Deanna Preis Horsemanship at Shade Tree Stables

Deanna Preis Horsemanship at Shade Tree Stables Using compassion to work with horses and their people to create healthier movement and longevity.

More horses have people problems, than people have horse problems.Horses are perfectly good at being horses.  People com...
04/25/2025

More horses have people problems, than people have horse problems.

Horses are perfectly good at being horses. People come into the picture and bring with them, unrealistic expectations, impatience, tack that doesn't fit, lack of true skill, their own physical, mental, and emotional limitations, and the horse is left with the expectation to fill in the blanks.

That's a really big responsibility to put on the horse. But that's the beauty of having horses in our lives. They highlight the areas where we need personal growth, and if we're wise, we pick up on these messages, and not only improve our relationship with our horse, but those around us.

What messages has your horse delivered to you?

WOW!  What a great post! 👏Not to mention color breeding.  Guess what the hot color choice is currently for breeders?
04/24/2025

WOW! What a great post! 👏
Not to mention color breeding. Guess what the hot color choice is currently for breeders?

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, none of the horses on the U.S. show jumping or eventing teams were American-bred. Not one.

Every mount representing red, white, and blue was born and brought up overseas, while our own breeding barns churn out thousands of foals a year. For a country as vast, wealthy, and horse-obsessed as the United States, that’s embarrassing.

It’s not a fluke. It’s a symptom of a broken system. We are not producing our own elite equine athletes because we’re not breeding for them.

In many U.S. breeding programs, the decision to breed a mare often isn’t based on her competition success. It’s based on injury. She bowed a tendon at four? Breed her. She fractured a sesamoid before she ever showed? Put her in foal so she “doesn’t just sit.” She was too unsound to make it through a futurity season? “She has a nice head.” This is breeding as damage control. Not selection. Not strategy.

We’re taking the horses who didn’t last, who couldn’t compete, and we’re passing those traits: genetic unsoundness, poor conformation, low resilience, on to the next generation. And we’re doing no better with the boys.

The U.S. barn landscape is simply not set up to support stallions. Most boarding facilities don’t allow them. Trainers often discourage keeping colts intact due to behavioral concerns and limited resale value. As a result, some of our most promising bloodlines are literally cut off before they even have a chance to contribute. Meanwhile, Europe is building stallion careers alongside competition careers, backing them with systems designed to assess, preserve, and promote excellence.

Across Europe, breeding is a science, not an afterthought. Registries require mares to pass performance tests. Stallions must prove themselves through the same performance tests as well as competition and through the quality of their offspring. Longevity, trainability, reproductive soundness, and rideability matter, just as much as flash. In the Netherlands, the KWPN registry ensures that horses with structural and genetic flaws are actively removed from the breeding pool. They are building better horses on purpose, while performance testing is virtually nonexistant in the USA. We’re gambling on foals from horses who quite literally could not even finish the race.

Why do we do this? Because our industry rewards early speed, early sales, and early burnout. We breed for yearling sales, futurities, and young horse classes. We reward breeders who produce a shiny prospect, not a durable horse.

We need a complete shift in breeding values. That means stopping the practice of breeding injured or completely unproven mares and instead selecting those who lasted, who stayed sound, performed consistently, and demonstrated resilience over time. It also means investing in infrastructure that allows promising colts to remain stallions, rather than gelding them for convenience or marketability. We must begin to track soundness, temperament, and fertility across generations, using that data to make informed decisions. And we need to embrace modern tools: genetic testing, performance records, and international benchmarks, instead of relying on nostalgia or sentiment. Because right now, we are selecting for the opposite of what we need. And it’s playing out in rehab barns, in short-lived careers, and yes, on the Olympic scoreboard.

This isn’t a crusade against breeders. It’s a call for accountability, ambition, and change. If we want to see American-bred horses wearing stars and stripes again, not just in name, but in origin, we need to start breeding for more than emotion and convenience. We need to breed horses that can stand the test of time, not just pass a vet check at a sale. Until we do, we’ll just keep buying our best from Europe, and wondering where our greatness went.

Wise words from my trainer, Carolin Moldenhauer - Pferde in Balance.  She will be here, June 7 & 8 if you want to take a...
04/24/2025

Wise words from my trainer, Carolin Moldenhauer - Pferde in Balance. She will be here, June 7 & 8 if you want to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from someone who understands biomechanics and truly cares about the horse's mental state, longevity, and creating an athlete.

In a world where horse training is often reduced to shapes and steps, I believe it’s time we spread a different message—one rooted in connection, understanding, and true development.My philosophy is based on two pillars that go hand in hand: tensegral, biomechanically correct movement, and train...

Happy Birthday today to my wild man, Gustavo!He is my special boy who makes me think outside of the box.  The one that h...
04/23/2025

Happy Birthday today to my wild man, Gustavo!

He is my special boy who makes me think outside of the box. The one that has made me go to plan B, then C, probably all the way to Q! The universe gives you what you need, and not necessarily what you want. This boy has and continues to teach me so much!

Here's to many more, and hopefully a day without harassment from chickens 🤣

Off farm adventure  #2 went well today with big improvements since Friday's field trip!It's always about pushing the bor...
04/22/2025

Off farm adventure #2 went well today with big improvements since Friday's field trip!

It's always about pushing the borders of his comfort zone and what he can say yes to. If I don't push the borders, we don't have growth. If I go too far, I make deficits in our relationship, so it's always a fine balance, and even then, sometimes we get it wrong.

Fingers crossed that I can get him on a couple more trips soon!

Chunky horses.....As someone who spent their first 20 horse years feeding Thoroughbreds, feeding Andalusians is a bit of...
04/21/2025

Chunky horses.....

As someone who spent their first 20 horse years feeding Thoroughbreds, feeding Andalusians is a bit of a change!

Years ago a had a horse named Charlie, who was a rescue and a bit dangerous for other people to work with, especially men. So he lived his life a bit more feral in the pasture where he had the freedom to move away from people when he wanted to. I quickly noticed two things:

1. he drank very little water in the spring because there was so much water content in the grass.
2. He'd get fat as a tick by fall, but then return to a lean weight by spring, and never had any hoof problems.

He lived as close to a wild horse as any of mine ever had, and I found this weight fluctuation to be a beneficial thing for him.

Growing up in the hunter jumper world with everything inside under one roof, the horses needed to stay at a constant weight. This was convenient for the human world. Afterall, big changes in weight would affect saddle fit.

Fast forward to now.... I was very much looking foward to getting some weight off of my Andalusians and Shetland this winter. There was no starvation diets, they still had free access to the same hay, but the extra calorie requirements to thermoregulate, work in my favor! You may remember seeing pictures of my horses this winter, out being horses!

I'm happy to say that all of mine are at nice weights, and I feel that it's safe to start letting them have some limited grazing time! But how does this affect my saddle fit? It doesn't!

Because I ride in flexible, leather tree saddles, they change with the horse. Easy peasy! There is enough complicated stuff in the horse world, I don't need my tack to be one of them! Here you see my horses pictured in Sattel You can get yours from Your Horse : Hidalgo Leather Tree Consultant

In these pictures, the first image of each horse is from last fall, and the second is from this spring. I added in one of Gustavo without a saddle so it's easier to see the change.

2 years ago we exhumed Pugsy.  It was an odd feeling, but I was so glad I did it.  I learned so much, and found things t...
04/20/2025

2 years ago we exhumed Pugsy. It was an odd feeling, but I was so glad I did it. I learned so much, and found things that explained what I was seeing, feeling and thinking. He continues to teach in my classroom, on the road, and online. Rest easy sweet boy, because of you we can do better by the horses still with us.

Baby stallion and I had a nice field trip today to a fellow trainer's barn.  It is so nice to have another local profess...
04/18/2025

Baby stallion and I had a nice field trip today to a fellow trainer's barn. It is so nice to have another local professional who I can bounce ideas off of, and bring baby horses to, and not feel judged when they do baby horse things. We need more professionals like that in the horse world 🥰

One thing I have really dropped the ball on with Crucero is taking him places, so I hope to have more adventures with him off farm soon! This was the first haul with the new truck today as well. I'm not a fan of change, but it's good for all of us!

Setting Boundaries and Maintaining the RelationshipIs this something you struggle with?  Do you love your horse, and wan...
04/15/2025

Setting Boundaries and Maintaining the Relationship

Is this something you struggle with? Do you love your horse, and want to be kind, but you find that your horse is walking all over you, or you don't feel like you're on the same page with with your riding? This isn't just for pushy horses. This could be the horse that spooks often, won't load in the trailer, or is buddy sour.

Cailin Messer and I will be collaborating for an in person clinic on Saturday May 3rd in Freeburg, IL. All participant spots are filled, but there is still room for auditing. Cailin and I will both have short presentations, followed by hands on application with participants.

You must register for this event in advance, there are limited audit spots available. Comment below, or send me a message. Event details here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/817065653874269

Upcoming webinar!For those of you that are in Members+ or Members Basic, this Saturday's webinar will be "Doc's Story". ...
04/14/2025

Upcoming webinar!

For those of you that are in Members+ or Members Basic, this Saturday's webinar will be "Doc's Story". I will go through his life story, diagnostics, and what we found. His owner will be with us to answer your questions! She's wants his story told so we can all learn from him.

If you aren't already a member, Members+ is on a wait-list, but Members Basic is open!

In Members Basic, you gain access to the monthly webinars, and the recordings, along with the private Facebook group filled with supportive horse lovers, where you can post your questions, your struggles, and your victories. I answer questions and post exercises to try at home. You can access all this for $15/month!

You can join Members Basic here: www.shadetreestables.com/store

May 3rd in Freeburg!Do you struggle with your horse standing still, loading in a trailer, pushing into you, spooking?Cai...
04/10/2025

May 3rd in Freeburg!

Do you struggle with your horse standing still, loading in a trailer, pushing into you, spooking?

Cailin and I are going to be discussing how to set boundaries with your horse, and how this improves the whole relationship. I frequently see people trying to "hold space" for their horses, but because of a misunderstanding of how to do this, they are ineffective, or even worse, getting into dangerous situations.

Reserve your spot now, by reaching out to me (Deanna) with payment. More details in the event page below:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1C7DdMDHAU/

You can make progress or excuses, but not both.If you're an action taker, there are some opportunities coming up!May 3rd...
04/08/2025

You can make progress or excuses, but not both.

If you're an action taker, there are some opportunities coming up!

May 3rd, Collaboration clinic with Cailin Messer and myself. You can be on the participant wait-list, or there are still auditor spots.

June 7&8 PIB clinic with my trainer Carolin Moldenhauer. There are still a couple participant spots left, and auditor spots.

Join the Members+ wait-list to be notified of when there is an opening for personalized virtual coaching. Images 2 and 4 are of virtual students.

Comment below with any questions!

Wheww! That's a wrap!The  Training clinic was a huge success!  Everyone walked away with a better understanding of how t...
04/07/2025

Wheww! That's a wrap!

The Training clinic was a huge success! Everyone walked away with a better understanding of how to be a more clear, lighter, more skilled, and kinder rider! I didn't get nearly enough pictures taken, especially of the rides. It's hard to be the organizer and a participant, but if anyone has any pictures from the weekend that they'd like to post below, feel free!

I'd also love to hear your big insights from the weekend!

The next event here is May 3rd with Cailin Messer and I doing a mini clinic on "Setting Boundaries, and Maintaining the Relationship". There is one participant spot left, and several auditing spots.

No matter what kind of riding you do, this is so important!We all want horses that last longer, with less maintenance, a...
04/04/2025

No matter what kind of riding you do, this is so important!

We all want horses that last longer, with less maintenance, and with fewer soundness and behavioral issues!

Schaeffer Bodyworks, LLC and I are here to help, reach out with your questions!

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Freeburg, IL
62243

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