Diamond D Ranch Sorting

😂😂

For those asking about sorting in the area❤️

Loved this so why not share!
Happy New Year friends, may you all be healthy, happy and blessed in this coming year!! ❤️❤️

There’s a mental block we human beings have about buying or training a horse for a particular discipline… and then, only doing that discipline. This is incredibly unfair to the horse.

When we have a dressage horse, or a cutting horse, or a jumper, or a barrel racer—any performance horse, really—we do them a grave disservice to work only upon dressage, or cutting, or jumping, or running barrels. This makes perfect sense and yet, we see it all the time.

Soon, the horse begins to suffer mentally and physically. Mentally, because he is either going to grow bored, or fried. Physically, because he is going to be taxing the same muscles and joints over and over again, without giving them a rest and developing other parts of his body.

Repetition is one way of learning, yes… but it is also a one-way street to breaking down.

How often I’ll haul to the public arenas, where the same girls are running the same horses around the same three barrels, week after week after week.

They carve on those turns, ‘keeping the inside shoulder up’, getting the horse to really bend around the barrel, respecting the pocket… and racing ‘em home. Over time, I watch these horses getting worse, rather than improving. Riding out, climbing hills and making miles would maximize both their fitness and partnership. Working on the basics of horsemanship and equitation would build the body control of both riders and their horses.

Without zeroing in only on what each rider so badly wants, she would gain much that would translate to better times when she runs. More barrels staying up, less trouble in the alley, and so on.

The jumper rider needs to think about what is going on in between the jumps, along with small gymnastics, to improve the arc and eye of the jumping horse. The dressage rider might think about getting out on the trails, taking part in the cowboy challenge obstacles, working over trot poles and cavaletti, in order to bring more joy and freedom to the dressage horse. The cutting and cowhorse riders might want to find some taxing and beautiful trails to get that horse walking out and using its whole body, rather than staying ‘bridled up’ or doing repetitive turns. The western pleasure horse would really benefit from moving straight over open country, without being 'canted in'...

Finally, let me share this one thought with you.

When we run our horses fast, or jump them high, or stop them hard in our day-to-day schooling, we are doing so without knowing how many runs, jumps and stops they might have left in them. Think about this! If my horse has only five more beautiful, fast, clean barrel runs in him before something unfortunate happens, before something goes wrong, how very sad I will be if I used these up by hooning around at home, rather than when it counted most.

Yes, he has to learn how but once he has, trust that he has it in his tool box when you need to call on him. It is at this point that you and he can coast a bit. You’re sitting pretty, now!

If you or I are lucky enough to be riding a performance horse, we’re asking for his highest performance only when we’re riding to win. The rest of the time, we’re quietly tweaking and building strength, confidence and know-how. We’re doing our best to build partnership and to actually HAVE FUN.

Do we like to think that our sport comes at the wear and tear of the horse? No, I don’t think we do but that doesn’t change a blessed thing when it comes to real life. Horses who have the challenge of speed or athletic endeavour must learn how to do the technicalities of their sport by slowing it all down. This is how we build muscle memory, this is how we build confidence and understanding. This is how we don’t waste another beautiful young talent. This is how we ride for the long haul.

Ride smart. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: diversify and build up your horse, rather than tearing him down.

Awww geez! 😳

Every year…😂