Amanda Morrick Horsemanship

06/02/2026

Especially in horsemanship! ❤️

“Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.”
― Plato

05/27/2026

3 year old Westfalian, Apollo’s first field trip to the playground at The Horse First Farm

05/25/2026

Maybe horses were never meant to teach us how to exert dominance.

Maybe they came to teach us relationship.

The longer I spend around horses, the more I wonder if we misunderstood the lesson.

For generations, people have looked to horses as teachers of leadership, authority, and control.

We admired the person who could make a thousand-pound animal obey.

We built entire philosophies around gaining respect, establishing hierarchy, and becoming the one in charge.

And perhaps some of that was understandable. Horses are large, powerful animals. Learning to live safely alongside them matters.

But what if safety was never the deepest lesson they had to offer?

What if the real gift of horses has always been something far more challenging?

Relationship.

Not the kind of relationship where one being gets to decide and the other is expected to comply.

The kind where two individuals learn to listen.

The kind where trust cannot be demanded.

The kind where connection is built, not taken.

Because horses have a way of exposing things in us that humans often miss.

They notice our tension before we speak.
They notice our impatience before we act.
They notice when our words and our energy tell different stories.

And unlike people, they are rarely impressed by our titles, achievements, credentials, or explanations.

They respond to what we are.

That is a difficult teacher.

A horse does not care how much power you have.
A horse cares whether you feel safe.
Whether you are predictable.
Whether being near you brings comfort or stress.

In that way, horses may be among the greatest relationship teachers on earth.

Because relationship asks more of us than dominance ever will.

Dominance asks:
“How do I get my way?”

Relationship asks:
“How do we find a way together?”

Dominance seeks compliance.

Relationship seeks understanding.

Dominance is concerned with control.

Relationship is concerned with connection.

And perhaps that is why so many people find themselves changing after years with horses.

Not because they learned how to command better.

But because they learned how to listen better.

How to soften.
How to become curious.
How to slow down enough to hear what another being is trying to communicate.

I sometimes think the most profound horses are not the ones that carry us where we want to go.

They are the ones that stop us long enough to question where we are going in the first place.

Maybe that is why horses continue to captivate us after thousands of years.

Not because they make us feel powerful.

But because they invite us into a different way of being.

A way rooted not in force, but in partnership.

Not in winning, but in understanding.

Not in dominance, but in relationship.

And perhaps that was the lesson all along.

05/20/2026

Where’s your path leading you today?

As life presents its twists and turns we navigate and adjust the best we can. Nothing is guaranteed and everyday is a gift. The path I return to time and time again is the one to the barn. Where the horses inspire me to be fully present, slow down, and be even more intentional. ❤️

A true sanctuary 🙏

04/15/2026

Definitely! 💯

04/08/2026

These two horses are worth their weight in gold. I love being able to teach my students a variety of skills. The time I’ve put in with these two horses has produced willing and calm partners that have so much to offer. My heart smiles seeing this 9 year old student doing groundwork with my 3 year old warmblood. Notice his ear turned so attentively towards her🥰 Dan the man continues to help Carmen progress with her long lining and dressage education

03/27/2026

Spring is in the air! Feeling frisky?!?!

03/02/2026

Spring Shenanigans! I love it when these boys are playful and feeling good! Apollo is growing up

02/01/2026

Progress report!

Apollo’s second time wearing a saddle! The first time I put it on it was like he’d worn it all his life. No buck or funny business as I led him around. I’ve spent A LOT of time preparing him for this day by blanketing him, desensitizing, and wearing the surcingle. The addition of something new was a no big deal as I led him around during one of the busy kids group lessons.

Today, we had the arena to ourselves so I put the saddle on and we played at liberty. He walked, trotted , and cantered with stirrups flapping and he was still graceful even when he gave a few bucks at the canter 😂 He is a magnificent boy and I’m so excited to start his riding career in the next year or so. I keep repeating the mantra one of my teachers, Patrick King once said to me, “Prepare…not repair.” It’s such good advice in training. When given the opportunity to develop a horse, I want to do it with thoughtfulness and care.

This gentle boy is still growing. Currently measuring 16.2 hh and will be 3 years old in just a couple days

01/27/2026

Too cold to ride? No worries! There is always so much to learn…

Students have been busy studying anatomy and learning new skills on the ground. Thanks to Dan the Man, Carmen got to experience her first ground driving lesson tonight ❤️