Bear Creek Ranch

10/21/2026

🌙🍁🍂 Unfortunately, we will not be doing a fall Pony Party this year 😢 It's been a wild ride so far this Autumn, and it simply will not work out for lack of preparation and timing. Our final lesson week will start after this weekend and consist of make up sessions, and then we'll be closing things up for the chilly season! Keep an eye 👀 out for our winter shenanigans, and PM us with your address if you'd like to receive a Christmas card from the ponies 😉❤️ Thank you to everyone for such a fun riding season, and we'll see you in the Spring!! 🎃

10/20/2026

👍👍👍

You don't have to hustle a horse to fix a magnet.
A magnet is just a place he's found comfort before. The barn. The gate. Another horse. His feet drift that way because his mind got there first.
I used to think you had to really work a horse around the magnet. I have found that it's enough to make being there a little less pleasant than leaving it, and you can do that without ever hustling him.
Here's the deal. Ride a circle.
As he comes around to the side closest to home, that's where you ask for a little more. A little flex at the poll. A few steps of haunches-in. A walk with some life in it.
Then as he comes off that side, turn loose. Let him walk casual. Lazy, even.
None of that is a punishment. You just put the work where his mind already wanted to go, and the rest where it didn't.
If all you did was ask him to walk a little bigger on the home side, you would be surprised how fast it turns around.
You never told him to quit wanting the barn. You just made somewhere else the easier place to be.

10/19/2026

👍

Happy Monday…. 😉💪🏼🔥

10/18/2026

In this video, there are two big, noisy tractors continuously moving, digging, and dumping behind and alongside as we are saddling, and she was nervous the moment I pulled her out of the pen. Can't have the perfect atmosphere all the time, and in this particular instance, putting her back would have let her believe her fear was valid (there is a time, place, and method for retreat that is also helpful for building confidence, but not in this situation). On that note, one of the biggest mistakes you can make that creates a "naughty" pony is ignoring the signs that your horse is bothered, and pushing through without easing the bother. One of the best things you can do, is help them work through it by building sureness with each tiny step. You will notice me moving her back, straightening her out, tugging to get her attention, and taking the blanket off and putting it back on to restart the process on a calmer foot. Could I have waited for the tractors to finish before saddling so I could avoid her being bothered? Sure, but then she would never learn to understand how to cope with that kind of exterior pressure confidently. Could I have simply continued despite the movements, pushed through it and not bothered with all of the adjustments or keeping her attention? Also sure, but then those tiny annoying habits will snowball into much bigger, badder habits and she will lose confidence in both me and herself (yes, that is a big deal 😅). And so, here is a mini training oportunity that I think is way overdue 👍😊

10/18/2026

Weekly ✨️Vali✨️ post until she finds the best home!

Vali is so versatile and while I think she would be a ton of fun for an experienced rider, she has mostly been handled by beginners for the past several years! You don't have to be an experienced professional, you just have to be dedicated and actively serious about horsemanship and she will do just fine 🥰 a confident teen looking for their first mount would be excellent, and they could certainly go places with the right program. A horse mom looking for something she is able to take out and have fun on herself, but that she can put the kids on for pony rides around the pen, perfect. She is a great backyard horse, and while at the moment she currently has sureness issues due to lack of consistent handling and her fill-in therapist being one tattoo and two nuts 🥜 away from a mustang stud, her herd-boundness HAS and WILL AGAIN erase completely with proper interaction. If you live close by and want to try a serious lease option, we can look into that as well. I just don't want her to sit anymore and my days are far too short to be what she deserves, as much as I so wish I could. Help a girl out and take sweet Vali home 🏡 💕 💖

10/15/2026

SOMEONE needs their own pony 😫 she's the sweetest thing. 16ish hands I think, can measure for serious interest, just haven't bothered to as of yet. She's so pretty with her unique black and white tobiano pattern, has a brand ("Rocking JP" we believe, tho they have not responded yet to inquiries on her background), and wants so bad to have a real job with her own person. She is just too good to sit here with our overly-clingy gelding when she could be out living her best spoiled life as someone's favorite thing ❤️ Wh***ey is incredibly fond of her to the point of being ridiculous, and she would do far better away from his lead-stallion attitude (or I would 100% love to have her stay!). AND she is super affordable compared to other similar beasts I've seen selling these days. Price is likely negotiable to the perfect home; make your offers and I will pass them on to the owner! Come meet her and you'll just fall in love ❤️🍂🍁

10/14/2026

He isn't reading your intentions. He's reading your patterns.
Where you stand. How fast you move. Whether your hand means the same thing today that it meant yesterday. He's keeping a list whether you are or not.
Which is why being inconsistent and being unsure turn out to be the same thing to him. A horse who can't predict you has to stay ready for anything, and a horse who's ready for anything isn't settled enough to learn much.
You don't have to be perfect with him.
You have to be the same.

10/13/2026

✨️Vali✨️ Goodest girl looking for the goodest home ❤️ Please TEXT 3155583768 if interested in meeting her!!

10/13/2026

✨️Vali✨️ Exceptional manners when handling her feet 💅❤️