Jodi Simpson Training Stables LLC

10/31/2026

Around here, along with riding, the kids learn the rest of the horse care skills.

10/24/2026

We are going to address something here because this horses owner reached out to us this evening very upset about a message she received from someone about the condition of her horse.

Metabolic Syndrome and/or PSSM2. If you’re at all educated in these disorders, you can easily recognize a horse with one, or both, of them. Particularly in an aged horse. Each horses needs are different depending on what their blood panels such as glucose/insulin ratios look like. What their thyroid test look like. What their hormone levels look like… and more.

This horse is metabolic. She has also had a tying up episode, which indicates PSSM2. Her metabolic issue was not diagnosed until her current owner got her and had a large vet bill to discover it. (No prior owner shaming here. If you don’t know what to look for, you won’t know until a tying up or laminitis issue occurs). The horse is also beginning to have osteoarthritis and bone changes related to age.

She is very well cared for and is under the guidance of a veterinarian for her dietary needs. She has all the vitamins, mineral supplements and low/no starch feed she is prescribed. It is also recommended that the horse is to remain active and in use to keep her metabolism working properly. If the horse is sedentary it will also trigger metabolic responses.

This horse is stabled at a barn where she gets daily turn out, a slow feed bag full of low starch hay 24/7 and all the appropriate supplements.

We guide our clients to the best veterinary and farrier care in the area. We have a dietitian, chiropractor and licensed equine massage therapist at our barn at least 5 times a year. We are highly educated in what we do and our animals are cared for as is appropriate for each individual. If this horse wasn’t kept at this weight, which is confirmed as ideal by the vet that sees her, and was kept at the “fat and sassy” weight we all think looks nice, she’d be dead or at the very least in excruciating pain.

10/24/2026

This is a long video but if you have a good eye you’ll get it.

The first half was last week, the first time this horse and rider were asked to perform this exercise. At the time of this first video, we shared it, and discussed briefly what we were trying to accomplish through the exercise.

The second half of the video is today’s lesson after the rider had been at home practicing this and had another lesson on Monday.

If you’ll notice in the first part of the video, the horse breaks to the walk a lot in the circle as well as on the direction changes. And there’s a lot of rigidity. There weren’t as many direction changes in the second part of the video you’ll notice that the horse is not breaking to the walk in that video.

The horse is in need of its juvenile dental and is getting it next week as well as a chiropractic visit. We expect BIG improvements after that.

What do you think the reason the horse is not breaking in the second part of the video is? We will share the answer in the comments later, after people have had a chance to share their thoughts.

Keep in mind this is a very green horse, and a rider who is learning how to do some technical things. So please, if you’re the kind of person who is a keyboard expert, keep any thoughts of unkind criticism to yourself. Keep the conversation educational and productive.

10/18/2026

The “Fix It Now” Trap---

So I am riding a horse and I ask for some response. Could be anything, a left lead canter depart, a square halt, moving away from my right leg, standing rock still when I mount, a rein back, whatever.

And it’s not what I want the way I want it,

So I proceed to try to fix it. As in right, damn it, today.

Now, the very best trainers know one thing if they know anything---Change comes slowly, understanding comes slowly, learning how to respond to various stimuli comes slowly, building the strength to be able to respond comes slowly.

That word “slowly” is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I want right now. If I can’t accept that I can’t fix this issue in this training session, that I can only make some mild suggestions before going on to something else, that this issue must be addressed in tiny pieces over the next weeks and months, then I do not have that key ingredient that the best trainers have. Like Mr. Van Schaik here in this photo had in spades.

PATIENCE.

Don’t yet have it? Build it, or stay in the ranks of lesser trainers, and, yes, it IS that simple.

10/18/2026

We are just starting with this pair in the lesson program. They’ve only had 3 lessons (they are adding a second weekly lesson starting next week). We didn’t start this horse, so we have used the past lessons to assess where they are and develops lesson plan to move them forward.

The horse has had a very basic start and we are picking up from there. The nice thing about one so green is we have a pretty clean slate. She’s well started with no buck or bolt and very little spook. That’s a great place for us to start installing the nuts and bolts of a trained horse, so to speak.

This video is kind of a cool process to watch. It’s one of our most basic tasks in our C**t starting program when we start them.

It starts with the things we want to change. The horse is tight in its neck, high at the poll, resisting the bit, none of the “hinges” we need to move are moving freely, the ribs are rigid and the horse is distracted by activity outside of the arena.

Add to the above that this rider had never ridden this exercise in the way we utilize it and we had a few minutes of work to do.

We call this exercise the yinyang ☯️. When done correctly our horse always has a slight bend on the circle and when we reverse we increase the bend, not just through the bridle, but through the ribs by utilizing the leg on the inside of the bend.

The is a textbook exercise for suppling a horse from “nose to toes”, it helps capture a distracted mind, and lowers the head and neck to promote top line stretch and relaxed body carriage.

This clip is the horse and the riders first time doing this. You can see all the issues right from the start, but towards the end you start to see some very positive changes. When we are satisfied our horse has softened, we let them out of the circle on a loose rein. If they maintain softness and cadence they get to cruise, if they lose it…… back to bending.

Like we said, this video starts a little rugged, but at the end we start to visibly scratch the surface of what we want. This rider works hard at home between lessons so we know we will see even more improvement this week at her Monday lesson.

10/18/2026

10/18/2026

10/18/2026

A mare has to have a TON of presence to get around stallions in the open. I think she’s got it!