Anna McCoy

Some of the hats we shipped out today. Be prepared and ready for when the Horse Shows start again. Or if you need a new work hat in the meantime! Don’t hesitate to call me if I can help you! Stay safe! Thanks Brook Parrish 229-224-6189

Why your horse is NOT like your dog: I’ll never forget my first horse. I was seven years old. I spent the first month brushing him, turning him out, and feeding... him treats. Often, when I turned him out, he kicked out at me as he ran off. I smiled and thought he was just enjoying his turnout. He frequently nibbled my shirt looking for treats. I considered this a sign of his affection. When I went to ride him for the first time, we trotted around the ring a few times nicely. Then he proceeded to buck me off, circle back, and try to stomp on me as a I was laying on the ground. I was so confused! Why was he so mean?! I learned the problem was me, not the horse. You see, I was treating my horse like I treat my dog. The problem with this is that horses and dogs are complete opposites. Dogs are confident, small PREDATORS that generally can’t kill you with the stomp of their foot. Horses are large PREY animals that constantly fear for their lives and can kill you in an instant. Because horses are prey animals, they seek a leader first, not a friend. They are constantly evaluating your fitness as a leader, just as they test the pecking order amongst other horses. To understand how a horse thinks, watch a herd of horses in a field. You’ll notice that there is a pecking order. Horses test the leadership abilities of their pasture mates by encroaching upon their personal space bubbles, uninvited. A submissive horse allows this and gets picked on. A dominant horse does’nt allow this and disciplines the offender. The dominant horse makes the other horse move his feet to assert his position. Horses test us daily. How we react determines whether our horse will treat us with respect. When your horse acts pushy and comes into your personal space bubble, he is testing you. A few examples include: kicking out, nibbling, using you as a scratching post, dragging you around, and ignoring your requests. Many owners shrug these behaviors off as cute. They are later shocked when their horse bucks them off because they fail to realize their horse has been communicating his disrespect for them all along. Speak your horse’s language! Dangerous behaviors can be averted through responding akin to a dominant horse. You can do this through moving your horse’s feet as a dominant horse would. Groundwork is perhaps the most overlooked, yet important way to establish respect. If your horse is pushy and disrespectful, I challenge you to do ground work for one month. You’ll be shocked at how willing, kind, and respectful of a partner your horse becomes!

Every time you work with your horse, you’re looking for him to be a little bit better than he was the day before. In some cases, the improvement will be drastic..., but in most cases it’ll be slight. That’s to be expected. Ian Francis always told me to just look for a one-percent improvement from my horses every day. As long as you’re improving by at least one percent, you’re making progress and getting somewhere. If your horse isn’t making an improvement, it’s a red flag that something isn’t going right in your training program. This is where you have to be experienced enough to diagnose the situation or set your ego aside and get professional help. Clinton #ApplyTheMethod

We’re all hot, dirty, sweaty, and tired, but these ladies rocked their clinic today! Sweat is free, so put it into your horse! You’ll find a much better partner afterward!

Resting up, before a day full of teaching the Method! Gonna be a long day tomorrow!

Minnie went home today! Her owner got her after being in the pasture for the passed few years. Minnie was extremely pushy, and had no sense of respect for humans. She knew she was bigger than us, and could use her body to push us around. She’d strike, bow up at you, and flat out run you over. Minnie is now a quiet trail horse, who her owner can enjoy handling and riding, without all the disrespectful problems. It’s so nice to be able to enjoy your horse!

Happy Friday everyone!!!!

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to get this mare for as little as $65!!

I love sitting out there while they eat at dusk. It’s so peaceful

Big Blue's locked and loaded and ready for this weekend's Walkabout Tour presented by Ritchie Industries Automatic Waterers in Williamston, North Carolina! The ...event will get started at 9 a.m. on Saturday in the Bob Martin Arena. Tickets are $25 for the weekend and will be available at the event. See the full schedule of training demos on our website https://downunderhorsemanship.com/events/walkabout-tour/ #ApplyTheMethod See more

Bye Albany! Atlanta, then off to North Carolina for a Walkabout Tour! Hope to see y’all there!!

I put the 3rd ride on Rio today, and I couldn’t be happier with her progress! She’s taking things in stride, and is going to make someone a great horse when I’m done!

And then there’s Elliott. He’s such a character!

Rock’s first time being introduced to the ball. He wasn’t so sure about it.

Elliott is taking everything so well! Super smart! He’s gonna make someone an amazing partner!!