Worthy Trails Horsemanship

02/03/2026

My boys Ari & Jack

02/01/2026

Freya seems settled into her foaling area.

01/30/2026

Im sure true followers here know, but I didn't vote for rump....3 times I didn't vote for rump.

01/29/2026

This is a space for curious trainers and anyone who values thoughtful, ethical training. Together, we explore evidence-based insights and real-world inspiration.

And yet it also feels wrong for us not to acknowledge what is going on in the United States, as, together, citizens and non-citizens have been demonstrating against the activities of federal immigration agents in their communities, and these agents' repeated pattern of extreme force, violence, and intimidation.

But what does this have to do with animal training, some ask? Everything. The laws of learning and behavior change are universal and apply to humans as well. Moreover, the well-being of animals is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of their people and the safety of the community that surrounds them.

We know that fear-based methods erode trust, damage relationships, and lead to further fallout. We know that force and intimidation may suppress behavior in the moment, but they create anxiety, unpredictability, and breakdowns.

The enforcement actions we're seeing, the use of overwhelming force, the climate of fear, the unpredictability, mirror exactly what we've moved away from in animal training because we know it doesn't work. Not ethically. Not effectively.

This isn't just about principles aligning with our methods. It's about the people in our communities, our clients, our neighbors, our fellow humans, who deserve the same compassion, safety, and dignity we advocate for on the other end of the leash.

As trainers, we understand behavior change. We ask: what sets the occasion for that behavior? What are the reinforcers? What can we change in the environment if we want to change that behavior? These questions are the foundation of how we approach change, whether we're working with a reactive dog or confronting systemic problems in our communities.

So, we will continue doing what we do: connecting with the ideas, principles, and people that ground us in compassion, evidence, and effective change. We'll keep using our understanding of behavior to work toward the world we want to see. And we encourage you to do the same, in whatever way feels right and possible for you.

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Resources our team has found helpful:
https://bit.ly/49YXaEu
https://bit.ly/4t6CqDm
https://bit.ly/49YXbZ4
https://bit.ly/4bXeLza

01/27/2026

😁

In case you hadn't heard, we have a pregnant mustang mare here, Freya. Since she was bred in the wild, we don't know her due date. But the last 2 we had here were both born the last week of February. So we are on foal watch!
Today was the first day I saw the baby kicking. Sadly, i didn't catch it on video. But eventually I will...it cant hide from us forever! 😁

01/25/2026

Stand With Minnesota is a hub for supporting, learning, and taking action to support Minnesotans impacted by ICE and federal enforcement.

01/24/2026

One of the things I always loved most about training horses was the creativity of it all. No two horses were ever exactly the same and it was always up to the individual trainer to figure out what worked best.
As trainers, we have to embrace diversity and spend time exploring different ideas and concepts. Putting the horse first means putting your ego to the side and reaching out to other trainers. When I was training, I would make it a point to go to different clinics to hear new ideas and new ways to approach things.
Because of the individuality of training, I am always put off when one trainer puts another trainer's name on their work.
These "certified" trainers who spend an excessive amount of money to claim they train just like their idol seem.... well...icky when it comes down to it.
I feel like Parelli was one of the first to slap his name onto random trainers. And it worked to build his business. It worked so well that it was followed by Clinton Anderson with his own variation of the same thing. It has floated over to the R+ community as more and more greedy trainer's see the monetary value in branding everything around them. Dont ever kid yourself into believing this brands are putting horses first. Horses, nor any animal, don't mix welfare and money well. You either get money, or you get welfare. Never both. This whole tradition of certifying trainers is just the equine version of an MLM. Only the people up top make bank while everyone beneath them are the free advertising.
It makes me confused as to why dedicated trainers would put someone else brand on their own work. Why would they limit themselves to one method, one style, one rigid set or rules that belong to, and were created by someone else? Seems strange to me and it takes aways the diversity that is such a huge and necessary part of horsemanship.
Its ok to have an R+ trainer that uses their own style that comes from what they have learned along the way. Just like its ok to be an R- trainer that draws from their own experience to excell with their horse. It makes no sense to pay for the approval to give free advertising to someone else.
Pic is of me and Max circa 2013ish

01/14/2026

Ethical training has to also be effective training. We are bombarded with posts about ethics and what is best for the horse. The selling points that come from trainers seem to be either your are unethical, or you are ineffective in your training and therefore you should stop whatever you are doing and buy something new. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely want to sell you something too. But training methods dont have to be a morality battle.
Morals start with you, not your training methods. Negative reinforcement does not always rise to the level of abuse. Have I seen abusive trainers use R- as a weapon against horse? Yes, absolutely I have. But people without morals can turn anything into a weapon. Most people using R- are simply using it as an effective way to communicate with their horses.
The 1st pic is of Doc when he was about 7 years old. He had already collected a pile of blue ribbons, had sired 3 foals and in this puck was getting ready to go do a bridleless riding demo. He is 100% R- trained. I still have him, he is my heart and soul. I can stand in the 100 acre pasture, say his name, and he will trot right over to me ready for work. Despite never been fed a single treat during training, he is always happy and willing. I had ethics when training him, put the horse first.
I switched to R+ training simply because its easier and seems to work faster than R-. I'm able to do shorter sessions, less often to get as far, if not further with my horses. That almost sounds like I'm just being lazy and wandering out when I feel like it to spend 5 minutes with my horses. Thats not the case, I have 4 retired horses, 3 sanctuary horses, 6 personal horses in training for driving and 4 horses getting ready for sale. Oh, and Nakoa who will be limited to liberty work due to a vet diagnoses this week. That should be a separate post though. My point is, the R+ training makes all these horses manageable since they just retain their training better.
Does that mean I've never seen abuse in the R+ training community? Absolutely not, Ben suffered a trainer who's lack of knowledge put him in a really bad place. She set him up for failure at a clinic where the clinician could have potentially gotten hurt when he felt the need to defend himself. Ben's trainer and the clinician are 2 separate people, and it was the ego of the trainer that put Ben at risk. I stepped up and intervened, thus making some in the R+ community upset with me. But my ethics tell me the horse comes first. And it isnt training methods that are ethical, its the person using them.
I think there's a lack of interest in switching from one those to another because people are already ethical in their approach to horses and often effective without using R+. So why bother? The 2nd pic is of Ari, he is 100% R+ trained. He spends the majority of his time in the pasture playing with his friends. But he will drop everything just to come hang out with me. I have more video of him trotting towards me than I do of any other horse on the property. He has more try than most horses his age, and we mostly do everything at liberty. Hes just easy, easy to teach and easy to be around. And fun, which is the whole point of having horses. This year he will be pulling the carriage down the trail. And he just seems so happy all the time. I switched methods because it was just that much easier.
Making the switch is also pretty easy. If youre looking for a non judgemental way to find out if R+ training is for you, visit the website and sign up for other and in person or online lesson. Since I come from an R- background, I know what you have been doing in the past has been effective. I dont think you have been abusing your horse, and I can help translate one method to another so you can remain effective.
Worthytrails.com

01/12/2026

At Worthy Trails, we know Renee Good was murdered.
Blue Pony Club resist halters for sale.

01/05/2026

01/02/2026

01/01/2026

I keep seeing this post floating around. It's the year of the Fire Horse.. so I recommend keeping her under threshold and rewarding good behavior to increase the chance the goodness comes back 😉
In other words, just give it a treat and you'll be fine!