Savage Performance Horses

02/01/2026

💯

Unpopular opinion (but I’ll say it anyway):
A lot of modern horse care has crossed the line from good horsemanship into straight-up overmanagement.
Somewhere along the way, horses stopped being animals and started being treated like fragile glass antiques.
We track every step with an app.
We panic over a single off stride.
We throw supplements at problems that haven’t even shown up yet.
We restrict turnout, limit movement, and then act shocked when horses are stiff, anxious, ulcered, or unsound.
Horses are designed to MOVE.
They’re built to live outside.
They’re meant to experience weather, uneven ground, herd dynamics, and daily miles—not 2 hours in a stall, 30 minutes of arena work, and then back into a padded box.
Yes, good nutrition matters.
Yes, veterinary care matters.
Yes, farriers, dentists, and body workers all have their place.
But “doing everything” isn’t the same as doing what’s RIGHT.
Constant blanketing weakens their natural ability to regulate temperature.
Overbooting and overwrapping hides issues instead of fixing them.
Excessive supplements often mask management problems like lack of turnout or poor forage.
And hovering over every little thing teaches the horse to be tense because the handler is tense.
The hardest, soundest, longest-lasting horses aren’t the ones raised in sterile, controlled environments.
They’re the ones that: • Live outside most of the time
• Walk miles every day without being forced
• Develop bone, tendon, and hoof strength naturally
• Learn how to exist in the world instead of being shielded from it
A horse that never gets uncomfortable never gets resilient.
Let them sweat.
Let them roll.
Let them get wet, cold, hot, muddy, and dusty.
Let them navigate pecking orders and terrain.
Stop trying to outsmart nature.
Good horsemanship isn’t about how much money you spend or how many products you use — it’s about understanding what a horse actually needs to thrive.
If that ruffles feathers… good.
The horses will thank you.

01/10/2026

❣️

Grateful for the little things ✨🐴

12/25/2025

💯

Good c**t starters are getting harder to find — and that should worry people.

The horse industry is on fire right now. Incentives are growing, big shows are packed, and everyone wants a broke, confident young horse ready to go.

What’s in short supply?
Horsemen who can start one right.

C**t starting isn’t a quick tune-up or a 30-day flip. The foundation and first few rides shape how a horse thinks for the rest of its life. Rush it, cheap out, or put it in the wrong hands, and you’ll spend years trying to fix it — if you ever can.

Every c**t learns differently. Some figure it out quick, others need time. That’s not weakness — that’s horsemanship. The good ones adjust instead of forcing a timeline.

If the c**t starter you want is booked solid, that’s not a problem — that’s a sign. Ask who they trust and wait your turn if you have to. Settling almost always costs more.

Start them when they’re ready. Keep the rides short, clear, and intentional. Give them 90–120 days if you want something that lasts.

And here’s the part people don’t like hearing:
Pay your c**t starter. Pay them well.
It’s not expensive — it’s insurance.

Because those first rides don’t just make a horse — they decide its future.
Credit to Kissing Horse Ranch **tstarting

12/21/2025

❣️

I’ll always choose the barn.
Not because it’s easy.
Not because it fits neatly into a busy life.
But because it’s the one place that has always felt honest to me.

The barn doesn’t ask me to be anything
other than who I am in that moment.
It doesn’t care how productive my day was,
how put together I look,
or how heavy my heart feels.

It just lets me arrive as I am.

When life feels loud,
the barn feels steady.
When the world pulls me in a hundred directions,
the barn pulls me back to myself.

There’s something about the rhythm of it all—
the feeding,
the brushing,
the quiet chores done without rushing—
that reminds me life doesn’t have to move so fast
to be meaningful.

I’ll always choose the barn
because it teaches me patience
when I want control,
softness
when I’m tempted to harden,
and presence
when my mind wants to live everywhere but here.

The barn has held me
through becoming.
Through joy.
Through heartbreak.
Through seasons when I wasn’t sure
who I was anymore.

It has never asked for explanations.
It has never rushed my healing.
It has simply offered space—
space to breathe,
to feel,
to remember what matters.

I’ll always choose the barn
because horses don’t just take up space in my life—
they shape the way I live it.
They teach me to listen more than I speak.
To lead with intention.
To trust slowly and love deeply.

The barn reminds me
that strength doesn’t have to be loud.
That peace can be quiet.
That joy can live in the simplest moments—
a soft nicker,
a warm breath,
the sound of hooves on dirt at the end of the day.

I know this life isn’t for everyone.
The early mornings.
The dirt under your nails.
The sacrifices no one sees.

But for those of us who understand…
the barn isn’t just a place.
It’s a feeling.
A refuge.
A home.

So yes—
when given the choice,
I’ll always choose the barn.

Because it’s where my heart feels most like itself.

Is the barn your go-to place?

12/18/2025

❣️

🐴 Non-horse people just don't understand....although, I wish they could.

12/11/2025

❄️

Truth: The horse possesses a highly effective 🌡 thermoregulation system. Piloerection gives the horse’s hair coat the ability to stand up, lay down and change direction via hair erector muscles trapping warm air and creating an insulating layer. Blanketing prevents this ability and if applied long term can cause hair erector muscles to atrophy. Any muscle can atrophy without exercising for a period of time.

𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤:
❄Extreme cold.
❄Underweight, older, or compromised individuals.
❄If appropriate shelter from wind and precipitation is not available.
❄Shivering.
If required, provide a variety of thicknesses appropriate for the current weather. Be mindful of the fact that they can’t take it off if they get hot or change into a warmer blanket if they get cold and that the entire body heats up or cools down. ​

​​Allow your herd to live and eat together full time. Doing so promotes🏇 movement and provides the psychological and physical comforts 😊 of a herd animal. Hierarchy will always exist, but the majority of time aggressive 😡 behavior is associated with food aggression. If free choice forage 🌱 is available, the intensity of dominant combative behavior typically subsides.

​Avoid using 💡 artificial lighting, which discourages the growth of a full winter coat. A horse’s hair coat changes twice a year. Sensors in the horse’s skin react to the duration of ☀ light and 🌙dark hours. The horse will start to grow their winter coat after the summer solstice as days shorten and will start to grow their summer coat after the winter solstice as days get longer.

Stalls can be colder than being outside. The ❄ coldest time of day is just before the sun rises and when it does, a stalled horse remains standing - in the shade! Being outside gives them the ability to move and bask in the ☀ sun to warm up.

Offer appropriate shelter 24/7 that they can 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. A three-sided shed or stall will ensure protection from the wind and gives them the ability to stay dry. With these options available, they have a choice of where they are most comfortable. It alleviates the task of moving horses from one enclosure to another depending on weather conditions.

​Avoid bathing, which removes the natural oils in their coat that help to protect their skin from getting wet. A healthy diet, parasite control and sufficient healthy omegas produce glowing hair coats that don't look dull while retaining the natural oils on the skin and hair that repel dust and water. Win - win, no need to bathe!

Discover other common misconceptions about the cold and how to stoke internal body heat 🌡while providing a healthier, natural lifestyle for your herd. 👉 https://www.thehaypillow.com/blogs/news/keeping-horses-warm-naturally-internally-and-externally

12/07/2025

This baby 😍

12/07/2025

This!

Why I Don't Sell Horses

After yesterday's post about why I dont train for the public anymore, which is apparently a hot topic with over 100k views and counting, lets dig into another one.

A really nice lady recently asked me why I dont sell many horses, especially in the current horse market. My answer was, because the upside is not worth the down side to me.

There are two very big reasons for me and they aren't related. Here is the long and the short of the first reason. Most people refuse to hold themselves accountable. We all know of sellers that do not accurately represent horses for sale and then don't stand behind what they say.
Yes, horses have been drugged etc. But at the same time, do buyers accurately and honesty represent themselves?

I am so sick of hearing people blame a seller saying that, after a couple of months, the horse "has changed." Why did it change? Is there a chance that your horsemanship allowed it? Is there a chance that your leadership, or lack of, is causing the change?

And because the easier answer is to accuse the worst and pass blame on someone else than it is to take accountability. That is what most will do, and then to make matters worse, then go buy another horse and repeat the scenario. Now, if anyone is offended, on either side of what I have said, there are exceptions to most every rule, but at the same time lets go through life with some humility. After all, this should be about the horse.

Now, the second reason is much simpler, in short, I get attached. And then at the same time I can't bear the thought of having a horse go through what I just described.

I am not saying that others should do what I do. The industry must have people both selling and buying for it all to work. So lets honestly represent what we are, what we are selling, and take some accountability. And stop with the greed and put the horse first. Yes, I am aware that will never happen.

Pc Tracey Buyce Photography

10/10/2025

TC A Perfect Weedo. SSF Futurity winner out of 34 filly’s 🩷