Ellen Kealey Horsemanship

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Ellen Kealey Horsemanship

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Thoughtful Horsemanship
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07/06/2026

The difference between obedience and a horse that is invested in being with you, is the trouble they carry inside. An obedient horse will do something because they worry about the consequences of not doing it. They often understand maneuvers, yet are limited from one question to the next, or become a different horse outside or in the arena.

A horse that is feeling good on the inside will do something because they feel like it’s a good option. They are more invested in being “here” mentally, and eventually feel good about it.

We are always working towards a horse that is responsive and invested in the next question, yet isn’t troubled by the pressure. There is a necessary level of obedience to every horse, yet we’re always working towards a better relationship.

Working towards readiness over obedience requires getting creative and changing the routine. Doing something different can highlight where your horse gets worried or unresponsive in the work.

Photo: Getting Piper invested in doing a job together. It is always a work in progress.

07/02/2026

The complexity that encompasses how a horse is feeling is that there isn’t any one thing to address. Emotional states are always a culmination of multiple factors taking place at once.

Humans often pick up on one thing that is bothering a horse like the bit being used, or the blowing trees at the end of the arena. We notice the symptom but not the multitude of stressors in their life. We tend to center the training around that specific thing, but we miss that many factors are at play.

Many training methods have been invented to help people overcome the nature of the horse. We give so little consideration to how a horse feels about working with us that we are misled in the process of helping them feel better.

When I have a horse in front of me that is stressed, I’m often considering all of the things weighing on his mind. Being separated from the herd, having bad feelings about the hard work that is to come, the distractions all around- and the list goes on.

Rather than turning every moment with our horse into another lesson of training or exposure, it would be more beneficial to focus on their ongoing levels of focus, try, and worry. If we can make ourselves more important and help them feel like being with us the best place to be, everything else will become a secondary distraction.

Understanding how to get a change in the feelings around doing something can make all the difference. Teaching a horse that being here is a good deal can yield the big picture changes that are possible if we focus on the right things for a horses needs.

Photo: My mare Piper is strong minded with big emotions. Helping her learn to do things is always secondary to how she is feeling. When her focus shifts and her worry dissipates everything else becomes more available.

06/18/2026

I meet a lot of people who want to work with multiple trainers. While on one hand I applaud their eagerness for education, I also become skeptical about how they and their horse will handle it. A horse will always struggle whenever you introduce multiple ideas and agendas to their life. Challenges become apparent when there isn’t enough common ground, and the ideas don’t align.

For example if you work with me you’ll find that I care about transitions, balance, and basic dressage, but I’m much more interested in how a horse feels with me and under me. I won’t sacrifice this principle to push for movement or posture that leaves a horse feeling crappy on the inside. If a horse comes out of the pen worried and everywhere else but with me and by the end of the session he is able to offer a crooked circle but his emotions are settled and he is listening- I am as thrilled as ever. My primary goal is to get my horse to work with my ideas so that I can work towards furthering his education in the future.

If you also work with trainer B, they may come at training from the perspective of the physical biomechanics of how a horse is traveling. They may excuse all of the underlying issues going on to work on your horses headset and responsiveness to the leg. The sessions will be focused on getting through some of the exercises, but you’ll be left with a horse that is a mess on the inside and displaying many symptoms of a larger issue (rushy/tight transitions, not ready for the next question, chomping at the bit, worried about pressure etc). Their priority is muscling a horse into obedience to fix the problems, rather than helping a horse find comfort in order to work towards straightness under saddle.

The biggest takeaway here is that learning how to analyze different training methods, and then deciding what is best for you and your horse is a very important skill to develop. Learning to think from the perspective of the trainer and the horse without emotion is important for the clarity of thought, which transfers directly to the horse. Switching from trainer to trainer can be part of the learning and searching process, but a horse will suffer over the long term if he is not prepared AND the human doesn’t recognize what is and isn’t working. It’s important to make sure you understand the “why” before you implement the “how.”

Photo: I will go and see any clinician, but I’m particular about who I will work with and subject my horse to. They will always tell you.

06/12/2026

Getting a horse to do something requires a set of skills that teach a person how to position a horses body. Helping a horse to think and feel something demands a better awareness for the emotions driving the response that a horse offers from moment to moment.

The path that opened my eyes to this level of experiencing a horse was when the exercises I always tried still left trouble that was hard to overcome in certain horses. It shifted my thinking more towards reading the moment, rather than finding more ways to drive the feet.

Photo: This mare had a very mechanical understanding of how to work with people. Her training was all about patterns, harsh equipment and getting out of the way of pressure. She knows things, but all of her problems are emotional.

My job isn’t to get her to do the exercises, but to present things in a way that makes her ask questions. You can’t unlock a horses potential or chronic worry without changing the patterns. Her job isn’t to go over the pole mindlessly, but to ask, “What are we doing?” In these moments pressure becomes a conversation and a feeling between us that you can’t get from doing exercises.

05/30/2026

A smattering of photos from the annual get together with the joy of horsemanship- Good Horsemanship - Ross Jacobs.

We enjoy the insight year after year with our horses (and sometimes the jokes). We look forward to having him back next year!

And as always thank you to Dakota Stables and staff for all of your hard work, and for providing the facilities for us year after year.

05/13/2026

The “wet saddle pads theory” doesn’t often align with the good behavior it boasts. People who execute this method to build a horses resume often leave them riddled with worry and a lack of confidence.

For example, many of the Amish trained horses I’ve worked with have been ridden and driven into the ground yet still can’t be caught reliably, saddled quietly, or shod without stocks and ropes. So what’s missing? Horses can be cornered, pressured and coerced to do the things that we want them to do. Whenever a horse has to do something that isn’t their idea and we don’t get them feeling better, it does damage and often makes life harder for both parties.

There is a big difference between getting something accomplished versus having a horse that is willing to work with us. If a horse is experiencing distress or discomfort, doing more won’t make things better.

Photo: This mare was just getting by with the amount of worry she was carrying. She had a lot of miles pulling a cart and under saddle, but it didn’t do anyone many favors. Her anxiety would show up in all areas of the work. On a bad day, you could see her worry building and she would get desperate enough to bolt. Her only safety net was with the herd.

I worked with her for a couple of months last year to address these big picture issues. It was clear that other trainers had used the “wet saddle pad” approach in an attempt to fix Klios response. However all this did was prove to her that people were a bad deal, and sticking with other horses was her only source of true comfort.

At the beginning of training, even walking her steps away from the paddock would begin the anxiety response. I was really proud when she made a strong enough change to feel settled with people on the ground and under saddle outside of the roundpen.

05/07/2026

A short video example of the things you can accomplish when you have a horse engaged in quiet conversation and you’re clear enough in the presentation.

When a horse is mentally somewhere else they frequently exhibit all kinds of unwanted behaviors. With trailer loading it usually shows up in the form of backing out or trying to escape in some way.

One of the hallmarks of having a horse with you is being able to interrupt what they are doing without an emotional outburst. Horses often struggle with getting settled in the trailer.

Latte has struggled in the past to feel good about trailer loading. His owner has done a wonderful job getting him better by putting the time in to help him. During this session I was able to readjust him several times on the end of the line while standing back by his hip. He did a wonderful job of staying engaged with me and his footfalls were soft and quiet, which was a wonderful change from wanting to leave.

In everything we do with a horse, it’s important that we not only get them to do the things we need them to, but that we leave them in a better emotional place because of it. How they feel about being with us makes all of the difference in how they show up for the work.

05/06/2026

Some good insights from Aimee.

05/05/2026

Hi All!

The Good Horsemanship - Ross Jacobs clinic is approaching quickly. We still have participant spots available! Sign up for any or all of the days with your horse, or come to audit.

If you are looking to deepen your understanding of how a horses mind works and how to get a change of thought, Ross is what you’re looking for. With decades of experience training horses, searching for the best approach, and teaching clinics all over the world, he is one of the top horseman offering clinics in Australia and the US.

Everything in the work becomes exponentially easier when you begin to address the inside of the horse. Ross has been my mentor now for years and has helped me to better understand countless horses along the way for a better approach.

If you are ready to dive into learning this Memorial Day weekend, reach out to me if you have questions or are wanting to sign up!

Photo: Working in hand under Ross’ instruction to help Pete to relax and follow the feel.

03/23/2026

Sound up ⬆️ to hear winter leaving his body 👀🤣

Address

30894 Iran Path
Northfield, MN
55057

Telephone

+13193316276

Website

http://www.kealeyhorsemanship.com/

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