Kaylie Eaves Horsemanship LLC

06/08/2026

✨It's our 1st wedding anniversary, and I finally got Michael on a horse!✨

He says he never wants to do that again 😂 he got to ride a mustang named Paco
And I rode a gated horse named Oak❤️ they were perfect boys!

06/08/2026

✨I saw this the other day, and it really resonated with my approach to horsemanship.✨

I often think this is exactly how horses feel. They are incredibly tuned in to everything happening around them, often picking up on our internal state before we even realize it ourselves. They may not understand the "why" behind our emotions, but they certainly know when the energy is off.

In my training philosophy, I emphasize that we have to be conscious of the energy we bring to the horse. Humans can feel when things are off, too, but when we don't have clear communication, it creates tension.

If I show up with hidden tension or unclear intent, the horse feels it immediately. To be successful in this partnership, I prioritize clear, honest communication to ensure the horse understands what is being asked of them, rather than leaving them to navigate that "fog" of uncertainty.
When we hold ourselves to that standard of clarity, we can build confidence and connection instead of confusion.

06/06/2026

Progress does not always look peaceful 🐴💛

Sometimes it looks like trying again after a wobble.

Sometimes it looks like learning something the hard way.

Sometimes it looks like needing more time than you thought you would.

Sometimes it looks like going backwards before your brain and body feel safe enough to move forwards again 🌱

In trauma-informed work, we have to be really careful not to measure progress only by what looks neat from the outside.

A young person who speaks less one week is not be “going backwards” 🫶

A client who needs the same activity repeated is not “stuck” 🔁

A child who struggles after doing well is not be “attention-seeking” or “not trying” 💛

They may be processing.
They may be testing safety.
They may be tired.
They may be learning that connection does not disappear when things get difficult.

Horses remind us of this beautifully 🐴✨

Some days, the relationship feels soft and easy.

Other days, there is hesitation, tension, uncertainty, or a very firm “no thank you” from the pony department 😂🐴

That does not mean the work has failed.

It means we slow down.
We listen more carefully.
We stop forcing the finish line.
We notice the tiny changes 🌿

The quieter breath.
The softer shoulders.
The moment they come back after walking away.
The first time they ask for help.
The first time they say, “I don’t know,” instead of pretending they are fine.

That is progress too 💛

At Equimotional, we believe growth should be measured with curiosity, not judgement.

Because healing is rarely tidy.

And honestly, neither are horses 🐴😂

06/06/2026

✨ ✨

It's so cool seeing other HOP horses out at the shows! Kristina Shumaker and at the Ohio Foundation Quarter Horse Association show!💜

Laurel did pretty dang good for her first show exposure! Can't wait to actually take her in a class!🥰

06/06/2026

🌵 having her first show experience! We aren't showing, but taking the opportunity to get used to the environment and her first trailer ride since I brought her home!🌵

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

**tstarting

06/05/2026

“Just one more time!”
Knowing when to quit is an art form.

When we are working on something new, or something we (or the horse) aren’t yet proficient at, it’s very tempting to want to keep pushing that can down the road.

Work ethic is extremely valuable. Without it, you won’t get far as a rider. You need the willingness to push a little bit - both yourself and the horse, to increase fitness, confidence, experience and more.

If we don’t stretch the rubber band, we never grow

But if we overstretch the rubber band, it snaps back.

It’s far better to get a better effort toward correct, than a hundred bad movements, pushing to perfect.

It’s far better to notice the effort in the right direction than to get greedy and lose all interest from the horse.

It’s far better to exercise muscles less intensely but more correctly, than to burn them out and create compensation.

As all things in riding require, a balance must be sought:

Between too much and not enough
Between working and accepting
Between appreciating and pushing

We have to find that new line every single day, every moment, and be careful not to let the green goblin of “he can do better…just one more” take over and rob the horse because of their good nature.