Horse Wise

I started the Horse Wise podcast in February 0f 2019. At the time, it was just an experiment. As I look back on the year, I’m amazed at the growth of the podcast. It has become one of the key tools of the Horse Wise education program. We now have listeners in 48 states and 23 countries! I have learned so much from doing the podcast — including my own aptitude for talking endlessly about horses, ho...

The most important principles in life are often simple. They seem self-obvious and straightforward to understand. But putting them into practice isn’t always so easy. Especially when the principle involves becoming aware of how you need to change. One of the most helpful horsemanship sayings to me is the seemingly simple Ray Hunt quote: “Believe in your horse, so your horse can believe in you.” Bu...

There is a classic mistake I see most riders make when a ride doesn’t go as expected. And that is the tendency to immediately assume that 1) you suck; and 2) your horse hates you. Pretty much every horsewoman I’ve ever known has experienced the “I suck and my horse hates me” syndrome. It can be overwhelming— and involve sleepless nights, inner turmoil and complete loss of perspective. We think tha...

What's your dream horse like? Most people have specific ideas about what they want in their dream horse. They make a detailed list of qualities (like height, conformation, bloodlines, movement type, color, discipline training and so on).  For me personally, I never much believed in the idea of dream horses. The horses in my life had all crossed my path at the right time — rather than me speci...

This interview is the last of a series in honor of the Retired Racehorse Project TB Makeover event in Oct 2019. Erin Shea and I discuss the history of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (“TAA”) and the evolution of its partnership with the racing industry. TAA accredits charities that provide assistance to off-track TBs throughout the US. Due to their rigorous accreditation process, TAA lite...

This interview is part of a series in honor of the Retired Racehorse Project TB Makeover event in Oct 2019. Erin Crady and I have a fascinating discussion about the evolution of Thoroughbred aftercare and TCA’s role in the industry. TCA’s history literally began in a living room (a very nice living room at CandyLand Farm) over thirty years ago. Since then, TCA has has provided over $23M grants to...

Confused about what to do with your horse next? I focus on certain core fundamentals — none of which involve fancy bits, complicated training methods or “woo woo” magic. They are discipline neutral and can be applied to any breed of horse. They aren’t even my own patented technique or anything silly like that (I promise you, I will never be selling monogrammed halters or specially designed magic w...

This interview is the first of a series in honor of the upcoming Retired Racehorse Project TB Makeover event in Oct 2019. Sarah Coleman and I have an entertaining talk about racehorse adoption, horse show swag, cat herding techniques and the importance of the color pink. We also discuss the importance of education in the horse world – and how both New Vocations and Horse Wise focus on education as...

This interview was full of great information and much laughter! Dr. Jyme Nichols and I have a fascinating discussion on equine nutrition breakthroughs and the parallels to new theories for human nutrition. Issues such as leaky gut, ulcers, inflammation and metabolic disorders have surprising connections in both horses and humans. Dr. Nichols is an ARPAS certified Professional Animal Scientist (PAS...

Jennifer Holme is a dedicated dressage rider and Horse Wise client. She has two wonderful geldings (Teddy and Jade) who are truly her dream horses. An adult amateur, Jennifer learned to ride as a child. But after a fall, she put aside horses to focus on dance, college and adulthood. Twenty years later, a lesson at a hunter/jumper barn led her back to horses. She hasn’t looked back since. Her journ...

Shadow Warrior was a handsome, well-bred Thoroughbred gelding. His sire, A.P. Indy, was a huge personality at the track. Even now, at age 30, A.P. Indy still has swagger (see link below to his 30th birthday video). Shadow had his father’s good looks, competitive fire and epic presence. Born in 2008, he raced 83 times and retired at age 9. Shadow ended his career in Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Mar...

For me, Horse Wise began in 2007. Back then, I was running a racehorse adoption ranch and blogging about my experiences. Whenever I would write about a key lesson that a horse taught me, I would tag the post as “Horse Wise.” From that beginning, Horse Wise has evolved into a coaching and teaching service for people and horses. My history with horses started with learn...

A pretty mare was performing badly in a cow working class. She was anxious about making a mistake and didn’t want to let her cowboy rider down. But it seemed like she always did, no matter how hard she tried. The cowboy was frustrated with the mare and wondered why she was so untalented. She had a stellar cutting horse pedigree and ideal conformation for the sport. While he was a good rider and al...

Jessica and Blaze were a good team. A seasoned professional horse trainer and competitor, Jessica had worked with many green horses. Blaze, a young OTTB, was her latest training project. He had been one of the calmest horses she had ever worked with. But then “all of a sudden” Blaze began to rear in his training sessions. What was going on? After watching Jessica and Blaze work together for ten mi...

Many years ago, I played extremely low goal polo. My small budget (and dismal lack of hitting skills) limited me to an inexpensive practice membership at a local club. Each week, I would play practice chukkers with my duo of polo ponies (Pepe and Presidente). I was known on the field for always missing the ball (seriously) — and for my enthusiastic defensive plays. One summer, I got the chance to...

When working with horses. it often can be hard to see the difference between technique and approach/tone. Most people understandably will focus on mechanics rather than presentation. But horses respond as much (or more) to tone as they do to technique. Each horse is different in how they learn (just like people). It’s important to understand what an individual horse needs — so you can then adapt y...

When I first started a racehorse adoption charity (LOPE), I was a complete novice at running a farm or training green horses. Did this stop me? No, that would have been too easy. Instead I cheerfully plunged ahead, oblivious to potential downsides of my inexperience. While my open-mindedness and optimism were terrific traits, I did end up learning many things the hard way. Like the importance of a...

Cassie and her mare Sasha are both teenagers (age 16 and 17 respectively).They’ve been a team for six years (Sasha was Cassie’s 10th birthday present). Together, they have accomplished much in the show world (including US Pony Club Finals and US Dressage Championships). But their biggest challenge was their quest for USDF Bronze, a journey that brought many twists and turns. In 2018, Cassie was wi...

Dr. Matt Evans DVM is an equine vet, stand-up comic, landscape painter, master gardener and all-around Renaissance man. He decided to become an equine vet even though he had no experience with horses prior to vet school. Matt doesn’t let details like that get in the way of bold career moves. In addition to being a partner at Austin Equine Hospital and pursuing multiple creative endeavors (like par...

My horse Santo is big, sweet QH with a heart of gold. He also is a very emotional kind of guy. Santo has LOTS of feelings that he wants to share with everyone, all the time. He had some dressage training (not a massive amount, but much more than I had as a rider). One year, I came to realize that both Santo and I needed to concentrate on foundation work together. So I took Santo to a clinic with P...

Penny Reeves is the owner of Graymar Farm in Driftwood, TX.  In this second part of her interview, Penny discusses the importance of horsemanship over show scores. For her, the horse is an individual to be treated as a partner -- both in the show pen and at home. Please see the first part of her interview in the  Horse Wise episode titled The Never Ended Evolution of a Horse Crazy Kid. P...

Penny Reeves is the owner of Graymar Farm in Driftwood, TX. She acquired her first horse in fourth grade (a green broke Tennessee Walker purchased with money she saved). As an adult, she put horses aside to become a parent and grown-up. When her children became interested in horses, Penny (literally) jumped into her first ever formal riding lessons. From there, two horses named Pinto Bean and Stra...

Tulsa Mambo was an opinionated racehorse with a big personality. He was the first horse I ever met who had a truly sarcastic sense of humor. But underneath that prankster facade, Tulsa had a heart of gold - as well as a heroic sense of chivalry. He first came into my life in 2003, when he joined the LOPE racehorse adoption ranch. Tulsa was the first ever "warhorse" to come to our program. War...