

Another post to share that I will once again have horse calendars that that will be for sale! The calendars are composed of pictures I photographed of my own or others horses! I’m very proud of my work, and I’m also very excited to have the opportunity to share this with others again!

Calendars are $20
Drop-off/meet or shipped is $25

Comment or message me if you’d like one! If you let me know on my last post I have your name wrote down! I hope you will consider local artwork to add to your home or work space!🙂

11/26/2023

Really like and agree with what Jake said here, and what his post addresses. These days it almost feels like a taboo subject.. but it shouldn’t be!

You are not a bad person for wanting more from your horse.

When trying to level up your horsemanship, it's natural to be self-conscious about your horse's capabilities or your own limitations.

That's why it's important to find a mentor who has you and your horse's best interests at heart, and still challenges your comfort zone when appropriate.

Many popular training ideologies demonize results, boundaries, and expectations with horses. They guilt-trip you. They excuse a lack of progress in the name of empathy or alternative training methods. People find these ideas alluring because they twist on human emotions and insecurities; validating preconceived notions or beliefs instead of challenging you to make difficult but necessary changes to get better.

If you're not happy with where you're at, just know that a better way exists. And that better way doesn't mean abandoning your goals or lowering your expectations to absolute zero. On the contrary, your horse NEEDS structure. Leadership. Guidance. The physical exercise and mental stimulation of you working together and the mutual challenge of mastering new skills.

Empathy and understanding are important. So are tangible results. Wanting more for and from your horse is not a sign of dissatisfaction or unkindness, but rather an indication of your commitment to improvement and a deeper connection.

—Jake

11/19/2023

Grateful for some nicer fall weather lately! It’s been so nice to have dry ground to ride on too! Hopefully everyone has been able to get out and enjoy it as well!

11/16/2023

We had an amazing sunset which called for a spontaneous photo shoot!boing this warm weather this week!

11/15/2023

I’ve been seeing posts about “no stirrups November” and thought I’d get in on the fun with a little flare! I taught Cheyenne how to ride at liberty when I was a teen. I’ve been focusing a lot more on creating a bridle horse with Lyle and Arrow the last few years, but from time to time I enjoy getting to dabble around in liberty from time to time!

Cheyenne is the only horse I’ve really taught to ride or lunge at liberty as a duo. As a kid who was really learning along the way, riding Cheyenne today makes me extremely proud of my younger self for what I accomplished. I first became inspired by liberty when I saw Clinton Anderson ride and lunge Mindy at liberty, and also watching Shana Terry work with her horse Marty. There was no way of accessing videos or how to’s just yet - only demos on what they have accomplished. So I just studies each trainers behavior and modeled it on my own horse.

11/12/2023

Hope everyone was able to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend! We will even have nicer weather through this week! Took some time to enjoy horseback riding, and even play with riding bridleless on my mare Cheyenne!

11/10/2023

Horse trainer by summer, and pet wrangler by winter!

Now that the cold is here it makes for the perfect time to do that real deep house cleaning I avoid all riding season long! Along with deep house cleaning were baths for all the animals! So of course it called for a group photo!

11/03/2023

2023 is quickly coming to a close which means I’m starting my 2024 calendars! This is my 3rd year creating my horse calendars and I’m excited to have yet another to share! I’m planning on sending it to print by the end of next week, which means they will be here before Christmas as long as everything on the printing end goes right! If you would like one let me know. I’ll write your name down, and let you know when they arrive!

My calendars are composed of pictures that I have taken of either my own horses or others! As an added bonus a lot of my pictures are inspired by either the landscape or by Mother Nature which gives my pictures extra bliss! I have a large order coming in, and although it’s limited, I should have plenty for those who want one! These are great for your own personal use, or to give as a gift to someone!

Hope you will consider local artwork to add to your house!

11/02/2023

Lyle reporting for duty! We earned one more day as cattle rustlers!🤠 The beautiful sunrise makes up for the cold this morning. But 40 degrees really felt nice after being so cold!

10/31/2023

28 degrees with a real feel of 22. Much nicer in comparison to yesterday. Got about a 3 mile ride in while it lasted! The sky was pretty neat! A lot of “mare’s tail” or “horse’s mane” in the sky lately! That indicates moisture, which was very accurate last spring! So we will see what fall will bring although it has brought moisture so far here!

10/30/2023

Current temp is 28 with a real feel of 14. Howling winds at 25. That makes doing horse chores feel really frickin cold. 🥶. But I did take a second to snap this picture!

10/27/2023

So much for fall… Yes, I’m sure we will get some warm days again but they are going to be short lived for sure! I sure would like a while longer with warmer weather but I did enjoy a fresh blanket of snow! Fresh snow certainly bring a feeling of excitement even if the feeling is short lived!

10/25/2023

Today was my last day as a cow wrangler for the year! A little rain or colder weather didn’t stop us from gathering and sorting cow/calf pairs today. And I enjoyed riding over the different terrain through out the day! I love getting to do what I love, share food and be able to enjoy those things with friends. It makes work feel more like fun.

Took my trusty boy Lyle and my becoming-trusty-girl Arrow! Lyle and I had a couple of good challenges such as rustling some cattle in deep water. If a challenge arises I know I can send him into or over whatever we need to get the job done. He has full faith in me to do what I ask, and I have full faith in him to make decisions when we’re in something like unsteady ground! Arrow put on some of the longer miles to gather one of the larger herds, and even sort some. She has gained confidence getting cows to move out in the field even if they stop to look at her she doesn’t hesitate with them. And compared to last time she sorted she has gained much more confidence being In the sorting pen, too. She had a lot of time off since the c**t challenge in 2017. That’s partially because she was rode so hard that year and the other part was my time available to ride my own horses. This year is her first year where she has been rode consistently and she has become such a reliable horse for me to ride. I’m very proud of my horses for stepping up for me during the fall time cattle work!

10/19/2023

Over 2-1/2 weeks on this product and Lyle is still cleaning up all of his grain!

If you didn’t see my post about this product before I’ll give you the scoop. Every fall and spring Lyle pretty much goes off grain. With having PSSM which is a muscle disease and his muscles can’t detox properly which cause tightness and pain. Becuse of this it’s really important he eats what I give him for certain supplements to help with symptoms. It came to my attention that stomach ulcers were more than likely his culprit as to why he stopped eating. I remembered a conversation with a friend who had this, asked to borrow it and 3 days in he started eating all of his grain again, and now I’ve been able to increase, too!

I started the first 14 days with 1 dose twice daily. Now I’m following up one more week with 1 dose once daily. I highly suggest looking into this product if you have a horse that struggles with ulcers, for colic, is high stress, for travel, etc. it’s also very reasonably priced for what it does! I’m a massive feed skeptic for things that seem to good to be true but I 100% advocate for this product! I should be a rep for these guys. 🤠

10/10/2023

Chasing the horses, fog and morning sunrise! 32 degrees didn’t feel too bad!

10/09/2023

Thought I’d share this video of our first time giving dewormer to Festus! The key to keeping it easy is to always approach it like it’s no big deal. If you approach it like it’s going to be chaos it will always be chaos. I also heavily use the “approach and retreat” method even on horses that have taken it for years. It helps keeps the nerves down and helps horses prepare for it.

10/08/2023

We all know there are only so many perfect fall evenings left, but we will enjoy whatever we have left! Last night was such perfect weather.

10/04/2023

Testing out a new product…

I’m a skeptic, and probably considered a feed snob for the majority of feed and supplement products I see on the market for animals and humans, but after trying this I’m definitely a believer in this product now.

Lyle went off his grain, and he usually does every spring and fall. I finally figured it was something with the weather and how it must stress his system out. This becomes complicated because he has PSSM and needs certain supplements. If he isnt eating he doesn’t get them, and then I can’t ride him because he will be too sore. A couple of weeks ago I came across a post where someone had the same issue and everyone said it was probably ulcers. I was going to consider starting Gastro-guard until I remembered a friend of mine had this product on hand. She had received it from a very educated equine nutritionist who swears by it for ulcers maintenance and even helping a colic episode. 3 doses in Lyle started cleaning up every drop of grain, and week later is still cleaning it up.

I am administering 1 doses twice daily for 14 days and then plan to do one more week with one dose once daily. I’m definitely amazed that this actually worked and also went to work so quickly. I wanted to share for anyone for anyone else who has a horse that struggles with ulcers or gut problem. It’s very reasonably priced and aids in gut health - not shutting off the gut and production of stomach acid like omeprazole does. Neutrabac ph is a product that’s definitely worth giving a try.

10/01/2023

Great post by Elsabe.

ADS

10/01/2023

Happy Sunday!

Thought I’d share this picture of the heavy fog we had yesterday morning! Tomorrow is one more day of near 90 degrees and then they drop for the week into the 60’s and friday’s high only being 54! I’ve really enjoyed this perfect weather, but it seems fall will be here very soon.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and we’re able to enjoy some time with your horses!

09/29/2023

“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” -Winston Churchill
No truer words have ever been spoken!

Arrow was my main mount for the day sorting and moving this small group of heifers. There were a few times of frustration for her as the cows could be a little intimidating, but she allowed me to help her through it. Even if she felt like it was against her will!🤣 Tracking behind the cows gave her some more confidence though. All-in-all she is still a trusty girl to ride because I never have to worry that she would run away with me or start bucking. She simply needs some more confidence with this!

09/22/2023

Happy Friday!

Last weekend I had another fun and successful show in Webster, SD. Cleaned up in pleasure classes, and did pretty good in games! Lyle had some more confidence and also found some more speed for game events. Both Lyle and I have really enjoyed real all-around riding this year. I have some real good friends who have given me the opportunities and encouragement to try different things.

Rainy weekend ahead, but nice weather after that!

09/19/2023

Sunday morning was brisk and foggy! Was able to capture this fun picture as I was herding the horses back to the dry lot!

09/16/2023

Although it was yesterday, we can still celebrate national day of the cowgirl! Cowgirls are truly a different breed of tough who work just as hard as the men!

Posted below is a picture of me working cows, a couple shots from the SD 4H rodeo this year!

09/15/2023

Even the kids learn constructive ways to handle their horses! This sorrel started acting a little fresh while we were practicing other things. So instead of ignoring the issue, or solely focusing all of our energy directly on the issue I taught Eldin how to use this “rollbacks off the fence” exercise to help to help turn negative into something positive for his horse Quickly.

When a horse starts to act fresh the worst thing you can do is try to hold them back. Whether you get off to do groundwork, or stay in the saddle the best way to handle it is to find one or more exercises that will help a horse burn off some steam and also re-engage his mind with you.

09/14/2023

A little rain around the area as the sun was rising this morning! Horses are very happy to be out on pasture!

09/10/2023

Last week I spent several days doing something I love - helped move and work cattle! Lyle was my trusty steed and main mount for this, and I also took Arrow along to start teaching her how to sort and herd cattle. The last time she helped herd cattle was 2017 and for her if was as if she had never stopped! This was her first time sorting cattle, and I was happy with how she handled it! I get to work with a really great crew that continues to give me the opportunity to build my own confidence, and gain experience with it! I’ve always loved the ranching lifestyle and I’m grateful for friends who allow me to be apart of what they do!

09/09/2023

Our blind horse, Savannah, sure had fun in the pasture today! I love watching how she gets around almost effortlessly and keeps up with the herd! You would almost never know she was blind by this video! Thought I’d share this neat video!

09/04/2023

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! With this heat I took advantage of using my mornings to ride, and afternoons to hangout! But I’m excited that there is much nicer weather coming for the remainder of the week!

09/03/2023

Fall is here which means changes in weather patterns, and energized horses! Make that extra time to lunge your horses and get them to use the thinking side of their brain! “There are a lot of heroes in the grave yard”. That means there are a lot of people who got on horses when they should have lunged first. It’s something I never take for granted here… I always put my own safety first.

08/30/2023

A friend is what the heart needs all the time. -Henry van D**e

We have a couple of tightly knitted buddies here!

08/29/2023

Stepped out of my comfort zone and tried another new event with Lyle this weekend at the horse show in Webster, SD! I’ve never done goat tying, and I’ve never dismounted while in motion before! I had a lot of fun giving this a try and Lyle is really becoming a true all-around that I really enjoy showing with! He did very well collecting firsts and seconds in the pleasure classes, and fourth to fifth place averages in games.(obviously not in goat tying though!🤣) Great competition at this arena!

Hope everyone has a great week and has gave something new a try this summer! I’ve really enjoyed this ‘season of learning’ and having the opportunity to put my training to the test when I challenge myself in new events!

08/24/2023

A cute video I have to share. Lyle is like his ‘mom’ (me) where he HATES needles. Maybe this is coincidence, but I find it comical how our pets seem to literally resemble us! He’s been this way since I bought him but I have always found it comical! I was giving another horse a couple things and he had big eyes and flared nostrils the first time I walked by him with these!

08/21/2023

✨Palomino and Perfect✨

08/19/2023

Today was the obstacle course challenge where Lyle placed 4th in the senior division and 1st in the Ultimate division! Arrow didn’t complete the pattern in time in the senior division, but placed 7th In the Ultimate division! I’m very proud of these two and myself today! It was a great course set up, and fabulous weather for it too!

08/17/2023

Make sure to come check out and participate in the obstacle course challenge at the Akkerman horse arena this Saturday! Some friends built a course based on last years course and several people came to play! All of these obstacles were something Arrow was pretty leery of when we started! Now to see if she handles it Saturday! Lyle was an old pro as usual!! Thanks for letting us come over, June!

08/16/2023

Come enter and check out, and participate in the obstacle course challenge this Saturday in Aberdeen!!