Back Home!

I'm back home from Colorado! I just spent 6 weeks at the Parelli Center as a student in the internship. It was a life changing experience! I loved every minute of it. Had some amazing opportunities and was able to continue to develop myself as a teacher and horseman. Stay tuned for more details about my trip! As I continue to grow, so does my business. Please contact me if you're interested in lessons or workshops. I am licensed to teach the Online and Freestyle Savvies. Pricing Private- $50 per hour Semi Private- $40 per hour Group- $35 per hour Workshop- $35 per hour (prices per student) Naturally, Sarah

Prior-Proper-Preparation-Prevention, Reality Based Training for Horses and Horse Lovers

Have you ever been in a situation where you or your horse were in danger? A barn fire, a horse stuck in a turned trailer, riding a horse who becomes tangled in a wire fence.. I'm sure we all have at least one scary experience. How would you like to attend a clinic where Parelli Natural Horsemanship is used to help both you and your horse become safer, braver, and ready for any type of emergency situation? Kelly Sigler 3* Parelli Professional is teaching a Reality Based Training Clinic in Bridgewater, NH October 19-21. If you are a barn owner, instructor, rider, trainer, or just someone who loves horses, this clinic is for you. It could save a life! Check out more information at www.kellysigler.com and www.laddfarmllc.com Clinic Flyer http://laddfarmllc.com/Ladd_Farm/Kelly_Sigler_files/PPPP%20Ladd%20Farm%20Bridgewater%20NH%20-%20General.pd Hope to see you there!! Naturally, Sarah

Thinking Outside the Box

It has been a busy last few weeks here. Lots of teaching and trimming, and also working with my own horses. I also just adopted a new puppy, and am quite busy with having a new baby ;-) Unfortunately, Savannah popped a splint in May, and since then has been in very light work.. she's only allowed to do walk right now so we're having fun with some easy trail rides. The bright side to her injury is how much more I've been able to focus on Max. He is such a talented horse, sadly with not the nicest past but he's full of things he's trying to teach me. Playing with Max is a whole different world from Savannah. He's confident, exuberant yet not always motivated, loves to show his opinion by bucking, head tossing and leaping through the air. Lately, when playing with him I've found a new "technique" that works so well with him. Considering he is typically a Left Brain Introvert on the ground, he doesn't like to move his feet and is often times unmotivated to do anything that requires energy.. oh and extremely food oriented! He is the kind of horse you'd feel like you were "beating" him to make him go.. phase 4, phase 4, slapping the ground, tagging his bum... all just for a buck and lack of enthusiasm to do anything! So I've found that using a looooonnnnggg phase 1, and then almost "startling" him has done the trick for him. It's amazing the difference and try he puts in. So when I do this, I will ask with a phase 1 then if there is no effort I'll shuffle my feet and bring my energy up, then go right back to phase 1. This kind of just wakes him up a bit rather than expecting a carrot stick in the air ;-) His canter departs are responsive from a phase 1 now as soon as I ask, where before it took him half a circle to go into the canter. The first time I tried this new phase 4 technique with him, we went from being a lazy, sluggish, unmotivated boy to doing some pretty awesome flying lead changes! The Left Brain Extrovert and play drive really comes out now... now since he's starting to respect me some more! Isn't it interesting what techniques work for different horses!? Just remember this isn't something for all horses. Savannah would lose confidence and trust in me if I did this with her. Max has also passed his Level 4 Online, so we're working on refining everything now. Not every technique works for all horses and sometimes thinking outside the box can change how you and your horse play together. The same old thing everyday can get boring for those Left Brain horses. Stay cool and Keep it Natural!!

Performance & The Seven Games

Performance & The Seven Games

This is a great Blog written by 4 Star Instructor Kathy Baar! Just shows how important the 7 Games are and how they apply to everything you do with your horse!

2 Star Trainee!!

It's official, I'm now a 2 Star Trainee Junior Instructor. This means that I can now give 10 free hours of Freestyle Riding lessons, and once I've taught those free hours I will be an official 2 Star Junior Instructor. Being a 2 Star Instructor, means I can also teach Freestyle along with the Online Savvy. I can teach levels 1-4 and can now teach workshops. How exciting!! Do you need some help with your Freestyle riding? Email me for your chance to have one FREE 1 hour lesson!

Official Level 4 Graduate

Just got back the results for my Level 4 Liberty and I passed!! That means I am now an Official Level 4 Graduate of the Parelli Program!! Yippeee!!!

Russell Higgins with Oscar & Maverick - Playing Some Horsemanship Games

Check out this awesome video!! Having fun with Parelli Natural Horsemanship!

Max's Journey, A New Found Love

It's been some time since I've had an update on Max. We persisted with the Game of Contact... even with our struggles ;-) We put in quite a bit of time using Max's snaffle bit while asking for confidence and stretching. Every day improved.. less running away, emotions staying controlled. So as Max continued to gain confidence, I really let him make some choices. If he wanted to stop every few strides, we did. I also would ask for something and then WAIT! Ask for the walk, and wait.. which felt like an eternity until he would move one foot! I let him figure out that he could have a say in what we were doing. Pretty soon he started taking over ;-) Once we reached this point, I again started asking him for more. Asking him to be more responsive without being reactive. I started riding him in his rope halter, which I have hardly done with him. He was just doing fantastic!! Recently we started jumping. Who knew I would be jumping this horse who used to be so out of control. And jumping him over 3 feet in a rope halter at that! I also started riding him in the cradle bridle. I realized how comfortable he was in his rope halter, but I wanted to use something so we could have more refined communication, and since the cradle "cradles" his head it is the perfect bridle for him right now. He LOVES it! I honestly can't believe the change in him! We have been now working on some finesse, jumping, and even cantering out in the open. Max actually likes to be ridden now! We're both having so much fun and are now working on advancing, instead of just constantly working on Max's emotions and thinking he should always go SO fast. Max is like a different horse now! I still can't believe what a joy he is to ride!! We're having a blast! Thanks to Parelli!

Horsenality™ Is Not An Excuse!

Horsenality™ Is Not An Excuse!

Some Jumping Fun!!