Amy Dean Horsemanship

06/19/2026

This is really well explained!

06/19/2026

This is really well said!

An entire industry has been created selling you the idea that there is a method to fix every problem.

What is extremely popular is a video for every problem, and for every fix there are three more problems created, for which there’s a method to fix too. It leads to a form of restlessness wherein people are rarely satisfied with improvements, in their own bodies and in the horses, because there are always more problems not yet fixed.

I get asked nearly daily to create a video about specific problems (I saw your video on trailer loading, but what about loading a chestnut mare into an Adam trailer?). These can be helpful to see, but the mentality over time has shifted into specifics instead of looking at the big picture.

Good, all encompassing horsemanship creates a foundation wherein problems melt away holistically. If you understand how all things connect, you stop seeing things individually, but as a whole. You have to fix the whole and stop looking for quick solutions.

Teaching people to be actual horsemen, to stop looking for quick tips and tricks, to start seeing the whole and the connection of all things, means rewiring our minds from conditioning and marketing over the past decades.

So if you have a problem, it isn’t living in isolation. It’s part of a whole picture. And you have to look at, and feed the whole, for the symptoms to melt away. Husbandry is in hand work is trailer loading is riding and so on - they all roll into each other

06/19/2026

Developing the ability to be present for both horses and humans can be challenging but very rewarding and a skill of high value.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this concept recently as I’ve been noticing how different horses respond to me being present with them.

But first, I think it’s helpful to acknowledge that in general the culture we live in does not place a significant amount of value on being present. However, the more I dive into horsemanship the more apparent it is to me that being present is one of the most useful skills we can have when working with horses. And truthfully in life as a whole.

I would argue it has the potential to take us further than a lot of fancy exercises done not thinking about how we are doing them.

To me it’s about getting your mind and your body to be completely present and focused on how and what you’re spending your time on with that horse. If we’re honest that can be extremely difficult for all of us. Myself included. And sometimes might even feel slightly impossible depending on the horse or human in a given situation.

However, I believe because I’ve witnessed it that there is truly such freedom for both people and the horse that comes when we develop the skills to be able to be present. It is a pursuit that has high value and return in my opinion.

We cannot expect our horses to be present if we are not first present. So, I never like to talk about issues if we’re not also going to discuss changes and solutions. When I think about developing these skills in myself here are some things that come to mind. What would you add?

Focus on growing the ability to notice simple changes in your horse.
Focus on growing the skill of noticing simple changes within yourself.
Focus on noticing every step your horse takes and how they take it.
Remember your horse doesn’t know what else you have going on that day- stay in the moment with them.
Stay curious and aware.
Get really good at asking the questions of what went well? What didn’t go well?
What do I need to change in order to help my horse understand or relax more?
What does my horse need more of?
What do they need less of?
How can I show up better tomorrow?

Practical tips:
Turn your phone on do not disturb or don’t have it with you at all.
Set a timer for when you need to finish your session and if the timer hasn’t gone off, then don’t check the time.

Lastly remember- it is a joy to get to do this.

06/16/2026

These are open to all, you do not have to be a member to sign up for these! Highly recommend joining - whether you do liberty or another discipline we all need help navigating our thought process around being in the show arena!

🌟Don’t forget, the first one is tonight!

Online Clinic Series from pressure proof perform positively with Kathy Goodman.

🌟June 16th🌟
💎July 8th
💎Aug 12th
💎Sept 2
🕖All EST 7:00pm

For just $10, you'll gain valuable insights into the mental side of performance and horsemanship. I highly recommend showing up with a notebook and pen—you'll want to take notes. You can earn Better Together Challenge points by participating in these clinics!

06/16/2026

This past weekend I changed my mentality in the warm up pen. And I’m so thankful I did. It wasn’t easy and I had to continually remind myself of the changes I wanted to make. When we’re under pressure it’s easy to default back to old habits or do things we don’t even know why we’re doing them.

The old saying you don’t rise to the occasion you fall to the level of your preparation is very true when showing horses.

I think one of the most helpful things we can do for our horses is to learn how to properly warm them up in a way that not only physically warms them up, but allows them to mentally become focused, relaxed and aware. I want to go further in my warm up then just “we did the maneuvers required”. I want to help my horse get to a place where they can be confident and relaxed and truly looking to me for guidance going into the show arena.

This isn’t easy. It often requires late nights, early mornings, lots of time spent watching, learning and thinking about how to best help your horse.
It is always worth it. I think my new motto for myself a shows is - you can sleep when you get home. 😆

But in all seriousness- If we’re going to take our horses to shows we must be willing to do the things at home and at the show that they need in order to come away a better horse.

What a joy it is to get to do this.

📸 - Jenny Hopperton Photography

06/15/2026

This past weekend at the Midwest Mix ILHA Liberty Show I had the awesome opportunity to share my enthusiasm for liberty with Hailey who is interested in learning the discipline. I loved seeing her gain confidence and to begin to understand what the horse needed from her in just a short time. We spent Saturday learning some of the fundamentals of Liberty from the in-hand position. Those of you who do this, know there’s a lot more awareness, and concentration that goes into it then it may look like, so I was very impressed with how she was able to pick up the feel for it. Then on Sunday she got to get a feel for what putting it all together in a pattern looks like. She absolutely killed it, was an excellent student and it was a truly pleasure to have her! For those of you who know me, you know working with youth and horses is one of my favorite things to do, so it was a very enjoyable day!

I was also very please with how Scout did as he was working in a newer environment, new person, and new horses all around us. These things definitely don’t come together over night and it’s taken many failures and rebuilding to get here and we’re still constantly reevaluating and learning and growing. I’m so thankful for these opportunities and the people and horses who have contributed to it.

What a joy to get to do this.

05/31/2026

It’s not often I get a Saturday evening to work my own horses. I’m super grateful for some time to experiment, to try new theories, and just intentionally and calmly figure out what works and what supports my horses for the best long term results.

This here may not look like much- but to this guy it’s huge. He has trouble relaxing and staying present. Two things I have seen to be majorly important for the horses well being.

Staying present, in the grass not eating, with me being able to touch him without him wanting to push or become distracted or worried.

During our sessions recently I’ve been working on making some mindset shifts for both of us.

For me- I want to remain curious when things don’t work like I thought it was going to, ask questions, dig a little deeper, stop and think.

I think actually far too often when things aren’t quiet going the way we’d like we need to step back and process and think.

Ask questions of where is there a gap in our communication? Does the horse think I’m asking for something else? How is the horse responding? Do they seem confused? Frustrated? Checked out? Am I any of those things? Ask how could I ask better, slower, or more direct?

I also believe prayer can play a big part in how we approach horses. I’m a firm believer that we can actually ask God to help us understanding and communicate better with our horses- after all he created them and knows them much better than we do. So ask God for patience, a clear mind, wisdom to know when to release or what to try, the ability to show up and be engaged and learn. The ability to stop and listen. Then after it all don’t forget to stop and thank the Lord for creating the horse, giving them to us to steward, and making it so incredibly complex and riveting.

05/22/2026

Our first virtual show of the year opens up today!

✨ This show is a great way to earn points if you’re going for the year end high point award. ✨

Remember to enter a minimum of 3 classes to qualify for year end high point.

You do not have to be apart of the KLHC to show in our virtual shows🎉

KLHC Virtual Show May 22-24th

Register here ➡️ https://ilha.allsportsequine.com/shows/13739.html

Message us with any questions!