Hebert Sporthorses

07/16/2025

🙌🏻 PREACH 🙌🏻

05/22/2025

🧠 Why Opinions About Riding Instructors Aren’t Always Accurate 🐴

Thinking about trying a new trainer? Be cautious when relying on others’ opinions or online reviews—here’s why they can be misleading:

➡️ Everyone has different goals and personalities – A trainer one rider loves might not work for someone else at all.
➡️ Experience levels vary – Many riders (especially beginners) can’t accurately judge the quality or safety of instruction.
➡️ Personal opinions are shaped by barn politics – Drama, fallouts, or favoritism often sneak into reviews.
➡️ Fear of backlash – In a small community, some people won’t speak honestly for fear of burning bridges.
➡️ There’s no universal standard – What “good instruction” means can differ wildly from rider to rider.

💡 Bottom line: People’s opinions are just that—opinions. Use them as a jumping-off point, not gospel. Watch a lesson. Take a trial ride. Ask thoughtful questions.

👇 Have you ever found the reality of a trainer totally different than the opinions you heard?

04/29/2025

At Hebert Sporthorses, we like the horses here to have as much turnout as the Louisiana weather will allow. Over the years of boarding and training, I’ve been shocked and surprised at how many people were unhappy with that. Here are a few of the things we’ve heard:

- He wants to go in his stall.
- I don’t want him getting hurt.
- I’m paying for the stall, so he’s going to be in it
as much as possible.
- You don’t leave your own personal horses out
24/7.
- It’s hot, I want him inside and in front of the fan.

Horses here are turned out in grass paddocks (some in larger fields) as much as possible. They come in in thunderstorms, hurricanes, freezing rain, etc (most of the time in the middle of the night, you’re welcome). When it comes to the heat, I’ve had to explain that many times it is cooler with more air flow outside, under shade, than it is in a metal roof barn with a fan blowing hot air. Many just don’t believe me. And you better believe that when it comes to my personal performance horses, they LOVE to live outside! I’ve had one minor injury with my Grand Prix horse and that was in a tiny dirt paddock in Wellington.

We want what is best for horses. After a lifetime of breeding, training, and caring for these creatures, we have come to know exactly what that is. Check out the study below if you’re still curious about what letting a horse be a horse can do for them.

Turnout is one of the most polarizing topics in modern horse keeping. So, let’s skip the debate. We’ve gathered some results from veterinary science, peer-reviewed journals, and international welfare assessments. These are real numbers, from real studies, so you can make strategic decisions rooted in evidence, not tradition.

-A 25% reduction in soft tissue injuries was found in adult horses turned out for at least 12 hours daily, compared to those kept in stalls greater than 12 hours daily. (Reilly & Bryk-Lucy, 2021)

-Comparing turnout duration, a study found that horses with only 2 hours of turnout exhibited significantly higher energy levels, anxiety, and behaviors such as rearing, bucking, and fence running, whereas horses receiving over 12 hours of turnout were more likely to walk, graze, and remain calm. (Hockenhull & Creighton, 2010)

-Foals receiving inconsistent turnout (9 to 23 hours per day) had 4.6 times more musculoskeletal injuries than those with 24/7 access to turnout. Furthermore, for every extra acre of turnout, there was a 24% reduction in injury risk. (Brown-Douglas et al., 2022)

-A study on 2-year-old horses found that those kept in individual stalls required more time to get used to training activities and showed more unwanted behaviors, like resistance or agitation, than horses kept on pasture. The stalled horses needed an average of 26 minutes of training time, while the pastured horses needed only 19 minutes, to complete the same task. Additionally, the stalled horses were more likely to show unwanted behaviors during training (8 instances on average compared to just 2 for pastured horses). (Rivera et al., 2002)

-Stall-kept livestock experience a higher incidence of hoof-related issues, including uneven hoof growth and lameness, while those with access to turnout demonstrated healthier, more balanced hoof development. (Black, R.A. et al., 2017)

-A European welfare study using the AWIN protocol assessed 315 horses in group-housing turnout systems. Only 2.3% of these horses exhibited signs of lameness, compared to lameness rates as high as 33% in stalled horses across various studies. (AWIN Welfare Assessment, 2023)

-Within just one day of moving from group turnout to individual stalling, equine cortisol levels spike, and their white blood cell count shows significant changes, including a 25% increase in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and a decrease in infection-fighting cells like monocytes and T cells. Additionally, behaviors indicative of stress, such as oral manipulation, neighing, pawing, and apathy, became evident in most horses within a week. (Schmucker et al., 2022)

-Horses with regular turnout showed higher heart rate variability, indicating improved balance in their autonomic nervous system and greater stress resilience. (Rietmann et al., 2004)

-Welsh ponies who received daily pasture turnout in a herd exhibited fewer stress-related behaviors, were significantly calmer, less fearful, less reactive, more interactive with humans, and more adaptable in learning tasks compared to ponies housed in impoverished environments (stalls with limited turnout). Even three months after the study, ponies in the enriched group retained these positive behaviors and demonstrated higher curiosity and superior learning performance. (Lansade et al., 2014)

Can you find a single peer-reviewed study that shows horses kept stabled 24/7 are sounder, healthier, or happier than those with regular turnout? Even the most finely tuned, performance-focused horses are still horses. Just like any other, they require room to roam, stretch their legs, and engage in natural behaviors such as grazing and socializing.

It’s important to recognize that no horse truly dislikes turnout. If a horse resists going outside, it’s due to improper conditioning, previous negative experiences, or being overwhelmed by a sudden change in environment: what’s known as "flooding." Horses who’ve been confined for extended periods or who’ve never had proper exposure to outdoor spaces may react with anxiety or reluctance. These reactions stem from fear, not from an inherent dislike of turnout. With patience and gradual exposure, every horse can be reconditioned to embrace the outdoors. After all, instincts tell them to roam, graze, and move, it's in their nature.

Of course, there are times when limiting a horse's movement is necessary, such as during health issues or transportation. In these instances, it’s crucial to understand the physiological and psychological changes that occur so we can minimize stress and discomfort.

Turnout is a biological necessity. To support our horses’ overall health and well-being, we must prioritize their freedom to move. After all, a healthy, happy horse is one that has the opportunity to be just that: a horse.

04/28/2025

Facebook friends building new barns and getting rid of their clumping bamboo are wonderful! And also the husband who has to help plant it all!

04/05/2025

Question: I want to take lessons, but I don’t have a horse…Do you have school horses?

The answer was always no, BUT…

I now have a school MASTER available for select riders! Because Freyja is still training with me, and summer is fast approaching, she will be available for a limited amount of lessons on property at Hebert Sporthorses.

Details will be coming soon as they are ironed out. If you are interested, and capable of Second/Third level work, message me on Facebook or email at [email protected].

04/03/2025

❤️

03/28/2025

Coming soon…an announcement that will answer the most common question I get asked! 👀

02/24/2025

The absolute, non-negotiable prerequisite to all riding!

After her victory at Stockholm in 1990, Nicole Uphoff said to the surprised press: “My basic aids are to make my horse loose. If ever you sat on my horse – and you never will – you would find that he is loose in the body, and on the bit.” Read more https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2018/03/rembrandt-and-nicole-uphoff-at-stockholm/

02/14/2025

This is very important for riders, trainers and anyone shopping for a saddle or struggling with saddle fit! There are MANY saddles on the market such as these (saddles that sit the rider too far back). I have personally delt with the aftermath.

I took a sponsorship with a very well known company because I was told by many (Olympic riders included) that they were worth it, but also they made it hard to pass up…free use of saddles. I couldn’t afford them, and that was very helpful. My mare lost her beautiful gaits, they became short and tense, her changes fell apart, her ability to step under was greatly compromised and she had dents in her low back (which caused gastric issues and severe low back pain). I wish I had kept the video of it at its worst, but I could not bear to look at it. Come to find out, it cost me way more in the long run - more time and more money to fix the problems they caused.

Being able to “sit” even though it’s technically incorrect is not worth it. Riders may think it’s helpful to them, but it greatly hinders the rider’s ability to relax and be correct with the aids. Spend the time and the money to get the right saddle. I learned so much from saddlefitting.us’s account and even speaking with Amanda personally. This is very valuable information for horse owners. Give it a look.

02/13/2025

Such a simple, simple reality---

Let’s say that a rider wants a horse to move away from leg pressure, basically some sort of leg yield.

And the rider kicks the horse, and the horse moves right over. BUT---the horse is now slightly nervous from the kick.

OR---the rider nudges the horse, and maybe the horse doesn’t instantly move over. So the rider nudges until the horse responds by moving over, at which point the rider has made the point, but has done so BELOW the horse’s anxiety threshold.

The second method may take a little longer, may not seem as effective, at least not right this second, but a horse quietly trained, just using this leg yielding as one example, will generally be more accepting of the training than one which is waiting for some sort of sharper more abrupt signal to do something.

The quiet trainer versus the other way, figure out which you would prefer if you were a horse.

02/12/2025

Feeding more feed or adding more fat simply won’t cut it for Senior horses. Their declining digestive function often can’t handle the larger amounts, their teeth often can’t masticate the harder pellets, and their current feed often doesn’t have enough of the vital vitamins, minerals, and fat they so desperately need to function as they age. For us at Hebert Sporthorses, less feed (and more often) is MORE.

Triple Crown Senior is a high protein, high fat feed that offers all they need in just 6lbs a day and includes pre and probiotics essential for digestive function. Live in a hot environment? Triple Crown Senior Gold includes electrolytes and an even higher fat and protein.

High quality feed means less money spent on useless supplements and healthier horses. Instead, put that supplement money towards a high quality forage. Take a look at Triple Crown’s exclusive guide on feeding the Senior horse. Knowledge is power. Take care of your ponies!