Inspired by Beach Camp!

 by Mary Gallagher and Kathy Schmidt

For the last 17 years we have had the good fortune to visit the farm of Cindy and Gary Flood, in Long Beach, Washington, for our annual beach camp. They have graciously hosted our campers and horses, giving us use of their excellent covered arena and paddocks, with easy access to the legendary beach nearby. Our camps have taken many forms and included campers of all ages at one time or another. We are so grateful for the ongoing opportunity to be at such a beautiful facility!

This year’s camp was, in a word, outstanding. As many of you know, recent beach camps have been exclusively for our Hoof Beats riders. Well, the small but enthusiastic crew that came with us this year really excelled at making this camp about horsemanship, pitching in to help, being there for each other, and having loads of fun in the process! Together we set a new standard for the future.

Kathy Schmidt, who has partnered with me the last few years, bringing many years as a grade school teacher as well as a high level of horsemanship to the occasion, agreed that this camp was special. The question is, how to make it a success every year?

Here’s what we think:

Trees Can Help Your Horse Find the Feel

By Mary Gallagher

Tree as helpful obstacle

Here at Freedom Farm we are blessed with a wooded playground we call the Emerald Forest. It has provided everyone here with the added benefit of exposing their horses to natural obstacles as well as a quiet retreat to strengthen their relationship with their horses. So with improved weather this month, it was a pleasure to get back out into this beautiful training area. Trees are wonderful obstacles: you can go around or between them, under their branches, over their exposed roots or fallen branches. Today I will share with you one of my favorite ways of using going around a tree to help the horse develop a softer feel.

Train While You Play—Lessons Learned from Baby Horses

By Mary Gallagher

Baby horses are four-legged balls of fun, interested in everything, playful and curious. We have been blessed with a number of bright young colts to start and develop, over the past few years at Freedom Farm, and I’ve been taking notes on our progress. I’ve realized how much power and potential there is in recognizing the energy of play as a resource in training, not only with babies but horses in general. Without overthinking things (a good first rule of thumb with baby horses), I wanted to share some insights and ideas to consider while playing with your horse of any age:

Imagination is a Great Teacher

by Mary Gallagher

I’ve been thinking a lot about imagination, as I do my rounds at Freedom Farm. As I shared last month, I’ve been spending more quiet time doing a greater variety of things with my personal horses and trainees, and have been encouraging my students to do the same with their horses.

Without the pressure of upcoming shows, and with the necessity of quiet, more individualized activities, we are discovering and developing new avenues of purpose with our horses, making use of our surroundings to develop, test, and hone our skills and our partner’s skills.

With a little attention, we can easily find sources of inspiration around us, to get us going on a meaningful journey of discovering our oneness with nature. And with our horses, by mindfully cooperating, we can awaken the intelligence innate in both us.

Lifestyle – Herd Training at Liberty

by Mary Gallagher, with Jessica Crouch

Among our most popular posts on Facebook are videos of how we exercise and train horses in a herd, which is part of an approach called ‘liberty work’—sans halter, lead rope, or other tack. Most of our horses live in herds and are accustomed to group activity; we find even more benefits from intentionally moving horses together in a focused and organized way.

Natural herd instincts. When new horses arrive for training who have been kept in stalls and other traditional quarters, we introduce them to the activity with a few other horses that know the program. Our experienced horses are emotionally stable and can be very helpful to a newbie. A horse that has never worked in a herd does have natural herd instincts that help them follow the pattern and benefit from more experienced horses.

Lesson Notes: Reading Your Horse

by Mary Gallagher

Today I wanted to talk to you about a lesson I often find myself teaching, many times over. It is about noticing how your horse is responding to you, emotionally and physically, at any given moment.

Remy's Journey: a testimonial

By Carolyn Guske

I bought my black Morgan "Remy" when he was 4 years old and 14.3 hands. His barn name at the time was "Rambo", and little did I know how appropriate that name was. Because of his young age I assumed the bratty behavior of ears back, and moving into my space on the ground, were easily fixable issues that his previous owners had never addressed. He was such a calm, lovely riding horse, curious about new things without spooking or jumping at anything.

How Not to Die in a Trailer: For Dummies

By Kelsey van Dyken

In July, as I'm sure you've heard, the hoof beats kids took on an adventure at the Washington State Horse Park. It certainly was an adventure. Below, you will find a series of 'episodes' that will fill you in on what it takes to survive a horse related camping trip.

Variety is The Spice of Life - For Us AND Our Horses!

By Kathy Schmidt

This summer, I've been reminded of the old saying, "Variety is the spice of life."  It is so true, not only for us, but for our horses as well.  Variety can keep us from getting into a rut with our ground work and riding.  Variety can help a worried, grumpy, bored, or complacent horse become a willing and eager partner who meets you at the gate wondering,  "What are we going to do today?"

Lesson Notes: Taking Time to Play with Your Horse

By Mary Gallagher

For those new to Freedom Farm, let me introduce my husband and Freedom Farm co-owner Jerry Schmidt. You can learn more about Jerry here. -MG
 
Recently I asked Jerry how he gets his horses to accept all the crazy things he does. Of course he gave me a simple answer:  "I take time to play with my horses."