Take the Lead Horsemanship

06/01/2026

Something we’ve been really diving into the last few years. Even for those horses not in consistent work.

05/28/2026

This is what we strive for. Not fancy, but clean and we take care of your horse like our own.

🐴 The $300 Horse Boarding Problem

If you own a horse, this post might make you uncomfortable — but it needs to be said.

As someone who has spent years feeding horses before sunrise and cleaning stalls long after dark, I’ve watched this pattern happen over and over again.

You see the ads everywhere.

“Full care board – $300/month.”
Hay 24/7. Grain included. All the amenities.

And you wonder…

How are they doing it so cheap?

Because the truth is — horses aren’t cheap to care for.

Even if someone grows their own hay there are still costs:
fuel, equipment, repairs, labor, land, and time.

So when board is that cheap, something usually gets cut.

Maybe it’s feed.
Maybe it’s stall cleaning.
Maybe turnout quietly disappears.
Maybe water buckets only get filled once a day.

It doesn’t happen overnight.

It happens slowly… until one day someone sees your horse and says:

“Wow… he looks thin.”

You go home, look at old photos, and realize they’re right.

So you move your horse to a higher-end barn.

Now board is $700… $800… sometimes $1,000+ a month.

Your horse looks great again — but now you’re working so many hours just to afford it that you barely get to see them.

And that’s when people start leaving the horse world completely.

But there’s a third option that often gets overlooked.

Small private barns.

Not the mega barns.

Not the ultra-cheap barns.

The quiet, middle-of-the-road places where the owner does the work themselves because they can’t afford employees.

The places where your horse isn’t just a stall number.

Where feed is adjusted individually.
Where someone notices if your horse doesn’t finish dinner.
Where care is personal because the barn is small enough to truly manage.

These barns often sit half empty because they’re not flashy and they’re not the cheapest.

But many of them offer the best balance of care, affordability, and peace of mind in the horse world.

Sometimes the best place for your horse isn’t the cheapest or the fanciest.

Sometimes it’s the place where you can walk out to the pasture after a long day, breathe, and simply watch your horse be a horse.

❤️

And if you’re lucky enough to find one of those small barns that truly cares, hold onto it.

Those places are usually run by people who love horses more than profit, who do the work themselves every day, and who treat every horse like part of their own herd.

Small barns are the heart of the horse world.

⸻

Now I’m curious…

Horse owners — what matters most to you in a boarding barn?

• Price
• Quality of care
• Amenities
• Quiet environment

And barn owners — what do you think is the biggest challenge in horse boarding today?

👇 Let’s talk about it.

05/27/2026

We all start from nothing. ☺️

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU DISMISS IN THE HORSE WORLD

The nervous beginner asking too many questions…
The girl riding the “average” horse…
The person with the old float, second-hand tack, and big dreams…
The quiet one standing on the fence watching and learning…

They may not look successful yet.
But not everyone starts with money, connections, confidence, or opportunities.

What the horse world needs more of is kindness.
People who encourage.
People who teach.
People who remember what it felt like to be new.

Stay humble.
Support people on the way up.
And never underestimate someone with heart, grit, and a dream bigger than their circumstances.

05/26/2026

Horsey dreamland 😴😴

05/23/2026

While this is being praised by many. I urge you to rethink the issue. Slaughter is not the problem, it’s the end result for many.
What happens to all those unwanted horses that have a final destination?! What will happen to them now?

BREAKING: Today, the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced language that would bar the transportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption in the US and abroad.

Each year, more than 20,000 American horses are trucked to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, where they are brutally butchered for their meat using ineffective stunning methods that can leave them conscious during dismemberment.

The bipartisan amendment to the Committee’s five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill, led by Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV), would close the legal loophole that permits this practice, achieving the same policy goal as the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act.

AWI joins the ASPCA, Return To Freedom, Wild Horse Conservation, The Wild Beauty Foundation, and advocates throughout the country in urging Congress to bring this widely supported measure across the finish line.

📸: Alisha

05/19/2026

I took a little bit of extra time due to the weather but our arena stall renovation is complete!

05/18/2026

We’ve talked about this in lessons. A good reminder for a great tool in your belt!
Know your TPR’s. 😉

𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 Knowing how to check your horse's pulse allows you to closely monitor your horse's health. Click the link in the comments to read this short article, then head to the barn to practice.

05/17/2026

Meet our newest training horse! We’ve already done some work in the round pen and in the outdoor arena. I think this one will only need 30 days.

05/14/2026

Momma bear, baby bear, papa bear situation. 😄

05/10/2026

🌷Happy Mother’s Day 🌸to all of our horse moms. We couldn’t do this without you.

A big thank you to Olivia and Delaney for helping our riders all week. Amber, thank you for keeping things in line back at home. 🙏

🎓Congrats to Olivia who graduated college today.

It was a huge, busy week. I’m so thankful and grateful to our entire team!

Now, a nap! 😴