Powers Horsemanship

Powers Horsemanship Starting colts, working with problem horses and everything between start and finish. Board&Train

Bell 🔔
04/14/2025

Bell 🔔

New boarder "Jake" Retired carriage horseWe'll be trying to pack weight back on him and give him all the belly scratches...
04/14/2025

New boarder "Jake"
Retired carriage horse
We'll be trying to pack weight back on him and give him all the belly scratches he'd like 🩵

GunnerGreen and for sale
04/14/2025

Gunner

Green and for sale

04/09/2025

INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING

I'm reading an amazing book called Amphibious Soul by Craig Foster, the Academy award winning documentary film maker of "My Octopus Teacher".

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it, it is simply profound.

In the book he says "As a rule, I never touch an animal unless they touch me first".

In my work building relationship with horses, I do this too. Most times a horse will touch you with their nose/muzzle first, and matching that greeting (versus labelling the horse as a biter) is a game changer.

But there's a phenomenon I have noticed going on with people trying to build relationship with their horses that I have labelled "inappropriate touching", and it looks a bit like the photo below.

This picture was taken at a horse expo in Pennsylvania recently, where I worked with a demo horse who has a "biting issue". He would reaching out in a way that his owner was termed as nipping, whereas I interpreted as him saying hello, similar to reaching out to shake hands with someone.

When he reached out I would greet him with a flat hand that he is able to to nuzzle, lick or even scrape his teeth on. After doing this a while his snappy acting motions got less so, and he was no longer needing to say "hey, pay attention" , but was more "hey, how's it going". I was explaining to the audience that I was meeting him in the way that he was meeting me (with his muzzle) and that it's not an invitation to touch other parts (yet).

I then said that it's many people's default to reach up and rub a horse between the eyes, whether that's what they are offering or not, and that if you do, it's inappropriate touching and it gets in the way of connection. It doesn't meet their needs, and is all about yours.

With the horse in the picture, he'd been engaging me with his muzzle, and I said to the audience "watch what happens when I try to rub him between the eyes". As you can see in the photo, he has raised his head up and is clearly indicating "No, not there, on my muzzle".

We had a Connection And Attunement retreat here at the Journey On Ranch a week ago, and I used my wife Robyn to illustrate this point to the participants. I said "imagine I'm at a gathering and meeting Robyn for the first time". We walked up to each other in that way people do when they see someone new and they can tell an introduction is shaping up, Robyn reached out with her hand to say hello and instead of me reaching out to shake her hand, I gently reached up and lightly brushed a wisp of hair from her cheekbone and tucked it behind her ear.

The participants all gasped and the ick factor was high.

Even though it was caring, and gentle, it was inappropriate at that moment.

Now Im not saying you can't rub your horse on the forehead. I'm saying if your horse has a disregulated nervous system around humans because they don't feel seen (and safe), try to meet their needs first, before trying get get yours met.

I recently saw an instagram post from a University in the UK, and the professor was explaining that they were doing studies on horses to determine levels of stress. In the background a horse was standing with his head out over a Dutch door. While he was explaining their investigations on stress, a female student (or maybe another professor, I don't know which) walked up to the horse. The horse reached out with his muzzle to greet her.

She ignored this and reached up to rub the horse between the eyes.

He turned his head 90 degrees to the left to communicate that wasn't what he was offering.

Her hand followed him and kept rubbing.

he then turned his head 180 degrees to the right, saying "No, not like that".

Smiled, gave him another pet between the eyes, and walked of camera.

While the professor was saying that they are doing experiments determining the amounts of stress horses are under, someone in the background was actually creating stress, without either of them even knowing it.

Once you understand how sentient horses are, and how subtle their communication, you can't unsee it.

04/07/2025

💩

He knows he's fine ✨ "GUNNER" 7yr old qh gelding (grade) He is smooth and fancy, a great mover and beautiful! Gunner is ...
03/29/2025

He knows he's fine ✨

"GUNNER"
7yr old qh gelding (grade)

He is smooth and fancy, a great mover and beautiful! Gunner is 💚green💚 but has a great start on him. He's very responsive and will need a rider experienced with green horses, someone light handed who has feel. Gunner is sweet as can be, has a kind eye and is low in the pecking order in the field. He rides both in and out of the ring, on trails and I've been told has been used around cattle.

This would be an ideal horse for a trainer or experienced horseman to finish out. He will Walk Trot Lope, keeps his head down, listens to leg pressure (takes very little) and rides in a D-ring snaffle. He's beginning to neck rein and has a hell of a stop on him.

This kind of horse doesn't come around too often. Message the page if interested

5🥕🥕🥕

Really enjoying mules recently 🤍
03/27/2025

Really enjoying mules recently 🤍

Muleys
03/24/2025

Muleys

Fancy schmancy Gunner 😍He rode off perfectly today. Why he hasn't sold yet, I have no idea. All he needs is someone who ...
03/24/2025

Fancy schmancy Gunner 😍
He rode off perfectly today.
Why he hasn't sold yet, I have no idea. All he needs is someone who can actually ride. Oh he's a little sensitive and a little green but he's gonna be one hell of a horse in the right hands!

"Woodrow" a 12 year old QH gelding here for a tune up. He's a chill guy, loves to be pet, more whoa than go but not a de...
03/23/2025

"Woodrow" a 12 year old QH gelding here for a tune up.

He's a chill guy, loves to be pet, more whoa than go but not a dead head. Smooth lope. Working on softening up his steering and tuning up his brakes but other than that, he's an easy going guy.

Been packing the weight on him and he's starting to get some muscle, but he's gonna need some more weight yet.

Just had his teeth done in February and that definitely helped

Omg they're cute! A pair of driving mules here to be started under saddle 🩵🩷
03/21/2025

Omg they're cute! A pair of driving mules here to be started under saddle 🩵🩷

My favorite blue is back for the summer! 💙💙💙
03/19/2025

My favorite blue is back for the summer! 💙💙💙

Fresh 🫧 🧼 so clean 🧽 Gunner
03/18/2025

Fresh 🫧 🧼 so clean 🧽
Gunner

For your consideration‼️"Gunner" 7yr old Bay QH Gelding15 hands tall!Gunner is flashy and will turn heads everywhere he...
03/16/2025

For your consideration‼️

"Gunner" 7yr old Bay QH Gelding

15 hands tall!

Gunner is flashy and will turn heads everywhere he goes. He's versatile and can go work cows, ride in a ranch pleasure class or just trail ride. He has more buttons on him than an elevator and is a jam up horse to ride. He's a responsive horse, doesn't take much to move him over with leg or in the bridle, I ride him in a snaffle. He's got a ROCKING HORSE lope that everyone envy's. He's a sweet guy and aims to please, wherever you point him- he will go! Ditches, puddles, no problem.

Gunner would prefer an experienced confident rider that could ride him with intention. This is no play thing, Gunner is a beast of a work horse. Don't miss out on this big fancy gelding!

❗️this horse is not for your grandma or Yellowstone watching husband ❗️

(Video in comments of original post)
Or here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1E5gudM52V/?mibextid=wwXIfr

6 ,🥕🥕🥕

(No papers)
Ridgeville, SC

Gunner, so freaking pretty. Rocking horse lope, all the buttons of a western work horse. Needs some miles but he's ✨ fan...
03/16/2025

Gunner, so freaking pretty. Rocking horse lope, all the buttons of a western work horse. Needs some miles but he's ✨ fancy ✨

03/15/2025

Farm call this morning to teach one year old "Mini-Pearl" to load in the trailer 💖 It looks smooth as butter now, but when we started she wouldn't even go near the trailer without a fuss. She's smart! Didn't take us very long.

🔥 🔥 🔥
03/14/2025

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Ridgeville, SC
29472

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