Big Dark Horse Development

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Big Dark Horse Development 🐴 Creating confident horses & wilder humans
🐴 Helping riders develop their horses
🐴 Documenting my horse’s starts & restarts
⬇️ Stay & train with us

10/14/2026

I don’t really like teaching riding lessons. I like building partnerships.

I want you to have a horse that feels not just willing, but eager. Who takes you to the other side of a fence even if you screwed up in front of it. Who trusts you enough to try something new, just because you asked. Who you can ride at the buckle in an unfamiliar place, in open terrain. Who wants to be with you.

The equestrian world focuses a little bit too much on riding sometimes.

Let’s start with understanding.

Come stay and train with us in Austin, TX. It’s like horsemanship bootcamp for grown ups. Link in bio.

10/10/2026

When people get in debates about what age to start a horse, it usually feels like there is an underlying presumption that, once “started,” the horse is going straight into physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding work.

And that could certainly be true. Some horses are sold from breeding programs as weanlings or as three year olds with 90 days on them or so, and the new owner/trainer may have new expectations at that point.

But many of the trainers out there actually starting horses are working in a much more gradual way. Especially if you are starting a horse yourself, for yourself, you can progress in a way that is almost imperceptible.

It can be a slow process of exposing them to the things they are going to see and feel in their lives. And even once you sit on them, it’s just a conversation - it’s not about getting “through” walk/trot/canter and starting to jump stuff as fast as possible.

The clips in this video are of Cruella’s first-ever times trotting with me while ponied. She’ll get much softer in that upward transition over time, but I’m extremely proud of the effort she’s making and the understanding she already has to stick by me, slow down when I slow down, and stop when I stop.

By doing this, she’s already having the experience of me being above her while we travel forward together, and starting to form a concept of the things we could do together out riding.

Working with young or green horses takes knowledge, experience, and mentorship. If it’s a dream of yours, come stay and train with us in Austin, TX for an immersive training experience. Link in bio.

10/07/2026

Is there such a thing as too many horses?

10/06/2026

I like to let my horses live a bit on the feral side 😊 - they live in turnout and I try to not over-wash or over-groom, beyond making sure they are comfortable any cuts and scrapes stay clean.

But when Cruella was born almost pure white, with that really sensitive, pink, baby skin - I’ve had to learn some things.

As a human with wavy hair, I figured out a long time ago that avoiding sulfates in my shampoos makes a big difference. I normally use purple shampoo to help get the stains off her - but I recently noticed how dry the skin on my hands is after using it (even when diluted).

I decided to try The Gilded Paddock (The Gilded Paddock) because it’s free of all the stuff I avoid putting in my own hair - no sulfates, parabens, silicones, etc.

I also like that it’s made by an actual equestrian woman who had the right skillset to create something like this, and turned entrepreneur.

The Clarify shampoo works BETTER to remove stains on Cruella’s coat than the purple shampoo (and I don’t have to spend 20 minutes standing there rinsing the purple out, either 🤣).

The mane and tail stains are harder - but I saw an huge improvement after the first wash, and I hardly even cared because the change in the look and feel of her hair was so dramatic.

Before using the Clarify shampoo, Shimmer moisturizer, and Glisten spray, her hair looked honestly nasty and the skin on the dock of her tail looked… itchy. Afterwards all the buildup was gone, her hair looked smooth and healthy instead of ready to break and split, and her skin (and my hands!) felt so soft and moisturized.

I love this stuff 🧡

10/04/2026

I am raising Cruella from birth as my next “everything” horse - with specific focus on eventing.

At 17 months old, she is too young to ride - but they are never too young to begin learning about the world. Horses are full-faculty learners at birth - which means she was just as capable of learning new concepts on the day she was born as any of my older horses (albeit with a shorter attention span 😊).

Cruella lives most of her life turned out in a herd, munching free-choice forage, playing with her mom and her friends. But I try to do a little something with her most days - usually in 15-20 minute sessions, to slowly introduce her to the things she’ll see throughout her life and build her understanding and confidence.

These are the key prerequisites we have worked on (and continue refining!) to prepare for getting off property:

🐴 follow the feeling of the halter - even if you get worried
🐴 rewarding curiosity, thinking, breathing, relaxation when encountering something new or scary (we’re going to see lots of new things off-property!)
🐴 the trailer is a mobile stall with yummy snacks; don’t fear it
🐴 stand tied, and/or confined in the trailer, with patience
🐴 wear a ba****ck pad with confidence (she’ll eventually be my snack carrier and wear saddle bags on the trail)
🐴 follow me at liberty and ponied while I ride my confident, older horse at home in the pastures
🐴 and of course, all the foundational fields (move backwards, forwards, sideways from HQ, FH, or together)

Follow along to see how her first trailer ride and off-property experiences go, and how we build to her following along with me play liberty or ponied on the trails.

If you’re interested in learning to work with young or green horses, or dealing with a behavioral issue around trailer loading or riding off-property, consider coming to stay and train with us in Austin, Texas. We offer private residency programs from three nights to two weeks, for deep, focused development tailored to your situation. Link in bio.

09/25/2026

When I bought a pregnant mare a year and a half ago, I had no idea what was about to happen.

I love training young horses but Cruella is the first one I’m raising from birth.

I always dreamt of doing this and believed it would be a peak life experience for me. It’s pretty crazy to think that my expectations were that high, and the experience still absolutely shattered them.

I’m obviously a little biased 😁😇, but I think Cruella is a very special horse. The way she’s wired, plus the emergency circumstances of her first 24 hours created a bond that’s not quite like anything I’ve had with another animal. And I live on a farm with horses, cats, and dogs - I consider myself queen of the animals 😊.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have a foal born, Cruella’s full birth story is available on YouTube (link in bio).

I’m enjoying every moment of her life as a foal, now a yearling, and soon a young horse. And I also can’t wait to see who she’s going to be as a grown up one day 🥹🥹

09/22/2026

Energy is the language horses speak.

You can get away with a surprising lack of technical knowledge, if you get your energy right.

You could also have all the technical knowledge in the world and still struggle, if you haven’t mastered your energy.

And you can’t fake it. That’s what draws us to horses. They see the truth, and they reflect it back.

It’s popular on social media right now to say that you can train a horse without ever letting them experience emotional discomfort. I don’t think any living being can even experience life without discomfort, let alone pursue a sport or excellence of any kind.

And we forget for some reason: we are meant to experience discomfort. Humans and horses are meant to experience a full range of emotions, not to live in a perpetual state of placid calm. How boring.

I repeat to myself, “Don’t steal their capability.” It’s a phrase I learned from Dr. Becky Kennedy (a parenting expert with a company and book called Good Inside - whose ideas often translate very well to horsemanship).

My older brother was born fearless - and I was fearful. For some reason, he was obsessed with transferring his experience of the world to me. He taught me to do backflips on a trampoline, forced me onto rollercoasters, dragged me into a cold ocean with big waves. There is hardly anything I’m more grateful for in my entire life.

Your horse needs your love, your kindness, your judgment about how to keep them safe. They also need your leadership.

Address

Georgetown, TX
78626, 78627, 78628, 78633

Telephone

+13134107813

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