AEquestrian Sport Horses & Colt Starting

AEquestrian Sport Horses & Colt Starting Follow me on my c**t starting journey!

02/27/2025

Please share with your horsey friends!

02/26/2025

Horses are not stuffed toys, robots or cars.

But so many times, when we put a request out into the horse world for what we are looking for, we act like they are.

In fact, horses are thinking beings; they reflect the training invested in them. Time and experience behind the horse matters.

And they are flesh and blood, so they are not immortal. Their bodies aged. They are athletes that have wear and tear.

In the industry, we see people hoping for 8 year old bomb-proof, been there, done that geldings standing 16hh without special dietery needs, without injury or any health concerns constantly.
Fact is, that is a unicorn that typically does not "really" exist, but if he does, he is $50,000. Rightfully so, too.

Time and experience has no equal, though. So even a few years of great training doesn't negate a horse that has been around the block and been put in lots of situations and shown who he is many times.

Literally nothing is safer than a been there, done that, proven steed, and he is doing to have some wear and tear. He just will.
We MUST allow that these living, breathing beings are not immortal and immune to needing maintenance.

Some arthritis requiring previcox,
Senior feed,
Shoes,
Frequent floats,
Ulcer treatment,
Dry lots,
Alfalfa,
Knowing they probably have just 5 years or so of riding left. . .

These are all amoung things that should not be disqualifiers if you find a good, safe horse that has PROVEN over and over again to be a safe steady mount for beginners.

If you aren't willing to do maintenance on a horse, the absolute truth is, you should never own one, either.

02/26/2025

You pay that hefty training bill for the month.

You look to have you horse in training as little as possible so it doesn’t break the bank.

You’re disappointed when after 30 days or 60 days or 90 days, there’s still more work to be done or the goal hasn’t been met. Worse yet, it looks good, you take the horse home and it unravels piece by piece. All that money “wasted”.

When you pay a trainer, that money isn’t paying for a result, it’s paying for someone’s skilled effort.

At least for me, when someone gets unhappy that their horse “isn’t fixed yet”, or comes “untrained” after it’s been home a while, makes the task of training horses for other people, discouraging. Discouraging because the efforts are being made, usually my best efforts that are filled with compassion, determination and lots of ruminating on how to fix complex issues a horse may have. Their disappointment becomes my failure basically. I know that’s not an actual truth but it’s never rewarding when someone is disappointed due to their own expectations.

Training a horse is NOT like being a mechanic on a car. Its not a tune up, it’s not the simple replacement of a part. It’s an animal with thoughts, feelings, emotions, habits, talents, etc. You don’t just program them, tune them up or replace a faulty part and send it back good as new.

You arent paying for results to happen within your timeline, you are paying for the time it takes to reach a desired result. The more complicated the project, the bigger the investment. The more baggage a horse has, the more effort it takes to unravel the mess. The bigger the goal, the greater the investment.

People send their horses to certain trainers because they want the outcome that trainer proves they can achieve. The problem is, people want that result in the shortest time frame possible because time, again, is money. It takes the time it takes to create the vision and time costs money. People who have a diy mentality, value the effort so much more when they themselves invest their own energy into a horse rather than just paying for it. I really feel that those who do it themselves, come to appreciate the efforts it takes far more than those who sign the check.

Be nice to your trainers, they work hard. 🙂

Credit goes to:
Katy Negranti Performance Horsemanship https://www.facebook.com/share/1BPC3yLZYx/

01/08/2025

Well, its now 2025 and c**t starting season is right around the corner!! I know its early in the year but its time to start considering who you want to put the first rides on your yearlings and 2 year olds. No matter what avenue you are hoping to pursue with your youngsters, a proper start is an absolute must! Just ask Moon, my personal youngster that I started in 2024, a great foundation will lead to a great career, and maybe even a show for your 28th ride :)

Send me a message today and get on the books for this years roster. Limited spots available, so don't hesitate!

11/06/2024

Midnight, Ride 7 (i think? Maybe ride 6)

After a couple of not so great rides earlier last week, we went back to basics for a few days with some ground work and a saddle fit check. Yesterday and today, she was MUCH better. Yesterday we trotted for the first time, and today I encouraged her to move more forward in the trot. She was exceptional considering the busy arena we had to contend with.

Sometimes backwards steps happen and that's okay! It's okay to take a step back and re-evaluate to see if there is something more, or better, that you can be doing to help set the youngsters up for success. In midnights case it really was only a case of poor saddle fit, and seeing how much she has grown the past month, it makes perfect sense to need to take that into consideration.

Why is saddle fit so important?

Saddle fit is the foundation of success when it comes to riding. It equates, to a degree, to shoe fit on a human. If you have shoes that don't fit right, they cause pain and discomfort, you'll find yourself not only in pain, but compensating for that pain. A saddle that doesn't fit your horse will do the same thing. Horses will experience pain, discomfort, muscle atrophy, improper movement to avoid the pain and they will compensate which will lead to other issues in the musculoskeletal system.

But how does this apply to c**t starting? And why does it matter?

When it comes to c**t starting you are giving horses a first look into the world of riding, so it needs to be a good first look. We have all seen it, or done it, just slapping on the ole c**t saddle on every horse that comes through. But what happens? Do they buck? Do they fuss? Do they have a hard time learning how to carry themselves and a rider? Do they start getting back sore? Do they get bottled up and tense? If the answer is yes to any of those questions then you are giving these young horses a bad impression of riding. And trust me, it makes a difference.

A correctly fitted saddle and tack can mean the difference between a flighty, nervous animal and a calm willing partner.

Everything you do matters, listen to your horse and strive for better

10/29/2024

Midnight, Ride 4

Today was windy and cooler than our previous rides. All of the horses were feeling good and energized, and Midnight was no exception. Thankfully I had the arena to myself today so she got to have some free time to run before our ride. And boy did she run!

Our ride today was less productive than our previous ones in terms of riding cue progression as she was quite nervous with the sounds of the wind and her higher energy levels in general. The most important thing she learned today was working under pressure and holding herself together. I'm quite impressed with her as she only had a few moments of sass that fortunately did not turn out as a full on fit (in other words, i was not lawn darted). She really had to use her brain to earn how to push through some of the harder things but a "bad" ride today will lead to a better ride tomorrow.

Giving the babies the tools they need early on to handle life helps prepare them for when conditions aren't ideal. I would have LOVED another quiet and peaceful day to work on some confidence and start introducing other elements to riding, but instead I was shown that even when life is scary, she still keeps it together pretty well.

Additionally, we accidentally had a "first trot". Maybe tomorrow we can try it purposely 🤔

**tstarting **tstarting

10/26/2024

Midnight, Ride 3

Yesterday Midnight showed a massive increase in her confidence under saddle. We did a lot more forward walking and she did so well! She definitely earned a couple days off this weekend.

Early on I think it's important to give the young ones plenty of rest time. Not only is it important for their physical well-being, but also their mental well-being. I want each and every horse that comes through my program to enjoy working and the only way to accomplish that is to give them lots of breaks and keep the work light woth low expectations.

I can't wait to get back to it with Midnight come Monday! This filly has absolutely stolen my heart ❤️

10/25/2024

Midnight, Ride 2

Slow and steady wins the race in my books. Midnight will need some time to figure out our balance together. She's unsure of where her feet need to go when carrying a rider but she was exceptional today. Our ride lasted about 5 min at most but that's really all they need so early on.

She had a little moment at the end of this clipped video, she was unsure and off balance, not sure what to do. After spending a few moments giving her some reassurance she continued on like it never happened.

I see no reason to push the babies into trots and canters early on. They have to learn how to carry a rider at the walk before they can trot, and they have to be balanced in the trot before they can canter. They also need to feel confident that they can do it before moving on to the next step.

Midnight showed a great understanding of all that she has learned the past 2 months and put it to use today. We used vocal cues to move forward, and she understood turning left and right as well as her ability to stop. All of that is taught in ground driving before I even consider trying to get on.

Prepping babies with lots of ground work before getting on really is they key to success when c**t starting. It may seem like it takes longer, but by the time they are ready to be ridden, they are already half broke and can move up quicker that some others that get backed too early before they have all the necessary tools put in place.

I'm looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings for this bright little filly!

**tstarting **tstarting

10/23/2024

Midnight, Ride 1

Updates have been few and far between as it's just been a monotonous, repetitive month of work. Each day has been about the same between lunging, ground driving, trail walks and mounting block work. We have been really focusing on fine tuning skills we have learned to help get us ready for the first ride.

The First Ride

You don't always know when the first Ride is going to happen. Some days you'll say "today is the day!", then you'll get them out there and something happens or they are not in a good head space to accept a first ride.

Then there are days like today where you don't exactly plan for it. You prepare for a normal day or more ground driving and more mounting block work and something shifts, and before you know it you are sitting on a yearling for the first time in their life.

60 days (roughly)

This yearling came into my program at the end of August, training began on September 1st, and by October 23rd she was willing enough to allow me to climb on. 60 days is a very short time line to be riding babies, though it's not unusual for a special one to come along and surprise me.

I make it my mission to do right by these yearlings and Midnight has been a shining star in my program this year. She had taken everything I have thrown at her with grace and a willingness to learn and please. She is so incredibly smart and learns very quickly.

Over the next 7 days I will try to get updates out on her ride progress. This is one special little filly

**tstarting **tstarting

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