Avery Happy Horse LLC

04/24/2025

This. Just do your best.

A Paddock Is Not Turnout

This one really gets to me.

“I give my horse turnout every day,” they say—then show me a paddock about the same size as the stall.

I get it. Space can be limited. I live in one of those areas too. That’s exactly why I tracked my own small rental property—to create real turnout.

But here’s the hard truth: a paddock does not meet the physical or psychological needs of a 1,000+ lb prey animal. So how did this become normal?

Most people would never dream of keeping a dog in a kennel for 22–23 hours a day. Yet somehow, it’s acceptable for a horse?

So what can you do if you can’t change your horse’s boarding situation?

First: acknowledge that your horse’s needs aren’t being met. And that means adjusting your expectations. You can’t blame them for expressing discomfort, frustration, or unwanted behaviours in this environment.

Instead, focus on doing what is possible.

That might mean committing to getting your horse out every day—not to lunge them or chase them around a pen, but simply to allow them to move. Freely. Naturally. Like a normal animal going for a walk.

If true turnout or pasture time is available—great. If not, get creative. Every bit of movement matters.

Ensure they have access to 24/7 forage. Use small-hole hay nets if you’re managing weight, but don’t let them go hours without food. Long gaps between feedings create stress, and stress leads to dysfunction.

Offer enrichment. Provide novelty. Give them something to interact with—something that mimics natural exploration and problem-solving.

And if you can modify the paddock, even just a little? Do it. Move the water to the opposite side. Add visual barriers or structures to encourage more movement. Small changes add up.

But if none of this is possible—if the environment truly can’t meet your horse’s basic needs—then it’s time to re-evaluate. It may be inconvenient to move. But their welfare has to come first.

And finally: please don’t get another horse if you can’t meet these fundamental needs. This isn’t just about ownership, it is about ethical stewardship of a sentient being.

Yes, even if they’re a show horse.

04/12/2025

There’s a dangerous trend growing in the horsemanship world. The idea that you have to and should “build a relationship” before you start building skill.

That mindset is holding people back. And much worse it’s creating confused and dangerous horses.

Here’s the truth:
You don’t pick between relationship and skill. You build both. At the same time.

If you’re only focused on “bonding,” but you’re not setting clear expectations, clear boundaries, clear understanding your horse has no idea where the boundaries are. This creates uncertainty, inconsistency, and eventually frustrating problems that can get dangerous quickly and could be avoided all together.

And if you’re just drilling skills with no feel, no connection, no trust, no regard for the horse’s needs, good luck getting any try or longevity from your horse.

Horsemanship is about leadership. Leadership is the ability to influence.

And true leadership means showing up consistently with vision, clarity, direction, fairness and serving others.

When you combine partnership and purpose, the results speak for themselves. Horses become more focused, more relaxed, and more willing because they understand what’s being asked and they trust the person asking.

This approach is what I’ve called building a Working Partnership with our horse. In fact it’s how I work with my wife, my kids and everyone else too.

What we do develops the skills.
How we do it develops the partnership.

We develop a Working Partnership by having deep Purpose in what we do, developing our Partnership through how we work with the horse and ultimately bringing out the best Performance (potential) in every horse by intentionally bringing together Purpose & Partnership in our work with our horse.

If you want a better partnership with your horse… Develop better timing. Better communication. Clearer boundaries.
Stop separating the emotional connection from the technical work—they’re not in conflict. They complement each other.

These dangerous trends are built on what makes the human feel good but disregard the true needs of the horse.

True leaders focus on serving others.

To have a deep partnership and reliable skills with our horse- we must focus on serving the horse’s needs on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.

Together We Rise.

-Colton Woods

And if this post resonated with you, I wrote a free ebook called Be A Leader Worth Following that you’d definitely enjoy. If you’d like a copy for free just comment YES and I’ll send it your way.

Here’s to truly serving the horse and being able to look towards what really matters.

04/10/2025

If there’s one thing I wish more people understood about horses, it’s this: They’re not being difficult. Most of what they're doing is reflective of YOU.

They are giving you a RESPONSE. Not out of defiance. Not out of malice. But because they are wired - biologically, psychologically, instinctively - to respond to the world around them for survival.

So when you step into their space frustrated, disconnected, anxious, or unclear - they feel that. And they respond accordingly.

I see two things all the time…

• A spooky horse is blamed for being naughty, but the rider is nervous, stiff, and barely breathing.
• A horse is labeled stubborn because he doesn’t respond to a cue - but the cue was unclear, poorly communicated - and then the horse is punished for being lazy and unresponsive.

In both cases, the horse isn’t the problem. The human involved, however, is.

There’s a lot of incompetence in the horse world - but instead of accountability, we blame the horse.
We slap on harsher bits, louder aids, more aggressive corrections.We label them bad, lazy, rude, or stubborn… when really, they’re just confused, frightened, or overwhelmed.

Horses cannot be 'bad', they are just horses. People are either bad handlers, riders, or trainers. This seems to be a truth rarely spoken or acknowledged.

Horses literally can't manipulate. They, very simply, reflect what we bring to the conversation.

And that’s the truth people don’t like to talk about:
If your horse isn’t responding well, it might not be about them - it's actually in most cases about you.

So when something feels off in a session, pause and ask yourself:

Am I breathing deeply and feeling compassionate and optimistic?
Am I calm and grounded in my body?
Am I present - or is my mind somewhere else?
Am I feeling scared, under pressure, or frustrated?

✨ Self-awareness is the MOST underrated skill in horsemanship. The more honest we become about what we bring into the space, the more compassionate and connected we become as partners. ✨

Because it’s never about control. It’s about connection.
And that connection? It always starts with you.

03/28/2025

02/22/2025

Before I allow someone to mount their horse in a lesson, I remind myself that my primary responsibility is to keep them safe while they learn. I do this by being as objective as possible, carefully observing the horse as it passes or fails specific pre-ride checks in that moment and environment. Passing these checks is never a guarantee that nothing will go wrong, just as failing them doesn’t necessarily mean a problem would have arisen had they rode on a day I said not to. However, if someone gets bucked off in my lesson, I never want to find myself thinking, Oh, shoot, I saw the signs that this could happen, but I was too worried about their feelings, their ego—or worse, my own.

One of the most valuable lessons I hope to impart to my students is this same strategy: to approach pre-ride checks with objective observation and, above all, to trust their instincts when something doesn’t feel right. This isn’t about instilling fear—it’s the opposite. It’s about fostering confidence, as long as the student is truly interested in learning. And honestly, why are we always in such a hurry to ride? The list of things to learn is loooong.

I hear so many stories about horses that "were just so good all the time, and then one day..." If I tell a student, "It’s a good day to work through some lessons on the ground," I truly believe I may be saving them from a terrible experience in the saddle.

I have to give credit where it’s due—I learned this from my mentor and friend, Jonathan Field. I know with certainty that he has saved my life many times, often from miles away, simply by being a voice in my head. If I had taken my frisky Fergus to his ranch last September and he had said, "Liz, just stay on the ground today," I would have thanked him. And then, I would have spent two weeks trying to see what he saw that I didn’t—while improving countless important skills that will serve us well in the future.

Photo used with Gratitude to Robin Duncan

02/09/2025

I don’t think people realize just how many horses out there carry trauma with them.

With that, I don’t even mean severely abused horses that have been starved, or beaten heavily. There are plenty of those around, and those usually cause a lot of outrage (as they should).

What I am talking about though, is the horses whose trauma is never really recognized as such. The ones who tolerate humans and their requests, but never learned to trust them. Those who get extremely obsessive about food which are labelled as “bossy” or ”dominant”. Those who deal with severe Separation anxiety, which are said to be “dramatic”. Those who cannot self-regulate, or co-regulate and constantly carry tension. Those who try to express their pain, which get punished for it because “just a mare”.
Those who are “perfect” until they finally get a choice.

Between Unethical weaning practices, unsuitable welfare, constantly moving homes & and ownership, and aversive training/handling approaches, most horses at some point experience trauma. And this trauma can present itself in a variety of ways. Some are more subtle than others.
Trauma doesn’t have to be this huge explosive reaction. Just like people, horses can carry trauma and move on with their lives fairly normally. It can shape their personality just like it can shape ours.
However, that doesn’t mean doing so is healthy.

The horse that has been in 6+ homes before the age of 10, and thus can’t cope with changes. That is Trauma.
The horse that has never had consistent companionship and becomes obsessive with certain herd mates. That is Trauma
The horse that has only known corrections when they tried to express their confusion, fear, or dislike, and turns from “a perfect beginner’s horse” to “Don’t touch me” the moment you stop using corrections. That is Trauma.
The horse that never had a chance to learn from other horses or connect with people and thus can’t trust people to make good choices for them, can’t self-regulate or co-regulate, and can’t think their way through a situation. That is Trauma.
The horse who was only ever fed 2 times a day and was left without food for 6 hours each night, and has thus become food-aggressive. That is Trauma.
The horse who experienced highly aversive training techniques, and thus now gets frustrated, tense and severely stressed out anytime they are handled in a similar manner. That. Is. Trauma.

Sometimes, awareness of this can be a frustration and defeating realization. I think as equestrians we are often blind to this reality, because sadly, it’s just so common to see horses like that.
It’s not until you work with young, untraumatized horses, or rehabilitated horses, that you realize: “Oh! This is how it should be!”

01/31/2025

I still have some availability to travel for Clinics for 2025. Please message me if you would like more information.

11/18/2024

Poor Posture & Muscling vs Good Posture & Muscling

Observing a horse’s posture and muscling can reveal what they can and cannot use in their body when ridden. Saddles play a significant role in this. Proper shimming and pads are essential for achieving good results.
Starting with our VersaFit™ Saddle Pads and Shims is an excellent way to create a better-fitting saddle. The next step is investing in a saddle designed to allow your horse’s full range of motion and accommodate the VersaFit™ system. Consider Contour Saddlery’s brands: Natural Horseman Saddles, Glenn Saddles, and Parelli Saddles.
Of course, good riding and overall health are also crucial factors.

Which does your horse look most like?

Poor:
- Overall shape looks concave
- Wasted muscle, flat croup, poor topline
- Muscle more developed under the neck ("bull neck") with protruding chest
- Front legs look short, overall look "downhill", back looks long and sunken while neck looks too short
- Hind legs strung out, not enough angle in joints, hocks/stifle
- Abdomen sags

Good:
- Overall shape looks convex
- Topline more developed with plump muscle
- Muscle builds on top of neck, under neck is more lifted
- Withers look level or "uphill"
- Length of neck-to-body ratio looks balanced
- Hindquarter muscles more rounded and hind legs under hindquarters
- Tighter abdominal muscles
- Behind scapula is not hollow

@2024 contoursaddlery.com

11/14/2024

Test your work often! I say to my students frequently; when you’ve finished your movement, drop the reins and see what you have.
If you actually have both hind legs flexing equally, a horse rewarded with a loose rein maintains the same rythm and direction with ease. Just as happy to be with you as anywhere else.

If you get sudden veering, speeding up, slowing down, anxiety, rooting etc, you missed something, or aren’t there yet.

It’s easy to make a “shape,” anybody can make a horse look round manually.
But to actually feel the legs and bring them harmonious and soft controlled swinging , to feel the hind legs beneath the seat and flex them, to create the most basic and most rare tenant in good movement of all: rhythm- that takes a real rider, a thinking rider, a feeling rider.

Don’t get caught up in shapes and looks - feel, and rest often. Drop the reins and see what you have. And that result gives you your answer on where your work lies.

10/25/2024

I have a couple openings for coming to me for a 1 week extensive private lesson week. And have one opening for a full time lesson student /horse development mix. Message me if interested.