M. McCullough Equine

11/20/2025

Horses hate it when you do nice things for them (such as make hay easier to access) 🤦‍♀️❤️

11/04/2025

08/28/2025

I think this can be nuanced and complicated- it depends on the horse and what you're trying to teach them. Also at what point you're willing to consider their safety

I have a mare who, if you leave tied, will break metal to escape. I've heard stories about horses breaking their necks doing this. If you think this will happen obviously do not leave your horse tied

There are steps to take before your horse will be safe tied by itself. Is there a difference between bad behavior (impatience) vs scared behavior? Always.

Be a good horseman. Learn the difference, read the horse.

I keep seeing posts calling patience poles “abuse” and claiming they teach horses “learned helplessness.” Honestly… what a load of ...

In my experience, a patience pole is one of the safest ways to tie a horse. It lets them move, fret, and fidget if they need to, instead of panicking because they feel trapped against a wall or post. Most horses figure out pretty quickly that standing tied isn’t the end of the world, and they actually relax.

And let’s be honest, tying is not optional. If a horse doesn’t know how to tie, your options with them are very limited. Plus, try selling a horse that can’t tie, good luck finding someone who wants that project. You never know when you might need to place a horse, so protect his future.

So no, it’s not abuse. It’s training, safety, and basic horsemanship.

👉 What do you think? Do you tie your horse? Why or why not?

08/18/2025

Accepting clients!

Do you have a problem horse? Or a movement you're having trouble with?
Maybe your horse isn't happy with your current training routine?

I am a French classical dressage trainer. My methods are based in behavior, positive reinforcement, and biomechanics- to engage and teach the horse and rider to be involved, present, and happy. I teach skills and training that transfer to any discipline, not limited to dressage.

This isn't just hop on and "ride them through it" training- it's purposeful and meaningful.

I handle every step of the process- from halter broke to school master. For any level or age of rider.

PM for rates or questions- training and lessons available!

07/08/2025

Handsome happy boy 🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️

07/07/2025

**𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗦**

𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗬 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗥-𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀: 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗞𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗲-𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲, 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘁𝗼𝗻, 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗿ö𝗺, 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻, 𝗞𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗿, 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗳, 𝗡𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗺, 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗦. 𝗹𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗲, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗘𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗹

𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻):
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1956

A 5-year collaborative project of an international team of researchers focusing on understanding rider perceptions on sidedness in horses. This publication marks the third publication from the International Task Force on Laterality in Sport Horses. A massive thank you to all the co-authors, members of the taskforce, and thank you to everyone who took part in the survey.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Equestrians often perceive horses to show a preference for one side of their body over the other, which can affect their movement and behaviour during training. To explore this, an international survey was conducted with over 2300 horse riders and owners, focusing on their observations of their horses’ movements and sidedness. Respondents reported that horses more frequently had their manes falling to the right, their right front hooves were more upright, and their left shoulders were more prominent. Horses were reported to struggle more with movements and exercises, such as bending or lunging, on the right rein. Many horses were reported to move their hindquarters to the left when walking, trotting, or cantering to the left. While clear patterns of left or right preference were noted, a substantial number of horses were perceived as mostly symmetrical. These findings support that horses have natural asymmetries, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. Understanding these tendencies can help horse owners and trainers develop more balanced training techniques, for the benefit of horse welfare and performance.

04/26/2025

01/09/2025

Every bit of this!!! Notice the riders' positions too 😊

On the horse that is balanced and the horse who is uphill, the rider's leg is hanging down from the hip, NOT back

The horses that are on the forehand are also being pushed by the rider's leg on the back ribs. Let your horse breathe and move freely!

The Importance of Collection