The Balanced Horse Project

07/08/2025

Ready to work.

07/07/2025

We sage smoked a horse with parasites in both eyes.

Very please with the results.

Tomorrow we use cedar smoke.
Always confuse the parasites.

07/05/2025

Why Remote STEP Training Is Different — And Necessary

At our farm, the horses in the barn are deeply engaged in rebuilding their bodies. While this intensive work happens on-site, it also creates precious breathing space for us to support our international clients through remote STEP Training.

It’s important to know: remote STEP Training is not simply the same series of exercises we use at the farm. Over years of working both on the road and over the internet, we’ve documented crucial differences in outcomes depending on the environment, consistency of application, and the level of human investment.

These observations led us to adapt remote STEP Training into a format that slows the transformation sequence. Why? Because the accelerated shifts horses experience at our farm can be overwhelming for owners when attempted remotely. Slowing the process helps owners better understand—and accept—the natural power behind STEP’s methods.

The Human Factor: Why Mindset Matters

Many readers dismiss the notion that the placebo effect—or more accurately, the power of belief and expectation—could influence results in horse training. Yet research across neuroscience and psychophysiology consistently demonstrates that human states of mind affect both personal performance and the animals we handle.

Studies show that human brainwaves in creative, relaxed states (often called “alpha” or “flow states”) improve communication and non-verbal connection with animals.¹

Horses, as prey animals, are exquisitely sensitive to human nervous system states and mirror the emotional coherence—or incoherence—of their handlers.²

Belief and expectation can modulate stress hormones and even immune response in humans and animals alike.³

In our work, we see this play out clearly. Owners with a scientific, analytical mindset often bring skepticism or interventionist tendencies that disrupt the natural flow of STEP’s principles. In contrast, owners who enter sessions with curiosity, creativity, and willingness to “allow” tend to see far greater transformations in their horses.

This is not magic—it’s biology and physics. The nervous system, fascia, and energetic fields interact continuously, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Why Remote Training Takes Longer

Here’s the reality: while we’d love to bring every horse to our farm for hands-on work, it’s simply not practical for many clients. Transporting long distance horses, horses with significant postural imbalances or stress-induced body shapes, can be stressful and costly. Remote STEP Training makes it possible for owners anywhere in the world to begin shifting their horse’s patterns safely at home.

However, it does require more sessions than having a horse physically present here. The slower pace allows both horse and human to integrate changes without overwhelming their nervous systems.

We’ve learned that explaining this process to communities solely focused on physical mechanics is often an uphill battle we don’t have time to fight. Instead, we focus on results remote STEP Training delivers.

If you’re curious whether remote STEP might be right for your horse, we’d love to talk. The possibilities for change are still remarkable even from afar.

Photo: analysis of conformation is STEP 1 in development of individualized REMOTE STEP training programs.

References

¹ Dietrich, A. (2004). Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the experience of flow. Consciousness and Cognition, 13(4), 746–761.
² McGreevy, P. D., & McLean, A. N. (2010). Equitation Science. Wiley-Blackwell.
³ Benedetti, F. (2014). Placebo Effects: Understanding the mechanisms in health and disease. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 54, 19–39.

07/05/2025

07/04/2025

Don't get scammed!
Horses sales
Tack
Trailers
Broading
Breeding

Have you been scammed?
Help others by listing your experience with fraudulent sites on Facebook, below.

Here are some of the most commonly reported saddle-related scams on Facebook involving payment for storage, bogus seller profiles, or phantom ads:

Common Saddle Scams on Facebook

1. Fake “Saddle House” pages
Scammers create bogus pages pretending to be reputable tack shops. A warning read:

> “️SCAMMERS‼️ Don't be fooled by this FAKE Saddle House Page … keep an eye out.”

2. “Saddle Solution” scam
Some users noted that adverts for “Saddle Solution” appear suspicious:

> “Has anyone purchased a saddle from ‘saddle solution’? It seems to be a scam…”

3. “Pearson Lacey” (or similar names)
Profiles using this name or variants (“Pearson Lacey Scammer”) have been flagged:

> “Avoid Pearson Lacey Scammer… I paid via [PayPal] and got scammed.”

🔍 Red flags to watch for:

Brand-new or suspiciously vague pages without authentic history.

Sellers requesting deposits for storage or immediate payment before shipping.

Fake pay‑by‑PayPal emails that mimic official notifications but don’t actually show funds in your account.

How to protect yourself:

Only use secure payment methods, like PayPal Goods & Services (not "Friends & Family").

Always log into your actual PayPal account. Don’t trust email notifications alone.

Verify the seller’s identity: check mutual friends, past listings, and profile activity.

When in doubt, flag or report suspicious pages to Facebook immediately.

Something that is new to consummers is ask AI (Grok or CHAT gpt) to screen the site for possible irregularities, scams, or out of country IP addresses.

Summary Table

Scam Name Modus Operandi

Fake Saddle House Pretends to be known shop, request deposits
Saddle Solution Mystery saddle seller, likely fraudulent
Pearson Lacey Uses fake PayPal angle, asks for storage fees

This is just the tip of the problem?

It's a Federal crime that qualifies under RICO wire fraud.

07/04/2025

July 13 2025 we are hosting Equine Dentist Jeff Kelpinger.

If you are in the Dothan Alabama region or the Panhandle Florida, this is a great opportunity to book an appointment to have your horse's mouth balanced. You can meet Jeff at our farm or arrange for him to travel to you.

Go to

Jeff Klepinger Equine Dentist on facebook.

This page highlights his nearly 30 years in equine dentistry. Call/text 904‑327‑9116 for appointments .

07/04/2025

Frank and I decided to put the findings of the Balanced Horse Project into action by training and showing our own horses. To do it right, we brought in a select group of investors so we could bring some of the best Quarter Horse bloodlines into our barn.

During our search for training prospects, we came across Shana Wilson’s Gunnashine for Babes, affectionately known as Gunny. We love this horse for more than his looks. He’s smart, athletic, loving and stays beautifully under his rider.

After starting Gunny in our STEP Training program, we collaborated with Miranda from MNR Horsemanship, who worked with him for a month, exposing him to new environments and the show ring. Her reactions and even the judges’ puzzlement confirmed for us that more Balanced Horses need to hit the show pen!

On our journey scouting horses, we also stumbled upon a daughter of one of the most influential reining sires in history:

Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner)
• NRHA Lifetime Earnings: Over $177,000
• 1996 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion
• 2001 USET Reining Champion
• NRHA Hall of Fame inductee
• Sired offspring with combined NRHA earnings exceeding $14 million
• Sire of champions like Gunnatrashya, Gunners Special Nite, Spooks Gotta Gun, and many more

And that’s how fate led us to Annie.
Funny enough, it was our friend Luewin who pointed us toward this special mare.

OMG — have you ever had a horse look at you and you just know they’re meant to come home with you? We had no idea at the time that Annie was Gunny’s grand-aunt. They are 1 year apart. Annie 4 and Gunny 3. Gunner Annie's sire has passed on.

On the papers it hints that Annie was an embryo transfer raised by a surrogate mare. So someone spent some money to produce sweet Annie.

When we stood looking at Annie.
I traced my balance lines across her body and tested a few trigger points. The reaction must have been obvious, because the reining trainer immediately dropped her price!

Like any experienced horse trainer , we know that no horse is perfect, no matter how stellar the bloodlines. But with the advantage of 25 years of research behind us, Frank and I felt Annie was a good horse. Then we read her papers, that sealed the deal.

Annie has nearly completed our program, and her symmetry keeps improving. I bought a saddle so we can start some ranch riding patterns.

It’s amazing how life unfolds sometimes.

Here’s Annie today, after STEP RESET Session #2. She’s turned out on grass to run for the first time and it’s pure joy to watch her rediscover herself.

If you are interested in the horses we produce or have a horse that needs improvement, keep us in mind. The skills and knowledge base we offer is very hard to find.

07/03/2025

About 30 miles up the road, we encountered an interesting horse with a mysterious lameness that neither the vet could pinpoint nor the blacksmith fully resolve.

Credit goes to the blacksmith, though, for recognizing the problem and directing the owner to someone who could explain it and offer a proven training solution.

We’re excited to share that this horse will become our first door to door STEP Training client. He is scheduled for pick-up and delivery in just two weeks.

Here’s a photo of this six-year-old reiner’s chest. Can you spot the conformation issues contributing to his physical limitations?

We can’t wait to help him rediscover his balance!

07/02/2025

I've started saddling the OTTB .
He is ready for a rider.
The dentist comes next week.

After that we are starting the path of finding him the right person to develop a great a life with.

Interested?

07/01/2025

OMG!

Gunny has been out of balance ever since he did a young horse belly flop.

Miranda shared the details of his adventure with kissing the ground. He recovered, but he hasn’t been 100%.

Yet he went out and did his first show and never missed a beat. It's so easy to assume horses are OK after a slip in mud or a full force impact with the ground, stall sill or trailer slip. It's frustrating to train up and suddenly have a ride that fails to make the grade.

I asked Gunny for pen work last Friday. The collected trot and lope were missing. Sat, Luewin’s ride confirmed he was bracing at the withers.

Full STOP!

We went back to the barn to repeat STEP RESET Protocol #1. In 30 minutes, you could see Gunny was lifting his back and withers.

Yeah!!!!!

Training Problem Solved!
Call my lazy.
But I'm trying to develop horses while preventing resistance or injury.

I love our training program. I know I’m biased due to my personal investment. That said, in a traditional program, Gunny would have been worked and pulled into position and held there. That, in the long run, overstresses the connective tissue and leads to resistance and, perhaps, injury.

For that reason, we stop the career training and backtrack to the beginning. Repeating the reset exercises instantly engages the centering of balance in the horse.
As his body re-establishes the perfection of level symmetry, we provide the horse with a body he can trust.

In two days, Gunny will go for a test ride. If he agrees to lift and carry correctly, he’ll return to developing his ranch horse career.

No fuss, no bills.
Just training 1 STEP at a time.

07/01/2025

Race cars are modified for the tracks they race on to enhance performance.

What if horses could be modified to compete in a variety of performance sport. They could be downhill for cutting and the next day be naturally levelled for Hunter seat.

Hmmmm would that possible?
What do you think?

07/01/2025

Gunny is back home.
MNR Horsemanship collaborated with us to add show exposure and settle him in to strange environments. Gunny showed he can focus regardless of the situation. As a senior citizen, it takes a lot of stress off me, riding a young horse.
Thanks Miranda North Rawson .

Now he is home, and we're focused on bulking him up, so we can start showing.