LIVE horse learning with Alternative Horsemanship

Looking for LIVE videos offering Exclusive content with Q & A Opportunities?

Coming in November- Fridays at 6pm pst, 9 pm est, noon ACT

A replay will be available if you can't join the live session.

New topics are posted in the group forum every Monday, comment with your questions, and then join in for LIVE horse-related discussions.

Click the picture below to learn more in the welcome video.

California Alternative Horsemanship 2022 2023 Horse Clinics

Attention Southern California Horse Enthusiasts...

Looking ahead to the 10th year of the Alternative Horsemanship winter clinic series!


OAKZANITA Ranch
Descanso, CA

2022/2023 Dates:
Oct 26-31
Nov 16-21
Jan 25-30
Mar 1-6
Mar 29- Apr 3

Individual 1-hr sessions catered to the individual student and horse's current abilities. Groundwork, equine behavior, tack fit, rider clarity & confidence, are just a few of the many topics often covered in these clinics. They are the only clinics where I allow free auditing.
Email me for participant and auditing details, schedule availability, or to get on the waitlist.

Dear Sam: Horse Help -Spooky Horses

Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series 

*Spooky Horses 

Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach addresses why reacting after the fact or attempting to contain unwanted and dangerous horse behavior does not solve the long-term issues of the horse's insecurity and fear. 

New EPISODES every Friday Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube channel to not miss any.

Improve Horseback Rider Skills- Leg pressure and usage

Continued from Connecting the Dots and The Bridle. 

In regard to leg pressure...

I do not want to feel like I’m “driving” my horse forward constantly with my leg; instead, the energy I offer with my seat (before using leg pressure) delegates the energy that should be reflected in the horse's movement.
AFTER that I will use my legs to finesse, fine-tune, and ask for a more specific movement.

Horseback Rider Help- Improving the Skills: The Bridle & Rein Usage

Continued from the "Connecting the Dots"

In regards to the bridle…

Contact, accepting the bit, not ‘leaning’ on the bit, following a feel, softening to pressure…
Each of the above concepts is used throughout various disciplines.
You may have heard some of these, others maybe not. To me, they all are attempting to reach the same end goal. A horse that softly accepts of the bit, maintains a willing responsiveness when used by the rider, without fear or defensiveness.

Connecting the Dots of Horseback Riding

Connecting the Dots

(This will be a several-part entry that will be covered over the next week or so...)

When resistant, unwanted, and/or dramatic behavior occurs with the horse, people get distracted by the big-ness of the horse. In my mind, the “big” is an after-the-fact response by the horse. The root of the problem has occurred or began to occur anywhere from minutes to months before the horse finally resorted to undeniably dramatic behavior.

Finding a Horse Boarding Facility- How to Choose the Right One

Choosing the right barn to board your horse means knowing what questions to ask and what to look for when visiting boarding facilities. In this video, we discuss the important features to consider, like cost, other horse owners, facility rules, owner responsibility, and the health of the animals currently boarding.

Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel for the Tuesday Trainer Tips series and the Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series on Fridays.

Help- My horse suddenly stops moving forward!

The theme of the past few days has been new folks asking for help with horses that are going "fine" and then the horse "randomly" or suddenly stops, or quits, moving forward.