Schwartzenberger Horsemanship

03/27/2026

Exciting news! I will soon have two wonderful horses available for sale 🐴

✨ A beautiful red roan mare
✨ A steady, big chestnut gelding

Both have been ridden extensively over the past 5 months, with lots and lots of miles—including overnight trips. These two have great experience and are ready for their next adventures!

Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

10/29/2025

Training Is Not a Democracy: Your Horse Doesn’t Get a Vote

One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in the horse world over the years is how much people have softened in the wrong direction. Now don’t get me wrong — I’m all for kindness, for patience, and for empathy. But those things mean very little if they aren’t wrapped in clear leadership. Somewhere along the line, too many people started confusing kindness with permissiveness and leadership with cruelty. That’s where the wheels fall off. Because here’s the truth:

Training is not a democracy. Your horse doesn’t get a vote.

We are the leaders. And we have to act like it.

Confusing Emotion with Permission
A horse isn’t a dog, and even dogs need structure. But horses? Horses are flight animals. Horses are herd animals. They’re hardwired to look for leadership. And if they don’t find it in you, they’ll either fill that role themselves — which never ends well — or they’ll become anxious, reactive, or even dangerous. Either way, they’re not thriving, they’re surviving.

Somewhere out there, people got this idea that a horse “expressing itself” was the same thing as “being empowered.” But when that expression looks like pushing into your space, refusing to move forward, slamming on the brakes at the gate, or throwing a fit about being caught, that’s not empowerment — that’s insecurity and disrespect. That’s a lack of clear expectations. That’s a horse operating in chaos.

And a chaotic horse is a dangerous horse.

The Illusion of Fairness
I know some people mean well. They want to be “fair.” They want their horse to feel “heard.” But horses aren’t people. They don’t negotiate. They don’t take turns. They live in a world of black and white — safe or unsafe, leader or follower, respect or no respect.

If you try to run your training like a democracy — where every cue is a polite request and every command is up for discussion — you’re setting that horse up for failure. Because out in the pasture, that’s not how it works. The lead mare doesn’t ask twice. The alpha doesn’t negotiate. Leadership in the horse world is clear, consistent, and sometimes firm — but it’s always fair.

Being fair doesn’t mean weak. It doesn’t mean permissive. It means you set a boundary and you keep it.

Confidence Comes from Clarity
One of the things I say often is this: a horse is never more confident than when it knows who’s in charge and what the rules are. Period.

A horse that’s allowed to “opt out” of work when it doesn’t feel like it isn’t a happy horse. It’s a confused horse. A horse that’s allowed to drag its handler, rush the gate, balk at obstacles, or call the shots under saddle isn’t empowered — it’s insecure. It’s operating without a plan, without leadership, and without trust in its rider.

And let me tell you something — trust isn’t earned through wishy-washy “maybe-if-you-want-to” training. It’s earned through consistency, repetition, and follow-through. That’s what gives a horse confidence. That’s what earns respect. That’s what makes a horse feel safe — and therefore willing.

Manners Are Not Optional
When people send their horses to me for training, one of the first things I work on is manners. I don’t care how broke that horse is, how many blue ribbons it has, or how fancy the bloodlines are. If the horse walks through me, pulls away, crowds my space, or refuses to stand quietly, we’re not moving on until that’s fixed.

Because manners aren’t cosmetic. They’re the foundation of everything.

If your horse doesn’t respect your space on the ground, what makes you think it’ll respect your leg cues under saddle? If your horse doesn’t wait for a cue to walk off at the mounting block, what makes you think it’ll wait for your cue to lope off on the correct lead?

We don’t give horses the option to decide whether or not to be respectful. That’s not up for debate. That’s the bare minimum of the contract.

Leadership Isn’t Force — It’s Direction
Now before somebody takes this and twists it into something it’s not, let me be clear. I’m not talking about bullying. I’m not talking about fear-based training. I don’t train with anger, and I don’t train with cruelty.

But I also don’t ask twice.

When I give a cue, I expect a response. If I don’t get it, I don’t stand there and beg — I escalate until I get the response I asked for. And then I drop right back down to lightness. That’s how you teach a horse to respond to softness. Not by starting soft and staying soft no matter what. You teach softness through clarity, consistency, and fair correction when needed.

That’s leadership.

Horses Crave It — So Give It
Some of the best horses I’ve ever trained came in hot, pushy, or insecure. And some of those same horses left my place calm, willing, and confident — not because I over-handled them, but because I gave them structure. I told them where the boundaries were, and I held those boundaries every single time. I wasn’t their friend. I wasn’t their therapist. I was their leader.

And in the end, that’s what they wanted all along.

They didn’t want to vote. They wanted to be led.

Final Thought
If your horse is calling the shots — whether that’s dragging you out to the pasture, refusing to go in the trailer, tossing its head, or dictating when and how you ride — then your barn doesn’t have a training problem. It has a leadership problem.

Stop running your horse life like a town hall meeting. Training isn’t a democracy. Your horse doesn’t get a say in whether or not it respects you. That part’s not optional. Your job — your responsibility — is to show up, be consistent, and take the lead. Every time.

Because if you don’t? That horse will. And I promise you, that’s not the direction you want to go.

Tim Anderson

09/05/2025

👀 Did you know horses have some of the most fascinating eyes in the animal kingdom?

With eyes set wide on the sides of their heads, horses have nearly 350° vision—they can see almost all the way around them.

They use monocular vision (each eye seeing separately) but can switch to binocular vision to focus on distant objects.

Horses see the world in shades of blue, yellow, and green—but can’t distinguish red or purple hues like we can.

And no—blue-eyed horses are not more prone to blindness.

Wild horses’ vision is just one of the many ways they’re perfectly adapted to life on the open range.

08/10/2025

02/05/2025

In twilight's hush, she kneels beside,
A faithful friend with breath grown wide.
Soft shadows drape the stable's walls,
As silence in the evening falls.

Her fingers trace his weary mane,
A bond of years in whispered pain.
She speaks of trails, of meadows bright,
Of gallops through the morning light.

He knows her voice, his weary eye,
A final gaze beneath the sky.
She holds him close, her steady hand,
As earth reclaims his spirit grand.

And in that still, unspoken grace,
They linger in a timeless space.
A life well-shared, in love they part,
A horse, a lady, and her heart.

02/04/2025

If people had a chance to look behind the curtain!!!

01/08/2025

10/10/2024

A MUST READ!

Horses need horsemen. It’s that simple. I get asked the same questions over and over again and nobody gets it. What level rider is this horse suitable for? I’ll tell you, the best one she can get, the best horseman that’s willing to buy her. The horse will only ever be as good as the rider. It doesn’t matter if it’s trained to jump hoops of fire, you’re gonna bring it down to your level in no time. Your kid doesn’t need a $15,000 horse if they haven’t already had $15,000 worth of lessons. You can’t buy a violin that will gift you the skill of playing. It’s the same for horses. There is no magic horse, only a love for the animal, and a commitment to learning.

Most of you are so unfair and demanding of the horse you miss the forest for the trees. “I want a horse that rides out alone!!” well guess what, you better be ready to spend a year developing that relationship, that bond, that trust, she’s not a bike, you can’t buy trust.

“I want a horse that can sit and be the same after time off” well friend, this is a commitment to a relationship, not a classic car you take out of the garage twice a year. You can’t buy what your looking for.

“I want a horse my kids can ride” you better be ready to teach your kids how to be horseman, because if the horse has to do it, you’ll likely see the inside of an ambulance, or a morgue.

You can’t buy trust, you cannot buy what comes with building a relationship with an animal over years of dedication.

Brittnee Woodward-Whitehead wrote this

08/29/2024

>Updated 9-1-24 with a glimpse of happiness.<
The level of catastrophic loss that’s still unfolding at the Beutler Ranch in Elk City, Oklahoma right now is beyond comprehension. The horror of so many dead horses—the death toll is now approaching 70 and counting, I’m told—is devastating a family-dynasty breeding program that’s a 95-year-old cowboy empire. What Elra, Jake and Lynn Beutler started in 1929, and Elra’s grandson Bennie and his son Rhett built onto with Beutler & Son Rodeo Company today can’t be replicated or replaced.

I have intentionally sat quiet on this story, knowing the Beutlers can’t even breathe right now. They have no words, or tears left. They also have their hometown rodeo to produce this weekend, and with so much of their horse herd and generations-deep legacy wiped out without warning.

I’ve had many off-the-record conversations with cowboy people about this tragic turn of events in the last few days. I just had my first one on the record with the friend and veterinarian the Beutlers have entrusted with their four-legged family, Dr. Gregg VeneKlasen. Because of what may lie ahead legally, we will stick to only the facts that can be appropriately shared publicly at this time. More to come later, when the time is right for the Beutler family.

Early reporting that many of the Beutlers’ horses were accidentally fed cattle feed is false, according to VeneKlasen.

“What these horses got was actually a horse feed mix with a huge amount of the cattle drug monensin (brand name Rumensin) in it,” VeneKlasen said. “This was a tragic case of human error somewhere along the line, because tiny amounts of monensin is poison to horses. It kills them. Monensin is used in some cattle feed, but this amount in this horse feed delivered to the Beutlers would have killed cattle, too.

“Much is known about what has happened here that cannot yet be told. But the bottom line on this story is that it’s an important one to tell, so this never happens to anyone else. I will say this: Never buy horse feed from a mill that makes cattle feed. Period. Please quote me on that. Every horse that ate this feed is dead. The only bucking mare still alive is (NFR bucker) Black Kat, because she was at my place (Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital in Canyon, Texas; that’s her in this picture) when this feed was delivered. The only Killer Bee baby that is still alive refused to eat the feed.

“I cried. We all cried. These bloodlines were five generations in the making. Many of the stars of this breeding program are gone. To see what’s happened here to these horses will make you puke.”

I stopped using the word “tragedy” a long time ago for situations that did not warrant it. “It’s not a tragedy if nobody died” has become a famous line of mine when perspective is lost and drama is overblown. This, my friends, is a tragedy in our rodeo family.

The one silver lining I’ve seen so far is the heartwarming generosity of other stock contractors stepping up and offering their stock to the Beutlers. That’s how our rodeo family rolls in the toughest of times, and it’s something special to behold and be very proud of.

This story continues to unfold. More when we can. Until then, God Bless every horse who has died. And prayers for the Beutler family as they try to find a path forward with so many family members missing.

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8-31-24 Update 1:
To help prevent further public panic over feed safety, Dr. VeneKlasen today made the following statement on this subject:

“Many brands of feed—Purina, Nutrena and Bluebonnet, to name a few off the top of my head—are made in equine-only mills, and are safe. I suggest people stay with the big commercial companies with strict regulations in place. Because bucking-horse genetics are prone to metabolic syndrome, I feed Triple Crown Senior to everything here at Timber Creek (Veterinary Hospital), even the babies, because it’s beet-pulp based with low sugar and high fat content.

“If you’re going to get custom feed from a mill that makes feed for multiple species, including horses, cattle, goats, pigs and whatever else, make sure before it leaves the mill that it’s been tested for ionophores. It’s not an expensive test, but it’s a critically important one. You can’t have even trace amounts of ionophores, which can happen in unintentionally cross-contaminated feed, because the smallest dose impacts horses’ hearts. If they eat even a tiny amount of it and don’t die today, it might kill them in three weeks, three months or three years.”

More details will be released as is appropriate from Team Beutler. Thank you all for your patience, understanding and prayers.

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8-31-24 Update 2:
Livestock Nutrition Center, who delivered the load of feed to the Beutlers, issued a statement today. Team Beutler wanted it shared with you all.

~

From Ronnie Castlebury, Ph.D
President of Livestock Nutrition Center

“We are truly sorry for what the Beutler family is going through.

Our preliminary tests show a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Company in Elk City contained monensin, which can be toxic to horses. This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed cleanout procedure and a sensor malfunction. We have confirmed this is an isolated incident to this single load of feed from a single facility and no other feed has been impacted and is safe for animal consumption.

We take this seriously and are working with the State Departments of Agriculture in Oklahoma and Kansas and the FDA to get to the root cause of the problem and will take any and all corrective actions needed.

Words are cheap but we are dedicated to assist and support the Beutler family and make this right because our customers and employees expect and deserve it.

Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr.’s Bennie and Rhett Beutler and family and everyone affected by the recent tragic event at their ranch. The loss of so many valued animals is devastating.”

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8-31-24 Update 3:
After speaking with Dr. Mottet, Dr. VeneKlasen asked that she write this statement, and that I include it as today’s third important update. “This is information everybody needs to know,” Dr. VeneKlasen said. “It’s a simple way for horse owners to check on the safety of their feed. There are so many feeds I’ve never even heard of. This is an easy way for people to check on the feed they’re using.”

~

From Rachel Mottet, MS, PhD, Equine Nutritionist:

Most U.S. feed companies are extremely safe and reliable, even those with multi-species mills. The greatest safety risk comes from mills that produce ionophore-containing feeds in the same mill and production lines as their equine feeds. This becomes fewer mills each year, yet there are still some that do this, often for logistical reasons. The most important thing you should find out is what your feed company’s policy is regarding ionophores (the toxic compound involved in this situation) in their equine feed manufacturing mills.

My team has been compiling a list of company statements to give owners assurance about the safety of their feed. You can find this list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17IVu88GVlLU04C3uitCTPHQ5Q2cB-khka_-eMJaMSCY/edit?usp=drivesdk. There are some blanks as we are awaiting the response from a number of companies. A blank does not mean that your feed company is not safe, but for legal reasons, these statements can take time and we will populate them as they become available.

In our list, Ionophore Free refers to a mill where there are no ionophores present. Ionophore Safe refers to a company that has production policies to keep equine feed separate from feed with ionophores. If your company is ionophore safe vs. free, please connect with them directly to ensure they have completely separate equipment for equine feed production and ionophore free trucks to haul bulk feed. If they do not, please make a decision about how to best reduce your horse’s risk of exposure.

The major U.S. feed companies tend to be extremely safe and have many checks and balances in place due to the volume of feed they produce. If your feed is Ionophore Safe vs. Free, do no panic, yet I advise that you follow-up with your company to get clarification on their production practices.

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9-1-24 Update:
As fate, God and all those brand new Beutler bucking horses in Heaven would have it, the lone bucking-mare survivor of the recent Beutler-horse-herd tragedy, Black Kat, just won the Elk City Rodeo of Champions…held in Beutler and Son Rodeo Company’s hometown…in Beutler Bros. Arena, which was named after founding brothers Jake, Lynn and Elra…for the second-straight year. Roedy Farrell of Thermopolis, Wyoming went 88.5 on the big black beauty for the win. Bonus points for it be a Cowboy State cowboy with all the 400,000-plus wildfire hell going on in his home country right now. We all needed something to smile about. And we got it tonight.

05/25/2024

I absolutely agree!!!

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT TEACH LATERAL FLEXION

My previous post started some debate about the use of lateral flexion in training. This has prompted me to explain my view on lateral flexion by reposting an essay I wrote in August 2022.
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Lateral flexion is one of the most common exercises taught to horses that are being started. Virtually every trainer, 90% or more, in the “Natural Horsemanship” sphere teaches it. I am one of the few trainers who won’t teach lateral flexions and discourage its practice at my clinics.

For those that don’t know what a lateral flexion is, it is when a person applies a feel to the inside rein and asks a horse to softly bend its neck around in the direction of the feel, while the horse keeps its feet absolutely still. It can be one on the ground and under saddle.

The purpose of teaching lateral flexion to a horse is to ingrain them to offer a soft lateral bend to the inside rein. From talking to trainers who teach lateral flexion to horses and riders, it is intended to teach a horse to give to the inside rein without resistance and to build strength and control. That sounds like a worthy goal, right?

So what’s my problem with teaching lateral flexion?

I have two objections.

The first objection is easy to explain and get out of the way quickly.

I have never heard a single trainer, who teaches lateral flexion, talk about the horse giving its thought to the feel of the inside rein or to be looking in the direction of the bend. Not one person! Without a change of thought, bending the neck is just a trick and avoidance of rein pressure. Nothing of significant value is learned without the horse thinking in the direction of the feel of the rein. Go to YouTube and watch videos and notice how all the talk is about how the horse bends and how light the feel is in the reins. Nothing about getting a change of thought. Even more telling, is the fact that when most riders release the inside rein, the horse instantly flips its neck straight like a spring, as if he has been just waiting for the second the rein is dropped. Anytime we ask a horse a question we should be waiting for a change of thought, not just a movement.

My second objection to teaching lateral flexion is gravely serious.

Trainers make a big deal that when performing a lateral flexion the feet should not move. I believe this is a serious mistake that makes lateral flexions damaging to how a horse operates. When asking for flexion to the inside, the thought should follow the feel, the neck should follow the feel and the inside hind foot should yield across the outside hind foot. This should occur because the inside rein inspires the horse to think to the inside and line up its body in that direction without the need for the rider’s leg to drive the hindquarters to disengage. The inside rein should connect to the entire body, not just from nose to wither.

By insisting the feet are stationary when the horse yields to the inside rein, we are teaching a horse that the rein should not connect to the hindquarters. In other words, giving to the inside rein should only go as far back as the wither and not to the whole horse. To create straightness, balance, softness, and correctness I need the inside rein to connect to the inside hind.

Without a connection to the inside hind foot, when we ask a horse to move in a circle or turn, the hindquarters will push the shoulders to the outside of the circle or turn. It creates imbalance and crookedness. We taught the horse to be crooked. Then to fix it we often apply an outside rein to block the shoulders from drifting to the outside. The outside rein blocks the shoulders, but the real cause of the problem stems from the inside rein not connecting to the hindquarters.

At the very least it causes crookedness, and we need to call on the outside rein. But in the worst case, it causes rubber-necking and we need to call an ambulance (rubber-necking is when a horse is bent say to the left, but traveling to the right). Don’t ride a horse that rubber-necks until it has been re-trained to connect the inside rein to the hindquarters.

I have asked dozens of trainers and clinicians who teach lateral flexion why they require the horse’s feet to be still. Some of these trainers are the biggest names in the business and people some of you no doubt admire and follow. Not one of them can give me a rational explanation of why the horse must stand still. Never have I heard a logical reason why you can’t teach a horse to softly bend to the inside rein while at the same time connecting the hindquarters to the inside rein. It stuns me that so far nobody has been able to explain what it is about lateral flexion that I don’t understand.

The closest it has come to an answer is that lateral flexion is setting a horse up for the one-rein stop. But this is not true because it is the disengagement of the hindquarters that sets up a horse for the one-rein stop. When a horse is having a meltdown, your best chance of gaining back control is to disengage the hindquarters as soon as possible to shut down any bucking or bolting.

I am totally in agreement that we should teach to softly give to the inside rein. I’m not in agreement with why we can’t do that and have the hindquarters softly yielding too.

What advantage is gained by having the feet standstill? What disadvantage is created by connecting the hindquarters to the inside rein? Maybe next time you attend a horsemanship clinic or have a lesson, you could ask your teacher these two questions. If you get a perfectly rational explanation, please let me know. I want to understand if I missing something.