Twin Oaks Farm - Horses and Fun

Preacher had an eye checkup with Dr. Tolar on Friday. I am so happy to report that there has been very little change in three years! Thanks to Elizabeth Leonhardt for letting him stay here. He has been an amazing horse in our program…prettiest mover out here!

Sometimes you get lucky! In March of 2024 we bought a mare at auction- not my normal place to purchase. Surprise…had a beautiful paint filly on Memorial Day. No mention at all of her being pregnant and honestly, if I had known, I would not have bought her. She has turned out to be an amazing young horse. Went on a field trip this weekend. She has never been on a trailer. Walked right in like it was nothing. Practiced loading a few times, but our field trip was the first time the trailer ever moved. Figured that was the real test ,after the clinic would she get back on?
No problem at all -what an amazing little girl hope her future is as bright as it seems

Hope I never need to use this!
Copied from Emily Grace

⚠️ SAFETY PSA ⚠️

I recently saw a post where a trainer got drug by a horse and beat up pretty bad. Accidents happen. And horses are incredibly strong, with a reaction time quicker than any other domesticated animal. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to prevent something from happening. But knowing what to do when SHTF WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE.

I have been dragged myself. Almost decapitated on a trail in the deep Florida woods when a wild hog exploded out of the bushes and got under my horse. In a split second he had done a roll back (most athletic thing that horse has ever done) and there was a tree limb across the trail at the perfect height to catch my throat.

As he bolted I was clotheslined by that tree, flung off to the left side of my horse with my foot going fully through the stirrup. I was screwed. Being drug through thick woods at the complete mercy of this horse.

The reins were useless, being ripped from my hands and degloving fingers in the process (never use nylon reins). But i had remembered an article I had read years ago about this exact situation: ROLL TOWARDS THE HORSE. I did, and it worked! I was freed. I was badly injured. Broke my left ankle, and foot, tore everything in that knee. But I was alive. Without a life changing brain injury.

Riding with my heels down did not prevent this either.

​Getting dragged by a horse is every rider’s worst nightmare, but if your boot gets stuck during a fall, your muscle memory needs to kick in instantly:

​1. Don't fight flat on your back. When you fall flat, your weight pulls down and your toe points up. This wedges the arch of your boot against the top/tread of the stirrup, locking you in a mechanical vice.

​2. ROLL TOWARD THE HORSE ONTO YOUR STOMACH.
It feels terrifying to roll toward moving hooves, but turning onto your stomach toward the horse’s flank twists your ankle and hip. This instantly changes the angle of your boot inside the stirrup iron, breaking the binding leverage and allowing your foot to slip free.

​3. Equipment rules to try and prevent it:

​Boots: Always ride in smooth soles with a distinct 1"+ heel. Leave the heavy-tread work boots or sneakers at the barn gate.

​Sizing: Keep 1/2 to 1 inch of clearance on both sides of your boot inside the stirrup tread.

​Fit: A slightly looser boot fit can mean your foot slips out of the boot if the leather catches.

Equipment: BREAKAWAY STIRRUPS (both English and western) or tapaderos.

​Save this, share it with your barn crew, and practice the mental image before you step up into the saddle.

​Sources to Citation & Link

​Horse & Rider Magazine — “How to Avoid Getting Hung Up in a Stirrup”
​Key Quote: “As you turn onto your stomach, rolling in toward your horse's flank, your foot will twist in the stirrup and release from it.” (Featuring hall-of-fame trainer Sandy Collier)
​URL: [https://horseandrider.com/how-to/hung-in-a-stirrup/](https://horseandrider.com/how-to/hung-in-a-stirrup/)

​Martin Black Horsemanship — Hung Up in Stirrups Safety Tips
​Key Quote: “If you ever get hung up in a stirrup, roll over on your stomach... when you’re on your back being dragged, you’re just putting your boot in more of a bind. Rolling over changes the angle of your boot and your foot will come out.”
​URL: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c55Ne9e_X3s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c55Ne9e_X3s)

​Equine Ink Safety Guide — Stirrup Mechanics & Emergency Dismounts
​Key Quote: “If you train yourself to roll on your stomach, your foot will naturally slide easier from the stirrup...”
​URL:

🌟 stock photo for attention 🌟

Hung Up in Stirrups Tips Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

I wonder how many horses spend their whole lives trying to tell us something, and we’re simply looking in the wrong place.

One of the biggest changes in the way I train horses didn’t come from learning another exercise or another technique. It came from changing the questions I was asking.

Years ago, if a horse was leaning on the forehand, hollowing its back, bracing through the neck or constantly rushing, I’d have been looking for a way to stop those things happening. The focus was on improving the behaviour.

Now, I find myself asking something completely different.

What is this horse trying to solve?

Because horses don’t wake up in the morning and decide they’d like to lean on the forehand or make life difficult for their rider. They use the body they have available to them, and if that body isn’t balanced, comfortable or capable of carrying itself efficiently, it will find another way. Sometimes that means leaning. Sometimes it means tension. Sometimes it means speed. Sometimes it means using muscles that were never designed to do the job they’re now doing every single day.

The more horses I work with, the more convinced I become that what we often describe as resistance is simply compensation. It’s a horse doing its very best with the body it currently has.

I sometimes wonder how many horses have spent years being corrected for something that was never really a training issue at all. Not because anyone was unkind, but because nobody had shown their owner what the horse was actually trying to say.

That’s why I think learning to observe is one of the most valuable skills we can develop. Not just watching where the legs go, but understanding why they go there. Not just noticing that the horse is carrying its head high, but asking what made that feel like the safest or easiest option in the first place.

When you start looking at horses like that, it’s very difficult to go back to seeing them in the same way. You stop chasing symptoms and start looking for causes. The whole conversation changes, and with it, the way you train.

For me, that’s where real progress begins. Not when we become better at correcting horses, but when we become better at understanding them.

Most horses are not being naughty.
They are confused. Or they are uncomfortable. Or they are being asked in a way they cannot answer.

A horse braces because the question does not make sense to him. He resists because the balance underneath is wrong.

He stops listening because the rider has been louder than the horse needs.

The first question is never how do I make him do it.

It is always: Is he able to do it, and have I asked him in a way he can understand?

That is exactly where the real work begins.

Save this post as a reminder for the challenging days, and share it with a rider who needs to hear this perspective today.

Having your reins too long leads to many problems. In the upper left picture look at the rider's dropped inside shoulder as they try to turn with a very long inside rein. Then look at the rider's leg position that has been shifted backward from the upper body contorted twist again from too long a rein. All of this is the result of their reins being too long.

The top right problem is simpler. The horse is running away with the rider who cannot slow the horse because their reins are too long.

Back when britches had side seams like jeans there was a saying, "If your elbows are behind the seams in your pants, your reins are too long". What starts with the elbows tightening behind the seam spreads through the rider's entire body. This rigid tightness breaks the unity with the horse as any bracing of the body will.

Show riders are often taught that adjusting your reins is considered a mistake that judges will punish. Slipping your reins is also considered a show error. These are not mistakes but rather necessary adjustments needed to maintain the optimal contact with your horse through your hands. If you have relaxed elbows to the point that your horse is gently "carrying" your hands in their mouth, you have soft contact, a connection that horses like.

In order to shorten your reins to a correct and effective length without dropping your reins in the process I will tell you the way I was taught -

Step 1: When I find that my elbows are back behind the seam in my breeches, I put both reins in my right hand.

Step 2: Next, I extend my other hand forward of my saddle, ahead of my hand that is holding the reins, and I grab both reins in my other hand at a shorter correct rein length.

Step 3: Then, with both reins in my other hand, I grab the right rein with my right hand, AHEAD of my left hand that is still holding both reins.

Step 4: Next, I separate my right rein from my left hand. I am then holding the left rein in my left hand and my right rein is held in my right hand.

Step 5: Now, with both reins held separately, forward of my saddle in a short rein length. I then slide both hands carefully backward to make my hands even at the correct rein length.

This rein length adjustment drill should be practiced often until it can be accomplished in one quick seamless motion of 12345, not 1-2-3-4-5. Once this rein length adjustment is established, we relax our hands and elbows in order to regain soft contact with our horse's mouth and re-establish unity.

I suggest watching videos of Phillip Dutton doing this rein adjustments. He does it so quickly and softly upon landing a cross country jump. He constantly adjusts his reins using this method and he looks like someone who is unconsciously knitting a sweater. This should be every rider's goal, and it begins with being aware of when your elbows get behind the seam in your pants.

Many thanks to Eric Elwell for taking pictures at our show last weekend. We had so much fun and I’m so proud of our riders and horses. Doing it again in October!

Great article!

The Skill That Makes Everything Else Work

There are certain things in riding that everybody wants to practice.
Stops. Spins. Lead changes. Sidepasses.
But there's one skill almost nobody practices directly, even though it affects every one of those movements.

Rein management.

I'll go as far as to say this: if there was one secret that makes a horse feel soft, responsive, and easy to ride, it's probably good rein management.
Not because the reins do the work.
Because they let your timing do the work. They help shape your horse. They let him in on the plan.

I see riders all the time who are trying to communicate clearly, but they're constantly reorganizing their reins. They're reaching, shortening, lengthening, swapping hands, and by the time they finally get everything adjusted, the moment they needed to reward or redirect has already passed.
The horse did something.
The rider reacted.
But because the reins weren't ready, the release came late.
And horses learn from timing.

One of the biggest changes I ever made in my own riding was learning to keep my reins organized before I needed them.
Think about driving your truck.
You don't wait until you're sliding toward the ditch before putting your hands on the steering wheel. They're already there, ready to make whatever adjustment is needed.
Your reins should be the same way.

Until a horse is educated, I like riding with my hands forward, low, and wide, with just a couple inches of slack in the reins. From there, I can shorten one rein, lengthen the other, pick one up, or release instantly without fumbling around.
Here's something else that's interesting.
Good rein management often means you end up using less rein.
When your hands are in the right place, the horse often finds the pressure himself and just as importantly, finds the release himself.
Maybe he drifts to the left and runs into the right rein. As soon as he brings his attention back where it belongs, the pressure disappears. You didn't pull him back. He organized himself.
That's a very different lesson than constantly correcting every little thing.

It's one of those little details that doesn't look exciting when you're watching someone ride.
But it's one of the biggest differences between someone who is simply steering a horse and someone who feels like they're having a conversation with one.
If your riding feels like you're always one step behind your horse, don't automatically blame your timing.
Sometimes your timing is fine.
Your rein management just isn't giving your timing a chance.

Not a bad idea to just spend some time just practicing handling your reins. Gathering, lengthening, switching hands, etc. Do it until you can handle your reins without looking as easily as the coffee house barista can text on a phone.

"You try to cut down what you are applying and get more response with less pressure, until it almost gets to be just a thought." Tom Dorrance

I will say we have GREAT BOARDERS!

10 Boarding Barn Etiquette Mistakes to Avoid - My New Horse From leaving manure in the aisle to hogging the arena, these boarding barn etiquette mistakes can frustrate fellow horse owners and barn staff.