Happy Hearts Horsemanship

06/01/2026

5 things I avoid with horses that can be controversial 🐎

1. I don't ride baby horses. I wait till they are at least 3, better off 4, before I ever get on them. At 2, they may feel the weight of a saddle on their back. Their spines don't finish developing until at least age 6. We need to stop competitively riding and racing 2-3 years old. These horses are more likely to breakdown by the age of 8-10. I prefer to train my horses for longevity.

2. I don't lunge my horses to "get the bucks out" or to tire them out before I get on. Whatever is repeated strengthens the movement, whether its good movement or bad. I dont want my horses strengthening the muscles it takes to buck or bolt. Instead I focus on their rhythm and balance. I use groundwork to teach them how to use both sides of their bodies equally and how to use their bodies is a way that is beneficial for carrying the weight of a saddle and rider.

3. I dont feed my horses any commercially bagged feeds. I beleive in forage based nutrition, testing hay and balancing their vitamins and minerals based off the analysis. Horses should have access to forage 24/7 and shouldnt be fed meals just twice a day. This can result in unnecessary stress, ulcers, food aggression or guarding behaviors.

4. I don't use nose bands with flashes that hold the horses mouth shut. Nose bands can restrict normal jaw movement, increase stress and discomfort, cause pressure on sensitive facial structures, nerves, and soft tissues and prevent horses from displaying behaviors that indicate discomfort, such as opening the mouth, crossing the jaw, or moving the tongue.

5. I dont use side reins, draw reins, lunging systems, martingales etc. Any equipment that forces a horse into a position should be thrown in the trash. These devices develop a false frame. A frame that is forced before the horse is able to engage and carry himself is worth nothing. A correct frame is the END RESULT of years of proper training up the scale of collection, it is not the path to collection. Period.

05/29/2026

To the unsolicited advice givers. 💣

This is something I have been guilty of. I've learned the hard way time and time again. Unsolicited advice often sounds like help… but lands like judgment.

Most people aren’t looking for someone to fix them. They’re looking to feel heard, understood, and safe enough to figure things out for themselves. When we rush to give advice before someone asks for it, we unintentionally send messages like:

“You’re doing it wrong.”
“I know better than you.”
“You should be handling this differently.”

Even with good intentions, unsolicited advice can create distance instead of connection.

So when is the best time to offer advice?
After understanding, after listening, after permission.

Sometimes the most powerful response isn’t: “Here’s what you should do.”
It’s:“Do you want advice, or do you just need someone to listen right now?” That question alone can change relationships.

So the next time you feel like offering advice when its not asked for. Take a few moments to think about how this person may respond when offering advice. Are they ready to hear it, is it worth saying anyways? Will they be in a position to hear you and take in the advice?

Thank you for listening to my Ted talk. 🥸

05/27/2026

Post Op follow up ✨️

I'm 2 weeks post op and my follow up with the surgeon went great. I have some new fancy hardware now. He says I'm a rock star healer. Everything is looking great and I'm right on track. He says no more brace! In 4 weeks I'll be feeling alot stronger and should be able to handle my farm chores which is so important. He also feels confident that I can start riding again in 3-4 months!

That being said, I've decided to postpone any training horses for the remainder of the year and just focus on horsemanship lessons for now. I will be offering more beginner riding lessons for kids ages 5-9 on Chip when I'm feeling stronger. For now it's still a go to do Tiny Tots classes Wednesdays starting June 17th with some help for the pony ride portion.

Sadly I will not be able to participate in the clinics I was planning on attending this summer including the Brent Graef clinic on Camano Island July 31st thru August 2nd.😢 Which means my spot is up for grabs!! Let me know if you want it before we put the word out. It will be snatched up fast!

Thank you for all the healing vibes! Keep sending them my way! It's working 💪

05/23/2026

This 🙌

05/19/2026

Day 5 Post Op - Finally seeing some light at the end of this long dark tunnel ⚫️🌄

The first few days after the surgery have been rough, not gonna lie. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling alot better today. I even got to take a shower and it went much better than I expected. I still have a ton of healing to do but I'm feeling thankful for having the energy and ability to accomplish this task without being in excruciating pain.

I even ventured onto our porch to capture our beautiful wisteria in bloom! 🌸 Speaking of blooming, my leg bruising sure has taken off. A sure sign of healing. The swelling isn't too bad either. 🤕

I have my first post op PT appointment scheduled for tomorrow. If you asked me 2 days ago, I would have said that I'm skipping it. Looks like I'll be up for the torture after all 😅

☀️

05/14/2026

Surgery today was successful. I'm home and definitely feeling very painful but I have a whole care team doing an amazing job to make me feel as comfortable as I can be. Now the road to recovery can truly begin. 🤕🙏✨️🐎

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms out there — the horse moms, barn moms, bonus moms, grandmas, and every woman who shows up with love, patience, and strength every single day. 💐

To the moms spending their days juggling kids, horses, chores, lessons, work, and everything in between — we see you. Motherhood and horsemanship share so much in common: dedication, resilience, compassion, and heart.

Wishing you a beautiful day filled with love, laughter, and maybe even a little barn time. ❤️🐎

05/08/2026

Horsemanship can be exciting but also very tedious. The focus is not just the on the horse but also on us to show up, keep a steady mindset, to stay in the moment, to stay motivated and to work on ourselves as good riders and steward of the horse. It takes time and dedication. Its easy to get overwhelmed or to feel defeated at times. Remember why you're here, for the love of the horse, and just keep pushing forward. Find some great teachers or mentors to help you reach your goals and don't forget that this is a forever journey, and there is no end game to achieve. Theres always more to learn, more to improve, more to master. ❤️

Staying power, or tolerance for tedious -

I’ve taught the initial introduction lessons to about a million people: teaching people to straighten out their horse, to understand rythm, to feel the difference from their tight, wiggly nervous horse to a calmer, happier horse that breathes deeply.

This part is exciting: the changes happen quickly usually, and people want more.

But then it becomes tedious. It turns away from magic and changes into work. This is where the focus is on how the rider uses their leg, handles their rein. This is where you repeat over and over a new habit until it gets ingrained- the focus is not on progressing the horse but creating better habits- this is where it gets down to the nitty gritty of their expectation of the horse, their patience for re developing a poorly laid foundation in the horse and their own riding. This is where people drop off.

I’ve had very few get past this point - when things get tedious, people turn to self doubt, get emotional, think they can’t ride or don’t know what they’re doing and so on. This is when people are likely to look elsewhere for quicker or easier solutions, though I’m sure they’re not consciously doing this.

Many will be called, few will answer, as the saying goes. I don’t believe it’s because these people are incapable or not gifted. I think mainly it’s because we no longer have tolerance for tedium.

I think about the way I grew up riding and understand - in no time I was cantering, and jumping, long before I had the seat or hands for it. Many are taught this way too- a result oriented way of learning, instead of a layering in of a foundation: you can’t jump until you can control your leg and hand, and if it gets messier, you go back to the basics. But people see this as a punishment, not a support, and take it personally.

We don’t have the tolerance for tedium anymore , and so I wonder if not now, when will we ? And if we don’t, what will we be capable of developing with our horses?

Photo by Laurie Lampe

05/07/2026

I have some new followers recently and I've had lots of time while I heal this broken knee to update my website. If you're curious how I got started in this industry, this is a good place to learn more about me. Thank you for following along on my journey!

Here's a quick link to my "About Tia" page https://share.google/P6TS3msXV5IG6ZhGZ