Fine Print Farms

05/30/2026

Do you need to have a relationship with a horse before you can accomplish anything?

This is a concept that has a lot of people twisted up, and preventing them from really helping their horses.

Just hear me out before you get all excited one way or another.

I’ve worked with lots of very, very troubled horses. For many years, I was the end of the road. My barn was full of inmates from death row, so to speak. Horses who were frustrated, unsound, upset and just upside down. Those horses don’t come in a position to be anyone’s friend, and trying to push the subject is a great way to get shanked, robbed, or just straight out scare them away. It’s too intense too fast for these guys so just chill 😉 (spoiler alert, these did become my very very good friends, and we developed a good relationship, but later)

What they DO need asap is breathing room. They need structure they can rely on - for my training program, it was a herd that was balanced (emphasis on balanced !! Not just a group of horse) and time to learn to integrate with them. They learned so much about peace by learning how to fit into the herd and quite frankly what was and what was not acceptable behavior to other horses. Nobody teaches that better than other horses.

They need to know what to expect from you. That you aren’t mushy gushy, patient as a saint as long as things go your way but the other shoe drops when you’re scared, frustrated etc. That you don’t bounce when they sq**rt off a little too fast or grab their face. That you can direct them earnestly and honestly.

A new horse to you is learning your life and your language. I don’t know if you’ve ever lived in another country, but it takes time to understand everything, let alone make friends. Making friends is something you can do when you feel safe. People can try to befriend you, which is great - but you can’t BE friends til you understand their intentions and meanings.

Then we have to PROVIDE for them. Not just stare at them lovingly or sit next to them which is too much for many horses. They need their balance needs met too- how are they moving and do they feell ok doing It? They don’t always love every part of this if they’re very stiff or scared or worried from prior pain - there’s an art here to know how to keep the brain feeling safe as you change the balance.

Relationships are very important. I have developed over time some very deep, and very important relationships with my horses. But they didn’t start out wanting to be my best friend. Some of them were very, very troubled. And first we have to create some security in what to expect, and then, provide, and THEN relationship can develop organically.

Relationship is not something you make happen by being gushy and just waiting. You provide the ingredients and assemble them over time, and the other party decides when to meet you - in THEIR time

Photo by Caitlin Hatch

05/29/2026

05/28/2026

05/22/2026

Needing to fill 2 more spots on this clinic!

05/21/2026

Learning to ride isn't a straight line. It never was.

If you've ever felt like you were getting worse just when you thought you were getting better, this one is for you.

Learning any complex skill - and riding is one of the most complex there is - doesn't follow a smooth upward path. It feels more like a rollercoaster. And understanding why that is changes everything about how you experience the process.

When you start learning something new, it's hard. Your brain and body are working flat out just to process what's being asked of them. Gradually, with repetition and time, it starts to click. Things that felt impossible begin to feel possible. You find your trajectory and progress feels real.

And then you plateau.

This is not a problem. This is the point.

That plateau is where the skill embeds itself properly. Where what you've learned stops being something you have to think about and starts becoming something you just do. Staying in that place for a while - consolidating before moving on - is not stagnation. It's the foundation for everything that comes next. Think of each point of consolidation as a gatekeeper - building a buffer around your progress so that if you have a wobble further down the line, you won't go all the way back to the beginning. You'll only ever regress to your last point of embedding.

This is also why rushing that process works against you. Ask too much too soon and the nervous system doesn't just struggle - it pulls back. The comfort zone shrinks rather than grows. And what felt like a shortcut becomes a much longer road.
Then we ask something new of you. And for a while, it feels like you've gone backwards.

You haven't.

Nobody learns a new skill without getting it wrong first. That's not a detour from the process - it is the process. You're gathering information. Working out what works and what doesn't. Your brain is doing exactly what it's supposed to do, it just doesn't feel that way from the inside.

This is why we don't rush progression. Not because we don't believe in you. Because we understand what learning actually looks like - and we'd rather you embed something properly than move on before you're ready and spend twice as long unpicking it later.

The rollercoaster isn't a sign something is wrong. It's a sign something is happening.

05/20/2026

My super awesome friend makes this and it’s awesome!

Maggie’s Essentials Mane & Tail Oil is now officially being produced and stocked in BULK.

Honestly, the reviews have blown me away. From:
✨ “It made my horse’s hair nicer than my salon hair.”
✨ “His tail grew inches in just a couple months.”
✨ to multiple people now using it on their OWN hair because they love it that much.

This lightweight oil was made to condition, soften, detangle, add shine, and support healthy hair growth — without feeling greasy, sticky, or attracting dust.

I finally invested into larger inventory and production so I can keep it in stock and ready to ship. Thank you all so much for the support, reposts, reviews, and messages. Watching this little product grow because people genuinely LOVE it has been pretty incredible.

With the bad weather this week keeping me inside more, I’m also planning the FIRST large release of a brand new Maggie’s Essentials product too 👀

Available now 🖤
Message to order.

05/20/2026

THIS

All behavior is communication…this is true

But we have to decide where to draw the line

In the same way that people yelling, hitting, or abusing each other is communication, and speaks to an unmet need, we don’t have to allow ourselves to be harmed.

We often look at them as signs of pain, and often they can be but - Many of these behaviors come from a lack of structure - people and animals both learn to get their needs met through deregulated behaviors. It’s an important foundational piece missing- someone failed them in their education.

Abuse is often looked at as an active harming of a horse - physically harming the horse etc

But another, more prevalent form of abuse is depriving the horse of structure, limits and education in the quest to make ourselves feel good, to feel like the horse’s friend above actually helping them.

In the quest for connection, many people misunderstand a horse’s needs and produce a frustrated horse who becomes dangerous.

Connecting with the horse should never produce more dangerous encounters between horse and human- this is a huge misconception.

A horse is a horse, born for movement and structure-

If we can’t provide either, we have to seriously reconsider our relationship with horses