Ellie Bricker Horsemanship LLC

08/28/2026

I want to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who has asked me to judge their horse shows this year. I think I’ve judged more shows this year than I ever have, and I have genuinely enjoyed every part of it.

Every person and organization I’ve worked with that has hosted these shows has done a fantastic job. There is SO much work that goes on behind the scenes to put on a horse show, and it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed.

One of my favorite parts has been getting to talk with so many different exhibitors and watching horse and rider combinations throughout the day. Seeing someone come back into the ring later in the day and make an improvement from their earlier class is pretty cool. Sometimes it’s a big change, sometimes it’s something small — but you can see when someone takes something away from an earlier ride and comes back better.

And can we talk about the HEAT this summer?! 😂 There have been some HOT show days, long hours, tired horses and tired people… but the attitudes have been great. People have continued to show up, support each other, take care of their horses and make the best of it.

That says a lot about our horse community.

Judging gives you a completely different perspective on showing and horsemanship, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to sit on that side of the arena this year.

Thank you to everyone who has trusted me to judge their shows, to the people working behind the scenes keeping everything running, and to every exhibitor who showed up, put themselves out there and kept trying to get a little better each time they entered the ring.

It’s been a lot of fun watching you all. ❤️🐴
And you can bet this photo is definitely from last year because I haven’t gotten a single photo from this year 😂 cheers to staying busy!  If you happened to get a photo from this year please post it below, I probably wore the exact same thing 😂😂

08/23/2026

I don’t say this nearly enough, but I am incredibly grateful for everyone who has trusted me with their horses, their riding, and their goals.

For the past year, I’ve consistently had a waitlist for both lessons and training — sometimes as long as six months. That is something I will never take for granted.

I also realize I don’t post nearly as much on social media as I used to. A big part of that is simply because I’m busy actually doing the work. Between training horses, teaching lessons, running the barn, being a mom and having a life outside of horses (just kidding!😂), social media usually falls pretty low on the priority list.

I’ve also learned to really appreciate having some privacy. Not every ride, every horse, every accomplishment or every part of life needs to make it onto Facebook. Sometimes it’s nice to just do the work, enjoy the horses and be present in real life.

And a little behind-the-scenes secret… pretty much anything you see me post is probably scheduled weeks in advance 😂 So if you suddenly see a few posts from me in a row, I promise I didn’t magically find a bunch of free time. I probably sat down one night, wrote a bunch of things and scheduled them… followed by another giant gap where you don’t hear from me at all lol.

To everyone currently in my lesson and training program, thank you for trusting me, trusting the process and continuing to show up and put in the work.

And to everyone who has reached out, waited months for an opening, or is currently still waiting for a spot — thank you for your patience and for wanting to work with me. Having people willing to wait up to six months for an opening is probably one of the biggest compliments I could receive.

I’ve always wanted to keep my program focused on quality over quantity. I don’t want to pack my schedule so full that the horses and riders already here don’t get the time and attention they deserve. Sometimes that means I simply can’t say yes to everyone right away.

So if things look quiet on social media, they definitely aren’t quiet around here. 😂

I’m incredibly grateful for the horses, the people and everyone who continues to support this business and allows me to stay so busy doing something I truly love. ❤️🐴

I’m also going to guess the photo credit for this goes to Lexie Pearson as I don’t take a lot of photos and I don’t do a lot of hand grazing. 😂 Thanks Lexi!

08/22/2026

Horses have a way of bringing out the things in us we haven’t dealt with yet.

The trauma you bury. The emotions you avoid. The anger, fear, anxiety, insecurity, need for control… you might be able to hide it from everyone else, but you can’t hide it from a horse.

They feel the tension you don’t even realize you’re carrying. They notice when your reactions don’t match the situation. And sometimes what we call a “horse problem” is really something in ourselves that needs attention.

And it doesn’t stop at the barn.

The things you refuse to deal with eventually show up in your relationships, your decisions, your confidence, your parenting, your work and the way you move through life.

Your horse doesn’t need you to be perfect. But they do need you to be honest with yourself.

Sometimes becoming a better horseman has very little to do with fixing the horse… and everything to do with being willing to work on the person holding the lead rope.

Horses will show you your weaknesses.

You can choose to deal with them, grow from them and become better — or you can keep carrying them and wonder why the same problems keep following you.

The horse is usually just the mirror. 🪞

08/21/2026

Horses have a way of finding every weakness you have… whether you want them to or not.

Your lack of patience. Your temper. Your fear. Your timing. Your inconsistency. The places you lack confidence and the things you try to avoid dealing with. Your weak leg letting the horse drift in on the arena. 

Eventually, a horse will find all of it.

And thats not necessarily a bad thing.

Because once they show you where the weakness is, you have a choice. You can deal with it, work on it and get better… or you can learn to live with the results of it.

You can blame the horse, change equipment, make excuses or keep avoiding the uncomfortable parts. But eventually the same problem usually shows back up.

Good horsemanship requires you to work on yourself just as much as you work on the horse.

Sometimes the horse that challenges you the most is the one teaching you exactly what you needed to learn.

They don’t care about your excuses. They just respond to what you bring to them that day.

Horses will show you your weaknesses. What you decide to do with them is up to you. 🐴

08/20/2026

Lately I’ve been thinking alot about the chances we don’t take.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take… and sometimes the biggest thing standing between us and something great is simply being afraid to try.

Afraid to fail. Afraid of what people will say. Afraid we aren’t ready yet.

But I keep coming back to The Man in the Arena.

At the end of the day, the credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena. The one willing to show up, get dirty, make mistakes, fall short and try again.

But getting in the arena is only part of it.

You also have to keep showing up.

With horses especially, success usually isn’t one big breakthrough or one amazing ride. It’s the boring, day-to-day consistency that nobody really sees. Doing the groundwork. Putting in the rides. Going back to the basics. Taking care of your horse when its cold, raining, your tired, or you just don’t feel like it.

Some days you make huge progress and some days it feels like you went backwards. But those days count too.

Consistency will take you alot farther than motivation ever will. Consistency is what you fall back on when motivation stops. 

Not every ride will be pretty. Not every horse will work out the way you hoped. Sometimes you’re going to fail in front of people who are more than happy to watch you do it.

But I would rather be the one in the arena trying, failing and continuing to show up than the one standing outside of it criticizing someone who had the courage to step in.

Take the chance. Enter the class. Try something different. Chase the goal that feels a little too big.

Then wake up tomorrow and keep working for it.

Take the chance. Get in the arena. And most importantly, keep showing up. ❤️🐴

08/20/2026

Low drama llama. Just the way you hope it will go.

08/19/2026

Something I talk about alot in lessons is clarity.

Horses really aren’t that complicated, but sometimes we make things complicated for them. We’re pulling with our hands, kicking with our legs, leaning somewhere else with our body and then wondering why they aren’t doing what we asked.

Sometimes the horse isn’t being stubborn or difficult… they honestly just don’t understand the question.

The more clear we can be with our body, our hands and our legs, the more confident our horses become.

Ask. Give them a second to figure it out. Reward the right answer and then leave them alone.

We don’t need bigger bits, stronger hands or more pressure all the time. Sometimes we just need to be more clear.

Clarity creates confidence, and confidence creates a horse that actually wants to work with you.

08/01/2026

Ellie Bricker Jancey Johnston 🤌💋

07/16/2026

I really appreciate all the equine events that have been canceled for this coming weekend across the state. There is a lot that goes into each of those events. The reality is that it can take some time for normally healthy horses to recover even after the air quality is within safe ranges. Recovery takes even longer your horse has a history of breathing issues.

Once the smoke clears: A guide to safely start working and riding your horse after wildfire Periods of wildfire fill the air with smoke that can impact your horses long after the skies clear. Even when the smoke lifts and you itch to ride again, it's better to be smart about reintroducing horses to....

07/16/2026

🌫️ Wildfire Smoke & Your Horse

Poor air quality affects horses just like it affects us.

A healthy adult horse at rest should have a respiratory rate of 8–16 breaths per minute.

How to check it:
Stand quietly beside your horse while they are relaxed. Watch the movement of their ribcage or nostrils. One inhale and one exhale equals one breath. Count the breaths for 30 seconds and multiply by two (or count for a full minute).

If your horse’s breathing is faster than normal while resting, is coughing, or seems unusually tired, contact your veterinarian.

For horses living outside:
• Avoid riding or strenuous exercise.
• Keep fresh water available at all times.
• Monitor their breathing and overall attitude daily.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is let our horses rest until the air quality improves. Stay safe, and give your horse a quick respiratory check today.