A Glass Horse

04/14/2026

03/11/2026

“Horses regularly trained with ground work are more relaxed when ridden”

A recent study of dressage horses in Germany that looked at rein length and tension revealed a surprising finding: horses who were regularly trained in ground work/in-hand work had lower heart rates during ridden work than all of the other participating horses. This wasn’t what the researchers were investigating, but it was clear in the results. From this, the researchers concluded that, “Perhaps horses trained in ground work had more trust in their rider.”

So why would it be true that horses who regularly learn via ground work/in-hand work are more relaxed? There are a few possibilities.

1) Horses trained regularly with ground work are more relaxed because their trainers are more relaxed. It’s possible that humans who take the time to teach their horses from the ground are less goal oriented and more concerned with the process. They may be more relaxed in general and foster this same relaxation in their horses. As you are, so is your horse.

2) Horses trained regularly with ground work have trainers who are more educated about a horse’s balance.

Their horses learn to move in correct balance which allows them to be healthy and sound in their bodies and, therefore, more relaxed. Physical balance is emotional balance.

3) Horses trained regularly with ground work understand the trainer’s criteria better. They have mastered the response to an aid before the rider mounts and know the “right answer” already once under saddle. They don’t experience any conflict when the rider asks for a behavior because the neural pathway has already been installed. They are more relaxed about being ridden because it rarely has caused confusion for them.

For us highly visual humans I think that ground work is often a better way to begin exercises because we are much better at seeing our horse doing the right thing than feeling it from the saddle. Often, my feel in the saddle is enhanced by the fact that I have watched my horse perform an exercise over and over in our in-hand work. It feels how it looks. In-hand work is also a good way to teach our horses because our own bodies are often more in balance when we are walking beside our horses. With the ground under our feet we are able to be more relaxed if something goes wrong and less likely to be so busy wrapped up in our own balance that we give our horses conflicting or confusing aids. It’s a good place to figure things out. I am a huge fan of in-hand work.

I’m glad to learn research revealed ground work is good for horses. Horses with a low heart rate are relaxed and relaxed horses perform better and live longer. In this day and age of people starting horses under saddle in under an hour and increasing monetary rewards for the “young horse dressage program“, everything seems to be done in a hurry. The entire horse culture seems to privilege “getting up there and riding your horse”. But as one of my favorite writers and accomplished horsewoman, Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes, “In today’s horse culture there are clinics that brag about starting a c**t in a day, as if the quickness of it was the miracle. But old horse people know it takes years to create art. Horses as great masterpieces are not created in a day. An artist does not need to rush.” We need more scientific studies like this one to encourage us to slow down and take our time with our horses.

So why were the horses in the study more relaxed? Likely it was a combination of all three factors – a relaxed trainer, better overall balance and clear understanding of criteria.

These are things that matter to your horse, and yes, will allow him to trust you when you ride. Take some time to slow down and work from the ground, learn a bit more about equine balance and teach new things in-hand before asking for them under saddle. You can take your riding to a whole new level and help your horse become more healthy and relaxed in the process.” - by Jen of Spellbound Horses

03/11/2026

Mistakes and recovery

In order to learn, we have to develop a healthy relationship with mistakes. I often tell my students, “try your best, don’t worry about being perfect because it’s not possible.”

That’s easy for me to say, but harder for me to experience. When I’m a student, I learn so much about myself. I am put in positions where my best wasn’t enough for the moment, where I misread a horse or scenario, or just plain didn’t respond at all. It is uncomfortable to make mistakes, and even more to make those publicly.

But if we are more concerned with our own image or comfort than growth, we lose one of the most important lessons- recovery.

It is essential to be aware of the mistake to learn from it. It’s very important to be able to admit what we failed at so that we can be sure to adapt and adjust for the future. But what is harder for many to learn is how to recover - to shake it off and regroup with fresh awareness and calm.

One of the great benefits of making mistakes is to learn that it is inevitable - shoot for 100% and regroup when we meet failure. The more we practice the skill of regrouping, the better at it we can be.

Make your mistake, learn from it, and regroup: emotionally; physically, spiritually. Then get back in the pen.

03/02/2026

Come join the family!! Faubion Farms

02/19/2026

Forward Through Fear

There is more than enough in this world to make us fearful. Experiences that shake us. The struggle to find good help and real guidance when we need it most. The constant messaging that tells us if we do one thing, we cause harm—but if we do the opposite, we cause more. Over time, that noise convinces us we are never good enough, and eventually we become afraid to try at all.

But goodness is never born from fear.

Nothing that truly benefits the horse—or ourselves—comes from a fear-based place. Fear of making mistakes. Fear of stepping outside our comfort zones. Fear of learning new skills and letting go of old ones. These fears do not protect us; they shrink us. And when we shrink, we spread that contraction to others. Fear moves through others like a storm cloud, settling most heavily on the most sensitive and vulnerable.

Yes, there are risks. Yes, there is discomfort. Growth asks something of us. To be free, we must be willing to experiment, to fail, and to accept uncertainty in service of something higher. This is not blind optimism or forced positivity. It is clear-eyed awareness. Look carefully at the world as it is—see the risks, see the difficulty—and then choose to step forward anyway.

Everything beautiful and free lives on the other side of fear. But getting there is not dramatic, and it is not loud. It is built through knowledge that replaces shadows with understanding, and through steady practice—one honest step, and then another.

Forward is not reckless, it is not careless.
Forward is courage in motion.

And courage, practiced consistently, changes everything.

02/10/2026

We are now taking clients for western riding lessons! Classes are small and personal ages 6+! Openings- Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons and evenings & Sundays late morning/afternoon.
Call or text Alex 9724009027 to register.

12/14/2025

Now offering Team Building packages. These volleyball teams were a blast!

11/01/2025

If you think you understand something, you probably haven’t been in it long enough. If you’re feeling pretty good about your ability, you might not have enough guidance from someone masterful.

Learning kind of goes that way- you come in after years or even a lifetime of experience thinking you know. Then you find a teacher, if you’re lucky, who shows you all that you don’t know.

Many plummet into despair here, but hang on. You’ll feel good again, and bad again. After a while you’ll learn to just get comfortable and accept those twists and turns as normal.

If you’re feeling pretty comfortable, or even cocky, hang on - life can humble you. But if you’re feeling uncomfortable, hang on too - you’ll come up, and then back down, and back up. And if you’re dedicated to learning more than looking or feeling good, you’ll be alright.

Photo credit to Kaylie Eaves

10/03/2025

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water - zen proverb

A lot of people come looking for help for an issue with their horse. I have a solution in mind, but I often have to be creative in how I go about it if important skill sets are missing from the rider-

For example: an inverted horse struggles with transitions, popping their head up and hollowing out their back. I can give the rider tools to manage it now- but the problem will persist until the rider learns how to sit to prevent or guide the movement into a better balance through their seat. As long as the rider is bumping around like a canoe on rough waves, they will be perpetuating the problem, or at the very least unable to help.

That’s the problem with teaching: it could take a long time to create an educated seat enough to ride this particular horse. Most will get frustrated and bored and move on from this tedious and unpopular work.

But, giving an immediate fix to this problem without addressing the root perpetuates this thinking: a rider seeking a fix without looking internally and working from there.

What most riders need is hours of learning to sit tactfully and follow and absorb the horses motion. Learning to pick up their reins with tact without their seat stopping. Using their leg without gripping or scrunching. Breathing in the saddle deeply as a habit. Picking up and dropping stirrups repeatedly so you aren’t dependent on them for balance.

Who wants to do all this chopping wood and carrying water? Any serious rider devoted to the wellbeing of their horses back. But people are pretty good at mental gymnastics- it’s fun to find a program with great marketing that bypasses learning these crucial skills. Learn to lower or raise your horses head artificially and you can easily cover symptoms - push buttons, throw treats around every two feet of your arena to keep the horse moving, or whatever the program entails - and you never really have to learn to ride or problem solve.