7 Questions to Improve Time with your Horse

I believe people can learn from many different forms of shared horse knowledge (even if it is what not to do,) BUT I find without a clear foundational basis, the constant barrage of "dos and don'ts" that drastically differ in shared horse training approaches, theories, and methods can be exhausting for the student to filter through.

Horse Learning Help - When we Stop Powering Through

When we Stop Powering Through





I had remote coaching students on multiple continents this week- and the general theme was discussing breath... The students' backgrounds were drastically different, as were their ages, and horse experience.

Horse Learning Help & Tips

Horse Learning




Irrelevant of where in the world one is, there is always learning opportunities... Even if "just" from the horse's communication and behavior.

Chasing the Horse Dream

 Chasing the Horse Dream

I meet horse people wherever I go in the world, whether or not I’m traveling for work or by random happenstance. More often than not, I hear stories of how they chose to leave the mainstream rhetoric/perceptions of working/thinking/interacting with horses to explore and develop their individual quality long-term equine relationship.

Improving Horse Rider Balance- Raising Awareness

 It all starts with Awareness

I just finished doing a 12 hour drive drive. I encountered horrendous fog, hail, pelting rain, light snow, sun, strong wind gusts, and just about any other weather you can think of.

Throughout the drive, I would audibly exhale, reset my fingers on the steering wheel, notice the tension in leg muscles from the incessant shift through the high mountain, twisty road climbs, and "open" my toes in my shoes, I'd observe if I was "hard" staring at the road or if I could zoom in and out at various degrees on the details of the surroundings. I "checked in" with my shoulders- if they were scrunched up and together toward my neck, or if I could rotate the muscle onto the scapula and "open" my chest to have a soft breathing. I noticed if my tongue was "stuck" on the roof of my mouth or rested without tension...

Hurried horse behavior problems

 

A lot of humans anticipate "what will happen" when with their horse.

There is a fine line between being aware of your surroundings and things that are occurring at the moment, but also not fixating on potential unwanted outcomes.

I suggest that folks notice their own thought patterns. Whether it is occurring before they are with their horse or in a moment with the equine, to learn to notice when their mind gets "stuck on a thought."

Horse Learning without Guarantees

 The only consistent thing I have found to be true is humans ARE seeking connection.

Repeatedly, social media videos that “do best” show the horse that is willing to interact with people, offering an emotional connection. The promise gives viewers hope, triggering interaction… A great motivator for change, or to “activate” people- whether to react, sign up, or buy into a belief system- is to engage the human emotion of hope.

The New Year: Horse Learning without Guilt- New Beginnings

I'm very aware that this time of year can stir up a particular kind of mental static. It’s the inner critic, tallying up the "not yets" and the "I should haves" with your horse.

Let's name it: Horse Guilt. It’s that feeling that you didn't do enough, "fix" enough, ride enough, or progress enough.

Guilt is not a motivator; it is a paralyzer.

Horse Help: Understanding before Expectations with Alternative Horsemanship™

 

“Understanding Before Expectations”

Have you ever driven a vehicle that suddenly started drifting, pulling, or moving in a way you didn’t want?

If that happened, would you stop the car, get out, and try to physically force the wheels into the direction you wanted them to go?

Of course not.
You’d start by troubleshooting:

• What is the condition of the tires?

• Is there an issue with the axles or brakes?

• Are the fluids low?

• Is the steering column misaligned?

Even if you didn’t understand the mechanics yourself, you would look for or seek guidance to find the root cause of the problem.

Why don’t we do the same with our horses?

In traditional training, when a horse shows unwanted behavior, the common response is:

• Add more equipment

• Use harsher aids

• Try to force compliance

• Speed up the training

• Push/drive/chase the horse through his resistance

But all that does is magnify the holes—
in the horse’s education
and in reflect a lack of human understanding.

When we mask symptoms instead of addressing root causes, unwanted behaviors don’t disappear…
they simply morph into something else.
Balking becomes bolting.
Tension becomes spooking.
Resistance becomes shutdown.
And owners are left wondering what the horse will do next.

Alternative Horsemanship™ is not about controlling the horse.
It’s about understanding the horse—
their communication, mental state, and natural responses.

Instead of reacting to problems,
we learn to see the early subtle signs of worry, anticipation, or defensiveness.
We teach the skills to learn how to recognize and address the root cause before it becomes a unreasonable or potentially dangerous behavior.

This approach focuses on building a foundation through:
✔ Clear communication
✔ Observing the horse’s communication
✔ Understanding how to influence the horse's mind to create changes in equine behavior or natural instincts
✔ Awareness of your own mindset, emotions, and habits
✔ Interactions that create a safe space for learning to build trust—rather than demanding fearful compliance or forced submission

Whether you realize it or not,
you are always teaching your horse.
Your energy, timing, clarity, and intention is reflected in the horse's responses.

If you’re tired of:

• Fixing the same problems over and over

• Hoping for “good days”

• Wondering what your horse will do next

• Feeling like training is a guessing game

Then it’s time to build a foundation based on understanding rather than reacting.

Because the quality of your horsemanship isn’t measured by:
❌ fancy equipment
❌ how quickly you get results
❌ what someone else can make your horse do

It’s reflected in:
✔ Intention
✔ Commitment
✔ Adaptability
✔ Clarity
✔ And your willingness to help the horse in front of you

Alternative Horsemanship™ branched into becoming The Remote Horse Coach to help you virtually learn how to create a relationship that’s not dictated by fear, dominance, or performance pressure—
but by communication, confidence, and calmness.

If you're ready to replace hope with understanding,
reactiveness with clarity,
and frustration with confidence—
learn how Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach can help you on horse journey.

Let’s begin building a partnership founded on awareness, curiosity, and mutual respect.

Visit the Individual Virtual Horse Coaching or the Horse Learning Video Catalog

Mustang Horse Help- From Dangerous to Willing with Alternative Horsemanship™

 

Horse Tasks Teaching Problem Equine Behavior

 Too many people tend to hurry in life and often the same applies to their horsemanship.

The “task” often becomes the focal point, rather than the quality of communication. If the horse mostly “goes along” with what is asked, people tend to accept the behavior.

But without effective “tools” (I don’t mean gadgets, rather how a person uses pressure to communicate) they often wind up at the “mercy” of the horse or “surviving” the ride.

This creates a cycle of worry, fear, and insecurity in both humans and horses.

November Horse Learning Livestreams

 Learn more and register for the November Livestreams HERE

Horse Goals

 If I had to be honest, most horses that come to me nowadays have a lot of baggage. A majority of their time with me is spent undoing what has been previously taught through aggressive, hurried training tactics...

Horse & Rider Help : Alternative Horsemanship™ the Remote Horse Coach

A lot of people are unsure about "how" they can learn if the instructor is not nearby... The irony of much of what limits the human's student ability to learn and retain new ideas and skills, can be the "distraction" of having their horse in hand/sitting on them. As a coach, we know the estimate is that humans retain less than 10% of what is taught in a lesson- never mind when they are trying to address their horse in real-time. 

I cannot count how many times initially unsure new virtual coaching students have shared how much more value they have gotten out of the distance learning lessons, because they had the time to process what was being taught. Then when they headed out to interact with their horse, their clarity, intention, and awareness was significantly raised leading to significant changes and improvement with the equine. 

The video catalog was designed as a support to the coaching and an introduction to Alternative Horsemanship™... It is not your traditional "one size fits all" mindless or "it should look like this" vague horse instruction. 

Instead, it is a grouping of many aspects of horse behavior, human skills, and communication that I have found "holes in the education and understanding" after decades of teaching people worldwide of all backgrounds, disciplines, and experience levels. It is a starting point to raise self-awareness, for new thoughts, considerations, experimenting, etc... 

For those committed to developing long-term changes with the horse, I still find the one-on-one sessions to be the jumpstart most equine enthusiasts needs to find the motivation and belief that change is possible.
Video Catalog
Individual Coaching Options

June Livestream Replays

 Hello All who subscribe to the Monthly Livestreams in the Remote Horse Coach Video Catalog

 

The June Livestream Replays Groundwork and Riding Q & A are now available. Click HERE to watch.  

Horse Skills: Reviewing The Release

 

As with everything much is left to interpretation when it comes to terminology in association with horses. I try to be clear and precise in the words that I'm offering, but there still can be a gray area in the human student's understanding.

Horses and The Learning Journey

One Step at a Time

It is very easy to be overwhelmed by everything that "isn't" or is challenging, frustrating, and exhausting with the horse.

Day 1 #Equi-Quality Challenge with Alternative Horsemanship™

 #Equi-Quality Challenge

Day 1

People are often surprised at how much building a Quality Equine Partnership starts with themselves.