Twin Oak Training Stable, LLC

03/31/2026

"Let the horse own the maneuver.”

I say this a lot… 🤪
but what does it actually mean?

It means the horse isn’t just going through the motions because you’re holding them there.

It means:
They carry it… not you.
They stay in it… without being micromanaged.
They understand it… instead of just reacting to pressure.

If you have to constantly hold their face, push every stride, or fix every step… they don’t own it yet you do.

And that’s where so many people get stuck.
Myself included.

Because real training isn’t about making a maneuver happen…it’s about teaching the horse how to find it, hold it, and believe in it on their own.

That’s where softness shows up.
That’s where consistency comes from.
That’s where trust is built.

You’ll feel it when it happens
everything gets quieter… lighter… more honest.

And suddenly you’re not riding every step anymore… you’re just guiding something the horse now understands.

I used to chase the look. The headset. The frame.
The picture that everyone says is “correct.”
And a lot of times… it did look good.

But if I’m honest?

It looked good because I was micromanaging every step.

Holding them together. Fixing every stride.
Keeping their face where I wanted it instead of teaching their body how to get there.

And the moment I let go… it would fall apart. That’s when it hit me... That wasn’t understanding.... That was control....

Now I don’t chase the look anymore.
I chase the why behind it.

I want the horse to:
✔️ Carry themselves
✔️ Stay soft without being held
✔️ Understand where their feet belong
✔️ Respond from feel, not force

Because when they truly understands…
It stays & that changes everything.

The headset becomes a result… not a goal.
The softness becomes real… not manufactured.
The consistency shows up… without you forcing it.

It might not look as “pretty” in the beginning
but it’s honest. And I’ll take honest over artificial every single time. In life and with horses.

I don't want them to look good for a moment…I want to build something that holds up when it actually matters. Because when a horse truly owns a maneuver…that’s when it becomes real.

Every day I learn and grow to be better than I was yesterday. I’m not where I want to be yet… but every day gets better when I focus on my horse and what feels right not what looks good.

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“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7

🌟Remember:

It’s easy to get caught up in what looks good.

The polished picture.
The perfect performance.
The image that gets approval.

But God isn’t looking at any of that.

He’s looking deeper at your intentions, your integrity, your effort when no one is watching.

Because both in life and in horsemanship the heart of it matters most.

Happy Monday Friends 🌟

08/30/2024

"I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can't have both. Not at the same time." — Brene Brown

07/17/2024

"You need to notice the horse making changes for the better. Expression is extremely important. The horse has body expression and mental expression. You must learn to read the horse's expression." - Ray Hunt

02/08/2024

I used to get so nervous before shows that I couldn't sleep the night before! This is so true!

As we enter Horse Show Season we can all use this as a reminder:

1. Horses don’t get broke at home. Be brave and enter! … or haul and ride!

2. EVERY disappointment at the show is a learning opportunity … be humble, be open to change.

3. Everyone gets nervous. Everyone has bad days. Everyone makes mistakes. Literally: EVERYONE!

4. Don’t watch others in the warmup ring and start changing what you have been doing - if you see something cool or you want to step up your game that’s homework for after the show!

5. When we run out of knowledge, we often punish our horses. Seek help instead.

6. Be a competitor! But be a horseman first. There is always someone watching who sees you as a role model.

7. Supporting your fellow competitors and engaging with people will enrich your show life.

8. Know the rules of competition! Make sure your attire and tack is legal. Read the rule book, ask questions and be well prepared.

9. Have FUN, don’t sweat the small stuff!

Credit:- Julia Keil Quibell

11/23/2023

11/15/2023

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.

(Shared from Brittnee Woodward-Whitehead)

10/14/2023

Every time you are around a horse you are training it.

You’re not just training your horses when you are dedicating time to work with them to improve them, you are training your horses to have good or bad behavior every single time you are around them. When you’re out feeding? Training. When you’re in the pasture picking rocks? Training. Any time that you are in the same area as your horses you are training them.

A lot of bad habits can be resolved in a horse if you just take the time to notice and correct it anytime you are around your horses. For example I have a mare (Fillinic) that I had bought back. Fillinic had not only become hard to catch, but she was downright dangerous to catch. S much so that I would only allow my husband or I to go and catch horses because she had became a liability to injure somebody as she would not only run away from people at top speed, but she would not hesitate to run somebody over to get away. Now Fillinic within a few weeks has become easy and gentle to catch. I would fell completely comfortable sending a child out to grab her from pasture. How did I fix this?

I didn’t spend hours running her in circles in a round pen, I didn’t make her run and work until she faced up with me, I didn’t chase her for hours on end until she let me catch her. I simply recognized avoidant behavior with her while I was around her and corrected it then and there. If I went to catch another horse and she went and hid behind another horse, I caught her instead. If I went into the pasture and she walked away to the other end, I followed her, made her stop, face up, and then I walked away. Simply taking a few minutes here and there when your horse shows avoidant behavior can turn the hardest to catch horses into a horse that not only is easy to catch, but checks in with you when you are present.

So you can see how ignoring avoidant behavior in a horse when you are in the pasture can train them to either have good or bad behavior for the future? Allowing a horse to paw while standing tied, a horse crowding you while you are carrying hay or a feed bucket, a horse showing avoidance, all those things ignored is training your horse to establish bad behavior. Noticing these seemingly minor behaviors and correcting them can resolve a lot of issues from arising or already established bad behavior.

10/14/2023

I’ve been walking for almost 30 years, but that means nothing for those who know how to dance.

I’ve been speaking for almost 30 years, but it means nothing to those who speak a different language.

Your 50 years riding experience means nothing when you’ve only learned to sit on the back of a horse.

I’ve seen people who have been riding for 5 only years become a better horseman than people who have been riding their entire lives all because they wanted to learn how a horses mind and body works. When you strive to learn the “why” beyond the “that’s just how it is” with horses you can will learn so much beyond the basics of stop, go, left right. You will turn walking into dancing, English into French, and riding into horsemanship.

Your 50 years riding experience means nothing when you use it as an excuse to never learn to dance and only have walked.

10/14/2023

I’ve been reading my book by Bret Davis called “the started Colt” (if you haven’t gotten the opportunity to read it I highly recommend it). I’m one of the first chapters Mr Davis said
“There is no great feat in being carried by a horse.”

Which immediately caught my attention, and then was followed by

“To ride a horse with specific intent with regard to space and time requires a set of skills. One must choose to hone the skills required to ride and train a horse; the choice is an expression of self, an expression of the way one wants to be and wants to be seen and, therefore, is an art. To be a horseman is to practice an art. It has been said by master horsemen that anything beautiful cannot be forced: a dancer, a painting, or a horse. The movement of a fine-finished horse, like a symphony begins in the mind of the artist and is built piece by piece, nore by note, footfall by footfall, until it is a thing of its own, no longe belonging to the horse or the horseman but to art and the practice of perfection. A horse that has been trained by art moves by art and seeks to create art himself.”

I have been having a lot of deep discussions of horsemanship philosophy with quite a few like minded horseman lately. One of the discussions was along these lines Mr. Davis dives into right away. My explanation was at a lack of eloquence that what makes a great horseman is not the ability solely to ride out the rank ones, but the one that takes that horse and makes them great in themselves. To create a horse that seeks to create art themselves is what makes a great horseman. This is a discussion I’ve had with many of men who have done their fair share of riding the rough off rank colts. To me being able to “ride the hair off one” may make you a great cowboy, but if you don’t go past ridin that rough and turning it into artwork it makes you a mediocre horseman at best. Being a cowboy is one thing, being a horseman is another.

As Mr. Davis puts it “riding a horse is a expression of ones self” that expression of how you handle the horses and how you progress them really shows a lot about a man. Are you a master horseman? Or a master broc stomper? Which way do you choose to express yourself.