Greenwalt Equine

06/12/2025

🌟 I’m back! And I’ve got some big updates to share… 🐴💬

It’s been a little quiet around here, and if you’ve noticed the podcast, emails, or social media slowing down—yep, there’s a reason.

This week’s episode of Happy Horse, Happy Human is a full behind-the-scenes update:
✔ I’m pregnant (again!) 💛
✔ I’ve been shifting my focus toward the membership—and it’s becoming the heart of my work
✔ I’m helping develop a brand-new positive reinforcement accreditation for horse trainers
✔ Plus: updates on nutrition consults, board-and-train horses, and a trainer-prep program that’s been on my mind

I’m talking about burnout, boundaries, and building a business that works with the seasons of life—while still offering value to this incredible community.

🎧 Give it a listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4YaldyPXeio0lBncj7RHv7?si=NAcQm9SxTPuy-0p1HcDbRw
And if you’ve been thinking about joining the membership… this might be the sign you were waiting for. 💬

05/15/2025

Rupert found his new home!

05/04/2025

This has me drooling 🤤
This client used my behavior list to make a training binder for each of her 6 horses. My training workbook/planner is great for 1-3 horses, but once you add much more than that, you need a whole binder!
I love the organization, record tracking, and goal setting this facilitates! I have had this on this client's homework list for a couple of weeks now and she did it!
She wins the star student award this week!

04/23/2025

Young stallions 🙄
The rough housing and testosterone is at an all time high over here in this bachelor house I seem to be running.
The good news is everyone has lost weight and gained muscle 💪🏼 and everyone's ego has been checked

The time young stallions spend in bachelor groups is critically important for their social, emotional, and behavioral development. In natural feral or semi-feral horse populations, bachelor bands—groups of non-breeding males, usually between the ages of 2 and 5—serve a vital role in shaping adult stallion behavior. Here’s why that time matters:

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1. Social Skill Development

Young stallions in bachelor bands learn how to communicate, negotiate, and resolve conflict with their peers. Through play and sparring, they:

Practice and refine ritualized dominance behaviors (e.g., posturing, chasing, mock fights)

Learn appropriate boundaries and how to de-escalate tension

Gain experience in reading body language and signals, which is crucial for future interactions with mares and other stallions

These experiences contribute to more stable, socially fluent adult stallions.

Supporting research:

Rutberg & Greenberg (1990) studied feral horses and found that play fighting among bachelor stallions is essential for learning social dynamics and establishing future hierarchies.

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2. Emotional Regulation

Living in a bachelor group helps stallions regulate arousal and frustration. In these groups, there’s space to blow off steam, but also to learn how to calm down after high-arousal play. This translates into:

Reduced reactivity and impulsivity

Improved emotional self-regulation in adult roles, especially as breeding stallions

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3. Avoidance of Early Breeding Stress

Stallions who remain in bachelor groups are delayed from entering the high-stress role of a breeding stallion too early. This matters because:

Early introduction to breeding can lead to hypersexual behavior, stress, and aggression

Stallions who mature in a peer group without breeding pressures tend to be more balanced and less reactive

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4. Cognitive Growth through Play

Play is not just fun—it’s serious brain work. Stallions in bachelor bands engage in high levels of locomotor and social play, which supports:

Problem-solving skills

Body awareness and coordination

Adaptability in novel situations

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5. Natural Weaning and Independence

In the wild, young c**ts are often driven off by the lead stallion or drift away from the natal band around age 2. Bachelor groups offer a social safety net where they can:

Form bonds after separation

Gain independence while still benefiting from group living

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In Summary:

Bachelor groups are a developmental necessity, not a luxury. They serve as a transitional stage where young stallions can grow up emotionally, socially, and behaviorally before taking on the responsibilities of herd life.

04/21/2025

Decided to remove the post about a certain supplement company to protect those on the receiving end of their cyber-bullying. I will be sending out the email with alternatives tomorrow though! So make sure you get on my email list!

Learn more about positive reinforcement horse training and how to schedule a virtual session with Abigail!

04/21/2025

Your Horse Isn’t a Robot—And Neither Are You 🤖

One of my favorite parts of behavior consulting is the problem solving. Give me the “mystery cases”—the ones where no one quite knows what’s going on—and I’m in. Not because I have all the answers, but because I love finding them with the caregiver, the horse, and the whole care team. 🐴💡

But let’s be real… most horse owners aren’t feeling the excitement in those moments. They’re overwhelmed, stressed, and worried. And I get it. I feel that way with my own horses sometimes too. That’s why I call in support—because when you’re in it, it’s hard to see clearly.

That emotional connection? 💞That history and hope and love? It makes us human. And being human means we’ll never be perfect—no matter how much we want to be the Zen master of horse training. 😅

And our horses? They’re not here to be perfectly happy, forward-eared, always-nickering Barbie robot horses either. They’re emotional beings. They have highs and lows. They get worried. They get frustrated. They have their own complex emotional experience, just like us!

✨ Good training isn’t about erasing those emotions. It’s about recognizing them, validating them, and helping our horses move through them.

Sometimes that means pausing. Sometimes it means trying again tomorrow. Sometimes it means saying, “I see you. Let’s just be here together right now.”

👂Your horse doesn’t need you to be perfect. They need you to listen.

Let’s stop chasing perfection and start embracing the reality of emotional, thinking, feeling beings—on both ends of the lead rope.

Looking for some in-depth guidance in supporting your horse (and yourself) through complex emotions? Behavior consulting is available exclusively to Academy members who have completed Foundations of Harmony & beyond. Click the link in my bio to learn more! 🔗

04/07/2025

This cutie stud muffin joined me this weekend for board and train! Triton, aka Wittle Man, starts kindergarten today!
He is an excellent Morgan yearling stud c**t, carefully bred and raised by Brea at Compass Equestrian. He has an exceptional personality and has a bright future ahead as a competitive show horse and maybe even a breeding stud 🤞
That's far away though, and he is mostly here to get away from mom, and have some fun bachelor time with my boys. Him and my young mini stallion can't stop rough-housing!
You'll be seeing plenty more of him on my feed in the future!

04/02/2025

Thankful to have my dad (and uncle) as my hay guy! Especially as an equine nutritionist! 🌱🌱🌱💚💚💚

04/02/2025

Not too long ago, this guy was untouchable. Soooo excited to watch him become a solid citizen.
Working with ferals or mustangs is by far my favorite. I just love watching them begin to trust humans and normally get the medical care they have been needing. Soo satisfying.
And it makes me feel right at home, coming from the zoo world. 💓
If I could just work with untouchables, I would do it!

04/01/2025

Hello! I am looking for a positive reinforcement trainer in the St. Louis area. I know there is someone, but can't think of the name to contact her. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

03/31/2025

I just love the big black beauties. Doesn't everyone? Excited to start helping another wonderful professional trainer add R+ to their toolbox (and watch is slowly become the most used tool 😉) ! Which also means I get to take some driving lessons with her fancy FEI Friesians 💅