SL Horsemanship

02/19/2022

When the subject of collection in horses comes up, many times you hear people put a great deal of focus on the physical side of it, without putting enough emphasis on the mental side of collection.

Before ever starting to teach physical collection, it's vital for a horse to be able to move on a loose rein, at the speed you choose, at a walk, trot and lope. This builds balance, confidence and responsibility in your horse. If this hasn't been achieved, attempting to teach physical collection will often leave your horse in a much more anxious, claustrophobic frame of mind. He can never be truly balanced and collected if you're still using contact as your main source of control.

Watching someone approach physical collection without mental relaxation in their horse is like watching someone attempt to teach a student to perform a front handspring on a balance beam, when they've never done a front handspring before. Start with the basics, keep the steps in order, and always make sure your horse is properly prepared for what's next.

-Zacharias Horsemanship

12/14/2020

With illuminating insights and fascinating stories, The Journey On Podcast is a conversation about the horse training jounrey and life experiences of Warwick and guests.

10/21/2020

10/19/2020

To get a feel for the aids that ask your horse to bend …

"Imagine walking up a spiral staircase. To negotiate the stairs in balance, you must turn your shoulders on the precise path of the stairs and your seat and leg must be in the correct, stable position to ask for bend." —Corinne Foxley

🎨 Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

10/13/2020

We seem to have a spark of interest in our new group classes we have.

🔆$50 per class

We have limited spots in the following:

Sat, October 17
9am-12pm Basic Equine First Aid (Lecture, no horse needed)
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1pm until done - Basic groundwork/in-hand (I have horses to borrow)
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Sat, October 24
9am Group 1 Trail obstacles
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12pm Group 2 Trail obstacles
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Sat, November 7
9am Group 1 Ground pole exercises
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12pm Group 2 Ground pole exercises
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➡️Need to have your own horse for each class EXCEPT for the First Aid and Groundwork classes on October 17
➡️ A portion of the proceeds will be donated to American Made Miniatures Farm Sanctuary

If interested call/text Shannon at (707)481-8649, pm or comment below 👇👇

09/01/2020

08/25/2020

Should you be riding your horse right now?

Every time we have large wildfires in California, clients ask us if they should be riding their horse or letting them rest. This is a great question and can depend on many factors. In general, it is best to avoid intense exercise when the air quality is so poor. This is even more important if your horse has a chronic lung problem that is made worse with dusty conditions. However, a calm tack walk around the property does not seem to bother the average horse.
Each fire season, our emergency doctors watch carefully for horses in respiratory distress due to the smoky air. Excluding horses in close proximity to the fire, it is interesting to note that we do not see a big increase in respiratory problems during these times. However, please always watch for signs that your horse is having difficulty breathing and give us a call if you have any concerns. 916-652-7645

08/10/2020

Step outside your comfort zone.