LK HorseSense

04/24/2025

Upper Michigan Mohair is going to have some of her beautiful cinches at the Groundwork and Up clinic this weekend!

Hopping on here to say hi to all of my followers!☀️

I have been busy riding and making in stock pieces to bring to the LK HorseSense groundwork and up clinic this weekend, April 25th-26th, at Rising Hope Equestrian Center. Auditors welcome!

04/17/2025

Alice helping demonstrate how scary the tarp is. And how well she has learned to hang out while I’m teaching and walk away from her to get something. Pics by

04/13/2025

How close is too close? When you have a horse that needs support, it seems like they inch up and before we realize it they are standing on top of us. Maybe not necessarily because they are being pushy, but they are looking for comfort, and in those times of need we don’t want to turn them away.

Just like a small child running to their mother when they are afraid, we scoop them up and tell them everything will be ok. Eventually they learn that they can come to us for a snuggle and then go back to what they were doing. And we hope for the same with the horses. I always want them to check in with me, and if they have a moment of uncertainty I like that they seek the closeness for me to reassure them. But eventually they will learn that they don’t need to get into the bubble so often, or for so long. They will know that I will be there to help them in their time of need but their confidence will grow and eventually it will just be to check in. But in the beginning, with one who is unsure, closeness is ok.

03/07/2025

Sometimes it takes thinking outside of the box to get a positive change that you’ve been hunting. This gray horse I have in for training is extremely touchy with the flag when I do groundwork with her or get above her with it in particular. So today I busted out my trusty big mare to help her support her.

Not only did I not do groundwork with Jade before I stepped on her, but I also was amazed at how calm and steadfast she remained while helping Davinia through her fears. Jade herself can be pretty touchy and nervous with the flag, but something switches in her brain when helping other horses through it and she exudes calm and even touches them to help quiet them when they get troubled.

Having her big friend as a bubble and support while using the flag helped Davinia in ways that I cannot on the ground, and I feel like I really got through to her today.

02/17/2025

“The horse you get off is not the same as the horse you got on. It is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible. The change is for the better.” Author unknown
📸

02/09/2025

I really enjoy getting a new horse in for training that I’ve never met. Trying to figure out their ins and outs, their blind spots, their strengths and weaknesses. What worries them, what comforts them. It’s like piecing a puzzle together. Clues that their owners share I keep in the back of my head, but their experiences are often different than my own.
This sweet mare, Davinia, is a green 17 year old that I have the pleasure of working with. I look forward to how she progresses. This is day three of groundwork and checking her out, I couldn’t help getting on her and taking her for a spin.

02/06/2025

Today in group we slowed down in our groundwork and focused a bit more on stretching our horses and helping them soften their bodies before we rode. A little untraditional and a nice change of pace. Our horses work so hard for us so it’s nice to give them a little TLC on the ground and under saddle! We did a lot of suppling, leg yielding and working on self carriage when we rode. Love our school horses.

01/28/2025

A horse’s body language cannot lie, their eyes tell the truth. Their expression is a constant communication of what they are thinking and feeling. Eyes wide open or relaxed? Leg cocked or a tight body stance? Tail relaxed and soft or clenched? Do they look like they are 18 hands tall or 14 hands?

I love doing groundwork with a horse that may start off troubled, and getting through to them in a way that they physically shrink. They seem to soften and melt in your hands, literally changing shape. And in doing so, hopefully I can get them to change the way they think and react and guard themselves.
📸

12/31/2024

Hey horse girl, guess what you’re not above? Cleaning stalls. Working on your days off. Noticing when a water bucket is dirty and dumping it out. Picking up manure that someone else left behind. Sweeping. Bending over and picking up a piece of garbage instead of walking by it five times.

20 years this May doing this professionally, and I’ve cleaned stalls those entire 20 years. I’ve fed horses those entire 20 years. It’s not only about riding horses, teaching lessons and going to horse shows or clinics. If you want to really do this, you have to be ok with doing the dirty work. Sometimes when you’re sick, sometimes when you’re pregnant, or have kids you’re trying to entertain while working. And then, horse girl, you’ll be teaching the next generation what hard work is too. And they won’t be afraid or think they are too good to do the “grunt” work.

12/18/2024

“Empathy for the horse is the capacity of a person to be able to feel what the horse feels, to read a situation the same way and to have an understanding of what the horse is going to do in response to that situation.
That’s empathy, or feeling with the horse and it’s a real effective way of learning from the horse. Even before the horse does whatever he’s about to do, a person who’s this way [empathetic] is going to understand the reason a horse does something. It takes time to get that deep knowledge of horses.” - Bill Dorrance
📸

12/12/2024

One of the best feelings on any horse I get on or work with is when they learn to “walk it out.” For some horses this comes naturally, others you have to work a little harder at it.

Getting in rhythm with their bodies, encouraging them to move their feet. You know you are hitting the sweet spot when the reins and slobber straps get swinging with their walk. The walk is one of the hardest gaits to get good, and I often think it is over looked. So much can get accomplished at the walk, I could work at the walk for hours.

I was happy that Phoebe caught this awesome shot of Alice and I today, hitting that goooooood walk.
📸 Phoebe Moll

12/05/2024

Horses only know how to be horses. They don’t spend their nights thinking how to make your next ride difficult, or how to be a good. They want people to feed them, and provide them with leadership when they are handled and comfort when they need it.

11/12/2024

Phoebe Moll Horsemanship is such a great student, so dedicated and hard working to everything she does! I’m happy to share this world with her and watch her progress.