Twin Oaks Farm - Horses and Fun

07/27/2026

Hope I never need to use this!
Copied from Emily Grace

⚠️ SAFETY PSA ⚠️

I recently saw a post where a trainer got drug by a horse and beat up pretty bad. Accidents happen. And horses are incredibly strong, with a reaction time quicker than any other domesticated animal. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to prevent something from happening. But knowing what to do when SHTF WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE.

I have been dragged myself. Almost decapitated on a trail in the deep Florida woods when a wild hog exploded out of the bushes and got under my horse. In a split second he had done a roll back (most athletic thing that horse has ever done) and there was a tree limb across the trail at the perfect height to catch my throat.

As he bolted I was clotheslined by that tree, flung off to the left side of my horse with my foot going fully through the stirrup. I was screwed. Being drug through thick woods at the complete mercy of this horse.

The reins were useless, being ripped from my hands and degloving fingers in the process (never use nylon reins). But i had remembered an article I had read years ago about this exact situation: ROLL TOWARDS THE HORSE. I did, and it worked! I was freed. I was badly injured. Broke my left ankle, and foot, tore everything in that knee. But I was alive. Without a life changing brain injury.

Riding with my heels down did not prevent this either.

​Getting dragged by a horse is every rider’s worst nightmare, but if your boot gets stuck during a fall, your muscle memory needs to kick in instantly:

​1. Don't fight flat on your back. When you fall flat, your weight pulls down and your toe points up. This wedges the arch of your boot against the top/tread of the stirrup, locking you in a mechanical vice.

​2. ROLL TOWARD THE HORSE ONTO YOUR STOMACH.
It feels terrifying to roll toward moving hooves, but turning onto your stomach toward the horse’s flank twists your ankle and hip. This instantly changes the angle of your boot inside the stirrup iron, breaking the binding leverage and allowing your foot to slip free.

​3. Equipment rules to try and prevent it:

​Boots: Always ride in smooth soles with a distinct 1"+ heel. Leave the heavy-tread work boots or sneakers at the barn gate.

​Sizing: Keep 1/2 to 1 inch of clearance on both sides of your boot inside the stirrup tread.

​Fit: A slightly looser boot fit can mean your foot slips out of the boot if the leather catches.

Equipment: BREAKAWAY STIRRUPS (both English and western) or tapaderos.

​Save this, share it with your barn crew, and practice the mental image before you step up into the saddle.

​Sources to Citation & Link

​Horse & Rider Magazine — “How to Avoid Getting Hung Up in a Stirrup”
​Key Quote: “As you turn onto your stomach, rolling in toward your horse's flank, your foot will twist in the stirrup and release from it.” (Featuring hall-of-fame trainer Sandy Collier)
​URL: [https://horseandrider.com/how-to/hung-in-a-stirrup/](https://horseandrider.com/how-to/hung-in-a-stirrup/)

​Martin Black Horsemanship — Hung Up in Stirrups Safety Tips
​Key Quote: “If you ever get hung up in a stirrup, roll over on your stomach... when you’re on your back being dragged, you’re just putting your boot in more of a bind. Rolling over changes the angle of your boot and your foot will come out.”
​URL: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c55Ne9e_X3s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c55Ne9e_X3s)

​Equine Ink Safety Guide — Stirrup Mechanics & Emergency Dismounts
​Key Quote: “If you train yourself to roll on your stomach, your foot will naturally slide easier from the stirrup...”
​URL:

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07/21/2026

I wonder how many horses spend their whole lives trying to tell us something, and we’re simply looking in the wrong place.

One of the biggest changes in the way I train horses didn’t come from learning another exercise or another technique. It came from changing the questions I was asking.

Years ago, if a horse was leaning on the forehand, hollowing its back, bracing through the neck or constantly rushing, I’d have been looking for a way to stop those things happening. The focus was on improving the behaviour.

Now, I find myself asking something completely different.

What is this horse trying to solve?

Because horses don’t wake up in the morning and decide they’d like to lean on the forehand or make life difficult for their rider. They use the body they have available to them, and if that body isn’t balanced, comfortable or capable of carrying itself efficiently, it will find another way. Sometimes that means leaning. Sometimes it means tension. Sometimes it means speed. Sometimes it means using muscles that were never designed to do the job they’re now doing every single day.

The more horses I work with, the more convinced I become that what we often describe as resistance is simply compensation. It’s a horse doing its very best with the body it currently has.

I sometimes wonder how many horses have spent years being corrected for something that was never really a training issue at all. Not because anyone was unkind, but because nobody had shown their owner what the horse was actually trying to say.

That’s why I think learning to observe is one of the most valuable skills we can develop. Not just watching where the legs go, but understanding why they go there. Not just noticing that the horse is carrying its head high, but asking what made that feel like the safest or easiest option in the first place.

When you start looking at horses like that, it’s very difficult to go back to seeing them in the same way. You stop chasing symptoms and start looking for causes. The whole conversation changes, and with it, the way you train.

For me, that’s where real progress begins. Not when we become better at correcting horses, but when we become better at understanding them.

07/21/2026

Most horses are not being naughty.
They are confused. Or they are uncomfortable. Or they are being asked in a way they cannot answer.

A horse braces because the question does not make sense to him. He resists because the balance underneath is wrong.

He stops listening because the rider has been louder than the horse needs.

The first question is never how do I make him do it.

It is always: Is he able to do it, and have I asked him in a way he can understand?

That is exactly where the real work begins.

Save this post as a reminder for the challenging days, and share it with a rider who needs to hear this perspective today.

07/21/2026

Having your reins too long leads to many problems. In the upper left picture look at the rider's dropped inside shoulder as they try to turn with a very long inside rein. Then look at the rider's leg position that has been shifted backward from the upper body contorted twist again from too long a rein. All of this is the result of their reins being too long.

The top right problem is simpler. The horse is running away with the rider who cannot slow the horse because their reins are too long.

Back when britches had side seams like jeans there was a saying, "If your elbows are behind the seams in your pants, your reins are too long". What starts with the elbows tightening behind the seam spreads through the rider's entire body. This rigid tightness breaks the unity with the horse as any bracing of the body will.

Show riders are often taught that adjusting your reins is considered a mistake that judges will punish. Slipping your reins is also considered a show error. These are not mistakes but rather necessary adjustments needed to maintain the optimal contact with your horse through your hands. If you have relaxed elbows to the point that your horse is gently "carrying" your hands in their mouth, you have soft contact, a connection that horses like.

In order to shorten your reins to a correct and effective length without dropping your reins in the process I will tell you the way I was taught -

Step 1: When I find that my elbows are back behind the seam in my breeches, I put both reins in my right hand.

Step 2: Next, I extend my other hand forward of my saddle, ahead of my hand that is holding the reins, and I grab both reins in my other hand at a shorter correct rein length.

Step 3: Then, with both reins in my other hand, I grab the right rein with my right hand, AHEAD of my left hand that is still holding both reins.

Step 4: Next, I separate my right rein from my left hand. I am then holding the left rein in my left hand and my right rein is held in my right hand.

Step 5: Now, with both reins held separately, forward of my saddle in a short rein length. I then slide both hands carefully backward to make my hands even at the correct rein length.

This rein length adjustment drill should be practiced often until it can be accomplished in one quick seamless motion of 12345, not 1-2-3-4-5. Once this rein length adjustment is established, we relax our hands and elbows in order to regain soft contact with our horse's mouth and re-establish unity.

I suggest watching videos of Phillip Dutton doing this rein adjustments. He does it so quickly and softly upon landing a cross country jump. He constantly adjusts his reins using this method and he looks like someone who is unconsciously knitting a sweater. This should be every rider's goal, and it begins with being aware of when your elbows get behind the seam in your pants.

07/20/2026

Many thanks to Eric Elwell for taking pictures at our show last weekend. We had so much fun and I’m so proud of our riders and horses. Doing it again in October!

07/18/2026

Great article!

The Skill That Makes Everything Else Work

There are certain things in riding that everybody wants to practice.
Stops. Spins. Lead changes. Sidepasses.
But there's one skill almost nobody practices directly, even though it affects every one of those movements.

Rein management.

I'll go as far as to say this: if there was one secret that makes a horse feel soft, responsive, and easy to ride, it's probably good rein management.
Not because the reins do the work.
Because they let your timing do the work. They help shape your horse. They let him in on the plan.

I see riders all the time who are trying to communicate clearly, but they're constantly reorganizing their reins. They're reaching, shortening, lengthening, swapping hands, and by the time they finally get everything adjusted, the moment they needed to reward or redirect has already passed.
The horse did something.
The rider reacted.
But because the reins weren't ready, the release came late.
And horses learn from timing.

One of the biggest changes I ever made in my own riding was learning to keep my reins organized before I needed them.
Think about driving your truck.
You don't wait until you're sliding toward the ditch before putting your hands on the steering wheel. They're already there, ready to make whatever adjustment is needed.
Your reins should be the same way.

Until a horse is educated, I like riding with my hands forward, low, and wide, with just a couple inches of slack in the reins. From there, I can shorten one rein, lengthen the other, pick one up, or release instantly without fumbling around.
Here's something else that's interesting.
Good rein management often means you end up using less rein.
When your hands are in the right place, the horse often finds the pressure himself and just as importantly, finds the release himself.
Maybe he drifts to the left and runs into the right rein. As soon as he brings his attention back where it belongs, the pressure disappears. You didn't pull him back. He organized himself.
That's a very different lesson than constantly correcting every little thing.

It's one of those little details that doesn't look exciting when you're watching someone ride.
But it's one of the biggest differences between someone who is simply steering a horse and someone who feels like they're having a conversation with one.
If your riding feels like you're always one step behind your horse, don't automatically blame your timing.
Sometimes your timing is fine.
Your rein management just isn't giving your timing a chance.

Not a bad idea to just spend some time just practicing handling your reins. Gathering, lengthening, switching hands, etc. Do it until you can handle your reins without looking as easily as the coffee house barista can text on a phone.

"You try to cut down what you are applying and get more response with less pressure, until it almost gets to be just a thought." Tom Dorrance

07/17/2026

I will say we have GREAT BOARDERS!

From leaving manure in the aisle to hogging the arena, these boarding barn etiquette mistakes can frustrate fellow horse owners and barn staff.

06/11/2026

Copied from Lynn Horne.

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:

1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits! Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one!

Thank You to whomever wrote this! These are not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

Archie is who I poured myself in to. He was a very green 3yr old and to see where he is today just amazes me but it also reminds me, Progress is Growth. Set Backs are Growth. Growth = Win! in any chosen path you take. Shows, Trails, Barrels, Roping, Cutting, Sorting, the list just keeps going....

05/29/2026

Another good one from Tim Anderson Horse Training!

One of the easiest ways to sound compassionate on social media is to call every horse problem a medical issue.

It takes very little knowledge to type, “That horse is in pain.” It takes a lot more knowledge to actually know whether that is true.

That is where a lot of people get themselves in trouble. A horse pins its ears, refuses to go forward, roots the reins out of someone’s hands, braces against pressure, will not stand still, gets stiff, or acts aggressive, and somebody with limited experience immediately decides the horse must be sore. They get to feel righteous because they are “standing up for the horse,” but sometimes all they have really done is avoid learning what the horse is actually saying.

Now, before someone twists this into something I did not say, let me be clear. Medical issues are real. Pain is real. Feet, teeth, backs, hocks, stifles, ulcers, saddle fit, and overall body condition absolutely matter. I have spent my career looking at the whole horse, not just the riding part. Ignoring pain is not good horsemanship.

But calling every problem pain is not good horsemanship either.

Sometimes a horse is stiff because he is sore. Sometimes a horse is stiff because he is bracing against the rider. Sometimes a horse pins his ears because something hurts. Sometimes he pins his ears because he is thinking about kicking you. Sometimes a horse refuses to go forward because he physically cannot. Sometimes he refuses to go forward because he has learned that refusal works.

The answer is not to pick the explanation that makes us feel the most compassionate. The answer is to evaluate the whole horse. Watch the horse when you are not part of the equation. Watch how he moves loose in the pen. Watch how he acts on the lead rope, under saddle, around other horses, in different environments, and when he is asked to do something he does not want to do. Look for patterns. Look for consistency. Let the horse tell you the answer instead of forcing your favorite answer onto the horse.

This is where education matters. A medical problem needs to be addressed medically. A training problem needs to be addressed through training. A rider problem needs to be addressed through rider education. If we label all three of those as pain, we may sound kind, but we are not actually helping the horse.

An uneducated horse can suffer too. A horse that does not understand pressure lives in confusion. A horse that has learned to push through people can become dangerous. A horse that never learns focus, patience, emotional control, or willingness may spend its life being passed around because everyone keeps making excuses instead of fixing the real problem.

That is not advocacy. That is avoidance dressed up as compassion.

Real advocacy is caring enough to find the truth. Sometimes that truth leads to a veterinarian, farrier, dentist, chiropractor, body worker, or saddle fitter. Sometimes that truth leads right back to the human holding the lead rope or sitting in the saddle.

The horse does not need us to be dramatic. The horse needs us to be accurate.

Check for pain when it makes sense. Take medical issues seriously. But do not use “medical issue” as a blanket excuse for every hole in a horse’s education or every gap in a rider’s knowledge.

Calling everything pain may make someone feel righteous online.

Learning enough to know the difference is what actually helps the horse.

05/27/2026

From Tim Anderson Horse Training

I’m going to print this one out and hang it in the barn and make it required reading! Thanks Tim Anderson

There is a big difference between giving a horse a release and teaching a horse to find the release.

In the very beginning, when a horse is first started and we are teaching that horse to soften its face, the lesson is usually very simple. I pick up one rein. The horse feels that pressure. The instant the horse softens in that direction, I release the rein. That release is what tells the horse, “Yes, that was the answer.” At that stage, the release has to be quick because the horse does not yet understand what I am asking. I am not trying to hold the horse there. I am not trying to shape the whole body yet. I am simply teaching the horse that when it feels that rein, it should soften and give.

That is an important lesson, but it is only the beginning.

Too many riders stop right there. They teach the horse to give its face, then they spend the next several years picking up, getting a little softness, and immediately throwing the rein away. Then they wonder why the horse never learns to carry itself. They wonder why the horse never develops true collection. They wonder why the horse feels soft for one second and then falls apart the moment the rider quits holding the rein.

The problem is not that the release was wrong. The problem is that the horse was never advanced past the first stage of the lesson.

A young horse or green horse needs to learn that the pull of the rein is coming. At first, the horse may wait until the rein actually makes contact before it gives. Then, as the horse begins to understand, it starts to bring its head with the rein. The contact gets softer. The horse starts to follow the rider’s hand instead of waiting to be pulled. That is a major change in understanding. That is the point where the horse is no longer just reacting to pressure. The horse is beginning to look for the answer.

That is what I mean by teaching the horse to find the release.

When a horse has learned to find the release, the rider’s job starts to change. Instead of simply picking up the rein, getting softness, and immediately letting go, the rider can start putting their hand where they want the horse to be. Then they hold that position and allow the horse to find it. The horse learns that the answer is not just to move its face away from pressure. The answer is to place its body where the rider is asking and stay there until the rider releases.

That is a very different level of training.

This is also where a lot of people misunderstand what they are seeing. They think every time a rider holds contact, the rider is taking from the horse. They think the horse is being denied the release. But there is a difference between pulling on a horse that does not understand and holding a position for a horse that has been taught to search for the answer. One creates resistance. The other creates understanding.

When the horse is ready for that next stage, the rider should not always release the instant the horse gives. The rider may hold that contact for a couple of seconds before releasing. Then the release itself should become slower. The hand should not sn**ch, jerk, grab, or throw the rein away. The contact becomes smoother, and the release becomes smoother. The horse learns that the rider’s hand is not something to escape. The rider’s hand becomes something to follow.

That is where the horse starts learning self-carriage.

Self-carriage does not come from constantly giving the horse away. It also does not come from holding the horse together with force. It comes from teaching the horse to allow the rider to shape the body, hold that shape for a moment, and then gradually build the strength and understanding to stay there longer.

At first, that might only be two seconds. Then it becomes five seconds. Then ten seconds. Then the horse can hold that shape through a maneuver. Then through a circle. Then through a pattern. Eventually, the goal is for the horse to carry itself in that balance without the rider having to constantly hold every piece together.

That does not happen in one ride.

A horse has to build the muscle to carry itself that way. It has to develop strength through its back, loin, hip, stifle, and hock. It has to learn how to drive from behind while staying soft in the front. It has to learn that softness is not just bending the neck. Softness is letting the rider influence the whole body.

That is why true collection takes time.

A lot of horses are taught to give their face, but they are never taught to carry their body. That creates the illusion of softness. The horse may flex its neck. It may tuck its nose. It may feel light in the hand for a second. But if the hind end is not engaged and the horse is not learning to hold its body in balance, that is not collection. That is just a horse moving its face.

The face is the doorway, not the whole house.

In the beginning, I may reward the smallest try because the horse needs confidence. I may pick up one rein and release the instant the horse gives because that horse is learning the language. But as soon as the horse understands the basic answer, I have to start developing the lesson. I have to teach the horse that the rein does not just mean “move your head.” It means “follow my hand, soften your body, shape yourself, and stay with me.”

That is the progression many riders miss.

They are so focused on giving the release that they never teach the horse to search for the release. They release so quickly and so completely that the horse never learns to stay in the correct position. Then the horse becomes dependent on constant reminders. Every few strides, the rider has to pick the horse back up because the horse was never taught to hold itself there.

There is a time to release quickly.

There is also a time to hold long enough for the horse to understand that the correct answer is not just finding the position, but staying in the position.

That is the difference between basic softness and advanced training.

The better trained a horse becomes, the more the release becomes part of a conversation instead of just an escape from pressure. The horse learns that the rider’s hand is not punishment. The horse learns that contact is not something to fear. The horse learns to stay mentally connected to the rider and physically organized underneath itself.

That is when you start to feel a horse become truly broke.

Not because the horse hides behind the bit. Not because the rider can pull its head around. Not because the horse has been flexed a thousand times. The horse becomes broke because it understands how to find the answer, hold the answer, and carry the answer forward.

That is where self-collection begins.