Gaited Horsemanship

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Gaited Horsemanship

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10/29/2026

Trainer Thought: Sometimes It’s Not About Patience. It’s About Time.

Sometimes I think we focus too much on being patient when what we really need to focus on is giving things time.

We get in such a hurry to move on to the next thing, to accomplish the next goal, or to fix the next problem that we forget to pay attention to what’s happening right now.

And sometimes, the hardest thing for people to understand is that it’s okay to just be where you are in that moment.

It’s okay if things go right, and it’s okay if things go wrong.

So many times, when something doesn’t go as planned, we immediately get frustrated. We say things like, “He doesn’t normally do this,” or “Come on, you know better!”

But what if we stopped looking at what should be happening and started paying attention to what is happening?

Today was a perfect example.

I was standing at a trailer, helping get one horse situated. There was a second horse nearby who, according to his owner, normally has trouble loading.

But today, we weren’t working on loading him. We were simply dealing with the first horse.

The second horse had to stand there and wait while we figured things out. Every once in a while, I would acknowledge him and say, “It’s okay. Just hang out. Give us a second.”

And something interesting started happening.

Instead of worrying about the trailer, he started getting curious about what we were doing.

His fear slowly turned into curiosity.

He went from thinking about the trailer as something he was afraid of to wondering what was going on inside it.

And when he started showing interest, I simply said, “Yeah, you can come join us.”

And he did.

He slowly walked right into that trailer. No pressure. No pulling. No convincing. No big training moment.

He just got in.

Here’s the part I really want people to think about.

We never actually worked on his trailer-loading problem.

We didn’t try to fix him. We didn’t demand that he get in. We didn’t make the trailer the focus.

We simply gave him the time to process what was happening around him, become comfortable, and make a decision for himself.

And that brings me back to my original thought.

Sometimes we get so focused on us needing to be patient that we forget the horse needs time, too.

Today wasn’t about me being patient with that horse. It was about giving that horse the opportunity to find patience within himself.

There’s a big difference.

Sometimes the best thing we can do as horsemen isn’t to ask for more, correct something, or try harder.

Sometimes it’s simply to allow the moment to happen, give the horse time to think, and be okay with where we are.

Because sometimes, when we stop trying so hard to fix the problem, we give the horse the opportunity to figure it out on his own.

Don’t just practice being patient with your horse. Give your horse the time and opportunity to learn patience, too.

Happy trails! 🐴

10/08/2026

Started early so we could do this, checking out colleges!!! Time flies ❤️

10/03/2026

Here is the video! Hopefully!

Soft vs. Light. (Video is having a hard time loading so will continue to try!)

These two words get interchanged all the time by trainers and riders—but to me, they mean two very different things.

I can make almost any horse light. But I can’t make a horse be soft.

A soft horse will be light, but a light horse isn’t necessarily soft.

The difference is both physical and mental.

A light horse may respond quickly to pressure, but still carry tension or hardness through its body. A soft horse is mobile, relaxed, and able to move freely through its body.

But softness goes even deeper than that.

A soft horse is mentally there with you. They’re connected to you. They want to be part of the conversation rather than simply responding because they know how to get away.

That’s why what we have in our mind matters so much when we ride. If our goal is simply to make the horse lighter, our hands can become focused on getting a response. But when our goal is softness, that intention travels through our body, through our hands, and ultimately into the horse’s mouth.

Don’t just work toward a lighter horse.

Work toward a softer horse—because softness creates lightness, but lightness alone doesn’t create softness.

10/02/2026

Soft vs. Light. (Video is having a hard time loading so will continue to try!)

These two words get interchanged all the time by trainers and riders—but to me, they mean two very different things.

I can make almost any horse light. But I can’t make a horse be soft.

A soft horse will be light, but a light horse isn’t necessarily soft.

The difference is both physical and mental.

A light horse may respond quickly to pressure, but still carry tension or hardness through its body. A soft horse is mobile, relaxed, and able to move freely through its body.

But softness goes even deeper than that.

A soft horse is mentally there with you. They’re connected to you. They want to be part of the conversation rather than simply responding because they know how to get away.

That’s why what we have in our mind matters so much when we ride. If our goal is simply to make the horse lighter, our hands can become focused on getting a response. But when our goal is softness, that intention travels through our body, through our hands, and ultimately into the horse’s mouth.

Don’t just work toward a lighter horse.

Work toward a softer horse—because softness creates lightness, but lightness alone doesn’t create softness.

09/26/2026

Friday Trainer Thought 🐴

This week’s thought is something really simple: Do you know where your horse’s shoulders are moving when you’re working with them on the ground?

It may seem like a small detail, but it can make a huge difference—not only in your groundwork, but in your riding.

Think about something you do every day: leading your horse. Does your horse understand how to move around you while keeping control of their shoulders? Or do they fall onto a shoulder, lean into you, or push through your space? It may seem like they “disrespect you” but it may be something as simple as they don’t know where their shoulders are or even simpler they are flexible enough.

Now think about riding something as simple as a circle. If your horse doesn’t understand how to control and move their shoulders on the ground, why would we expect them to automatically understand it when we’re in the saddle?

Pay attention to the shoulders this week. Sometimes the little things we overlook on the ground are the exact things that show up later in our riding.

Lateral flexion first, then we get vertical flexion:)

Happy trails!! Have a great weekend!!

09/13/2026

Prepping for 2027! 🐴

One of my biggest goals for 2027 is to offer more clinics—especially right here at the farm! I’ll be posting upcoming dates on both my page and website, so keep an eye out.

But this picture brings up something I want you to think about…

At the beginning of every clinic, I ask each rider a simple question:

“What do YOU want to accomplish this weekend?”

Then we start with groundwork.

Always.

Why? Because the rider has already given me their opinion. Groundwork gives me a chance to hear the horse’s.

Those first sessions allow me to watch, listen, and figure out what the horse is telling us. By the end, I have two perspectives—the rider’s idea of what they need and the horse’s idea of what they need.

And both matter.

Sometimes they line up perfectly. Sometimes the horse tells us we need to work on something completely different before we can get to the rider’s original goal.

To me, that’s where the magic of a clinic happens.

I’m not there just to teach the rider, and I’m not there just to work with the horse. I want to help create a better conversation between the two.

Every horse is different. Every rider is different. And every horse-and-rider combination needs something a little different.

That’s what I want my 2027 clinic season to be about: listening to both sides of the conversation and helping horse and rider find the place where they understand each other a little better.

Keep an eye on my page and website for the 2027 clinic schedule. I’m excited for what’s ahead! ❤️🐴

08/29/2026

Friday thought!! Follow the feel! Keep the rhythm:). Ok I am wanting to redo this when I get my equipment working lol! I have something to hold my phone while I video to get a great view of my hands while riding and it broke (spring in the cell phone holder) so I will be redoing this (amazon is amazing and it should be here Tuesday). But I am hoping you see what I mean by allowing the horse to have a chance to respond before he feels the pressure on his mouth. And also having a place that there is no pressure for the horse to find. Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!

08/28/2026

Love coming home to these happy animals ❤️

08/14/2026

Thoughts for the night, it’s a hard one to write! But

Sometimes, one of the hardest things you have to do as a trainer is admit, “I can’t help this horse through training alone.”

Every training horse that comes through your barn comes with a different story. Most of the time, we can work through the challenges—building communication, changing responses, and helping the horse and owner better understand one another. But sometimes, what looks like a training problem simply isn’t one.

Sometimes there is something physical, neurological, or mental going on that training cannot fix.

Those are some of the hardest horses to work with, because as a trainer, you want to help. You want to find the answer. And when that horse looks back at you as if to say, “Please help me,” it can be incredibly difficult to admit that the help they need is beyond what you can provide.

But being a good trainer isn’t about pretending you have every answer. Sometimes being a good trainer means recognizing when you’ve reached the limits of training and being honest with the owner. It means not continuing to take their time and money when what their horse really needs is veterinary care, further evaluation, or another professional with a different area of expertise.

At that point, the goal may have to change.

It may no longer be about creating the horse we originally hoped they could become. Instead, it becomes about asking, “What kind of life can we give this horse?”

Maybe expectations need to change. Maybe their job needs to change. Maybe their future looks completely different than what everyone originally imagined.

And that’s okay.

Because sometimes helping a horse isn’t about training them to do more. Sometimes it’s about understanding what they are capable of, listening when they are telling us something is wrong, and giving them a life filled with as much comfort, understanding, and support as possible.

Sometimes the best thing you can do as a trainer is know when to stop training—and start advocating for the horse. Sometimes, one of the hardest things you have to do as a trainer is admit, “I can’t help this horse through training alone.”

Every training horse that comes through your barn comes with a different story. Most of the time, we can work through the challenges—building communication, changing responses, and helping the horse and owner better understand one another. But sometimes, what looks like a training problem simply isn’t one.

Sometimes there is something physical, neurological, or mental going on that training cannot fix.

Those are some of the hardest horses to work with, because as a trainer, you want to help. You want to find the answer. And when that horse looks back at you as if to say, “Please help me,” it can be incredibly difficult to admit that the help they need is beyond what you can provide.

But being a good trainer isn’t about pretending you have every answer.

07/31/2026

Friday Tip!

If you’ve followed me, you know I’m always asking why. Understanding the “why” behind what we do is what creates lasting change, and I hope that’s something I can continue to share with all of you.

When you finish watching, please leave a comment and ask your questions! I have a long list of videos I want to make about the differences between what a clinician sees and maybe what you don’t see, but I’d love to prioritize the topics that matter most to you. If you have a question, let me know, and I’ll move it to the top of the list.

Thank you so much for watching. Have a wonderful weekend, and as always… happy trails!

Address

365 Westgate Drive
Baxter, TN
38544

Telephone

+19312676723

Website

http://www.gaitedhorsemanship.com/

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