Two Eyes Horsemanship

01/24/2026

This is exactly what I've always said. People always ask why I do everything in a halter including 1st through 10th or so rides. Then I would switch to a side pull, then introduce a bit much later. This really explains a good Horseman's outlook and perspective. I've always had this mentality...I sure wish people could understand. I also wish these backyard trainers would take some time to learn a thing or two about this kind of approach.

Been a while since I posted...
It's starting to look like maybe, just maybe the real horseman horse world might be making a comeback. Guys are starting to speak out against the ridiculousness of the past 7 or 8 years. We'll see!

C**t starting and horse training are not the same thing, and confusing the two is where a lot of problems begin.

C**t starting is the introduction. It’s where the horse learns how pressure works, how to think through situations, and how to find a release. At this stage, the horse is learning how to learn. Horse training comes later, once that understanding is in place. That’s where refinement, consistency, and responsibility start to matter.

A good way to think about it is this. C**t starting is general education. Horse training is university. Horse training becomes more specialized to the exact job or discipline you want that horse to do. C**t starting, on the other hand, is meant to set the horse up for success no matter where it ends up. The goal isn’t to limit a horse to one avenue, but to prepare it for any avenue it might take in life.

That’s why we’re careful not to rush discipline specific expectations too early. At the c**t starting stage, we’re not trying to build a reiner, a rope horse, or a ranch horse. We’re building a horse that understands forward motion, softness, and responsibility. Wise man once said “Gotta be good transportation first “

One of the reasons we spend so much time in a halter and why our first rides are done in a halter is because it keeps the lesson simple. A halter allows the horse to make mistakes without feeling trapped. It gives us enough control to guide the horse, but not so much that we overpower him.

If you introduce a bit too early and something goes wrong whether that’s a bolt, a buck, or panic you end up balancing off the most sensitive part of the horse with the strongest tool he’s felt so far. You might get control in the moment, but you’ve taken a step backward in understanding. It’s hard to build softness when the horse has learned to brace against pressure.

C**t starting is about finding the good and the bad in a c**t and then making the good feel like the right answer. When the horse makes a good choice, we let it work. When he makes a poor choice, we guide him back without adding fear or confusion.

When a c**t can walk, trot, and lope, stop, back up, and turn around with softness and understanding, that’s where c**t starting ends. At that point, the foundation is there. Now the horse training can begin and become specific to a job.

Going to stronger tools doesn’t create softness. Timing, consistency, and guidance do. When the foundation is right, the tools get lighter, not heavier.

C**t starting builds the foundation. Horse training builds the discipline. If you rush the foundation, the discipline will always be a struggle.
Written by Kissing horse ranch

01/13/2026

12/11/2025

Read this link... this is why I don't post videos anymore.

But I am still training horses and still training people. A lot. All the time!

I love Facebook for how it helped my career in the beginning. But I hate Facebook for idiots like this guy explains in his post.

I'm doing a lot of mobile training. If you need help... call or message me.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dx4KPZ5Jf/

First off, let me make one thing perfectly clear, crystal clear, clearer than the spit on a vegan’s chin when someone whispers “bacon.”
If your back cinch is flapping around looser than a politician’s promise, take it off. You’re not helping your horse. You’re just giving the keyboard vets fresh oxygen for their outrage addiction.

Now, about horses, mules, and bucking.

I post a 30 second clip of a horse feeling fresh, and the internet immediately reproduces ten thousand equine therapists who couldn’t tell a wither from a Whopper if you labeled it for them.

Enter Becky.
Becky woke up, poured oat milk in her kale smoothie, scrolled past my video, saw one horse hop twice, and instantly appointed herself Director of National Saddle Safety. One crow-hop and she is ready to notify the Humane Society, Interpol, and probably the Vatican. Because clearly that horse is expressing “deep trauma.”

Listen closely.
These horses are not abused. They are not tortured. They are not “broken” unless we’re counting the way they break Becky’s fragile Facebook worldview. They are athletes. They are valuable. They are well cared for. And they are worth more than Becky’s entire crystal collection, her rescue-chicken retirement fund, and the Peloton she hasn’t touched since January.

Let’s break this down for the chronically dramatic and permanently confused.

Horses buck.
It is what horses do. Some buck because they feel good. Some buck because they’re fresh. Some buck because a fly gave them a dirty look. One hop is not a cry for help. It is not a life crisis. It is not a trauma flashback. It is a horse being a horse.

If every crow-hop meant emotional collapse, the entire species would be on medication and journaling by candlelight.

Meanwhile my horses get more maintenance than your 2008 Subaru with the “Coexist” sticker.
Farrier work. Dentistry. Chiropractic. Massage. Nutrition plans. Vet access. Supplements. Care you cannot even spell. And here’s Becky hauling her weed-fed, barefoot gelding down gravel, then popping online to explain “proper horsemanship.”

These horses work short, controlled periods, then live the rest of their year eating gourmet hay, napping in sunshine, rolling in dirt, and getting brushed until they glow like a televangelist’s teeth.

Tell me again who is suffering.
Because the only one crying is Becky, and she’s doing it into a nine dollar latte.

The horses are not the problem.
The problem is that Becky read one emotional Facebook novela written by someone who thinks “tack” is what you do to a poster board. Suddenly she’s performing long-distance livestock diagnostics armed with Wi-Fi and unearned confidence.

So yes, Becky is “concerned.”
She’s concerned the same way she’s concerned about gluten, 5G, fluoride, and the alignment of Mercury. Loudly. Incorrectly. And from a couch 2,000 miles away.

Congratulations, Becky.
You’ve achieved peak modern nonsense. You’re diagnosing horses you’ve never seen with expertise you downloaded off Google while your own horse is in the backyard eating dandelions and plotting to buck you off next.

And guys, don’t relax.
There are plenty of Kevins out here doing the same thing, just wearing a man-bun and quoting a podcast instead of science.

If this post makes your feelings tingle, twitch, or do the Macarena, congratulations. You are exactly the delicate little snowflake I am addressing.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have real horses to feed, real miles to ride, and zero time for people who couldn’t saddle a rocking horse without watching three YouTube videos and calling their therapist.

The horses are fine.
Becky… not so much.

12/08/2025

Go do this! It's a blast!

We kicked off our first carriage ride of the season on Wednesday — and we’re ready for many, many more! 🐴✨
Book your ride and make a memory.

07/22/2025

We had a highly successful day today! We had the pleasure of providing the Spokane Tribe Youth Group with a guided horseback riding experience! We had a great time instructing the kids on how to ride and many of them overcame their fear and genuinely enjoyed their experience! We look forward to replicating this experience with the next group of kids tomorrow!

04/04/2025

Wow! This picture is awesome! I understand this picture perfectly!

I have been teaching this for years to my students! I've always wished there was a pic out there like this! Thank you for sharing.

For those who don't understand the picture:
It doesn't matter what size your hand is... you use your finger tips to feel where the back of the shoulder blade is. Then you place the saddle so that the front of the tree (not the front of the skirt) is sitting in line with the back of the shoulder blade. Then you check with your finger tips again to make sure it is in fact in line.

This will typically make the cinch sit just behind the elbow (not a hand width or anything else away from the elbow). It will be where it will be, based on the placement of the saddle, according to the horse's confirmation.

If you line the skirt up with the back of the shoulder blade, it puts the tree in the wither pocket which makes the shoulder blade run into the tree when the horse lifts it's leg, causing pain and making the horse sore.

Placing the TREE at the back of the shoulder blade (so the skirt is a little past the back of the shoulder blade) allows the shoulder blade to slip under the tree in movement (as long as the saddle is a good fit for the horse).

I've been placing saddles like this for years, and have never had a sore horse.

03/16/2025

Well... it's spring again... Contact me if you need training, but I'm very picky now days. Let's talk about how I can help you, your horse or both. Message me, or call.

03/03/2025

We're excited to announce an unforgettable adventure for kids! Join us on April 12th and 13th for a horse day camp, featuring a range of fun activities designed for young riders at every level. For more information or to secure your spot, simply message, call, or email us. Don't miss out – spots are limited!

03/07/2024

Dear Horse industry,

Stop being awful.

Stop putting others down for the sake of one's own prosperity.

Stop the whispers in the warm up ring.

Stop the snarky remarks behind closed doors.

Stop with the clicks and underhanded complements.

Stop with the need for newest and latest fashions or tack sets but never riding your horse in fear they may get dirty.

Stop manipulating others words or actions.

Stop normalizing poor sportsmanship and start normalizing folks who work hard.

Chances are if you've had horses long enough you've encountered some sort of this. From the competition world, to trail riders, to rescues, to top level riders, it's everywhere and it's terrible and it's got to stop. It's got to.

I've met riders, young and old, who are petrified to ride infront of people because some where along the line, someone told them they weren't good enough. I've seen talented people quit because of gossip and I've seen people give up on what they believe in because folks made them belive they were only 1' tall.

When you see a rider kicking them selves after a bad ride, tell them great job for hanging in there and give them some tips.

When you see that girl show up in the rusty old bumperpull, know she likely put everything she had into her entry fees.

When you see an organization fighting for what they believe in, fight with them.

When you see the girl too shy to ride, ask her to help you out by hopping on to keep your horse company because it would be an awfully big help.

When you see the girl scared to death in line up remind them why they are there and they have this.

When you see the girl discouraged over progress, remind them how far they have come.

The world is full of ugliness, horses should be our escape, not a place we feel belittled. We are all incredibly blessed to have Equines in our life. Becoming better Horseman is hard enough without having folks tear you down.

Please start normalizing raising each other up.

-Erin O'Neill 🌿