Haslam Performance Horses

05/26/2026

There’s been quite a lack of posts or photos coming from me recently. There will be more as our private beach begins to dry up! 🤷

05/16/2026

I love my job 😁

05/10/2026

Sometimes, it’s good to fall off….

Stay with me now.

No one is immune to mistakes/freak accidents. The best riders in the world can tell you a story of them falling off or practicing their human flight skills. There’s obviously a portion of luck to be able to bounce and get back on again, and it helps to be on a horse that won’t kick you on the way down.

Now I’m not saying you should go fly across your backyard and practice your tuck and rolls…

But it’s always a nice reminder that everyone is human, and at the end of the day you’re okay if the worst happens.

There tends to be a bit of a curve after you’ve ridden for a long time. At first you come to terms with the idea that something bad could happen. You know you might fall off and you’re aware that stuff happens.

Eventually you’ll get to a point where you’re pretty confident and you believe your skills are well beyond the basics now. You have enough confidence to not be anxious or concerned about the idea of something going wrong.

Then a while later you realize that no matter how good your skills, training, and horse is, there is always a chance that something can happen. Maybe a buddy of yours who is leagues better than you comes off a c**t. Maybe a bunny on your trail ride shows you how to instantly dismount.

The point is there becomes a moment where you gain enough intelligence to realize that horses have an inherent danger no matter the circumstance. And sometimes that can be scary.

Falling off every few months (or years preferably), reminds us that we’ll be okay doing what we love.

Here are some pics from me falling off of Cody in the snow the other day. Cody, the six figure earning 26 year old show horse lol.

05/03/2026

Love my office!

04/26/2026

04/24/2026

We probably lay down 2-3 horses a year out of 300 or so we get in.

Generally we use it on horses that need a boost in their trust and respect for a leader. We use it to reinforce that we are leaders and can remove their ability to leave as well as that they can trust us completely at their most vulnerable state, which is when they are laying down.

We don’t tie or hobble them but use only a soft rope to pull one foot up. Sometimes we will start with a small goal, of getting them just to relax and have their knee touch the ground, other times it’s to go completely down.

Our ultimate goal is to have them comfortable and focused enough on us, to lay down both flat and sternal and to alternate between those to positions based upon our direction, as well as remain there on their own until we ask them to rise.

It’s a very calming set of drills and subtle suggestions, as well as a ton of praise and reassurance.

Now this c**t he’s the exception to our rule. 99% of the horses we lay down are guarded with a mix of lack of trust as well as respect. Not for this c**t, he’s trusts us completely, he has great respect and ground manners and he’s well started under saddle. However 1% of the time he reacts randomly and it’s intense. It’s a game to him, he’s too smart for his own good and he’s wickedly athletic. Like super star talented! But his expressions of defiance are very much deliberate and far too fun for him. Lol

He’s not a bad c**t, in fact he’s pretty amazing, but he doesn’t get to throw random tantrums just because his IQ is high and he’s as athletic as Michael Jordan.

So we laid him down today, he was great, very little fuss, but Interestingly he would go down fine, and lay flat out quietly but asking him to sit up on his sternum was a trigger. He felt vulnerable in that position and waivered between concern and irritation. So we worked with him until I could use verbal cues and only slight suggestions to get him to change positions, with a soft eye, respect and trust. As you’ll see in the video, there’s no hobbles on him, no ropes on his legs, he’s free to leave at any point.

It’s a skill that should only be used by an experienced horseman, and it’s something that we believe should be used only on specific horses, not as tool to dominate or intimidate, but to foster respect and trust.

-Jen
RMPH

04/19/2026

Congrats to CSU and Hardy Performance Horses on the top sale of 50k at the Legends of Ranching sale today!

04/16/2026

Dirt bath 🤦

04/16/2026

This is one of the reasons that hobbling and desensitization is so important!!

Historically people used hobbles to make sure their horses didn’t wander too far from their campsite, although most of us can’t say we use them for that reason nowadays lol.

In modern times hobbles are great training tools, helping to teach things like patience, respect, and coordination in some cases.

Hobbles and desensitizing as a whole have many uses beyond not spooking at trash bags and rabbits (although it’s a large bonus lol). A horse that is comfortable with their feet being bound, loud noises, or uncomfortable situations can seriously benefit in bad situations!!

In this case this gelding got cast in a fence, and didn’t really seem to care. He is very quiet by nature, and that too plays a large part. But a huge influence is previous positive experiences with odd situations before!

Show your horse a pool noodle! Let them step on their own lead line! Bang fences, jump around, and don’t tiptoe around them. Desensitizing is so much more than just a flag or tarp.

Lack of experience with weird things will do nothing but make a bigger reaction when any of those things inevitably happens. There will be a day your boot hits the fence, or the shavings bag blows away, or you drop your phone off your horse. Make it so that day isn’t the first time that’s happened!