What does "Anywhere From Here Foundation Horsemanship" mean? 

• It means a solid foundation of suppleness and responsiveness that is the basis for any discipline you want to go into, whether it's Western Pleasure, Reining, Dressage, Trail Riding, Speed Events, Cow work or whatever you want to do. 
• It means a horse that follows your feel through your seat, your legs and your hands, with your hands doing the least amount of work. 

It means a horse that trusts and respects your directions and won't lock up or quit on you when the chips are down.

Contact me for a schedule of events, or if you have interest in hosting a clinic in your area.  I bring quality horsemanship to you at VALUE prices! $80 to ride, $20 audit fee.

June 14 - Trail Riding Clinic, learn how to safely negotiate obstacles from the ground and the saddle!  Limited spaces still available!! Fischer's Arena, Sioux City, IA

Points of Interest

Learn to read your horse, feel his response and adjust your timing to the horse

• Be where the horse is, not where you think you want to be, keep your eye on the goal but pitch the agenda

• Many things people regard as "problems" are symptoms of holes in the horse's training or a lack of trust and communication. Treating the symptom rarely fixes the problem

• Reward the slightest try, watch for the blinking eye, the breathing tempo, all of this changes before the licking and chewing.  Progress comes in baby steps not leaps and bounds.

• Where you release, teaches. Be aware of what the horse is doing, and time the release to come right before the horse's correct action.  If you don't release pressure, they'll never know when they are doing something right. Release on the brace and you teach them to brace

• Learn to pick your cue up again before your horse loses momentum.  Keep the "life in the feet."

• Slow and correct is better than fast and wrong and will eventually lead to faster and better, this is why the clinic is performed walking and trotting

• It's not the tool or the technique that you use. What's matters is HOW you use them

• Don't drill your horse on what the horse thinks are meaningless activities, change things up, use your imagination. It will make things a lot more fun for both of you

• Check your own emotional attitude. Are you bringing fear or anger to the party?  Are you reading your own emotions into your horse?  Don't label your horse.

• Don't take your horse for granted, warm up your broke horse, read your colt

• Live in the present, there's nothing you can do about the past, five minutes or five months ago, be active not reactive.

• Ride the horse that shows up - check your horse's mental and emotional state and go from there, again, be where the horse is, not where you think he should be

• Forward motion is your friend, never punish the horse for wanting to move forward, use and redirect the energy to make it work for you

• True collection starts with a soft feel, start slow and build up, teach the horse to drive from the hind, not pull  himself along in front.

• Build your confidence to build your horse's confidence. Don't be afraid to solve your problems on the ground so that they don't get out of hand in the saddle

• Have a plan before you get started. What's the difference between  a plan and an agenda. The plan is where you WANT to go, you may have to adjust, get creative and back up steps before you get there. It might not even happen that day. Agenda is being attached to a certain goal, and blowing past the horse's (or your) thresholds to get there.  Sometimes the plan is just what is your attitude going to be, today.

• Don't forget the physical. Chronic problems are often caused by pain and discomfort, make sure teeth, feet, back and joints are pain free and that your tack is appropriate and fits well.