Lucky Star Horsemanship

08/25/2025

Horsemanship Mondays: A GOOD CLINIC

Recently I read a post about good and bad clinic experiences. It really got me thinking about what makes
a Clinic “good” or “bad.” Here are my thoughts on the topic.

In order for the Clinic to be “good” the PARTICIPANT needs to:

• RESEARCH the Clinician and their teaching style. If they have videos WATCH them. If they write
• posts or articles then READ them. Knowing what you are investing in is on you.
• Ask QUESTIONS about what the Clinic is going to focus on BEFORE registering.
• PREPARE YOUR HORSE and YOURSELF for the Clinic (this is a BIG one in my book)
• Understand that YOU are ultimately responsible for your SAFETY and your EDUCATION!
• Be adaptable and be willing to learn from what others in the Clinic are experiencing!
• Be OPEN MINDED and give things a try. A Clinic is NOT the place to be limited in your
• perceptions and perspectives.

In order for the Clinic to be “good” the CLINICIAN needs to:

• Be VERY CLEAR on the Clinic Focus and Participant Expectations!
• WORK with EACH PARTICIPANT as much as possible! They are the ones who paid for your time!
• Auditors are NOT Participants so do not “play to the crowd.” However. you can have a Q&A at the end of the session.
• wrap-up at the end of the session! (I understand that Auditors can become future Clients but
• they paid to audit – keep that in mind)
• Leave your EGO at the GATE and load up on HUMOR, EMPATHY and COMPASSION.
• Have a LISTEN UP before you begin the Clinic. Outline how the session will go and what you
• hope to achieve. Be adaptable as the Participants may have needs that you did not originally
• plan for!
• Be GREATFUL that you have Participants. Keep them SAFE and COMMUNICATE CLEARLY!
• UNDER PROMISE and OVER DELIVER the best you can. You will never make everyone “happy” but you can impact the horse/human partnerships in positive ways with your focus, kindness and attention.

In order for the Clinic to be “good” the AUDITOR needs to:

• Bring a chair, a notebook (yes, take notes), hydration and an OPEN MIND. If you are attended to
• criticize it is best you stay home.
• Be RESPECTFUL of the Participants and the Clinician. They both invested quite a bit of their
• resources to be there. Keep your conversations low and do your best to pay attention from what
• is happening in the arena.

It really is that simple. Clinic experiences flow two ways! Both parties have responsibilities to fulfill in
order to create a FUN and SAFE learning experience. Which is the ultimate goal. Clinics are really powerful learning opportunities that, when you look at what you are getting, are quite cost effective. The lesson learned in the Clinic will serve you well for YEARS and often present new ways of approaching your training and performance goals.
your training goals that can produce some really positive results.

If you have any questions about how to get the most out of your next Clinic or wish to discuss booking a Clinic Experience with Lucky Star Horsemanship, please DM us here on our page or email us at
[email protected]. Be sure to FOLLOW the Lucky Star Horsemanship page for weekly content, training tips, videos and more!

We look forward to riding with you.

08/24/2025

Happy Sunday Everyone!
We are getting some rain and cooler temperatures this morning but will be creative and enjoy time with horses just the same.
May the day and the week ahead bring you joy and moments of inspiration.

08/23/2025

BUYING/SELLING A HORSE: Part 1

Hello from Lucky Star Horsemanship!

This NEW SERIES of articles is going to have a few parts. In this series we will look at the challenges to buying and selling a horse in the market today! This series will look at the “non-performance horse market” for the most part. (It is my hope that those looking into purchasing or selling a high-end performance horse will hopefully have done their homework so that they can conduct transactions with a high degree of confidence.) In this first installment let’s chat about being a BUYER of a non-performance horse.

You are looking to get your first horse or looking to add a “new-to-you” horse to the family herd. Here are a few tips.

MAKE A “MUST HAVE, WANT and DEAL KILLER” LIST: Your list has three columns – in the “Must Have” column are all the characteristics/skills that the horse MUST HAVE in order to be considered for purchase. If the horse does not have those characteristics/skills it IS NOT a candidate for purchase. In the “Want” column is those characteristics/skills that, while not “essential” to your purchase are important to you just the same. If a horse has EVERYTHING is the “Must Have” column and some of the “Want” column, odds are it is a good candidate for purchase. The “Deal Killer” column is just that – things that make you say NOPE, NOT TODAY! If a horse has ANY of those “Deal Killers” it is best to tip your hat and walk away.

WATCH FOR THE SCAMMERS: There are SO MANY out there right now. Here is an example – Saw a post about a horse for sale. Description was great, picture was almost too perfect and the asking price, which included “paperwork” and “shipping” was too good to believe. So, I called to ask some questions and to set up an appointment to see the horse before making any financial maneuvers? That is when things got sketchy. The seller could not really answer my questions and wanted a deposit to hold the horse to view. Um…what? Then I got a “lecture” in poorly written English about trust and helping those in need. When I pressed my questions (I do that), I got more evasive answers. With an hour the post was removed for the social media forum. You should NOT EVER give a deposit BEFORE you see the horse! You should get a level of clarity from the seller. Pictures and videos are great…but be mindful that those too can be “faked” so ask questions that get you as much information as possible. If you run into a scammer REPORT IT. Some well intentioned but uneducated buyers get taken for their hard-earned money and never get their horse!

SEE THE SELLER WORK THE HORSE: I like to see the horse out in the pasture if possible. I want to see the owner/seller catch the horse, groom the horse, saddle the horse, groundwork the horse and ride the horse BEFORE I do anything! This shows me what I may be getting into temperament and training wise. My SAFETY is my RESPONSIBILITY so I would rather be overly cautious than get hurt.

BE REALISTIC: Your skill set for evaluating/training/conditioning, your resources for health care, your time and plans to create connection with a “new-to-you horse,” and even your actual purchasing budget…all need to be honestly evaluated so you can realistically get the right horse for you! We all know it is easy to “fall in love” with the first horse you meet BUT we have to give ourselves time and space to make the right choice! I like to see a horse at least twice if not three times. If each time the horse appears even more inline with what I am looking for, they move to the top of the list.

DON’T RUSH/ NO PRESSURE: Do not rush into a purchase! We make mistakes when we let emotions or pressure get in the way of properly evaluating the potential “new-to-you” horse. Take your time. Think. Breathe and get advice from other knowledgeable people you know. Walk away from “high pressure sales” too. If the horse is being seen by two other potential buyers today…GREAT! If the horse is meant for you, then it will be yours. If not…keep looking. There are MANY great horses out there!

If you are in need of a knowledgeable pair of eyes that has YOUR best interest at heart then get help! I heard it say in a comically ironic manner that “Sellers are about as reliable as Mexican tap water.” While I believe that there are LOTS of HONEST PEOPLE in the horse industry, we as Buyers need to vigilant to avoid getting scammed or making a hasty decision.

If Lucky Star Horsemanship can help you develop a buying plan or even evaluate the potential “new-to-you” horse please DM us via our page or email us at [email protected]. Be sure to FOLLOW our page to get the rest of this series, weekly content, training tips, videos and more!

Thanks for reading.

08/22/2025

Some days just hanging out with your horse and chatting about the craziness of "Life" puts things into perspective.

Find your Balance. Find your Peace. Finf your Spirit.

Enjoy the ride!

(Photo credit: Angie Greene)

08/21/2025

Our friends at AA Equestrian in Reddick, FL are looking to host Clinics! We are looking at holding a "Collaborative Groundwork" Clinic Experience there in the early Fall. This would be a VERY cost effective session focusing enrichinh connection, enhanxibg confidence and improving performance. Probably four (4) hours in length. Open to all levels of horse/human teams. Participants also get a digital copy of our "Intro to Cooperative Horsemanship" book. A Q&A session would follow as a wrap up. Space would be limited to eight (8) horse/human teams.. Auditors welcome (bring a chair, a snack and hydration.

If you would like to be the first to get an invitation to this Clinic Experience just DM us via our Lucky Star Horsemanship page or email us at [email protected].

Be sure to check out thw AA Equestrian page too!

08/20/2025

PRO TIP WEDNESDAY: The Enigma of Content

Marketing. Social Media. Getting your message out there. Getting your “Brand” seen…and responded to. The magic formula of what, where, and when is elusive at best. What woks for one brand my not work for others. It is crazy! So what do you do?

Here is some advise:

1. Stay true to YOUR brand, your mission statement and your vision statement. If you are all about education, then make “easy to digest” educational content. If you are about the entertainment side of th things, then make fun and entertaining content.
2. Keep your content short (if it is a video) or break it up into sections (if it is an article) that is short – like three paragraphs – with the understanding that you may get 15-30 seconds to “hook” the viewer/reader into your message.
3. Track your metrics! This will tell you how well your content is working. Look at view, likes and other data to help you create quality content. ASK YOUR CURRENT FOLLOWERS what they want to see! Their feedback REALLY helps!

Be creative. Invest a little money if needed. Think outside the box. Marketing is an ongoing activity that has multiple parts and approaches. It is an ever moving target too. Try something. If it doesn’t work then try something else. It’s a long game that can, if there is a consistency to the message, net some positive results!

If Lucky Star Horsemanship can help you with your marketing strategy or with some virtual business coaching please DM us via our page or email us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

08/18/2025

HORSEMANSHIP MONDAYS: Adjusting to Loss – A Kenna Update

If you have been following the Lucky Star Horsemanship page, you are aware that on July 28, 2025 at 1:11pm my partner of twelve (12) years passed away. Ronan’s memorial is pinned to the LSH page. If you get a moment please read it. His loss is truly heartbreaking.

As good friend and great horseman said to me recently “The problem with good horses is that they don’t stick around long enough. God must have had a need for them. But I believe they’ll be waiting at the Gate when we get there.”

“Kenna” is Gaelic for “Born of Fire” which seemed fitting given her history. I met Kenna in late October 2023 when a rescue organization I did some work with called me to ask if I could take her. She was seized by Animla Control due to abuse and neglect and then “fostered” by folks who did not understand her needs which led to more issues, then sold to a very novice (ie: this was her first horse) equine enthusiast who shipped her off of training to be a hunter/jumper for 30 days (see the issue there?) which turned into 90 days of incredibly harsh/borderline brutal handling. Keems was returned to her owner with a supposed “laundry list of bad behaviors.” Sigh. I offered to do a FREE evaluation and some lessons to help the owner and horse connect. At the first meeting the owner didn’t show and just had some papers of ownership transfer. I was told when I got to the boarding facility that “that mare is off the property today no matter what.” That meant if I could not take her she was off to a kill pen. Really? Okay. So I evaluated the mare, spent two hours or so trying to figure out who she was and what she knew. Funny thing was…she was nothing like the description! Fear? Yes. Holes in her foundation? Big time. But also sweet and curious. She just needed someone to REALLY LISTEN to her. So we connected.

She loaded herself in the trailer….THREE TIMES. So our journey began. You can see some of it in the “ESSENTIAL GROUNDWORK with KENNA” and “ESSENTIAL RIDING with KENNA” in the Video Section of the LSH page.

During my move from “North to South” both my horses helped at a therapeutic riding center. They came home on July 4, 2025. It was a great reunion.

After Ronan passed, Kenna was a bit lost, grieving in her own way as horses do. Food was uninteresting and her “mood” was sullen/sad. She was alone. So the owners of the facility we are at offered up a precocious and funny horse (Chance) as a pasture buddy. After a few managed meet-n-greets we all agreed that they could be buddies and hang out together. This gave them both a sence of confidence and consistency. Kenna is eating normally, in a much better mood and returning to herself. The heat here in Florida has been REALLY HIGH in the last week or so, with heat index reading into the 100’s so “training” as been reduced to short, low energy “Cooperative Groundwork,” grooming session and hand walking/grazing together. Kenna seems to be enjoying the time shared with us and her new pasture buddies. Yesterday morning the weather was MUCH more condusive to saddling up so we did and took a nice, mellow 20-30 minute ride at the walk around the property. Kenna was a willing and easy partner! I think she missed it too. So…we are all processing the changes in our herd dynamic and doing the best we can as we continue to move forward. It is not an easy thing to do but it is an essential thing to do. Kenna is going to be okay and I have some fun goals for us to shoot for this Fall. I’ll be sure to post videos and updates, so stay tuned!

Life and transitions in Life happen to all of us, horses and humans alike. In those moments we can only do what we can do to the best of our ability. Empathy, compassion, connection and communication (with all five senses) are the cornerstones of growth and progress through these transitions. Patience and Faith help a great deal too! If you and/or your horse are going through a challenging time please know you are not alone. Please feel free to share your experiences here on the Lucky Star Horsemanship page and we will do our level best to support you. Having horses in our lives is a blessing. Stay strong and stay kind.

Thanks for reading.

08/18/2025

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08/17/2025

Happy Sunday!
Thank you for being part of the Lucky Star Horsemanship community and sharing the ride we are all on. YOU inspire ME to keep learning and growing as a horseman.
May today bring you joy, harmony and partnership!
Enjoy the ride!

08/14/2025

It has been HOT here in North Central Florida. The humidity and heat index has certainly made "life with horses" challenging!

In order to maintain connection we spend time on doing easy stuff...a little Collaborative Groundwork, hand grazing around the facility and just spending quality time. It has really been a source of some special moments. Last evening after a light session of work I turned Kenna back out to the pasture with a "love you, make good choices" comment. Well she walked off a few steps and then made a lazy circle back to me. Angie Greene said " you forgot her hug and kiss." So we remedied that.

Take time to simply be with your horses as life allows. The connection gets more developed when you do.

Enjoy the ride!

Oh...please like and FOLLOW the Lucky Star Horsemanship Facebook book page for more content, videos, tips and more!

08/13/2025

Pro-Tip Wednesday: Perception Is Powerful – Putting Yourself Out There.

Perception is powerful. Understanding that the way your market perceives you is important to the success of your business. Everything from your social media presence, to your business cards, to the look of your front gate builds a perception in the consumer’s mind.

Here is a great example: Go to a Horse Expo, a Fair, or an Event and walk the Exhibitors Area. See which booths jump out at you. Ask yourself WHY did Booth A attract my attention and Booth B didn’t. Learn from that experience. Apply what you have learned to your business.

Getting out there – being part of a Horse Expo, a Fair or an Event is a fantastic way to build a following and generate new clients. Yes, those types of activities take WORK (set-up, tear down, marketing material creation, booth costs, travel costs, doing demonstrations and more) but you get to put your message (and any products you may sell) directly in front of focused consumers who are at these events looking for a business like yours to work with. There is also a certain level of “street cred” when your business is seen in the event program or roster of exhibitors which sets you apart from everyone else.

If Lucky Star Horsemanship can help you develop a positive presence in your market or if you just need a little help/coaching please DM us on our page or email us at [email protected]. Be sure to FOLLOW us on Facebook for weekly content, training tips, videos and more! It’s FREE!

We look forward to hearing from you!