ACES Anne's Complete Equine Solutions

04/11/2025

04/02/2025

“The horse doesn’t speak English. They speak limbic—and they’re fluent in the language of nervous systems.”
—Dr. Stephen Peters

01/13/2025

I love this. Any teachers looking for an amazing life and career?

Wanted - Teacher for Rural Ranch Community School - Eastern Oregon - Teach at a two-room school house in beautiful Eastern Oregon! Rare job opening to teach multi-grades in a small ranching community of ~100 people. Housing provided. Peaceful, vibrant community with lots of young families and community events. Looking for experienced teacher. - For more information click on the following link - https://www.ranchworldads.com/classified.php?listing=192136

12/18/2024

Calming an anxious horse at liberty.

Hennesy has been having multiple talks with me at liberty when in with his herd mates. He dosnt know how to handle himself with other horses sometimes and gets a bit overbearing with teddy. Especially if he feels he needs to escape to comfort.

12/17/2024

Hennessy breakthroughs!

I cannot cut this video down to a one minute reel. Sorry but I can't when there is beautiful progress to share.

Introducing a blossoming Hennessy! This horse is gonna be amazing if we can get him through his anxiety. When he connects, he is super cool.

So far the changes we all made to help Hennessey have been:

[ ] In a herd turnout for several hours a day.
[ ] Shoes pulled as he had NPA. Rehab going well.
[ ] Scoped and treated for ulcers.
[ ] Access to forage 24-7 in hay nets.

[ ] Change of thought, relaxation and connection work through distraction, feel and leadership training.
[ ] Weekly lessons and training with owners.

12/06/2024

Turn your stirrups. Just turn your stirrups, already.

I can hear what people are saying by reading their words and yes, they’ll talk a good game. If their pictures show their western stock saddles with the stirrups hanging flat against the horse—with the opening going straight into the horse’s side—I know that they’ve not spent much actual time in the saddle. If they have, then they should know better.

A snap judgment, maybe. A person who knows, who rides more than they talk online, will have the stirrups turned perpendicular to the horse. Correctly done, there will be zero effort to keep the stirrups, or to instantly pick them up with your toe.

One never, ever reaches down to hold the off-side stirrup with the hand while mounting! It’s ugly, inconvenient and worse, it's unsafe.

The risk of 'hanging up' is so much greater if our toe is wedged firmly against the horse's side. We can't use our legs independently. We can't pick up the stirrup immediately, should a stirrup be blown in a bad moment. We can't dismount without having our boot trapped. A rider with feet ‘hooked' to hold the stirrups in position—so often seen in the show ring—is putting unnecessary strain on her knees and ankles, two joints that should be soft if they're to be effective shock absorbers in the saddle.

Anytime a person tells me they tried to like riding Western but the saddle was uncomfortable, I know that the stirrups were not turned.

We can turn our stirrups any number of ways, which matters not. Whether it’s rolled by your saddler, a twist put in by simply re-buckling the stirrup leathers front-to-back, or turned with a bucket of hot water and a broomstick in the tack room and then, through sheer mileage (all shown here, left to right)... turn your stirrups, already. I mean it.

People love to argue that one method is better than the other. No. Just turn your stirrups.

There is no hierarchy, though the roll has been the in-style method for some decades, now. I ride very short and prefer the hot water and mileage method, myself. It allows me to have better, freer use of my legs because the fenders stay very flexible. Most everyone else in my family rides them rolled, aka the Hamley (or Texas, or name-your-state) twist.

Any questions? Just ask Mr. Google. Your saddlemaker may be needed if there’s any changes required to allow rolling, or a Blevins buckle to be reversed for a half-twist. There’s a lot of info, including step-by-step how-to videos, on the subject. I want you to be comfortable but more importantly, I want you to be correct and to BE SAFE.

12/06/2024

11/13/2024

Sorting cattle is good for horses and riders. It helps focus and being in the moment with your horse. This creates connection. Horses tend to enjoy it if it's presented well.

A place for families to ride together.

10/29/2024

Frankie is growing into a beautiful young man. I still see more mustang than quarter horse. He is quite the character too. I am buckling down on his training now that he had the summer off to grow and play.