Balanced Connection Horsemanship with Devon Roffler

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE PROVERBIAL 'RACE'
PART 2 OF 17

This sweet pony was given to me. When the old owner reached out to me she told me she's very sweet but she's more work than we need and we're getting up there in age and not interested in this work.

She had said the horse wouldn't canter with a rider on it.

My initial thoughts was neurological or really unbalanced.

Upon seeing her and her general mannerisms she looked like a really sweet gal who overthought a lot of things.

I liked her as she had a lot of try in her and after seeing her in the round pen and how much she leaned it was clear she was super unbalanced.

The owner got on and rode around in a walk and a trot and was saying how all they've been trying to do is just get her to slow down. Everything about her was so fast.

That was indeed the case as you could feel she easily wanted to jump on the accelerator.

She was just so confused and didn't know where she was supposed to be nor did she ever feel peace when someone was on her.

I got on her and I really liked her and even though it was my first time meeting her I thought wel, I can't really take a horse without cantering it.

I went around a bit and I really liked her brain and said I think I can get a canter.

I asked her a few times and she did. Definitely had to release her for trying even though it was a big trot and eventually she found the canter. And it would appear that I was very accurate on how unbalanced she was. She was leaning so hard to the inside.

I knew it would be a lot of work but I saw a lot of potential in her.

It took about a year to finally get her to be a good mount.

Now I work my personal horses 3 days a week. So really it was the equivalent of 7 months if you wanted to look at it from the standpoint of being worked 5 days a week.

And I'm not going to lie, it was a lot of work!!

And there was a point where I said if you don't shape up here soon it's just not worth it. She took a lot of work and time and I wasn't seeing a return. We were almost hitting a year mark. And then finally it all fell into place.

I am grateful I waited because the horse I knew that was under there finally was shining bright.

Based on the original owners photos(not the people I got are from but the owners they got her from )and what not in the horses ad I knew it would be work. She had a tie down in almost every photo and she never had a bit in her mouth which told me they probably messed that up or it was too much work for them.
Boy was I spot on with that as well!

She was every bit of unbalanced, freight train and would just put her head up as high as she could when you went to talk and feel with your hands.

She's required a lot of sweat and patience.

The thing is you got to know the type of brain you're working with and she is sweet and willing and tries very hard. Too hard actually. And she's a very literal horse.

So if you tell her this is what we do she will do it. But that also does make it a little harder to take out the old information because she says well, this is what I was told so for her to switch her idea to mine took some time but then once they take the idea they see how much better it is.

Anyhow, I knew I'd done a fine job when I told my daughter she could finally ride her. My daughter can take this horse and do everything with her and walk, trot her around. The pony is also now doing lessons with walk trot.

Currently what we are working on is a soft feel and getting her canter transition absolutely seamless. We had it seamless in the western saddle for a month and now in the english we're working on getting it seamless there.

So this series of videos and photos you'll see is the culmination of great work.

You'll see a horse that is rhythmic and with my seat and greatest of all has peace and understanding.

And we don't get there by using more contraptions or tying things down whether it's the neck or their mouth. We get there the good old-fashioned way of hard work and patience and chipping away. And knowing that all horses are wonderful and they are only doing what they've been taught. And that rewiring a brain takes time.

It has been a long road and I don't know that anybody would have really tried to help her but gotten harsher with her and probably strapped her mouth shut and what not.

These sorts of things are never the answer. Horses are athletes and it's our job to not only treat them as so but to also educate them. But in order for one to educate them they need to be educated.

Because that's not who she was.
It was who she learned to be.

Take away what caused them to learn that and then you get to see the real horse you have.

And every single one of them are such good horses.

EVERY
SINGLE
ONE,
NO EXCEPTIONS.

Every horse is a good horse if you would let them be- peace by peace.✨

Confusion is anxiety.
Clarity is peace.
Truth is freeing. ✨

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE PROVERBIAL 'RACE'
PART 1 OF 17

This sweet pony was given to me. When the old owner reached out to me she told me she's very sweet but she's more work than we need and we're getting up there in age and not interested in this work.

She had said the horse wouldn't canter with a rider on it.

My initial thoughts was neurological or really unbalanced.

Upon seeing her and her general mannerisms she looked like a really sweet gal who overthought a lot of things.

I liked her as she had a lot of try in her and after seeing her in the round pen and how much she leaned it was clear she was super unbalanced.

The owner got on and rode around in a walk and a trot and was saying how all they've been trying to do is just get her to slow down. Everything about her was so fast.

That was indeed the case as you could feel she easily wanted to jump on the accelerator.

She was just so confused and didn't know where she was supposed to be nor did she ever feel peace when someone was on her.

I got on her and I really liked her and even though it was my first time meeting her I thought wel, I can't really take a horse without cantering it.

I went around a bit and I really liked her brain and said I think I can get a canter.

I asked her a few times and she did. Definitely had to release her for trying even though it was a big trot and eventually she found the canter. And it would appear that I was very accurate on how unbalanced she was. She was leaning so hard to the inside.

I knew it would be a lot of work but I saw a lot of potential in her.

It took about a year to finally get her to be a good mount.

Now I work my personal horses 3 days a week. So really it was the equivalent of 7 months if you wanted to look at it from the standpoint of being worked 5 days a week.

And I'm not going to lie, it was a lot of work!!

And there was a point where I said if you don't shape up here soon it's just not worth it. She took a lot of work and time and I wasn't seeing a return. We were almost hitting a year mark. And then finally it all fell into place.

I am grateful I waited because the horse I knew that was under there finally was shining bright.

Based on the original owners photos(not the people I got are from but the owners they got her from )and what not in the horses ad I knew it would be work. She had a tie down in almost every photo and never had a bit in her mouth which told me they probably messed that up or it was too much work for them.
Boy was I spot on with that as well!

She was every bit of unbalanced, freight train and would just put her head up as high as she could when you went to talk and feel with your hands.

She's required a lot of sweat and patience.

The thing is you got to know the type of brain you're working with and she is sweet and willing and tries very hard. Too hard actually. And she's a very literal horse.

So if you tell her this is what we do she will do it. But that also does make it a little harder to take out the old information because she says well, this is what I was told so for her to switch her idea to mine took some time but then once they take the idea they see how much better it is.

Anyhow, I knew I'd done a fine job when I told my daughter she could finally ride her. My daughter can take this horse and do everything with her and walk, trot her around. The pony is also now doing lessons with walk trot.

Currently what we are working on is a soft feel and getting her canter transition absolutely seamless. We had it seamless in the western saddle for a month and now in the english we're working on getting it seamless there.

So this series of videos and photos you'll see is the culmination of great work.

You'll see a horse that is rhythmic and with my seat and greatest of all has peace and understanding.

And we don't get there by using more contraptions or tying things down whether it's the neck or their mouth. We get there the good old-fashioned way of hard work and patience and chipping away. And knowing that all horses are wonderful and they are only doing what they've been taught. And that rewiring a brain takes time.

It has been a long road and I don't know that anybody would have really tried to help her but gotten harsher with her and probably strapped her mouth shut and what not.

These sorts of things are never the answer. Horses are athletes and it's our job to not only treat them as so but to also educate them. But in order for one to educate them they need to be educated.

Because that's not who she was.
It was who she learned to be.

Take away what caused them to learn that and then you get to see the real horse you have.

And every single one of them are such good horses.

EVERY
SINGLE
ONE,
NO EXCEPTIONS.

Every horse is a good horse if you would let them be- peace by peace.✨

Confusion is anxiety.
Clarity is peace.
Truth is freeing. ✨

SMOOTH OPERATOR
PART 2 OF 2

When we humans are balanced we can bring then balance to a horse.

Now that both are balanced we can create harmony together. We can create life throughout the bodies.

Harmony is connection and life within the bodies.
A connection that ebbs and flows and can change in a moment from a slow, ambling walk to a robust canter and everything in between.

That is how when we have a balanced connection we can be a 'smooth operator'.

Confusion is anxiety.
Clarity is peace.
Truth is freeing.
✨

Best view ever. 💚🐴✨🙌

SMOOTH OPERATOR
PART 1 OF 2

When we humans are balanced we can bring then balance to a horse.

Now that both are balanced we can create harmony together. We can create life throughout the bodies.

Harmony is connection and life within the bodies.
A connection that ebbs and flows and can change in a moment from a slow, ambling walk to a robust canter and everything in between.

That is how when we have a balanced connection we can be a 'smooth operator'.

Confusion is anxiety.
Clarity is peace.
Truth is freeing.
✨